John Pitcher (1795 - 1892)

Judge. Born in Watertown, Connecticut in August, 1795. He was a man of many hats, a Lawyer;  a Spencer County Sheriff, 1826 to 1830. Judge Pitcher was a member of Indiana state house of representatives, 1830 to 1831, and a candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana, 1837. He was a member of Indiana state senate, […]

John Porter Bowman (1816 - 1891)

Tanning Magnate. Born in Clarendon, Vermont, he began work as a tanner at age 15 and later owned a tannery in Cuttingsville.  In 1851 Bowman served in the Vermont House of Representatives and in 1852 he moved to Stony Creek, New York, where he became wealthy through ownership of another tannery.  His daughter Ella died […]

John Prentiss “Print” Matthews (1840 - 1883)

Social Refomer. Known as “Print” Matthews, he led a coalition of African Americans and small landowners in his native Copiah County, Mississippi during Reconstruction, with himself serving as county sheriff. After the withdrawal of federal troops enforcing African-American suffrage, this coalition became untenable, with white supremacists using terror tactics like night riding, church burning, and […]

John Prentiss Benson (1865 - 1947)

Maritime realist painter and architect. He was born into a wealthy Salem merchant family. His brother, Frank W. Benson was a renowned impressionist painter. Although he aspired to a career in art, he made his living as an architect and was well into his fifties before he began his career painting maritime scenes. He is […]

John Quade (1938 - 2009)

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Quade attended Perry Rural High School in Perry, Kansas before transferring to Highland Park High School in Topeka on September 7, 1954. While at Highland Park, he was a football tackle and also participated in basketball and track. He was a member of the Stamp, Radio, and Chess/Checkers clubs. He […]

John Qualen (1899 - 1987)

John Qualen (born Johan Mandt Kvalen, December 8, 1899 – September 12, 1987) was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles.  Qualen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of immigrants from Norway; his father was a Lutheran minister and changed the family’s original surname, “Kvalen”, to “Qualen”. Qualen […]

John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848)

John Quincy Adams 6th United States President, Presidential Cabinet Secretary, US Congressman. The son of 2nd United States President John Adams, he was born less than 75 feet from the birthplace house of his father in Braintree, Massachusetts. As a youth he was extremely fearful for the life of his father who had signed his […]

John R. Lewis (1940 - 2020)

John R. Lewis John Lewis grew up in an era of racial segregation. Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., he joined the burgeoning civil rights movement. Lewis was a Freedom Rider, spoke at 1963’s March on Washington and led the demonstration that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” He was elected to Congress in 1986 and received the Presidential Medal of […]

John R. Newberry (1970 - 1933)

Businessman. A pioneer Los Angeles grocer, he founded J.R. Newberry and Company in 1898, one of the first chain grocery stores in Los Angeles. He built Newberry’s into a chain of 60 markets. (bio by: Scott G)  Family links:  Spouse:  Clara Ramsey Newberry (1851 – 1933)* *Calculated relationship

John R. Opel (1925 - 2011)

US Business Executive. As the visionary head of I.B.M., he played a key role during the company’s transition into the personal computer era. Born John Roberts Opel, he was raised in Jefferson City, Missouri, the son of a hardware store proprietor, he attended Westminster College where he majored in English, and following service with the […]

John R. Silber (1926 - 2012)

Silber was born in San Antonio, Texas, the second son of Paul George Silber, an immigrant architect from Germany, and Jewell (née Joslin) Silber, a Texas-born elementary school teacher. Both of his parents were Presbyterians. As an adult, he learned that his father’s side of the family was Jewish and that his aunt had been […]

John Randolph (1915 - 2004)

Randolph was born in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Romania. His mother, Dorothy (née Shorr), was an insurance agent, and his father, Louis Cohen, was a hat manufacturer. In the 1930s, he spent his summers at the Pine Brook Country Club in Nichols, Connecticut which was the summer home […]

John Randolph Neal (1876 - 1959)

Lawyer. He was the chief defense for John Thomas Scopes in the 1925 Scopes Trial, and was later joined by Clarence Darrow. Prior to this he had successfully won a seat in the General Assembly and two years later he won election to the Tennessee Senate. He was also a former University of Tennessee Law […]

John Raymond “Ray” Bergman (1891 - 1967)

In the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s, his name was synonymous with ‘wet flies’ of flyfishing. He is the author of many books and articles on the subject including “Forgotten Flies.”  Family links:  Parents:  Benjamin J. Bergman (1865 – 1959)  Sibling:  John Raymond Bergman (1891 – 1967)  Janet Claire Bergman Christian (1898 – 1967)* *Calculated relationship

John Redpath (1970 - 1869)

A building contractor who in 1854 built Canada’s first sugar refinery, importing sugar cane from the West Indies on his own ships. As a philanthropist he supported missions, colleges and hospitals. His son Peter financed the building of McGill’s Redpath Museum (to house the collections of Sir William Dawson) and the Redpath Library of McGill. […]

John Reisenweber (1851 - 1931)

Restaurateur. He expanded his father’s modest 1856 tavern at the southwest corner of 8th Avenue and 58th Street in New York City into a nationally known establishment having 12 dining rooms and over 1,000 employees. According to his New York Times obituary, Reisenweber’s restaurant is credited as the birthplace of the modern cabaret, and, after […]

John Reynolds (1788 - 1865)

John Reynolds (February 26, 1788 – May 8, 1865) was a United States politician from the state of Illinois. He was one of the original four justices of the Illinois Supreme Court, 1818–1825, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1826–1830, 1846–1848, and 1852–1854 (when he was Speaker of the House), and the […]

John Reynolds Hughes (1855 - 1947)

Texas Ranger, inspiration for The Lone Ranger. John Hughes was born on February 11, 1855 in Henry County, Illinois; he was only able to attend school on rare occasions since he was kept busy working the family farm. In 1869, he left the farm to work on a cattle ranch, but left soon after and […]

John Rice (1918 - 2011)

John Rice was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League for nineteen seasons. Rice umpired in three All-Star Games and four World Series. Rice was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania. He played semi-professional baseball in Chicago before joining the United States Marine Corps during World War II, serving from 1942 […]

John Richards Buchtel (1820 - 1892)

Businessman. Co-founder, along with Lewis Miller, of the Buckeye Mower and Reaper Works in Akron, Ohio. He sponsored the construction of Buchtel College in Akron which opened in 1872. The College burned to the ground on December 20, 1899. The street in front of the building was re-named Buchtel Ave. The name Buchtel dose not […]

John Riley “Jack” Duncan (1850 - 1911)

Texas Ranger and Bounty Hunter. Born to James and Katherine Duncan. He was raised in a small farming community in Hardin County in north central Kentucky. He and his brothers tended to the family’s farm while his father served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After the war, the family engaged in several […]

John Ringling (1866 - 1936)

Entertainer. Born Johann Nicholas Rüngeling, one of seven sons of German immigrant and harness maker, August Rüngeling, in McGregor, Iowa. After moving to Baraboo, Wisconsin, the brothers Ringling created and performed a vaudeville-type show in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, on November 27, 1882. John played the clown. Two years later, the Ringling Brothers were able to open […]

John Ripley Myers (1864 - 1899)

Businessman. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1887 and purchased Clinton Pharmaceutical Company in upstate New York with friend and fellow Hamilton alumnus William McLaren Bristol. He continued with the business, renamed Bristol, Myers and Company in 1898, until his death from pneumonia. Bristol, Myers was not immediately profitable, but proved successful after Myers’s death […]

John Ritter (1948 - 2003)

John Ritter Actor. A figure in television and motion pictures, he is fondly remembered for his role in the television comedy series “Three’s Company” and “8 Simple Rules for Dating my Daughter.” He received an Emmy and a Golden Globe award for his work on “Three’s Company.” The youngest son of movie and television singing […]

John Robert Gregg (1867 - 1948)

In 1888, he perfected the Gregg Shorthand System, which is used throughout the world and has been adapted to 11 languages. Gregg founded a school in Chicago to teach his system and other business subjects. He directed a firm that published his books and edited 2 business magazines.

John Robert Powers (1892 - 1977)

Founded the Powers Modeling Agency. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Alice Burton Powers (1908 – 1972)* *Calculated relationship

John Rostill (1942 - 1973)

Born in Kings Norton, Birmingham, England, John Rostill attended Rutlish School in south London (1953–59). He worked with several artists before joining the Shadows, including Bournemouth band the Interns – nowadays sometimes confused with Welsh band the Interns, who were based in London at this time signed with Tito Burns Agency; in fact, they were […]

John Roy Chapman (1927 - 2001)

Notable British playwright. Started out as a stage playwright, particularly Whitehall farces, with such plays as “Dry Rot”(1958), “Not Now Darling”(1973) and “Simple Spyman”(1958). He later moved into television with productions such as “Are You Being Served?,” “Fresh Fields (for which he was awarded an Emmy in 1984), “The Liver Birds” and “Allo Allo!” (bio […]

John Russell (1921 - 1991)

John Russell Born in Los Angeles, California, he fit the Hollywood image of tall, dark, and handsome. He attended the University of California as a student athlete. Following the outbreak of World War II, he joined the United States Marines, though he was initially rejected because of his height (6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)). […]

John Russo (1909 - 1978)

His nickname was Big Pussy and he was a powerful and respected member of the Genovese Organized Crime Family. New Jersey was the base of his operations all his life. His younger brother Anthony, who was a Captain in the Genovese Family, was nicknamed Little Pussy. During the 1960s, FBI wiretaps overheard New Jersey mobsters […]