John arrived in America in 1860 and became a naturalized citizen on 10 February 1868. Captain John was a master of a whaling ship and even made a trip around the world.
During the Civil War, John was part of the Union Merchant Marines. These men were responsible for obtaining control of the inland waterways along with the sea lanes. It is told that his ship was captured by the CSS Alabama, a Confederate warship.
After the war, John married Mary Ann Lattimer on 23 December 1867, in Buffalo, Erie, New York. They had twelve children with two set of twins (one set died in infancy).
John lived on a piece of land which was known as the seawall strip ~ the land of the 'squatters' or 'beachers.' Eventually the city of Buffalo 'acquired' the land in order to give it to the railroad. The 1868 Buffalo City Directory displays John's address as "across the creek, north of the salt dock."
It was told that John's wages were paid in gold and he never banked it. His wife Mary Ann kept a large amount of the gold in her apron pocket.
He died on 28 July 1899, in Buffalo, Erie, New York, at the age of 54. His cause of death was of an intussusception of the bowel - a rare condition at the time. John was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, Erie, New York.
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