James Arthur "Aught" Gouge was born on May 11, 1888, in Little Rock Creek (Mitchell County), North Carolina. Gouge was a farmer in Glen Ayre, North Carolina, when he registered for the draft (World War I) in June 1917. He was subsequently inducted into the service in May 1918 and assigned to the 156th Depot Brigade. He was honorably discharged on November 19, 1918, on a surgeon's certificate of disability. Gouge died in Bakersville (Mitchell County) on November 28, 1970.