John Strange was a resident of Craven County, North Carolina by 1769. In 1771 he served in the North Carolina Militia during the War of Regulation and hurt his knee. Following the war, he successfully petitioned the North Carolina Colonial Assembly for a pension in December 1771. Sometime between December 1771 and January 1773 he drowned, possibly related to his injury in the militia service. Consequently, after his death, Strange's wife Elizabeth successfully petitioned for a widow's pension and was awarded fifteen pounds per year.