John
Lyon
Writer, weaver, poet and ardent church worker,
John Lyon was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Scotland on March 4, 1803. He was the third of four children born to
Thomas Lyon and Janet McArthur Lyon.
John’s
father, Thomas Lyon, was a Doctor and was Inspector of Hospitals in Britain. He died in 1812 when John was only nine years
old. John went to live with an
Uncle. His mother died in 1831 in Glasgow.
John
had a good education and an intellectual mind which was manifest when he was
very young. He devoted all of his
energies to the acquirement of knowledge.
His efforts in the direction of education were so successful that very
early in life he had achieved quite a literary reputation through the
publication of poems and articles in the local press.
The
real commencement of his literary career began, however, when he was engaged as
a reporter for a local newspaper. In
1822 a great stagnation took place in the commercial world, especially was this
so in Scotland,
where thousands of people were out of work.
The destitution was so widespread that a committee of twelve was
appointed to investigate and report upon the worse cases. John Lyon was appointed to one of these committees,
and was requested to draw up a paper on the unparalled destitution prevailing
at that time, creating a decided sensation.
From this time on the young reporter had no difficulty in securing
employment at his chosen calling.
When a
young man of twenty two, John met Janet Thomson, a pretty girl of sixteen. She was the daughter of Robert Thomson and
Janet Lamont and was born on March
15, 1809 in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. The young couple was married February 23, 1826 in Kilmarnock.
John
and Janet became the parents of twelve children, six boys and six girls. John’s earnings as a writer and reporter was
not sufficient to keep his large family.
To supplement their income two looms were installed in their home for
weaving. Janet supervised the looms
while John gathered material for his writing and for the weaving. The two oldest children, Thomas and Janet,
were trained to work the looms. Young
Janet would much rather weave than help tend the younger children. She enjoyed talking with her father who
always had such interesting things to tell.
Thomas became a proficient weaver.
They made woolen plaids, paisley and tartan. Their material was in demand as John insisted
on perfection in their work. Paisley seemed to be their specialty and they were
reported to be especially beautiful.
Four more looms were added so more help was needed. George Speirs was hired and he became an
expert weaver. He lived with the family
and fell in love with young Janet. They
were married November 15,
1848.
In
1844 John heard elder William Gibson preach the doctrines of “Mormonism” and
immediately became convinced of its truth.
He was baptized into the Church March 30, 1844. In
April of 1844 he was ordained an Elder and appointed to preside over the local
branch. Later he was called as a
traveling Elder and labored for some time in that capacity, after which he was
appointed president of the Worchestershire (England) conference, where he
labored for three years. In 1852 he was
called to preside over the Glasgow Conference where he continued one year and
was then released to gather to Utah.
During
his missionary labors, John Lyon wrote many poems, some of which were published
in the Millennial Star. So favorable
were they received that in 1853 just before embarking for America, he published
the first volume of poems ever issued by a member of the Mormon Church, under
the title of The Harp of Zion. The book was donated to the Perpetual
Emigration Fund and thousands of copies were printed and sold. Several of the selections in the collection
were set to music and included in the early Latter Day Saint’s hymn book and
often sung.
John
and Janet with children, Ann, John Jr., Lillias, Matthew and Mary, began the
final preparations for their journey to America.
On February 21, 1853, they put
their first luggage on board the ship International The ship did not sail until February 28, 1853 because
of unfavorable weather. They were
“tugged” out by a steamer for twenty miles and were on their way to a new
country and a new way of life. They
encountered the usual early spring storms and at times conditions were very
difficult with many being ill. They
sailed from Liverpool to New Orleans.
John
wrote in his journal: “We stopped in New
Orleans for four days, then started in two companies
to St. Louis…..where
we arrived eight days thereafter, and the same evening embarked on the Jeannie
Dene, and in 24 hours landed in Keokuk all in good health and spirits, and
joined the Camp of Israel.”
John
and his family immediately began preparations for crossing the plains. They arrived in Salt Lake City on Friday, September 26, 1853, with the Jacob
Gates Company.
They
made their home in the 20th Ward where they purchased a full block
between First and Second Avenue
and F & G Streets. They had two
homes on the block with a large stable.
After
his arrival in the Valley, John wrote articles and poems for the Deseret News,
Tullidges Utah Magazine, The Mountaineer and other publications. He also acted as critic of the Salt Lake
Theater for several years. He served for
a time as Territorial Librarian under William Carter Staines. He was ordained a Seventy (37th
Quorum) on January 12, 1854.
Three
years after coming to the Salt
Lake Valley,
John married sixteen year old Caroline Holland.
They were the parents of seven children.
For more than thirty years John was Superintendent of the Endowment
House in Salt Lake City
in which capacity he enjoyed the confidence of all who knew him. He would wend his way daily, except when
detained by illness, to his post in the Endowment House, then located in the
northwest corner of the Temple
Block.
John
Lyon was ordained a Patriarch by President Wilford Woodruff on May 7, 1872.
He
died at the age of eighty six on November 24, 1889, and was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery
on November 28, 1889. His tombstone is engraved with the following
lines:
We’ll meet together yet
Where the sun shall
never set
With a welcome of the
hand
And a love without
regret.
