James McGill, son of William and Margaret McGill, was born in 1793, near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. When he was 12 years old, he was captured by Indians, and taken to their village in Georgia. He spent several years with the Indians, until he was eventually freed. For the full story on this, see the Legend of James McGill in his great-granddaughter Ruth VanDyke's memoirs.
On April 8, 1828, James married Isabelle Adams, who was born in Virginia in 1797. James and Isabelle had only two children that we know of:
| Rebecca Jane McGill |
| William McGill |
Isabelle died in Butler County, Pennsylvania, in 1865. James died in 1883, also in Butler County, in his 90th year.