James Templeton McMillan was born to Scottish immigrants in Beaufort, South Carolina on June 15, 1837. His family moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 1855. McMillan's father opened a drugstore there. McMillan returned to South Carolina to enroll at the Medical College of the State of South Carolina in 1859. The college was forced to close due to the disruption of the Civil War, and McMillan was unable to complete his training. McMillan enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861, serving with the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery as a hospital steward. McMillan returned to Florida on leave from his military duty in 1863, and found that his father had died. He was instructed by his commanders to remain in Florida and protect the supply of drugs from his father's drugstore. McMillan reopened the drugstore after the Civil War ended, and remained in Gainesville, Florida with his family until his death in 1913. McMillan married Mary Amelia Miller of Charleston, and the couple had two children.
From the description of Helen Smith Marshall Collection on James Templeton McMillan 1905-1988 (Medical University of South Carolina Library). WorldCat record id: 214071541
