John was from Lincoln, England. He was rebaptized in the Millcreek Utah Ward on 4 January 1857. He might be the same individual as the John Allen who had arrived in the Salt Lake Valley with the Livingston and Kinkaid Freight Train in 1855; he too was from Lincolnshire, England. According to this man's biography, found in the memories section of his FamilyTree entry, John and his wife Sarah had no children so Sarah invited fourteen-year-old Mary Ann Barton, a survivor of the 1856 Martin Handcart Company to live with them. John married Mary Ann as a plural wife in February 1857. Perhaps his rebaptism on 4 January 1857 was a preparation for entering into polygamy. Additional research is needed to verify this.