He was the son of William O'Connor (1853-1918) and Ann Cushen (3) (b. 1860).

His father, a dock labourer

and stevedore, was Irish, hailing from Queenstown, Co Cork whilst his mother was English-born (4). They were
married around 1878 and went on to have seven children, with five surviving infancy. John's known siblings
were: Margaret Ann (b. 1881), Mary (b. 1884), James Michael (b. 1886) and Ellen Bridget (b. 1891).
In the year prior to John's birth his parents and elder sibling Margaret appeared on the 1881 census, then living
at 1 Simnel Street, Southampton. John appeared with his family on the 1891 census, then living at 4
Brewhouse Court, St Michael, Southampton and they were still present there by the time of the 1901 census,
although John was absent from the family home by that time and was listed elsewhere. He had joined the
Royal Navy and that year's census shows him as a crewmember aboard the St Vincent, then docked in
Portsmouth; when he left the Navy and joined the merchant service is not known. His mother had died
sometime prior to 1901 and his father never remarried. John, his father and younger sister Ellen appear on the
1911 census living at 9 Tower Place, Bargate Street, Southampton and he is described as a fireman for the
White Star Line.
John joined Titanic on 10 April 1912 and was taken on as a substitute for a crewman that did not sail with
the ship. When he signed-on, on the same day, he gave his local address as 9 Tower Place, Southampton. His
previous ship had been the Olympic and as a trimmer he received monthly wages of 5, 10s.
On the night of the sinking, John became one of several men who survived by standing atop the
upturned collapsible B before being rescued by other lifeboats.
John later returned to England and continued his career at sea and is not believed to have ever married. He
remained living in Southampton and died there in 1934 aged 50.