John was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England in 1896. He served in the British Army during the First World War. John married Edith Slater on September 10, 1921 in Darwin, Lancashire, England. They came to Canada in 1924, settling first in Saskatchewan and later coming to the South Peace and filing on SE 3-72-1-W6 and NW 34-71-1-W6 in 1929. In 1941, John joined the army once again and served as an orderly at the military hospital in Grande Prairie. He died at the Grande Prairie Hospital on December 12, 1971.
Sources: surname file; Across the Smoky p. 61; Bridges to the Past p. 203