	John Allan Wyeth was born on May 26, 1845 in Guntersville, Alabama. His father, Louis Wyeth, was a lawyer who founded the city of Guntersville in 1848 and later served in the Alabama state legislature. His mother, Euphemia Allan, was the daughter of John Allan, a Presbyterian minister who was opposed to slavery. On his paternal side, Wyeth was related to George Wythe, a Virginia lawyer who was also opposed to slavery. He grew up on a Southern plantation.