When John W. Squires was born on 26 October 1826, in Ohio, United States, his father, John Squires, was 35 and his mother, Mary Fortney, was 26. He married Elizabeth Ann Doughty on 10 January 1849, in Muskingum, Ohio, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons. He lived in Falls Township, Hocking, Ohio, United States in 1860. He died on 4 December 1881, at the age of 55, and was buried in Pine Grove, Lawrence, Ohio, United States.