John Crawford (1828-1923)

John Crawford, farmer, of Manti, is one of a family of four and was born in Wickston, Peebleshire, Scotland, September 30, 1828 [or 1829]. His parents were James and Elizabeth (Brown) Crawford.

His father was a flax weaver, making fancy linen cloth. John spent the early years of his life on a farm till he was 16 years of age, and when 14 joined the Mormon Church.

He worked at track-laying on the railroad till the fall of 1849, when he immigrated to the United States, coming across from Liverpool in the sailing vessel Zetlin. The voyage took six weeks and two days and he landed in New Orleans on Christmas day, 1849. He journeyed up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where he remained the balance of that winter.

In the spring he continued up the river to Kanesville, where himself and [his] brother James rented a farm and put in ten acres of wheat and twenty-five acres of corn. In July Kinkade and Livingston fitted up a train of thirty-five wagons drawn by ox teams to haul merchandise to Salt Lake and John hired out to them to drive one of the teams of four yoke of oxen. They left old Fort Kearney on the Missouri August 3rd., A. O. Smoot, late of Prove, being their captain, and arrived in Salt Lake City September 28th. That winter he worked in Mill Creek canyon at the lower sawmill for Barney Adams.

In the spring of 1851 himself and Alex Cowan took a contract of Bishop Hunter and made the adobes for the old Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, which was the first church built in Utah. It was constructed on the ground where the Assembly Hall now stands. In the spring of 1852 himself and brother James rented the farm of Apostle C. C Rich at Centerville, which they worked for two seasons.

When the Walker Indian war broke out in the summer of 1853 he was one of a com- pany of about thirty-five called by Governor [Brigham] Young to go to Manti to strengthen and support the settlement. They were instructed to sell all their possessions so they would have nothing to return to. This company was gathered from the towns near Salt Lake and our subject made captain. They arrived in Manti the latter part of December, 1853, and found the snow eighteen inches deep. They spent the balance of that winter in standing guard and building a fort.

In May of 1855 he was called with about fifty others upon a mission to the Elk mountains to live among the Indians to try and civilize them. September 23rd the settlement was broken up and they were driven out by the Indians, who killed James W. Hunt, William Behunnin and Edward Edwards and wounded A. N. Billings, the president of the mission. The Indians burned all their hay and stole their cattle.

In 1857 he with Harmon T. Christensen, N. Beach and B. Hall received a charter from the city to construct and maintain a toll road up City Creek canyon. This road they constructed about eight miles and the following year they built a. sawmill in the canyon with a gig saw. They cut from 2000 to 3000 feet of lumber per day, Mr. Crawford being the sawyer. They owned and operated this mill nearly ten years.

When the Temple was being built he ran a lime kiln five miles west of town, burning all the lime used for the Temple for nearly five years. During all these years his family looked after the farm and carried it on successfully. He has been engaged in the cattle and sheep industry and has now a band of about 1500 head of sheep. He is a stockholder in the new Union Roller Mills, was a member of the City Council three terms, Justice of the Peace two terms. . Mr. Crawford has been prominent in the church, being president of the Forty-eighth quorum of Seventies about thirty years and a ward teacher many years. He was married April 6, 1853, to Cecelia, daughter of Nathaniel and Cecelia. Sharp. Their children are Elizabeth J., John, Jr., deceased, Cecelia, James B., Nathaniel, William W., Margaret C, Mary E., Quincy G., Delphia, deceased, and Catherine.

In February, 1856, he married a second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Gardner and Sarah (Hastings) Snow. Their children are: Sarah M., Mary, deceased, Martha M., Gardner J., George, deceased, Charles C., Ida, deceased, Adelbert D., Nora A., Frank, Grace and Rayfield, deceased.

It may truly be said of Mr. Crawford he has made a success of life, having no capital to start with, he had nothing but his individual effort to depend on. By steady hard work and honorable means he has accumulated a fair stock of this world's goods and has always retained the respect and good will of his neighbors.

(Source: W. H. Lever, History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah: with Sketches of Cities, Towns and Villages, Chronology of Important Events, Records of Indian Wars, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens [Salt Lake City: Tribune Job Printing Company, 1898], 118–120, spelling and paragraphing modernized).