James C. Neagles was born in Missouri and graduated from the University of Missouri. He performed graduate work at Washington University in Saint Louis in social work and correction. He was a juvenile parole officer in Missoui and swerved as the superintendent of Boys Town of Missouri. In 1979 he completed a thirty-year career in corrections, retiring from his position as Staff Director and hearing Examiner with the United States Parole Commission in Washington, D.C.

James Neagles has pursued genealogy as an avocation since 1970—compiling his own family histories, serving as a classroom instructor, and working as a genealogical researcher in the Washington, D.C area. He resides in Waldorf, Maryland, but travels extensively, both for recreation and to visit state archives and libraries.

Mr. Neagles is the author of three other Ancestry publications: The Library of Congress: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research; Confederate Research Sources: A Guide to Archive Collections; and Summer Soldiers: A Survey and Index of Revolutionary War Courts-Martial. He is the co-author of two works: Locating Your Immigrant Ancestor: A Guide to the Naturalization Records and Locating Your Revolutionary War Ancestor: A Guide to Military Records. In addition, Mr. Neagles is the author of the recently publishing Boys Town of Missouri: A History.