Son of Thomas and Ann Garner, was born in the township of Hardiston, Sussex county. New Jersey, April 6, 1805. He lived there with his parents until he was sixteen years old, helping his father on the farm and in the mill, and then removed with them to Paterson, New Jersey, where his father worked at manufacturing cotton cloths until the fall of 1825, and then removed to the town of Pultney, Steuben county. New York, where he and his sons managed a farm. John Garner speaks of an incident which occurred while living in New York that taught him an important lesson. His father one day said to him, " John, go and split that big pine log on the Borden lot into rails."Taking his tools, he "hammered away" at it till noon, some of the neighbors remarking that they "guessed John Garner had his match at last." He finally split the log open, and went to dinner. It made one hundred rails, and Mr. Garner says he never undertook to split another pine log through the heart!

At the age of twenty-two he left home and went to Bath, Steuben county, New York, and purchased one hundred and seventy acres of wild land. After working upon it a year he married Miss Christiana Bachman, daughter of Deacon Bachman, one of the most influential citizens of the neighborhood. This was in the town of Pultney, and occurred April 8, 1828. He went with his wife (who was born January 27, 1808) to his farm in Bath, and lived there until June, 1833, when he sold out and came to Michigan with his father, and located in White Lake township, Oakland County. He was accompanied by his wife and three children, and settled finally where he now lives, on section 5. On the 1st of August, 1835, he and his wife became members of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake, organized that day. Mrs. Garner became the mother of thirteen children, six sons and seven daughters, and died March 13, 1852, aged forty-four years one month and sixteen days. The names of her children are as follows:

Jacob B., born April 9, 1829 : died September 27, 1852. Thomas C, born May 2, 1831 ; now a professor in the high school at Owosso, Michigan. Robert B., born December 16, 1832 ; farming in Livingston county. Sarah B., born December 1, 1834; how living at Milford, Oakland County, with her second husband, William Lamphear. Nancy, born September 21, 1836; wife of 0. P. Morgan, of Shiawassee. Lucy Ann, born November 19, 1838 ; died October 23, 1859. James, born February 10, 1841 ; farming in Tuscola county, Michigan. William, born April 8, 1843 ; farming and milling at Parkersville, Kansas. Mary Jane, born August 16, 1844; now Mrs. James Gordon, of Highland township. Josephine, born September 1, J.846; died April 17, 1852. George B., born January 16, 1849 ; died when four days old. Christiana, born February 1, 1850 ; died when two days old. Julia Ann, born March 9, 1852 ; died when nine days old.

Mr. Garner moved into the old log house on his place in August, 1833, and lived in it until 1846, when he built the stone house he now occupies. He began life in the Michigan wilderness under close circumstances, and had a wife and three cliildren to support. Money was so scarce that it was extremely difficult to get enough to pay the postage on letters, which was then twenty-five cents in silver each. Mr. Garner speaks of having three letters come for him to Pontiac, in 1S34, the combined postage being seventy-five cents. He was unfortunate enough to be without the money, and in order to raise it took his axe and beetle, went tu his father and begged a job of rail-splitting. After splitting one hundred and fifty rails, at the rate of fifty cents per hundred, he received his money, and went afoot to Pontiac for his letters.

Mr. Garner always carried his rifle with him when away from home, and the first season after he settled he killed over fifty deer. He and Harrison Yoorheis, who lived close by, had many an adventure together. On one occasion Garner caught a wounded deer by the tail, and swung around a tree to hold it, and hung untill Voorheis came up and cut its throat. Mr. Garner and his two brothers, William and Thomas, were excellent shots with the rifle, and killed a great many deer.

On the I8th of September, 1852, Mr. Garner the second time entered matrimony, being married that day to Miss Sarah Coryell, of the town of Pultney, Steuben county. New York. She was born July 20, 1822, and was the daughter of Deacun John Coryell, a respected citizen of the township. He was an early settler in the locality, coming there at an early day with his father, David Coryell, from the State of New Jersey. John Coryell Is now living, at the age of eighty- one ; but his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ellis, is deceased. The father of Mr. Garner's first wife, Jacob Bachman, settled at an early day in the town of Romulus, Seneca county, New York, and afterwards removed to Pultney. Steuben county, where he was living when Mr. Garner married his daughter.

The second marriage of Mr. Garner has been blessed with a family of seven children, as follows: John Coryell, born August 29, 1853. Josephine, born December 28, 1854 ; widow of Daniel Kellogg, who died December 1. 1876. Joseph, born April 20, 1856 ; lives at home. Leroy G.. born August 20, 1859 ; lives at home. Charles M., born March 10, 1861 ; lives at home. Theodore, born July 23, 1863 ; died the next day. Annie Grace, born June 5, 1865 ; lives at home.

Mr. Garner has given his sons, who are married, the sum of one thousand dollars each, and to his married daughters eight hundred dollars each. He now owns two hundred and sixty acres of land, lying in sections 4, 5, 6, and 8, and his farm is one of the best in the township. He and his wife are members of the "White Lake church." The building is owned by him and his brother Robert, and these two are the main supporters of the society. In politics he is a Republican, and also an earnest advocate of the principles of temperance. He is a member of White Lake grange, No. 253, P. of H.