John Eaton was born in 1845 in Littleton, North Carolina. He was raised as a slave by William Eaton. His biological father was Peyton Ross. He married Agnes (d. 1880) and they had four sons. He married Mary Eliza Eaton (1862-1909), daughter of Henry Eaton and Missouri, in 1882 in Littleton, North Carolina. They had nine children. He died in 1925. Descendants and relatives lived mainly in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey.