John Garrett was a resident of Tyrrell County. In 1777 after being approached by Daniel Leggett, he took four oaths of allegiance and became a member of the Gourd Patch Conspiracy. Garrett later became a recruiter, and several members later attested that Garrett would encounter them, start a conversation with them about the need to protect and uphold their religion, and then would get them to swear an oath of secrecy. Garrett then directed the prospective new members to Daniel Leggett, who'd ask them to swear additional oaths. When the plot was uncovered, several of Garrett's recruits then made depositions against him, and he later appeared on a list of prisoners being held at the Edenton District Court of Oyer and Terminer where six people, including some men he was related to, were scheduled to testify against him.