John Floyd Young 1836 - 1891

“The Young family came from near Edinburgh Scotland.  John was born the 10 February 1836.  He received all the education possible and taught school. 

During the Civil War he was in service in the munitions plant of the Confederate Army.  He was not a rebel by choice, but being just south of the dividing line had to be with the Confederates.  They lived on the North fork of the Holston River, Rich Valley, Smyth County, Virginia.

John Floyd married Nancy Emmeline Pritchett 2 Nov 1859 in Smyth County, Virginia. John Floyd joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1858. Nancy joined in 1861. They immigrated to Utah after their 3rd child was born. He went west to Utah with Johnson’s army as a teamster in 1857.  This gave him an opportunity to observe the Mormons in close contact, and he was fully converted and baptized by A. P Ramey in 1858 near Salem Utah.

The Youngs had a lot of property in and on the advice of John Floyd’s father; they prepared to migrate to Utah.  Before they crossed the lines to Ohio, the bushwhackers deprived them of their teams and wagons and also their equipment and they were forced to walk over the mountain until they hired an old mountaineer to take them on their way.  They arrived on the Ohio River in the winter.  John Floyd worked for Buckhorn Tanning Co.  In the spring of 1865 they took a boat down the Ohio and up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, arriving at Wyoming Boat landing in Nebraska.  From this point they hired a teamster and they went with a company of 60 wagons with 6 yolk of oxen to the wagon.  The Indians made two attempts at raiding the wagon train.  They circled the corral but never attacked.  Huge herds of buffalo were often seen.  They arrived in Salt Lake City 113 days from Missouri in the fall of 1867.  They lived first in Halliday.  Brigham Young called him to help colonize in the Sanpete County at Fairview.

John Floyd Young was a very hard worker.  The old stone home is still standing in Fairview, UT.  John Floyd was well-respected and taught school, freighted and farmed. They had 16 children. Nancy died 11 Jul 1884 in Fairview, Sanpete, Utah.

He married Francis Marion Keeth 18 June 1885 in Logan.  Four sons were born to them, only one survived to adulthood. John Floyd Young died 20 January 1891 leaving 2 small sons and a pregnant wife.  His last son, Francis Marion, was born 14 Feb 1891 – 25 days after John Floyd’s death.”  Find-A-Grave and James A. Young notes

John Floyd Youngs home in Fairview, UT:

I’m guessing that the first picture is the original structure. I suppose the dormer & the porch was added later. I had thought there were two houses when I looked at the pictures, but the house is 2 part. Even the 1st picture shows the 2nd portion of the house protruding beyond the tree on the right. All the pictures show the pillars for the northern portion of the house facing east. This house sits on the NW corner of Center & 100 West facing S & E. (SE corner of the block)

 The left picture shows the pillars for the porch above the door on the south side of the house. The tree obscuring the corner of the house appears without branches in the old black & white photo. The chimneys & windows do not match. Could they have changed the windows later?? Are they different houses?

 Have the ‘outhouses’ changed? The above shed should be north of the house. The little log cabin is to the west. The shed below is quite a ways to the North of the house. It is on the correct side, but the wrong size & shape. I think it may also be further away. I would guess the above barn is gone. The little log cabin can be seen below between the house & the shed.

 “I have looked more at the pics you sent me last night and I think I would have to say they are not the same. I am basing that on position of trees next to the house and the chimneys. While I guess a lot of architectural changes could have been made to the original, the position of the tree next to the house in the first couple of pics tell me those two houses are not the same. The tree is in different positions adjacent to the house. I will admit the houses look very similar, and almost could be taken for the same house. But I am just not totally convinced they are the same house. Just my opinion. talk to you later. ”