Vane was born at Jerry Plains near Singleton, New South Wales on 28 June 1842. His grandparents had come to Australia as convicts but his father and mother were seen as respectable and wealthy. They lived at Kelso, near Bathurst before moving to Jerry Plains in about 1841. When John was about six years old the family moved back to Kelso and then onto Teasdale Park (Carcoar), near Hobbys Yards. Teasdale Park was owned by George Chesher (Cheshire) who would become Vane's father-in-law. The Vane family moved to Kempfield, near the Abercrombie caves where they stayed for a number of years. John worked as a shepherd and the money he was paid helped his father buy land, probably their Wattle Grove home.