Johannes Jox was born on March 26, 1801 in the village of Ober-Bessingen in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. He married Anna Elizabeth Emrich from the neighboring village of Rothges on May 12, 1831. He was a weaver by trade and enjoyed playing the violin. He and Anna had four children: Dorothea, Conrad, Johannes, and Johannes Heinrich. Only Johannes Heinrich Jox survived childhood. The others died as infants. Johannes had an older brother, Martin Jox, living in Ober-Bessingen, but the couple was essentially left alone when Johannes Heinrich emigrated to America. He never got along well with his wife's people who were heavy drinkers. Martin Jox was the ancestors of many Joxes still living in the Ober-Bessingen area in 1984.

So, it was an easy decision to follow their son to America. They made the trip in 1859 aboard the steamship Bremen, arriving in New York on May 1, 1859. They travelled by train, by riverbarge, and by horse carriage from New York to Kirchhayn, Wisconsin to live with Rev. Johannes Heinrich Jox and his family in the Lutheran church parsonage. When Rev. Jox was reassigned to be the minister of St. James Lutheran Church in Logansport, Indiana, the elder Joxes moved with the family. Johannes Jox was a physically strong man, of medium height, slender with flashing dark eyes and a swarthy complexion. He was very kind and had an excellent memory. He read very little, preferring to gather information from conversations with others. He died on March 13, 1886 in Logansport, Indiana, and is buried in the family plot in the old Ninth Stree Cemetery near the St. James church.

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