John was in the Virginia colony in 1695 and probably somewhat earlier. Most consider him to the be father of the heads of those Mangums who later appear in the Albemarle Parish of Surry County, VA. Many of the present day Mangums or descendants of Mangums trace their lineage to those several families. John's origins are unclear and no ship passenger logs of his arrival have been found. Searches have been extensive. We are left with only family traditions. The first sure record we have of him is 25 May 1695 when he purchased land in Surry County, Virginia from Richard Bennett Sr. John most likely was the John Mangle who was a taxable in Lawnes Creek Parish, Surry Co., on 8 June 1692, John (Mangom?) who was a taxable in Lawnes Creek Parish, Surry Co., on 10 June 1693 and the John Mangham who listed taxes in Surry Co. on 10 June 1694. John was born about 1672, probably in England or English territory. Some traditions say Isle of Man, others say Wales, Ireland, etc, but presently we don't even have circumstantial evidence that supports these traditions. DNA evidence shows that the ancient Mangum lineage might have originated in Central Ireland, but that is so far in the past that it has little bearing on the more recent origins of John Mangum's family.

John almost certainly married into one of Virginia's pioneering Bennett families. That marriage and the controversy surrounding the identify of his wife Frances are explored in the page concerning the Bennett family. John must have married into the Bennett family after 1696 but probably before 1700. The Mangum heads-of-household who were later in the Albemarle Parish of Surry County seem to have been born shortly after 1700. John died in Isle of Wight County, Virginia in 1737 and Frances Mangum was administrator of his estate.

John's descendants quickly migrated to other areas of the developing colony and nation. The descendants of Henry Mangum, son or possibly grandson of John, migrated to Maury Co., Tennessee after the Revolution and assumed the surname 'Mangrum'. William Mangum Sr. and his family migrated to the North Carolina frontier about 1748. One descendant, John Mangum moved on to Lunenberg Co., Virginia and was the father of a Revolutionary War patriot also named John Mangum. Eventually the family expanded to all the states in the Union. In some cases the spelling of the surname was changed. Common variations were Mangham and Mangrum. See Solomon Mangham and Joseph Mangum of Bute County.