John Jacob Bausch was born in 1830 in Switzerland, one of seven children. When Bausch was only six years old, his mother died.

Bausch's first job was assisting in his older brother's spectacle-making business.

In 1848, the younger Bausch got word of an opening at an optical shop in Berne, so he left on foot for the city. When he arrived, he got the job at a starting salary of 36 cents a day. After only a year however, Bausch decided to try his luck in America.

He traveled to Buffalo, New York, where he worked as a cook's assistant, then moved to Rochester, where he found work as a wood-turner. There he suffered an accident. His hand got caught in the machinery, and he was forced to leave the trade.

Once he had recovered from the accident he tried selling his brother's optical supplies. The business seemed promising, and he convinced a friend to join him in business making eyeglasses. That friend's name was Henry Lomb.