James Otho Turpin was the son of Hardin N. Turpin and Sarah Hankins. He married Rebecca Belle (Mitchell) Turpin in 1913 after the death of her first husband, Oscar Turpin, in 1911; James Otho Turpin and Oscar Turpin were cousins. Oscar Turpin is buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

James O. Turpin, 41, and his wife Bell, 29 are listed in the 1920 Webster County census. They have a daughter Sara Lee, 3, and are boarding with widows Nannie Wright, 49 and Lanta Winstead, 73.