Don
Sorry for the slow response. I thought maybe the research I was doing on Bruces in Dearborn county would give me some information on John but it has not. I see trees say he was born there. John and Jacob were definitely not brothers. Jacob, son of Henry son of James had one brother James who died young and one sister Rachel Bruce Swango Cheek Weber, who also came to Greene county. I see one tree on Ancestry World Tree that says John was the son of Charles and Catherine Walters Bruce. I don`t have any information one way or the other. The Bruces, Swangos and Walters intermarried in Dearborn, Gallatin county Kentucky and Virginia before that. The Walters connection, if this is true, might be one you might look into as I believe Jacob`s mother might have been a Walters.
Three Bruces, James Henry and Amor, came to Dearborn county about 1798. All of Amors children are accounted for, missing a couple of James and don`t really know much about Henry`s children. If I come across anything about John Ill let you know.

Terry