In 1843 John moved his family to Lincoln, Kentucky and worked at his trade as a clock maker. There was much unrest over the slavery question in Kentucky and land was hard to get. So in 1849 John made a trip on foot to Taney Co. Missouri to visit his brother William , who had settled there in 1830. Believing in the future of this beautiful county, he took up a claim, cleared the land and built a log house. In 1853 he brought his family to this new home, planted crops and worked at his trade. He was a Union man during the Civil War, and because of the guerrillas and bushwhackers around him, he sold his farm and moved to Greene County, Missouri for greater safety.
After the close of the war he returned to Christian County and located on Bear Creek, where he died in 1870. He continued to improve and add to his farm and was considered one of the successful men in the county. Physically he was large and muscular, over six feet tall, weighing 318 lbs., but very quick and active. Possessed of great strength, he never met his equal in a wrestling match. They were members of the Baptist Church and the parents of 13 children which included two sets of twins.