dʒˈɑːn wˈɪliz mˈɛnɑːɹd wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi ˈeɪt ɪn kæskˈæskiə ɪn ɹˈændɑːlf kˈaʊnti ɪn sˈʌðɚn ˌɪlənˈɔɪ, tə pˈɛɹənts hˌuː wɜː fɹˈiː pˈiːpəl ʌv kˈʌlɚ.
John Willlis Menard was born in 1838 in Kaskaskia in Randolph County in southern Illinois, to parents who were free people of color.