John Allen Glancy was born near Owensville, Ohio on July 13, 1900, the son of Allen Louis Glancy and Eva Este (Gordon) Glancy. He was the second of five children. His siblings were Alice Isabel Glancy (died in infancy), William Gordon Glancy (June 1, 1903), Lida Mary Glancy (Morris ) (September 16, 1905) and Maurice Galen Glancy (August 4,1912). John’s father was a school teacher but retired and took up farming upon the death of Eva’s father, William Lewis Gordon. The 1910 census shows that the Glancy family lived in Monroe Township, Clermont County, Ohio but they moved to Goshen in 1915 after William Gordon’s death, to live on the farm with John’s maternal grandmother, Eliza Jane (German) Gordon.

        At the age of 14, John’s parents encouraged his artistic pursuits by giving him a new violin, which he quickly taught himself to play. John began making his own violins while in high school. His first attempts resulted in relatively crude box-type violins, John graduated from Goshen Township High School with the Class of 1917. After graduating, he remained on the farm to help his parents.

        In 1918, at age 18, he registered for the WWI draft and listed his occupation as a farmer, but did not serve. John may have been a farmer but he gradually gave it up and is most remembered for being a musician, an artist and a philosopher. By age 20 he was creating beautiful stringed instruments. Over a period of 55 years, using his own designs and finishes, John crafted several instruments including three guitars, three mandolins, a viola, a cello, and approximately two dozen violins, including the world’s smallest violin measuring only two and one-eighth inches long and strung with horsehair, complete with a miniature bow.

         John was also quite a prolific, self-taught painter. It is said "one is not a true Goshenite until one owns a John Glancy painting." According to Linda Wasson of the Goshen Historical Society, "Glancy was a Goshen resident who painted historical buildings, landscape scenes, and covered bridges. He painted the area of which he lived."(July 17, 2013, Community Journal). He was often commissioned as an artist by many local families. He often painted flowers that he grew in his own yard. He especially favored old fashioned flowers like morning glories, larkspur, chrysanthemums, zinnias and hollyhocks. A favorite subject for his canvas was his two story farmhouse that had previously belonged to his grandparents and parents.

         A May 14,1967, Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper article by Ry Bob Lyn, entitled, A Homespun Philosopher Views the World, describes John as a philosopher who "with eyes alive and hands gesturing, tells visitors that he amuses himself at great length just thinking about things… Name a subject and Glancy, who lives alone in a stone house more than 100 years old, will spill out thoughts on it. Being a philosopher isn’t a particularly profitable’ occupation. In terms of money, he is an artist, sign painter, furniture finisher, and violin maker."

         Many Goshen residents recall his philosophical "barber shop" talks and fiddle playing. His family states that "John was always interested in words, so much so that he studied the dictionary during noon recess at school. He would write poetry when he felt that he had something to say and he would compose music on occasion. However, John considered himself to be fundamentally a philosopher at heart, with his painting, music and poetry being just an expression of his philosophy."

          Military records indicate that John registered but did not serve in WWI but he did enlist for WWII in Cincinnati, OH on October 5, 1942 and served as a private.

         In the May, 1967 an Enquirer article by Ry Bob Lyn, John states, "I never married, I guess I was just too busy with other things to get around to it".

         The 100 year old home of John was located in Goshen at 6520 Manila Road (now 6618 Manila Road) between Goshen Road and Woodville Pike. This home was a subject of many of John’s paintings.  John Glancy’s art, instruments and other works were sold at a November 24, 1974 Garth Semple auction at the Milford Karate Hall, 312 Main Street, Milford, Ohio. The Goshen Historical Society has worked to identify as many of John’s art works as possible. There are many of them. In his late years, John spent time with the Clermont Senior Services and spent time around the community sharing his thoughts and philosophy. He died in March of 1974 at age 73.

 John Glancy was nominated by Mary Jones Butts