John Middleton Test was the son of David and Ann (Middleton) Test. John was born in 1797 in New Jersey and died 1873 in Philadelphia. He married Eliza Goldson at First Reformed Church of Philadelphia on 1/18/1820. (John's father, David, moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia about 1807.)

John first appears in the Philadelphia Directories in 1823 as a Brushmaker and continues in that line of business at least until 1863. In the 1870 census he is listed as age 72, letter carrier.

The will of John indicates a person with some wealth, owning a number of parcels of real estate. Rather than give the property to his wife, he directs that she is to have the rents from the property and after her death it is to be sold and split 1/7th to his then alive children (or in the case of one daughter who is deceased to her three children).

Oddly enough, the 1/7th part that ordinarily would have gone to his son Goldson Test, was instead directed to Goldson's wife--Tamson F. Test. Later records indicate Goldson and Tamson are still married and living together. No explanations have so far be found for this provision of the will.