When John Woodrow Sewell was born on 4 October 1879, in Madison, Tennessee, United States, his father, Pleasant Perry Sewell, was 23 and his mother, Lucy Jane Elizabeth Kirby, was 19. He married Eula Inez Catherine Deering in January 1901, in Wise, Van Zandt, Texas, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 1 daughter. He lived in Justice Precinct 5, Cooke, Texas, United States for about 30 years. He registered for military service in 1942. He died on 16 September 1954, in Nocona, Montague, Texas, United States, at the age of 74, and was buried in St. Jo, Montague, Texas, United States.