John B. Archer was born in 1854 to Thomas Archer and Jane Wolfington.  John had nine other siblings. John's siblings were:

• James (b) 1855
• Samuel (b) November 4, 1857
• Charles (b) 1858
• Martin "Little Mart" (b) January 25, 1862
• Annie (b) 1864
• Andrew (b) 1867
• Albert (b) 1870
• Aurilla (b) 1873
• Thomas (b) August 8, 1875

John married Lucinda Canes around 1875.  No official marriage record has been found for John and Lucinda. John and Lucinda were the parents of four children:

Charle (b) 1876
James (b) 1878
Otis (b) 1880
Mary (b) 1882

Shortly after Mary's birth, John left Lucinda and the children and was said to be living with a woman from Knox County, Indiana.  When John abandoned the family, Lucinda was forced to take her four children and move into the Poor Farm in Dover Hill, Indiana.

Lucinda would ultimately report John to the authoritiies for the murder of Sam Bunch.  Lucinda's witness testimony would provide the authorities with the probable cause needed to arrest John and the other murderer's.  John would be lynched by vigilance committee members on March 10, 1886, alogside his father Thomas and his uncle Martin.

Many of John's siblings would also lead a tragic life of crime; Samuel would be hung a few months later, Little Mart was murdered over monies collected from crime, Andrew was incarcerated within the Indiana prison for larceny when his brother was lynched, and Albert was in Reform School when his father and brother were hung.