JOHN HENRY HOUGHTON was born December 1, 1843 in Hancock County, Illinois to REUBEN and ELIZABETH (FERRE) HOUGHTON. REUBEN HOUGHTON was born in Vermont on 13 November 1798 and his wife ELIZABETH FERRE was born in Lower Canada (Ontario)(other sources say New York) in 1810.

JOHN's parents were early converts to the LDS Church. Just about the time of the Prophet JOSEPH SMITH's assassination by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844, the saints were being severely persecuted and driven from place to place, the mother of JOHN HENRY died about 1846. She was very delicate and the moving around brought on the premature birth of a child, which caused her death.

JOHN, who was the youngest child of a family of 8 (10 said Aunt MAE), was left at 2 years of age without a mother. He went to live with his grandmother ELIZABETH (CHAPIN) FERRE for a few years.

His father REUBEN married ELIZABETH CONKLIN and one child was born to this marriage. Four years later, about 1851, REUBEN died and left 8 orphaned children. They were JAMES, WILLIAM, DANIEL, JOSEPH, GEORGE, ELIZABETH, EMMALINE, and JOHN HENRY also the half brother BEN (plus OLIVER and MILO said Aunt MAE). Not much is known of these brothers and sisters, but it is known that DANIEL died of the bite of a wild boar. EMMALINE died when a young woman. Her sweetheart JOHN A. PEARSON came to Utah and was known to have been a prominent businessman in Salt Lake City and he had EMMALINE sealed to him. GEORGE, another brother, came to Utah with some soldiers and was killed on the Bear River in January 1863 and was buried at Fort Douglas. Nothing else is known of the other brothers and sisters of JOHN HENRY.

JOHN was left at an early age to take care of himself as a child and his life was not easy. He always had sympathy and a warm place in his heart for any child left without parents.

When JOHN HENRY was 8 years old he began the journey to Utah with his Uncle ROSWELL FERRE and wife KATHERINE (KATIE) HOLLISTER. He tells of sleeping under the wagon and how cold he would get and how frightened he would get at night, fearing that a wild animal might come and devour him. During the journey on the plains, he was baptized a member of the LDS Church in the River Platte in Nebraska. He was with Captain Hancock's Company of wagon trains and arrived in Salt Lake City October 6, 1852 in time for Conference.

His Uncle ROSWELL FERRE and family settled in Provo. When JOHN HENRY was about 14 years old, he journeyed to Spanish Fork, Utah where he was given a home with Bishop A.K. THURBER. He worked on the Indian Farm for 2 years and during this time he walked to Spanish Fork to school. He attended school for about 6 weeks walking barefoot most of the time. Bishop Thurber was his schoolteacher. The government operated the Indian Farm and here the Indians were taught to farm and do other kinds of work. JOHN HENRY worked with the Indians and became very proficient with the Indians language and later became overseer and interpreter.

The following incident came from the writings of Bishop MARINUS LARSEN (brother of MARTHA (LARSEN) STOKER): "In the spring of 1861 BRIGHAM YOUNG called upon the Saints in the Valley to send back 200 wagons, 4 yoke of oxen to each wagon, and several teamsters and nightherders to meet the immigrants and bring them safely back. The Bishop would notify the men he wanted to go and also the ones to take the oxen. At this particular time, one of the night herders, who was called was unable to take the journey and the company started anyway. JOHN (HENRY) HOUGHTON was in the canyon at the time and arrived home the following evening. Bishop asked him to make ready to go and catch up with the company. To make this journey was very difficult and required a great deal of courage, but the men went willingly and without pay. Their food consisted of molasses, bacon and a little flour. The water was not very good at times. One night they traveled on a new piece of road and didn't find water until about midnight when they came to a large pond. The teams were unhitched and all ran to drink. The next morning they found the water was filled with small red insects."

At the time JOHN HENRY went for the immigrants he was just 19 years old, but he owned his a pony which was considered very unusual in those days. All the clothes he possessed were a hickory shirt and a pair of jean pants. He stopped in Provo to visit his Uncle ROSWELL FERRE who persuaded him to stay there until he made him a pair of boots for which he was very grateful. The Company of immigrants was under Captain Homer Duncan and it took them about 5 months to make the trip. They arrived back in Spanish Fork in October 1862.

BISHOP A.K. THURBER married JOHN HENRY HOUGHTON to ELIZABETH LOCK FERGUSON December 31, 1866. On March 7, 1868 they were sealed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. Their first home was a log house on the lot where WM R. JONES had the Post Office and later JOHN, who was a good carpenter, built them a home in the 3rd Ward where they lived until their deaths.

He was also a very good marksman and for years was the only gunsmith in Spanish Fork. (One of his guns, a double barreled combination 44 caliber rifle and 12 gauge shotgun muzzle loader, is currently in my possession - WWH.) He had several farms and paid cash for them, he would not go into debt and never did owe anyone any money.

JOHN and ELIZABETH were the parents of 14 children, two sets of twins, six boys and eight girls, JOHN HENRY JR, AGNES CATHERINE, ANDREW & REUBEN (twins), ELIZABETH ANN, ELI KELSEY, WILLIAM FERGUSON, MARY FERGUSON, THURZA MELVINA, BARBARA REBECCA, NELLIE MAUDE, FREDERICK FERRE & FLORENCE (twins), and GENEVA ROSELYNN. They lost both sets of twins and BARBARA REBECCA in infancy. JOHN HENRY JR died at the age of 9.

JOHN HOUGHTON was a very good father to his family and from the time of his wife’s death until his family was grown, he never left them alone at night. He would gather his children round him and tell them stories of the adventures in his life and play for them on his violin.

Fifteen years after his wife’s death, he married RHODA GILBERT April 6, 1905. They continued living in the old home and it was always beautiful with trees, gardens, and flowers. He died on December 22, 1926 at the age of 83 and was buried at Spanish Fork. His 83 years were filled with sympathy and kindness to all.