When John Adam Fiscus Sr was born on 15 November 1775, in Bethania, Surry, North Carolina, United States, his father, Jacob Frederick Fiscus, was 27 and his mother, Magdalena Schmidt, was 29. He married Anna Catharina Arney in 1801, in Stokes, North Carolina, United States. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 4 daughters. He died on 8 November 1864, in Owen, Indiana, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Jefferson Township, Owen, Indiana, United States.