At age 13, he moved with his family to America. His father was employed as a tax collector for France under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the French and Indian War. Because of this job offer, the family could not remain in their home country, so they came to Canada instead. They settled in New Orleans, where John's father built up a large business selling French goods to American settlers. When John was about 16 years old, his father died, leaving him to take care of his mother and three sisters. This caused him to leave school and get a job so he could support them all. He worked during the day and studied art at night. In 1821, Audubon married Lucy Bakewell. They had four children together: Mary, John Jr., Emily, and Louisa. In addition to being an artist, John James also wrote books about birds.