His mother’s relations settled on the Cherokee Trace in the Republic of Texas in the late 1830s; so John and his brothers are seventh-generation natives of today's Franklin County, Texas. His paternal grandparents came to Texas from Alabama at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Holding master’s degrees in political science and divinity, John supported his family as a teacher, a pastor, and a hospice chaplain. Retired since 2015, he enjoys playing guitar and writing. His first book, "Downhill Turtles," tells of his ancestors' agrarian life in the early 1900s, his mid-century small-town upbringing, and his family's later adventures in rural ministry. In a second book, "Bottomland Credentials," vignettes and inspirational stories mingle with agricultural studies and Franklin County history. John lives today in the Mt. Vernon home built by his maternal grandparents in 1927. His wife Mary died in 2013. Their two sons, Caleb and Daniel, live and work in other places these days.