Jan Ligthart was born on 11 January 1859 in Amsterdam, in the Jordaan district. His father Cornelis Ligthart, was a carpenter and grocer, who suffered from epileptic seizures. His mother Anna van Spall, daughter of a pastor, came from Klundert. Both of his parents died during his childhood. Ligthart graduated from the Reformed Christian college of Bloemgracht.
