John Price

John Price was born on 12 April 1820 in the town of Wainluggan, Wales. At a young age, he went to work in the coal mines. It was dirty, tiring work, and those who worked the mines died young. John dreamed of fanning good clean earth, and living to raise a noble family. On 14 May 1842, he married Margaret James. Margaret gave birth to a son, and on 14 April 1843, she joined the Mormon Church and her enthusiasm led John to investigate it and he, too joined on 7 April 1844. During the next three years they were a happy family, but on 14 April 1846 Margaret died and left John and little Edward alone. Unable to care for their son, he left him with Margaret's parents to raise. John married Margaret Edwards on 17 June 1851. They had a son, a daughter, another son, and then on 19 April 1856, the little family sailed from Liverpool, England, leaving John's first son with his grandparents, never seeing him again. They sailed for the United States of America aboard the sailing ship Samuel Curling. They had left England for a new start where John would not have to work in the mines. While aboard ship their son Joseph died and was buried at sea, only one day from land. In the United States, the Price family traveled by cattle cars on the railroad to Iowa City, Iowa. In due time they joined the 5th Handcart company along with the Hunt Wagon Train, where they traveled by covered wagon drawn by oxen to the Salt Lake Valley. On the trail west she bore another daughter, whom died and was buried on the prairie. The companies were late getting started and were caught out in the wilderness by snow and many of them froze or were handicapped the rest of their lives. Finally help came and they reached the Salt Lake Valley. While there, he married Susanna Thain in polygamy on 15 Nov 1857 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1858, they moved to Ogden Utah, where Margaret bore another son. Birth and death seemed to be a constant in their lives. They moved north to Willard, Utah. On 1 February 1866, his wife Margaret died; the baby she had given birth to lived. Being man of substance and a good worker, John, on 5 December 1866, married as polygamist wives, Margaret Eynon and Jane Lallis in the Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1867, John moved his family to Malad, Idaho. More children were born and children died. Life moved on. The wives got along well while caring for their home and children. John farmed and was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Polygamists were being persecuted and sent to jail, but John would not leave his family to hide in Canada. The Lord preserved him, and he was not jailed. Death visited the family again and this time it was the father of the family, John Price. John at age 63 had been good husband to 5 wives and 16 children, nine of them living, and on 13 February 1883, he went home to his Father in Heaven. His wives carried on and raised the children to be good citizens with many children of their own.