John Inman was born around 1807 in South Carolina to John and Sarah Inman. He married Mary Bartel, and they had at least five children: Louisa, born around 1827; Matilda, born around 1829; Elizabeth, born around 1832; Isaac, born around 1834; and Johnson, born around 1839. They lived in Morgan County, Alabama, until the 1840s, when they moved to Burleson County, Texas. Inman worked as a farmer, and by 1850, he owned $200 of real estate. They moved to Johnson County, Texas, and by 1860, he owned $2,000 of real estate and $1,214 of personal property. He died sometime after 1862.