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Show PIONEER TRAIL BLAZER DIES AT C AN N ON VI LLE Seth Johnson, pioneer trail blazer of southern Utah, died at his home at Cannonville, recently. Had he lived until March 6 he would have been ninety years old. He remembered the persecutions of the saints as a child, having been born in Carthage, Illinois. He often told his children and grandchildren of having hav-ing been held on the knee of the Prophet Joseph Smith. At the age of nine he drove an ox team across the plains, arriving in Salt Lake October 19, 1348. The family fam-ily were called by Brigham Young to help settle Iron county in December 1850, settling at Parowan. His first wife was Lydia Ann Smith of Parowan. Paro-wan. He made a trip across the plains after emigrants before has marriage in 1861. As a herder of the common grazing ground between Cedar and Parowan. Mr. Johnson learned the Indian In-dian language from an Indian herder and was often called to act as interpreter. inter-preter. He also wrote a dictionary of 'he Indian' language. He was affectionately affec-tionately called "Shiwamp," by the Indians, In-dians, meaning "Medicine Man." For many years he taught school, although he was in reality a self-educated man. For twenty-five years he served as bishop, later being ordained a patriarch. In 1864 Mr. Johnson moved to Virgin Vir-gin City, in Dixie, where in 1865 he married Jane Stratton. At Virgin he acted as justice of the peace and was also county superintendent superinten-dent of schools. The family moved to Panguitch in 1872 and in 1886 he colonized col-onized a little settlement south of Cannonville, known as Georgetown. There he taught school and was made bishop of the ward. Mr. Johnson held the record of having hav-ing missed but one of forty-nine stake conferences; he attended the dedication dedica-tion of three temples, the St. George, Logan, Salt Lake, and he labored in the Manti temple. He know personally person-ally every president of the L. D. S. church and many of the apostles. He served thirty-seven years in the state militia and in half a century taught 37 terms of school. For many years he supplied druggists drug-gists throughout southern Utah with goods he himself had put up. With his first wife he made trips to Beaver, he bringing a supply of drugs for the market. 'Mr. Johnson was the father of twenty-five children, nineteen of whom survive him. |
