He was born on June 15, 1763, in County Antrim, Ireland, the son of Walter and Margaret Brown, who were Scottish-Irish Presbyterians.
At the age of three, he emigrated with his parents to America aboard the ship The Earl of Donegal, arriving in Charleston, South Carolina, harbor on December 22, 1767.
When the American Revolution came to their area in 1780, John Brown, then 17, joined the South Carolina Militia under the command of Capt.
He studied under Dr. S. E. McCorkle in Salisbury, North Carolina, and received a Doctor of Divinity degree.
The now Reverend John Brown's first pastoral post was Old Waxsaw Presbyterian church, in Lancaster, South Carolina.
From here in 1793, Brown was called to be the pastor of Beaver Creek, Hanging Rock and Miller's congregations in Kershaw County, South Carolina.