Son of Alfred Douglas Young and Malinda Talbert McIntosh
Married Ethalinda Margaret Young, 19 May 1850, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
Married Maryette Magdaline Hamblin, 11 Apr 1860, Santa Clara, Washington, Utah
Married Sarah Caroline Williams, 28 Oct 1880, St. George, Washington, Utah
History - John William married Ethalinda Margaret Young. The marriage was recorded on a note inserted on blank pages intended for Jan. 20-22, 1847 in the Journal of John D. Lee: "Vally of the Great Salt Lake, State of Desarett, Sund., May 19th, 1850. John William Young was born March 23rd, 1828, Union Co., Ills. State. Ethalinda Margarett Young, bourn March 12th, 1834, Gipson Co., near the town of Trenton, Tennessee State. John William and Eathalinda Margarett Young was joined in the covenant of matrimony at 7 p.m. in the presence of Wm. Westley Willis and Joseph Adair. John D. Lee officiated at the residence of Wm. Young, the father of the bride."
The newlyweds then moved to Utah Valley where they made their first home (FHL film 025540; State of Deseret (Utah) Census; Utah County; family number 193; John W. Young, age 23, occupation cooper, personal property $150, born Illinois; Ethalinda, age 17, born Tennessee). John William Young was incorrectly listed as William John Young in the 'Registry of Persons in Wards 28 Dec 1852' (FHL book 979.2/K2r, page 94; William John Young, Provo Fifth Ward). They traveled back up to Salt Lake to be sealed together 6 Mar 1852 in President Brigham Young's office in Salt Lake City. (FHL film 0183393; "John William Young, born 23 Mar 1827 in Union Co Illinois, sealed to Ethalinda Margaret Young, born 12 Mar 1832 in Gibson Co Tennessee, by Heber C. Kimbal.)
John William was called by Brigham Young to serve as an Indian missionary in Southern Utah. The family stayed for a short time in Fort Harmony where Ethalinda's parents were living, then moved on down to Santa Clara. At Santa Clara the missionaries followed the Mormon pattern -- building a fort, damming the river, digging canals, clearing land, planting crops, and sending for their families from the north.
John William Young went with Jacob Hamblin on a mission to the Hopi Indians (called Moquis). John William married the 15-year-old daughter of Jacob Hamblin, Marriette (Etta) Magdaline Hamblin, as his plural wife.
The lives of both men and women, even of children, were dominated by work in early southern Utah -- work to clear the land, work to divert water, work to build shelters, work to raise food, work to survive. Building dams to divert water from the Virgin or Santa Clara rivers was a constant battle. The shifting sands seldom provided a firm footing to attach posts and brush to turn the water. Most serious of all were the flash floods. Often the roaring rivers would not only destroy the dams but carry away farmland as they carved out new paths in the sandy flood plains.
In time the family moved from Santa Clara to Pinto Creek in Iron County, then to Kanab in Kane County, Kanosh in Millard County, Junction in Piute County Utah, and finally to Joseph in Sevier County Utah.
John William Young died 31 Dec 1890 in Joseph, Sevier County Utah where he is buried. He was well-liked as indicated even by the infamous John D. Lee, who noted the following in his journal on Friday 17 Nov 1871: "We started out (from Skutumpah to Kanab), called at John William Young, one of my old tried friends and bid them adiew."