John Henry Hone was born in Rice Township, Sandusky, Ohio in April 1841, to Christopher Hone & Margaret Melinda Reese. He was the oldest of six children, consisting of five boys and one girl. Their house was on the Sandusky River. His father Christopher, was a very respected citizen of the township. There is still a place on the river called Hone’s Point. It was once the home of the Hone’s Point Hunting & Fishing Club.

In late April 1861 he, along with many of his neighborhood men, answered the call to arms, and enlisted in G Company, 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (8th OVI), serving as a piper. The original enlistment of the unit was 3 months, as that was how long the Union leaders thought the war would last. The entire unit mustered out on June 22, 1861, never having left Ohio. The majority of the men (including Henry) re-enlisted and the unit was mustered in on June 26th, under COL Herman S. DePuy, of Sandusky. At this time, he was listed simply as a Private. On July 8th, the regiment boarded trains and traveled to Grafton, Virginia. They were in several small skirmishes over the next few months.

In early March 1862, Henry and his unit moved to Winchester, Virginia, where they saw their first serious action. After that they were in almost constant combat, in places like Antietam, where they took 50% casualties, then Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. In June 1863, the 8th OVI started marching north, to block Lee’s push north. They arrived in Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, where they saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. After Gettysburg, the unit didn’t see heavy fighting again until the following year. In 1864 they fought in the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor. Their reputation earned the 8th OVI the nickname of the Gibraltar Brigade.

With their three year enlistment ending, most of the men boarded trains heading back to Ohio in late June of 1864, with some men staying behind, joining other units. They officially mustered out July 14, 1864. The unit had suffered 205 fatalities.

On September 15, 1866, Henry married Miss Mary Catherine Hevener, in Ottawa County, OH. To this union were born six children, three boys & three girls. In about 1878, he left his family in Ohio and moved to Meridianville, AL, along with his parents, his oldest son John Edgar, one brother and one sister.

In Alabama, he married Miss Nancy Ann McKinney on August 28, 1883, in Madison County. To this union were born nine children, three boys and six girls. It is very likely that most of the Hone families in northern Alabama are descendants of John Henry Hone.