Biographical information from
"Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana" as submitted to Lagenweb by Suzanne Shoemaker and also historical records accessed by the contributor, Scout Finch.

JOHN FRANKLIN STRAYHAN is a representative of a very old family of Bossier Parish. He was born near where he now lives, October 10, 1854, being a son of James P. and Lucretia Jane(King) Strayhan, the former born in Bossier Parish, and the latter in Montgomery, Ala. The father is still living and is a resident of this parish. He was reared here and has been a tiller of the soil throughout life, and during the early part of the late war he joined a Louisiana regiment of infantry, and served until the close, being a participant in many battles. He was in the siege of Vicksburg, and was slightly wounded once. His wife, who died July 11, 1870, was about forty years of age, and was a member of the Baptist Church, and after her death he married Mrs. Patterson, a widow, who is still living. Mr. Strayhan is a Mason, a member of the Farmers' Alliance, and politically is a Democrat.
The place on which his people located on coming here, which was at a very early period, was known as Rough and Ready. To Mr. Strayhan's first union five children were born, of whom the subject of this sketch was the eldest.
He received his education in the neighborhood in which he now resides, and at the death of his mother he left home and commenced farming for others, but purchased, in 1883, 160 acres of the farm which he now owns, and, although it was heavily covered with timber, he has it now cleared, and has added 1,160 acres to his original purchase, of which 250 acres are under cultivation. In 1883 he started to operate a mill which was already on the land, and has been very successful in its management up to the present time. He has erected some splendid buildings on his property, a residence that would do credit to any community, and all other buildings to correspond. In 1873 he was married to Miss Fannie Patterson, a daughter of Robert Patterson. She was born in Alabama, and her union with Mr. Strayhan has resulted in the birth of six children: Ruth E., John R., Connie, Snider, Carroll and Roxie. Mary and James died while very young, and Sallie was accidentally killed by the discharge of a gun. Although a Democrat in principles, he usually votes for whom he considers the best man, irrespective of party, and socially belongs to the K. of P. His is a wide awake and enterprising citizen, and such men as he are valuable acquisitions to any community.


The son of James P. and Jane (King) Strayhan, a Bossier Parish (Collinsburgh) farming family.
On 13 Nov 1873, J.F. married Fannie Jane Patterson, his step-sister as was customary for the times, in Bossier Parish. He then left the job of farming behind and started buying land for timber purposes. J.F. built a mill to clear and manage the almost 2,000 acres he would eventially purchase. John Franklin was a devoted member of the Knights of Pythagoras.


Fannie and John Franklin had the following children: Ruth E., John R., Connie (died at age twenty two), Snider, Carroll, Roxie, Easter, Paulie, Marie, and Willie. On August 8, 1880, daughter Mary died at age four and James W. died at age two after being hit with a shotgun blast a boarder was working in in the Strayhan workshop. Tragically, Sallie L. was accidentally shot and killed before she turned six months old.