James "Jimmy" Brownlow was born about 1788, in Chatham County, North Carolina. He was the son of John Brownlow, the Revolutionary Soldier. He moved, along with his family, to Pendleton District, South Carolina, in 1801. There he married Rebecca Cross sometime around 1810. He served in the war of 1812 and in the Creek War. In 1838 he moved his family to Floyd County, Georgia, where he was a deputy sheriff for many years. He lived there until his death on February 15, 1876. He is buried in Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Rome, Floyd County, Georgia. His obituary stated that he was the father of thirteen children. All but two of them were daughters and very little is know about them.