John was the son of Joseph B. & Martha Shook, he had 2 brothers Joseph L. & Samuel, 3 sisters Roxie (Phelps), Ida (Akins) & Julia (Smith) He moved with his parents to Texas as a small child, then to Indian Territory near the Cogar community in 1900, where he attended Fair Valley rural school. He farmed near Cogar until 1936, when they moved to a farm south of Hydro, he retired in 1960.