Biography - John Killian was born April 25, 1796 in Lincoln County, North Carolina. His father was Philip Killian and his mother was Mary Hoskings. Not much is known about John's childhood. His family moved to Missouri after the War of 1812. They were among the first settlers there. Missouri became a territory in 1812 and a state in 1821. There, he met and courted a widow by the name of Lydia Ann Hopper Conley. Lydia was born October 11, 1795 in Burke County, North Carolina. Her parents were Thomas Hopper and Rebecca.
John married Lydia Hopper on August 25, 1818 in Howard County, Missouri. John and Lydia settled down in Lexington, Lafayette, Missouri and began raising a family. Lydia had three young daughters from her first marriage; Susan, Rebecca Emma and Mary Ann. John and Lydia had their first son, George Hamilton, on September 10, 1819. A second son, Thomas, was born on April 30, 1821. Their first daughter, Letha Jane, was born on October 11, 1822. Their next child was Nancy, born on April 17, 1824. Franklin was born the next year in 1825. At this time the Killian family made a small move and Almira Josephine was born in Perry County, Missouri on March 27, 1827. The last child, Jacob, was born in Caldwell County, Missouri on December 31, 1828.
While living in Caldwell County the family met Oliver Cowdery, who was one of the six original members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John joined the Church in September 1831 and was baptized by Oliver.
John was called to serve a mission to Kentucky on August 7, 1834. His companion was Jesse Hitchcock, who later married one of Lydia's sisters, Kisiah. Before he could leave for Kentucky, Lydia Ann passed away on October 18, 1834. The older children took care of the younger children so John could serve his mission. He served as a leader of the mission for several years.
John returned from his mission to what is now called Far West, Missouri. He was remarried on August 28, 1837 to Sarah (Sally) McClure. Sally was a cousin of his first wife, Lydia.
The members of the Church started to face ever increasing hostilities from the local citizens. John became a captain in the Caldwell County Militia during this time. He was called upon several occasions to protect the members of the Church from mob violence. Sidney Rigdon wrote; "The militia of the County of Caldwell were now all under requisition, armed and equipped according to law. The mob, after all the authority of the state had been recalled except from the force of Caldwell county, commenced the work of destruction in earnest, showing a determination to accomplish their object. Far West, where I resided, which was the shire town of Caldwell County, was placed under the charge of a captain by the name of John Killian, who made my house his headquarters."
Things came to a head in November 1838 with the order for all members of the LDS Church to be expelled from the state of Missouri. It was in this harsh winter that they walked to Illinois with what little they had. For a time they found refuge in Quincy, Adams, Illinois. It was there that Sally gave birth to a daughter, Harriet Emma, on March 10, 1839.
The members of the Church soon found a new place to live. They called the city Nauvoo, which means beautiful. John and his family moved to an area across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo in the town of Montrose, Lee, Iowa.
John was a farmer by trade and an active member of the Church. He was an Elder in the Church and was called upon many occasions to help others. One such occasion is found in the Philo Dibble autobiography. He wrote the following: "While living upon this farm, I was taken sick, Dr. (Frederick G.) Williams attended me, and after a while said he could do no more for me. I then called for the Elders to administer to me and Brother A. J Stewart, his brother, Levi (Stewart), and Brother (John) Killian were called in, but before they arrived, Mr. Robbins, of whom I rented the farm, called to see me. He declared that I might possibly live till three o'clock, but could not live till morning. When the Elders administered to me, Brother Killian being mouth, I was in bed. He poured the oil on my forehead and I jumped right out of bed and put on my clothes. On hearing that Robbins was going to Quincy in the morning, I walked up to his house, three-quarters of a mile, and went with him in his carriage to Quincy, remained all day and returned with him at night."
John continued to serve as a captain in the Nauvoo Legion (a local militia). He also helped build the Nauvoo Temple and received his temple ordinances on December, 24 1845. He was also ordained a High Priest in the Church at this time.
Just as in Missouri, the local citizens started to find fault with the leaders and members of the LDS Church. John took an active part in protecting the leaders and members of the Church. In the book "A History of the Church" by B. H. Roberts, Joseph Smith in June of 1844 was giving some instructions to some members on where he would be staying to keep away from a mob. In these instructions he states: "If you can ascertain by tomorrow morning that there is anything wrong, come over the river to Montrose, to the house of John Killien (Killian), and there you will learn where we are." A few days later a mob killed the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum while they were in a jail.
In 1846 the members of the Church were forced from their homes and fled west. They stopped around Council Bluffs, Iowa and made camp. They referred to the camp as Winter Quarters. Here many lived in tents or wagons until they could move west. Brigham Young, as the new leader of the LDS Church, had set his sights on the Salt Lake Valley. There they hoped to find a place to practice their religion in peace.
The first pioneer company reached the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The trip from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake was over a thousand miles. John, his wife Sally, Letha Jane (now a widow), her two daughters and Harriett came across the plains in 1850. Because they did not travel with an organized wagon train, we do not have a record of their trip.
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As these emigrants got closer to Salt Lake City, the met a Mormon named John Killian who lived on the main road through Emigartion Canyon. He complained about territorial officers and the Buchanan administration. He unabashedly "rejoiced that the time had come when the saints would be avenged on their enemies."
The sixty-one-year-old Killian was an example of how close and personal these encounters could be. He had joined the Saints in 1831, and his new religion soon made him the target of violence in Missouri. Killian served as an officer in the Mormon-controlled Caldwell County militia, and he and his family had been driven from the state.
In Utah he worked for Daniel H. Wells in levying tolls for lumber taken from the canyon. Killian's. nearby home allowed him to watch incoming emigrants, one of whom was Nicholas Turner, a Missourian who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley not long after the Fanchers and Bakers and would follow them south with his own train. Killian's first wife, Lydia Ann Hopper, was a cousin of Turner's wife, Kesiah McClure. When Lydia Ann died, Killian married Kesiah's sister, making him Turner's brother-in-law. More than family ties connected the two men. Turner had commanded the Johnson County militia during the 1838 Missouri conflict with the Mormons in Caldwell County.
BURIAL Salt Lake City Cemetery Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA
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