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Maughan, John, acting Bishop of Weston, Oneida county, Idaho, from 1867 to 1875, is the son of Peter Maughan and Ruth Harrison, and was born Oct. 8, 1830, in Alston, Cumberland, England. In March, 1841, his mother died, leaving six small children, John being the eldest. He left England in the spring of 1841 for America on board the ship "Rochester." Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and others of the Twelve returned to America on the same vessel. From New York John went to Kirtland, Ohio, where he remained during the summer, and then continued the journey to Nauvoo, Ill., via Chicago. He was baptized in the Mississippi river by John Sanders in 1842, and remained in Nauvoo till 1846, being a resident of that city when the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith took place. Bro. Maughan was personally acquainted with them both. After spending one year digging coal on Rock river for the Church, he went to Wisconsin in 1846, and worked in the lead mines there for four years. In 1850 he started for Salt Lake City and arrived there Sept. 15, 1850. Together with his father, he located in Tooele county. In 1853 he married Sarah Marie Davenport, who has borne him seven sons and six daughters. Of these five sons and six daughters are living. He was an early settler in E. T. City, Tooele county, Utah, and in 1856 he was sent with others to open up Cache valley for settlement, locating at what is now called Wellsville. In September 1863, he was sent to Bear Lake county, Idaho. After wintering at Paris, he went to the east side of Bear river in 1864 and succeeded in raising a good crop at Montpelier. In the fall of that year he was called back to Cache valley, where he wintered at Richmond. Together with eight others, he went to make a settlement at Weston, Idaho, in 1865. Christopher Funk was Bishop of the company, which was successful in raising one crop. The Indians then came and drove them away, but in May, 1867, Bro. Maughan, together with others, returned to Weston. Bro. Maughan was then called to be Bishop, as Bro. Funk did not return. After several years of hard pioneer work, including the building of bridges, digging ditches, fighting grasshoppers and crickets, etc., the settlers succeeded in founding a flourishing village. In 1872 Bro. Maughan was ordained a High Priest by Jefferson Hunt and John Boise, and in December, 1875, he and others were advised to go south for a short time. Pres. Brigham Young called Elder Maughan to accompany Bro. Lorenzo H. Hatch and labor among the Zuni Indians. He labored among them one year and then returned to Weston, where he still resides and is the present postmaster of the town. Elder Maughan, though over seventy-one years old, is still vigorous both in mind and body. Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 vols. Salt Lake Cit 1:445 |
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