The following was written by John about himself to his son Frank:

Dear son Frank:

I will try to write a little of my life but I have been engaged in so many different occupations and at different times that it is difficult for me to write about it.

I was born in Clinton County, New York. Lived there on a farm until I was nine year old when we moved to PA. (1835) We went with horses and wagon to Ogdensburg then went on a boat to Rochester then went by Niagara Falls through Buffalo through Jamestown and came out on this turnpike at Shippensville. This was in the year 1835. My mother bought 20 acres of land the next spring where Rathmel now stands. Stayed there about twelve years and worked on the farm. The first school in Winslow Township was a small log house where Prescottville now is in 1837. I was one of the first scholars. Nearly all of the education I got I got there. I went through Bennetts Arithmetic in two months when I was 13 year old. I studied grammar and bookkeeping. We only had 3 months for a term at that time. There were four of us to go to school. Clarrisa, Juliana and Valentine. My youngest sister Emeline was not old enough to go to school at that time. It was too far and we had a long trip through the woods with only a path. In 1848 we moved from our farm to where Reynoldsville is now. All the men that lived there at that time were Wooward Reynolds. Thomas Reynolds, Daniel Sharp, Jacob M. Shaffer, Clark Lons and John Darling. I went in partnership with Thomas Reynolds in the shoe making business and learned shoemaking from J.M. Shaffer. I was married to Susanna Smith on the 10 day of June, 1852.

I have been employed in serval different occupations but never made much success in anything. Have done the most at Shoemaking of any one thing but never was a first class working man at it. I taught school nine winters 3 months a term. The first school I taught I only got 15 dollars a month and boarded myself. The most that I got was 25 dollars but I received board at 1 dollar a week. I never considered myself much of a teacher. Among the different examinations that I had I did not get No. 1 for anything but writing. In 1868 we sold our home in Reynoldsville and made a foolish move to the South.

We stayed a while in Cleveland Tennessee and then bought a farm in Murray County, Georgia. Soon the family was nearly all taken sick and we sold the farm at a sacrifice and we were glad to get back to PA.

We lived in Shemoca (Panic) until he fall of 1871. Frank was born there while living in the Deemer House.

I should have mentioned my enlistment in the Army before our move to the South. I enlisted in the 105th Regiment Pa. Vol. at Camp Jameson, VA. On the 1st day of February 1862, mustered in on the 28th of the same month. First discharge Feb. 28, 1864. Last discharge July 1th 1865. Having serviced 3 years 5 months and 11 days in all. During his absents in the Civil War Susannah was left building the house with only 10 cents in hard money when he marched away. But when he returned there was a new house and money buried.

In the fall of 1871 we moved to Winslow twp. were they were building the low grade R.R. Stayed in a boarding house. Stayed there until the fall of 1873 and built a house that summer. On several different occasions I worked at the Carpentering business. The house I refer to is the house Mr. Bone lives in at the present.

I have done a good deal of surveying around through the country and laid out a part of Reynoldsville, but i was not a good surveyor. I did a good deal of botch work which I was always able to do anything else. If you want to know anything that I have not written, let me know and I will answer as best I can. In copying this you can add or diminish just as you think proper.

Father