John Elkins (May 23, 1815 – December 13, 1898) was an American jeweler, watchmaker, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer.

[1] He was raised on his family's farm until age 17, when he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and apprenticed as a jeweler.

In 1837, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and purchased a lot in the city to operate a store, but an outbreak of Cholera forced him to cancel his plans.

He remained nine years in Kenosha before moving to the neighboring city of Racine, where he re-established his business.

[2] On January 22, 1840, John Elkins married Eliza Putnam in Rushville, Illinois.