TEMPLETON, John Alfred, was born on August 13, 1889, near Clifton, Tennessee. John was born in a large family; he was the second son of the marriage of William Newton and Rachel RAY TEMPLETON. “Newt”, a Confederate veteran, and Rachel each had families from previous marriages.

When the United States entered World War I, John was twenty-nine years old. He was inducted into the Army at Savannah, Tennessee, on October 17, 1917. He served in the Army Corps of Engineers, where he held the rank of corporal. He always remembered facing the Germans in the trenches of Frances. John was discharged from the Army on June 23, 1919.

After the war, John married Pearl PRATER of Clifton. They had six children: four of their children lived to adulthood. One of their sons, Willard, was killed in Europe during World War II. Another son, Ray TEMPLETON, died in 1974. Their other children, Glenn TEMPLETON and Maxine TEMPLETON RAY, still live in the Clifton area.

Except for a few brief periods, John spent his entire life around Clifton. He worked in sawmills and served as the Clifton Police for a while. John TEMPLETON died of a heart attack on June 5, 1967. Pearl TEMPLETON died in 1970.