John Ade was born on September 25, 1829, in England to John Ade. He immigrated to America around 1840 and settled in Fulton, Ohio. By 1850, he was working as a blacksmith. He married Adeline Bush on May 20, 1851, and they had at least six children: Anna, born around 1852; Alice, born around 1856; William, born around 1859; Joseph, born around 1863; George, born around 1866; and Ella, born around 1868.
By 1860, they were living in Jefferson, Indiana, and Ade was serving as county recorder. He owned $300 of personal property. A decade later, he was working as a real estate dealer, and he owned $8,300 of real estate and $2,900 of personal property. By 1880, Ade was working as a banker. His wife died on January 26, 1907. By 1910, he was living with his daughters Alice and Anna in Jefferson. He died of “acute dilation of the heart” in Valparaiso, Indiana, on April 28, 1914.