John undoubtably had several illegitimate children, and evidence exists that some of them were by his wife Betsy's sister Rebecca.

John was a shifty character who abandoned the Mansell farm in Marion Co., AL before 1880, dumped his wife, Rebecca, and all their younger children on his son White who was living near the town of Saltillo, MS. Then he ran off with young Mandy Bennett to Oxford, MS where he took the name of 'Colonel' Lee Mansell4 .

Reference 20 says that John died in Marion Co, AL in 1850.