John Parker Teagarden was born on December 26, 1845, in Green County, Pennsylvania, to Isaac Teagarden and Sarah Parker. His father was a millwright who owned $500 of real estate and $300 of personal property by 1860. Teagarden grew up and attended school in Richhill, Pennsylvania. He moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, in the 1860s and worked as a teacher and life insurance agent there.

 

He settled in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, in the 1870s, and by 1880, he was working as a lawyer. He married Mary Elizabeth Davis around 1885, and their daughter Sarah was born around 1888. He enlisted in the United States army on June 15, 1899, during the Spanish-American War, becoming a 1^st lieutenant in Company I of the 28^th United States Infantry. He was promoted to captain on August 28, 1900, and he mustered out on April 14, 1901.

 

He returned to Waynesburg after leaving the army and resumed his legal practice. According to a local writer, he “always took an active interest in politics as a Republican,” and he served as secretary of the Board of Trustees of Waynesburg College. He died of pulmonary issues in Waynesburg on August 19, 1911.

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