John W. Lathrop was born around 1829 in Ohio. He married Eliza Jeanette Calloway on November 10, 1849, and they had at least three children: Emma, born around 1851; Hannah, born around 1853; and Edward, born around 1858. They lived in Austinburg, Ohio, and Lathrop worked as a wagon maker and carpenter. By 1860, he owned $150 of personal property. A decade later, the family owned $1,000 of real estate and $200 of personal property. He died around 1899 in Ohio.