When John Lewellen was born on 6 February 1806, in Monongalia, Virginia, United States, his father, Samuel L Lewellen, was 27 and his mother, Elizabeth Margaret Gough, was 26. He married Sarah Haymond on 11 September 1828, in Monongalia, Virginia, United States. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Taylor, Virginia, United States for about 10 years and West Virginia, United States in 1870. He died on 9 October 1878, in Taylor, West Virginia, United States, at the age of 72, and was buried in Knottsville, Taylor, West Virginia, United States.