John, James (Nov 10, 1846 – Dec 23, 1927) by Harriet Parkinson (McGivin)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF – JAMES JOHN.

By a G. daughter,Harriet Parkinson(McGivin) June 28, 1959.

James John's Father, Thomas John, was born at Wood-Roach,
Pembrokeshire, South-Wales, January 29, 1820, His [sic] parents were
William and Letitia Phillips John.

Thomas John was a shoe maker by trade.  He Worked [sic] at home as
a Journeyman, Farmers [sic] would buy leather and hire him to make
their shoes.  He worked very hard day after day but he had a hard
time supporting his family, as money was scarce and wages was [sic]
low, He [sic] was deeply religious and was affiliated with the
Independent Sect.  He could practically quote the Bible from
memory in Welch.

He marrird [sic] Margaret Thomas, July 14, 1840 when he was 20 -
�   years and she was 25 years old. To them was [sic] born
nine children.  When their fifth child, James, was nearly two
years old the father decided to try his luck in a new land of
America.  He got a chance to work his way across the ocean as an
assistant cook.  He left in 1848.

He roamed around from place to place, wherever he could fin
employment.  When he got a felon on his finger and coulden't [sic]
work, he became discouraged and decided to return to his native land.

He left America in the spring of 1849.  When he landed in
Liver�pool he saw a great many friends ready to leave for America, He
[sic] told them of his great disappointment and how foolish they were
to leave their homeland.  They answered him that nothing could
stop them, as they were determined to go to the land of Zion.  He
told them he never had even heard of such a place, but instead he had
found only hardships and wickedness.  They told him the angel,
John had seen, as recorded in Rev. 14:6 had truly came and had restored
the true gospel of Jesus Christ to a boy prophet named Joseph Smith…
Soon [sic] after his return, his Aunt Mary Phillips came to visit
him.  She told him she had joined a strange church which she was
convinced was the true church.  She told him she was impressed by
its name – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  He
loved his aunt and had faith in her judgement.  [sic]  He was
not only impressed but convinced, as she proved the doctrine of this
new church from his Bible.  His aunt's daughter, his cousin, who
belonged to the Catholic Church left home when her mother became a
Mormon and vowed she would never return.

As his Aunt Mary read prophesies of the restoration, Thomas got a
strong desire to read more and more.  He was especially impressed
with  Isaiah's prophesy that "The mountain of the Lord's house
should be established in the tops of the mountains and all nations
should flow unto it".

He was convinced this was the true church.  Then he thought of his
friends and how they would look down on him if he joined the despised
Mormons, He [sic] spent many sleepless nights trying to decide what to
do.  Then one night from out of the darkness the words came to
him, "He that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy
of me".  That was his answer, He [sic] knew the gospel was true
and that it was the greatest thing that had ever came [sic] in his life.

He was baptized on April 22, 1851.  His struggle to support his
family became real, for now every avenue of support was closed to him,
His [sic] friends looked down on him with scorn and contempt.  He
had to work for other shoe makers to get any employment at all.

As time went on, the weight of oppression became so heavy he felt it
would crush him.  He felt that he could not stand the contempt and
ridicule of those who used to be his friends another day, One [sic] day,

[End Page 1]

feeling friendless and alone, he stopped his work, knelt at his work
bench and humbly and earnestly asked his Father in Heaven to forgive
him if he had done wrong and to guide him to the right.

Suddenly he felt a light resting upon his head, which warmed and
penetrated every fiber of his body.  This feeling continued until
he seemed encompassed in light and floating in the air.  With
uns�peakable joy he said: "It is enough, I am satisfied.  Father
in Heaven, I thank Thee".  From that moment he never douted [sic]
again.

Persecution continued, The boys coulden' t [sic] get work. They were
beaten so severly [sic] by school mates and the school teacher, they
we�re obliged to quit school, After [sic]  enduring this treatment
five years the family moved to Haisford, about eight miles away. This
was in 1856.

Thomas started in the shoe business again.  Being very adept and
expert in his profession, everyone brought work to him.  He had so
much to do he had to have his sons, William and Charles, help him. He
was now making enough that he could pay into the Perpetual Emi�gration
Fund.

By 1861 he had saved enough money to cross the Atlantic to
New�-York.  They now had nine children, which made eleven in his
family.  Phoebe, the oldest, married James Cusworth and refused to
go to Am�erica with her family.  She mived [sic] to London,
corresponded with her family for a few years, then they lost all trace
of her. (She was born December 18, 1838)

The children who came with their parents were -William, Charles, Ann, James, Levi, Henry, Letitia and Mary Jane.

They crossed the ocean in a sailing ship, The New York Manchester, and were 33 days crossing the ocean.

When they landed in America the Civil War was at its height. 
There was a great demand for military equipment, shoes, boots, belts,
knapsacks, etc.  Thomas rented a house across the Hudson from
New-York and here he and his sons were kept very busy for the next 14
months.  Then they started the long journey to Salt Lake Valley,
with just enough money to reach Winter-Quarters.  They left by
train, The [sic] car with their baggage burned on the way, which
literally proved his vow.. he [sic] would never complain, if he could
only reach the valley, if he didn't have a shirt on his back. 
They camped at Council Bluffs for six weeks while waiting for
wagons.  They lived on wild berries and fruits and endured severe
thunder and lightning storms.

They left Council Bluffs with a caravan of sixty wagons, furnished by
the Church Emigration Fund from church members living in Cache Valley
in 1862.  There were 60 wagons – 265 people.  Twenty eight
[sic] persons died on the journey.  Henry Miller was captain of
the group.

William and Charles, who were 21 and 19 years of age, were hired to
drive teams across the plains for which they got board and passage.

It was September and nights were cool.  They ate sparingly and
saved flour so they could trade it to the Indians for blankets. 
When the captain heard this he ordered that they get no more flour
until they used up what they had.   The snow came early that
fall so they suffered greatly with the cold.

They arrived in Salt Lake City on October 17, 1862.  They camped
in a tent on Emigration Square. They were given some warm bread with
molasses for their supper by an old friend, Sister Twig.

The next afternoon their train pulled out for Cache Valley.  They
camped the first night between Brigham and Mantua and arrived in
Wellsville, October 22, 1862. – ten weeks after leaving Council Bluffs.

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Brigham Young was in Wellsville holding a meeting and all the John
family was invited to eat dinner at some place where Brigham Young was
invited.  They were hesitant to accept because they were so
dirty.  Brigham Young told them it was not the outside apparel
that counted, so long as their hearts were clean and pure. They went to
dinner with Brother John Maughan. His family was dressed in home made
gray clothes, made by mixing black and white wool. No feast could have
tasted more delicious to this very hungry family.  It was a
special treat for them to sit up to a table again.

The next day the children started working for Brother Maughan,
pr�essing sugar at the molasses mill.  They obtained thousands of
ga�llons, that was clear as amber and sweet as honey, [sic]

The people were poor in worldly goods but wealthy in spirit. Eve�ryone
helped everyone else and shared their belongings, talents and time.
They fixed up a house given them by William Rigby, in the new fort, to
live in that winter. It had no doors or windows just an opening to
crawl through. The roof was supported by quak�ing-asp trees, with
willow stick covered by straw and a foot of dirt to make the
roof.  The floor was swept with sage brush and the opening covered
with a pile of boards. The room was 14' X 16' and each corner was
packed with straw to make a soft bed.By [sic] Chr�istmas they had a
door that would close and a window installed.

They dug an acre of potatoes for John Thirkell and got one fou�rth of
the crop.  Then the boys were paid in potatoes for their work,
which gave them a winter's supply.

Then William and Charles arrived they helped thresh, for a bushel of
wheat per day. With wheat, potatoes and molasses they were re�ally
living well.

Late in November 1862 they were all re-baptized. When the harvesting
was done Thomas and his son, William, started their shoe making
trade.  They had a tannery in Wellsville and a man in Paradise
made some shoe lasts. The leather they used was inferior, as they could
not wait for it to ripen.

School was held three months each year, James Lishman was the school
teacher. Pupils took turns doing janitor work and chopping wood. The
teacher was paid with food, Any [sic] book in the town was used as a
text book and was loaned around.

In 1864 trade began between the gold fields of Montana and areas in
Utah which brought in the first money and a measure of prisperity.
[sic]  Soon a city was laid out and two rock school houses were
built to accommodate the many children.