John L. Newton was born in Pope County, Ill., August 24, 1853, and is now located in township 12, range 6, of the said county. His father, Isaac Newton, was of English ancestry, and his great-grandfather was also named John. He came from England with his brother Isaac, the former settling in South Carolina, and the latter in North Carolina. John Newton had a son, Joseph, who was the grandfather of John L., our subject, and two other sons, one of whom was Isaac. Joseph Newton married Ann Stephens, of North Carolina, and reared a family of eight children, four sons and four daughters, viz: John, Martin, Joseph, Isaac, Sally, Rebecca, Nancy and Elizabeth. The latter died when a young lady, and the others became heads of large families, but are all deceased. Joseph Newton was a Baptist minister of the Old School, and a farmer by occupation. He was born about 1760, and was a substitute soldier in the Revolutionary army, at the age of sixteen years fighting in the battle of the Cowpens; he also participated in the march of the Bloody Trail from King's mountain to Guilford Court House.
The maternal grandfather of John L. Newton was John Murphy, who was a comrade in the war with Joseph newton. The latter was also in the Florida Indian War, but never received a pension. He was brought up in he South, where he always lived except during the latter years of his life, and was at one time wealthy, but died a poor man either in Williamson or Johnson County, Ill., at a very great age, and his wife died a few years later, also very old. Isaac Newton, the youngest of the family, was born July 12, 1808, in South Carolina, and chose for his wife Miss Phoebe Murphy, who was born December 25, 1811, in Tennessee. She was brought to Illinois by her parents when she was seven years of age, in 1818, just before the State was admitted to the Union. Isaac Newton, the father of John L., had come to the Territory of Illinois with his parents some years before, when he was a small boy. He was a great hunter and an excellent shot, and had plenty of opportunity to hunt and to exercise his skill as a marksman, for there were all kinds of wild game and wild beasts in the woods at that time. In one day he killed seven deer on a still hunt, which was the best record in that part of the country, with the exception of that of a Mr. Henderson, who killed eight, which he took home as proof of his skill.
Isaac Newton and Phoebe Murphy were married March 28, 1828, at the home of the bride. Mrs. Murphy was then a widow, living on a squatter's claim, for which Isaac obtained a deed at the land office at Shawneetown, paying $1.25 per acre for one hundred and twenty acres of land. Afterward he bought and secured a deed for eighty acres more at twelve and a-half cents per acre, which deed is now in the possession of John L. Newton and his eldest brother, Green. The father of our subject died November 15, 1863, at the age of fifty-five years, and his widow died December 23, 1889, at the age of seventy-eight years, leaving eight children, three sons and five daughters, viz: Rebecca, now Mrs. William Rose; Juliette, now Mrs. J. S. Barger; Sarah, who married William S. Barger; Amanda, wife of George Petty; Angeline, now Mrs. J. W. Brockett, of White County; Green B., a farmer occupying a portion of the home farm; James K., a farmer on an adjoining farm; and John L.
Our subject obtained a fair education in his youth, and has ever been a great and careful reader, so that he is now a well-informed man. He was reared on the home farm until his twentieth year, when he went to Missouri and Arkansas, where he engaged in various kinds of business for some time, depending principally on the products of his well-kept farm for a livelihood. He married in Christian County, Ill., May 5, 1881, Miss Mary C. Nemyer, of Ohio, daughter of Christ and Frederica (Taskmeyer) Nemyer, both of Germany, and who came from Hanover to the United States in 1851. The former had served in the German army previously to coming to this country. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Newton settled at their present home farm on Polk Precinct, Pope County, Ill., locating on section 18, on an eighty acre farm. Of their family of four children, one infant son has died; the other three sons are living, viz: Albert Earl, ten years old; Isaac Elvin, aged eight years; and Chris Leroy, who is four years old. The two older ones are in school and are doing fairly well in their studies. Mr. Newton has always voted the Democrat ticket, and was elected Justice of Peace in 1892. He is engaged in general farming, raising the ordinary crops of corn, wheat, oats, hay and potatoes, and he also keeps a few cattle and hogs for his own use. Though his parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Newton believes it best to be entirely free from confinement of any kind, consequently he is not a member of any church or society.

_Copied from The Biographical Review of Johnson, Massac, Pope and Hardin Counties, Illinois Chicago Biographical Publishing Co. 1893 pp. 389-390