When John Francis Helfrich was born on 25 February 1894, in York, York, Pennsylvania, United States, his father, Sylvester Peter Helfrich, was 28 and his mother, Issemelia "Amelia" Elizabeth Rider, was 25. He married Mary Ada Rohland on 11 January 1916, in Dallastown, York, Pennsylvania, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 2 daughters. He died in September 1974, in Dallastown, York, Pennsylvania, United States, at the age of 80, and was buried in Dallastown, York, Pennsylvania, United States.