Born in 1835, John Morton was from a family of eight brothers and sisters in Salendine Nook, Huddersfield, England. They lived close to a public house by the name of The Spotted Cow, which was owned by Samuel Brighouse who had a son, also Samuel, born in 1836. The Mortons were pot-makers, having originally moved from Scotland in the 1580s to escape from religious persecution. They settled in Salendine Nook because of a particular type of clay which was good for making pots. John and Samuel were cousins. In 1862, they decided to sail for Canada to join in the Caribou Gold Rush and met William Hailstone on the voyage. In June of that year, they arrived at the place that today is Vancouver.