Joel H. Johnson
| Joel H. Johnson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 23, 1802 Grafton, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | September 24, 1882 (aged 80) Kane County, Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place | Johnson Cemetery 37°27′25″N 112°26′59″W / 37.4569°N 112.4496°W |
| Occupation | Hymn Writer |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Pixley Susan Bryant Lucinda Alzina Bascom Janet Fife Margaret Therekold |
| Parents | Ezekiel Johnson Julia Hills |
Joel Hills Johnson (March 23, 1802 – September 24, 1882) was a Latter Day Saint missionary and hymn writer, most famous as the author of "High on the Mountain Top" (hymn #5 in the 1985 LDS hymnbook, English edition). Johnson was also the founder of Enoch, Utah.
Johnson was born in Grafton, Massachusetts. His parents were Ezekiel Johnson and Julia Hills. When Johnson was still a child, his family moved to Vermont. Johnson eventually moved to Cincinnati and then back east to Pomfret, New York.
Around the year 1830, Johnson sold his farm in Pomfret and moved to Amherst, Ohio. It was in Amherst where Johnson was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) on June 1, 1831. Soon afterwards, he became president of the church's Amherst branch. He went on a mission to New York in 1832.
In 1833, Johnson moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where he operated a saw mill. He went on another mission to both Ohio and Kentucky in 1835, and often preached and baptized in the vicinity of Kirtland. Johnson was an organizer of the Kirtland Camp in 1838. He stopped at Springfield, Illinois, and did not continue to Missouri, thus avoiding the Mormon War of 1838. He organized a branch in Springfield and became the first Latter Day Saint to preach in Carthage, Illinois. Johnson later had a large amount of success in baptizing families that lived along Crooked Creek. After this, Johnson directed his new converts in the forming of the town of Ramus (now Webster, Illinois). The Ramus Stake was organized on July 4, 1840, with Johnson as president.
...
Wikipedia