John Calder Estes was born August 30, 1796 in Halifax County, Virginia. His parents were Samuel and Sally Juneil Estes. He married Margaret Jones in Halifax County on December 23, 1818. They had 4 children before moving to Morgan County, Tennessee about 1827/29. They had 6 more children in Tennessee before moving to Stone County, Missouri sometime between 1850/60.

John served as a private in Captain James Howerson's Company of Virginia Militia from July 1 to November 13, 1814 in the War of 1812. He received bounty land and a pension for his service. This may be the reason he moved further west.

 In the 1850 census for Morgan County, Tennessee, he was listed as a 54 year old shoemaker. In the 1860 census for Stone County, Missouri, he was listed as a 63 year old farmer.

John and Margaret were among the early settlers who came to Stone County. Some of their children came first - Hardin and Sarah Estes Coffer in 1849; Paul, Samuel and John H.; Johnson and Elizabeth Ann Estes White. The parents followed with the rest of their children.

Paul Estes settled two and one-half miles southeast of Clever at a time when there were no settlements between there and Marionville.

John Calder died in Marionville in 1880 and both he and his wife, Margaret, are buried in the Mt. Carmel Cemetery south of Clever.