J. A. Folger

Folger was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, the son of Samuel Brown Folger (b. 1795) and wife Nancy Hiller (b. 1798). His father was a master blacksmith who had invested in a tryworks and bought two ships. They had nine children of which James was the second youngest. The Folger family roots can be traced back to Peter Folger, an English colonist. On July 13, 1846, a 33-acre (130,000 m2) fire broke out in Nantucket's business section and burned the works and ship and 11 year old James helped in the reconstruction.

J. A. Folger married Eleanor Laughran (born October 17, 1837) and was the father of James Athearn Folger Jr. (1864–1921), who married Clare Luning. James and Eleanor had three other children; John Athearn m. Nancy Try (née Slaughter), Ernest Randolph, and Elizabeth. He is the paternal grandfather of Peter Folger, and the great-grandfather of Abigail Folger. Abigail was murdered in 1969, by members of the Manson family, along with her friend, actress Sharon Tate among others. He is also the uncle of Henry Clay Folger, founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library.