John Vance Bauguss was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on December 10, 1861. Bauguss spent most of his life in North Wilkesboro (Wilkes County), where he worked as a police officer and as an agent for the Bureau of Internal Revenue. During the 1930s, he was a foreman for several Works Progress Administration projects in the Wilkesboro area. Bauguss died in North Wilkesboro on May 20, 1945.