Early Life, Family and Training The life of John Martin Tracy began in Rochester, Ohio, in 1843, born into a family marked by conviction and sudden tragedy. Before his arrival, his father, an abolitionist preacher and lawyer, was killed during an anti-slavery rally. This loss left his mother, Hannah Conant Tracy, to raise her children. A formidable woman in her own right, she worked as a journalist and became a dedicated activist in t…