John Bonham Kester Jr. was born on September 19, 1829 in Montgomery County, Indiana. He married Sarah Jane Chord on April 10, 1854 in Cedar County, Iowa. In 1859, John and his family moved from Iowa to Texas, and in 1860 they moved back to Iowa. The families next move was in 1863, when they moved from Iowa to California, settling first in Napa County, and then in San Luis Obispo County. He made his family home on 160 acres of land in Old Creek, Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County, California. John's land holdings grew to 500 acres of land, on which he raised cattle and horses, had a dairy, and grew grain. Sarah Jane (Chord), John's first wife passed away, and on August 5, 1882 John married his second wife Elizabeth Brown in San Luis Obispo County, California. John was elected to public office, from 1890 to 1898 he served as a Supervisor for his district on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. In 1911, John sold his ranch property in Old Creek, and moved to the city of San Luis Obispo, were he lived out his retired life. John died at the age of 91 on July 17, 1921 in Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County, California. He was buried in the Kester family plot in the Cayucos-Morro Bay Cemetery, San Luis Obispo County, California.