James married Vinnie Galbraith at Terrell, Texas on June 24, 1896. They had three children: Frances, James and William, before Vinnie died May 15, 1921. On December 23, 1924, he married his second wife, Katharyn Osterhaus, who had been the supervisor of English at University High School also in Norman, Oklahoma. James Shannon Buchanan died on March 20, 1930. Katharyn and the three children survived him.
