Joseph Leslie McQuown, the fifth child of Richard Meredith and Lula Blanche McFerran McQuown was born March 25, 1901 two miles from Glasgow, Kentucky. His parents lived in a colonial brick house known as "The Cedars," which had been in the McFerran family for 4 generations.

Les was the oldest boy to survive childhood. He had two older sisters and two younger sisters and a younger brother. His father was a house painter and farmer as his father before him had been.

As a young man Les came to Vermilion County to find work as a boiler-maker's helper for the C&EI Railroad. He learned to be an auto mechanic and worked at several garages before starting his own.