John Way was born on December 3, 1805, in Lempster, New Hampshire, to John Way and Susannah Booth. He married Polly Emerson, and they had at least three children: Charles, born around 1836; William, born around 1839; and James, born around 1844. They lived in Lempster, and Way worked as a farmer. By 1860, he owned $700 of real estate and $690 of personal property. A decade later, he owned $100 of personal property. He died on July 22, 1884.