John Frederick Long was born in a small house in Row 17, Great Yarmouth (Norfolk, England) on 21 May 1846.  See The Rows
His father James died of Cholera when John was only three years old and his mother Mary Ann was left to raise five children (Harriet, James, John, Ellen and Phoebe) on the small amount provided by Parish Relief, supplemented by her wage as a Charwoman and the money brought in by her oldest son James, who was working as an errand boy by the age of 14.
His sisters  Ellen and Phoebe later emigrated to America, which is another story.