Biography
John Taylor was an English religious leader who served as the third president and Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1880 to 1887. Born in England, he is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States.
Early Life
Taylor was born in Milnthorpe, Westmorland (now part of Cumbria), England, the son of James and Agnes Taylor. He had formal schooling up to age fourteen, and then he served an initial apprenticeship to a cooper and later received training as a woodturner and cabinetmaker.
1832 Migration to Canada
Taylor's parents and siblings emigrated to Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in 1830. Taylor stayed in England to dispose of the family property and joined his family in Toronto in 1832.
Between 1834 and 1836, John and Leonora Taylor participated in a religious study group in Toronto. The group discussed problems and concerns with their Methodist faith, and quickly became known as the "Dissenters." Other members included Joseph Fielding and his sisters Mary and Mercy, who later also became prominent in the Latter Day Saint movement. While in Toronto Taylor continued to work in his trade as a woodturner.
Conversion to Mormonism
John claimed that as a young man, he had a vision of “an angel in the heavens, holding a trumpet to his mouth, sounding a message to the nations" - the angel Moroni.[6] He was christened in the Church of England, but joined the Methodist church at sixteen. He was appointed a lay preacher a year later, and felt a calling to preach in America.
In 1833 Toronto, Elder Parley P. Pratt baptized their son John who was a Methodist preacher into the newly formed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). John in turn baptized his parents on 9 April 1836.
Migration to Missouri thwarted
Attempting to join the saints in Missouri, the family was temporarily driven back by mobs at the border. (circa 1838?)
Marriage and Family
Taylor practiced plural marriage and was married to eight wives: He was the father of 34 children.
Taylor's son, John W. Taylor, continued to serve in the church and in politics and helped to shepherd Utah to statehood in 1896. John W. Taylor was ultimately excommunicated from the LDS Church for his opposition to the church's abandonment of plural marriage. His son, Samuel W. Taylor, became a writer, and the biographer of his father and grandfather.
Another son, William W. Taylor, served as one of the first presidents of the seventy and also served in the Utah territorial legislature.
Taylor's daughter Annie Taylor Hyde was a leader in the Relief Society general presidency and was the founder of Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
1st Marriage: Leonora Cannon
He met Leonora Cannon (1796-1868) from the Isle of Man while attending a Toronto Methodist Church and, although she initially rejected his proposal, married her on January 28, 1833.
2nd Marriage: Elizabeth Kaighin
Another immigrant from Isle of Man, her first marriage. Elizabeth Kaighin (1811-1895)
3rd Marriage: Jane Ballantyne
Scottish Immigrant, Jane Ballantyne (1813-1901)
7th Marriage: Margaret Young
Margaret Young (1837-1919) was a member of the inaugural general presidency of what is today the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1880 to 1887.
8th Marriage: Jo Roueche
Married Josephine Elizabeth Roueche (1860-1943) in 1886 in Utah. No Children. She remarried in 1921 to George W Palmer.
Unproven Marriages
LDS Family Search shows the following sealings - but are not proven:
- Mary Amanda Utley (1821-)
- Mary Ramsbottom (1826-)
- Mercy Rachel Fielding (1807-1893)
- Sarah Thornton (1806-1892)
- Lydia Dibble (1789-1862)
- Ann Hughlings (1801-1846)
- Annie Ballantyne (1819-1908)
- Caroline Hooper Saunders (1813-1874)
- Mary Wilson (1782-1859)
- Esther Anne De La Mare (1832-1853)
- Sarah THornton (1806-1892)
- Matilda Moorhouse (1837-1902)
- Elizabeth De La Mare (1827-1872)
Children
| Offspring of Pres. John Taylor and Leonora Cannon (1796-1868) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| George John Taylor (1834-1914) | | ||
| Mary Ann Taylor (1836-1890) | | ||
| Joseph James Taylor (1838-1908) | | ||
| Leonora Agnes Taylor (1840-1843) | |||
| Offspring of Pres. John Taylor and Elizabeth Kaighin (1811-1895) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Josephine Kain Taylor (1846-1921) | | ||
| Thomas Edward Taylor (1849-1915) | | ||
| Arthur Bruce Taylor (1853-1934) | |||
| Offspring of Pres. John Taylor and Jane Ballantyne (1813-1901) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Richard James Taylor (1848-1905) | | ||
| Annie Maria Ballantyne Taylor (1849-1909) | 21 October 1849 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States | 12 March 1909 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States | Alonzo Eugene Hyde (1848-1910) |
| Timothy Taylor (1850-) | | ||
| David John Taylor (1853-1881) | |||
| Offspring of Pres. John Taylor and Mary Ann Oakley (1826-1911) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Henry Edgar Taylor (1849-1928) | | ||
| Mary Elizabeth Taylor (1856-1859) | | ||
| Brigham Oakley Taylor (1858-1929) | | ||
| Ida Oakley Taylor (1860-1946) | | ||
| Ezra Oakley Taylor (1863-1952) | |||
| Offspring of Pres. John Taylor and Harriett Whitaker (1825-1882) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sophia Elizabeth Taylor (1849-1909) | | ||
| William Whitaker Taylor (1853-1884) | | ||
| John Taylor (1855-1855) | |||
Siblings
References
- wikipedia:en:John Taylor (Mormon) - Wikipedia
- John Taylor - disambiguation
- Taylor in Utah -
- John Taylor - Grandpa Bills GA Pages
- John Taylor - Teachings of the Presidents of the LDS Church
- John Taylor History of the LDS Church
- John Taylor at Find A Grave #6255626
- John Taylor - MormonWiki
External Links
Namesakes of John Taylor (1808-1887)
Footnotes (including sources)
Contributors
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