John Henry Van Leu was born 31 October 1866 in South Carolina. In 1887 he joined the Baptist Ministry and, three years later, moved to Wichita, Kansas. The National Baptist Convention appointed Van Leu General Missionary for the State of Kansas in 1896 and he served in that position until his death in 1923. In 1921, Van Leu founded the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Topeka, Kansas; the Seminary was later closed and reopened in Kansas City, MO by the American Baptist Convention.

John H. Van Leu married Julia Patton in 1896; the couple had thirteen children including Geneva (1907-1978).

Geneva Van Leu married George Dewey Johnson and, on 12 January 1930 in Kansas City, Missouri, the couple had one son, George Taylor Johnson. George T. Johnson went through the Wichita public school system and then attended Columbia College (Columbia, MO), where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1947, Johnson joined the Army; after the Korean War he chose the Army as a career as a Public Relations Specialist. In 1956, Johnson trained as a pilot and was appointed as a Warrant Officer. He retired as Chief Warrant Officer in 1967. After returning to Wichita, Johnson began work at Beech Aircraft Corporation.

George T. Johnson married Corine E. Jackson 29 December 1947; the couple had four children, Van Leu, Victoria Lynn, Wendell Otis, and Marcella Louise. Corine Johnson died in 1980. In 1981, George Johnson married Pamela K. Cole. The couple have a daughter Sarah Irene Johnson who was born in 1990. Mr. George T. Johnson died in 2013.