John Lafayette was a linguist and professor of linguistics at the University of Cambridge around the turn of the 20th century.
On 12 December 1901, he was on an archaeological expedition to Babylon when he stumbled across an unearthly silver road that led him to Babylon in 570 B.C. There he met Professor Bernice Summerfield, who had travelled there from 2595. She was on a desperate quest to save Babylon from being eradicated from history. (PROSE: Walking to Babylon, AUDIO: Walking to Babylon)
Family tradition held that the Lafayettes had "the second sight." John, at least, was time-sensitive, being able to detect objects or people that had been displaced in time.
After his return to England, John married, had children and lived a quiet life. (PROSE: Walking to Babylon) He had inadvertently kept one of Benny's 26th century gadgets, but arranged for it to be kept in a safe-deposit box until Benny came for it. (AUDIO: Birthright)
John had a younger cousin named Dora who lived on Guernsey Island, where she later kept a boarding house. He was likely quite close to his cousin, as he shared the whole story of his trip to ancient Babylon with her; when Bernice was later stranded in 1941, she stayed with the now grown-up Ma Dora. (PROSE: Just War, AUDIO: Just War)