John W. Bancroft was an Honorable God-fearing man, a DDS, a Dentist for over 50 years. Named after John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher.  Youngest of 9 children.  He attended Sunday School faithfully as a little boy & received a cup for perfect attendance dated 1902.  He was a good student but liked to play pranks on his dad by climbing through the transome (an upper window) of the door and retrive his Dad's tools.  He also told about pushing over outhouses on Halloween, & being once chased by a man with a shotgun for so! And how he loved his dog so very much he would walk miles instead of taking the train just so he could be with his dog, & when he got to Johnstown to see his Grandparents they asked,  "How did you get here?"  and he said, "I took the train"  but they answered, "They don't allow dogs on trains!"  
     John graduated from Greenup Schools & U of IL Chicago Dental School.  Summers spent at County Fairs selling Ice Cream, & later had a stand on Court Street in Kankakee. Learning dentistry he would pay .50 cents for people to let him practice & people could get their teeth repaired for free plus .50 cents. His 1st Dentist location was in Herscher & then the Kankakee State Hospital, for 7 years, & private pratice thereafter till he retired.
John and his family attended the 1st Baptist Church of Kankakee located on Court Street where John was a deacon and a Sunday School Teacher.  He was also president of the Men's Class.  John was also Vice President, and then President of the Kankakee Dental Society

Siblings:
Stephen, Lincoln, Roscoe, Earnest, Dorsey, Benjamin, Edith, Goldie, Lottie

Married Lena Odessa Keelin 22 July 1925 Harrisburg, Illinois
Children:
Louise Fern Bancroft Eckels # 32787957
Marion Lorraine Bancroft Johnson
& 6 Grandchildren.