John Terrell was born in the town of Orange, Cherokee County, Georgia on 24 December 1869. For one year he taught school in the Ball Ground schools in 1889-90. He married Ms. Leona Little, in Cobb County, 4 June 1891. John and Leona Terrell had five children that lived to adulthood: two sons: Ralph Terrell (1892-1973), Royal Terrell (1902-1983); and three daughters: Evelyn (1912-1980), Ruby, and Renee. Shortly after their marriage, the Terrells moved to Atlanta and where he joined the Atlanta City Fire Department. He earned a variety of promotions and was named Chief of the Atlanta Fire Department in 1929. He held the position until his death on 27 February 1933. Chief Terrell was killed in an auto accident while responding to a fire alarm. Ironically, the alarm turned out to be false.
Although there is limited genealogical information regarding the Terrell children, some details are available. Ralph Terrell (1892-1973) attended North Georgia Agricultural College before entering the military. He served in both World War I and World War II. The second son, Royal Terrell (1902-1983) was a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology and also the Harvard Business School. He worked in the National Manufacturing Stores in Atlanta. He died on 21 December 1983. Evelyn Terrell (1912-1980) also lived in Atlanta her entire life. She was a graduate of Girls High and the Atlanta division of the University of Georgia. She worked for CPA International Inc. for 37 years before retiring. She died on 26 January 1980. No information has been found regarding the lives of Ruby and Renee Terrell. There was also at least one child that died young. Rotha Terrell, 7 months old, died 1 January 1903.
From the description of Terrell Family Papers, 1869-1950 (Atlanta History Center). WorldCat record id: 169915914
