John Burgoyne was a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War. He was born on 24 February 1722 in Sutton, Bedfordshire, England. He was the eldest son of John Burgoyne, a member of Parliament for Wendover and later for Bedford, and Anna Maria Burgoyne (née Burniston), the daughter of Charles Burniston of Ireland. Burgoyne's father came from an old and established family, and his mother was a wealthy heiress. He had two younger brothers, Charles and George, and a sister, Charlotte.
His wife was Lady Charlotte Stanley. General John Burgoyne and his wife had three sons: John Fox, George and Montague and four daughters: Charlotte, Augusta, Anne, and Amelia.
Burgoyne's grandfather, John Burgoyne (died 1721), had been a member of Parliament for Truro and later for Cambridgeshire, and his great-grandfather, Sir John Burgoyne (1622–1697), had been a successful military commander.