He was born in Marion District, South Carolina on February 27, 1767, the son of James and Ann Townsend Ford.
Little is known of his early life except that he obtained his ministerial license while living in South Carolina.
Around 1798 the Ford family moved to the frontier of the Mississippi Territory and lived in the Natchez District until around 1805.
Around 1809, the family built the famed John Ford Home, a three-story wood-frame structure on the Pearl River.
Today the John Ford home is owned by the Marion County Historical Society and is a tourist attraction.