John Alexander Hodnett was born around 1836 in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, to James Hodnett and Sarah Greer. His father was a farmer who owned $12,000 of real estate and $33,000 of personal property in 1860. Hodnett owned $7,200 of personal property in 1860, including at least seven enslaved laborers. He enlisted in the Confederate army and mustered in as a private in Company K of the 14th Alabama Infantry. Hodnett returned to Alabama after the war, and he married Sarah Cooper on October 13, 1870. They had at least three children: James, born around 1872; William, born around 1873; and John, born around 1874. Hodnett worked as a farmer after the war, and in 1870, he owned $1,200 of real estate and $500 of personal property. They lived in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, and Hodnett died there on June 17, 1884.