John Berryman was born John Allyn Smith, Jr. in Oklahoma where he was raised until the age of ten, when his father, John Smith, a banker, and his mother, Martha (also known as Peggy), a schoolteacher, moved to Florida.
John Berryman s-a născut cu  numele John Allyn Smith, Jr. în Oklahoma, unde a crescut până la vârsta de zece ani, când tatăl său, bancherul John Smith, și mama sa, profesoara Martha (de asemenea, cunoscută sub numele de Peggy), s-au mutat la Tampa, Florida.