John Berry McFerrin was born on July 15, 1807, in Rutherford County, Tennessee.

[1] His paternal great-grandfather, William McFerrin, Sr., emigrated to York County, Pennsylvania, from Ireland in 1730.

[1] His paternal grandfather, William McFerrin, Jr., served in the American Revolutionary War of 1775-1783, including at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780.

[1] His maternal great-grandfather, James Laughlin, emigrated to the United States from Belfast.

[1] His father, James McFerrin, was born in Washington County, Virginia, and served as a Methodist pastor in Bellefonte, Alabama.

[2] His mother, Jane Campbell Berry, was also born in Washington County, Virginia.

He also converted John Ross (1790–1866), who served as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1828 to 1866.

[3][8] Specifically, he served in the Second Corps of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under General Joseph E. Johnston (1807–1891).

[12] In September 1881, McFerrin attended an Ecumenical Conference in London, England as a delegate of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.