Contrary to the date on the tombstone, James Allen Helms was born 9 April 1841, in the area which at that time was called Indigo Head, Dale County, AL. [Coffee County was officially formed 8+ months later, on 29 Dec 1841 and included the part of Dale County called Indigo Head.]

Timeline: James Allen Helms was born 9 April 1841, his brother John William was born 22 June 1842, his sister Mary Ann Elizabeth Helms was born 9 April 1843, the next child, Aaron Washington Helms, was born 3 Aug 1844 -- Clearly his mother was having a baby every year, and there was no room for James to have been born in 1842.

Source: Heritage Quest
HELMS, CHARLES J   (1860 U.S. Census)
ALABAMA , COFFEE, 6-PCT
Age: 38, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: NC
Series: M653 Roll: 6 Page: 846

Charles J Helms 38 Eliza Helms 40
James Allin Helms 19 John W Helms 18
Mary A E Helms 17
Aaron W Helms 16
Henry J Helms 14
Sarah A E Helms 13
Daniel J Helms 11
Frances A E Helms 10
Martha A S Helms 9
Charles J Helms 7
Celina Helms 4
George D Helms 7/12

James Allen Helms married Elizabeth Ann Adams on 22 Dec 1861 in Coffee County, AL.

James Allen Helms, his brother John William Helms and several cousins enlisted in the Confederate Army at the same time in Feburary 1862, in Greenville, AL. Other cousins enlisted in other Companies of the Confederate Army. On the Company K., 33rd Ala Infantry Regiment muster roll of March 13, 1863 he is listed as James A. Helms, age 21 and his brother is listed as John W. Helms, age 20.

J. A. Helms
Pvt. Co. K 33rd Ala. Inf. Regt. CSA
enlisted at Greenville, AL under Capt. D. H. Horn

The 33rd Ala. Infantry Regiment was in a number of major battles, in the end very few in this regiment survived to be paroled at the end of the war. James and his brother John William Helms survived the war; however, some of their cousins did not.

Helms James A. Co K Private 3/13/62 Greenville AL "Sent hosp. from Wartrace, TN 6/12/63 by surgeon. In hosp. Dalton, GA 6/13/63 and was furloughed for 60 days. Name appears on a roll of convalescent camp at Marietta, GA Sep-Oct 63. Rejoined unit by Dec 63."

By 1870, he and his younger brother Henry and their young families had settled side by side in Covington County, between Rose Hill and Harmony. Henry moved on, but James & his family remained, farming and expanding their family.

By 1884, James and his wife Elizabeth had born 10 children, of whom 8 children survived to adulthood.

Although James survived the rigors of war and returned home, he died from a rattlesnake bite on his farm, at age 43, leaving behind his widow and 8 children, with the youngest barely 1 year old.

The oldest children were girls and his oldest son Daniel Ingram, was age 12 when he died, leaving his widow with very young children and crops still in the field. He was buried at Harmony cemetery, near his wife's father who had died a few years earlier. The space to his left may contain the graves of their two children who died earlier.