He was the third of eight children. John and his brother would dare each other to do different things. Some of his childhood memories were going on walks with his grandfather, playing in nature, hunting for bird's nests and re-enacting battles from the Wars of Scottish Independence.
He moved to America on a steamship when he was about 10 years old. His father had to leave the mom and the younger children in Scotland until they found a place to live. They built their home near a lake and called it Fountain Lake Farm.
