Jonathon Vreeland was born in a Black Catholic hospital in Atlanta, Georgia in 1969. He is neither African nor Catholic but in the White hospital fathers were not allowed into the delivery room, so his parents were referred to Holy Family Hospital. He is a direct descendant of Michiel Jansen (Vreeland), who was a member of the Board of Nine, a signer of the Remonstrance and a close friend of Adriaen Van der Donck. Jonathon is not directly related to Diana.

In 1972 Jonathon moved to a small farming community in south western Michigan. There he experienced a healthy childhood eating homegrown meats and vegetables. In 1980 his family moved about an hour, away to a small city of a couple hundred thousand (metro area) named Kalamazoo. He spent his teenage years there and still returns occasionally.

In 1982 he purchased a computer and started programming BASIC as a hobby. While in highschool ('83-'87) he also learned the computer languages Pascal and Logo. His first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 which came assembly required.

In June of 1989 he moved to upper Manhattan to sublet a room for the summer and stay with some friends. In 1990 he entered Parsons School of Design in the BFA photography program. There he received a complete artistic education including basics like color theory, drawing and history. In 1994, after a few years split between Harlem & Brooklyn, he moved into his current home near Stuyvesant Square. After some years away from school, he completed his BFA Photography requirements and graduated in 2001.