John Henry was the son of Henry and Kezia Davey-Paull. At age 11, he worked at the mine with his father and older sister, Jane. By 21, he was a lodger at the John Mitchell residence before marrying Miss Jessie M. Brown in 1883. The couple moved to Iveston, Durham, England, soon living with Jessie's widowed mother and their son and daughters. Arriving to America in the late 1800s, John and his family resided in Hanover, Luzerne, PA until his death.