James Croxen was born at Liverpool and died at Five Mile Plains. His wife Emma Edison died at Five Mile Plains in 1923. James Croxen earned his living working with his horse in the gypsum quarries at Windsor, also hauling wood and trucking in winter. He and his wife had thirteen children, nine of whom lived to adulthood. James Croxen's family was noted for its hospitality and kindness to less fortunate neighbours.