Joel H. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Joel Hills Johnson was a Latter-day Saint (LDS) 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
.
on March 23, 1802. His parents were Ezekiel Johnson and the former 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
.
. It was in Amherst where Johnson was baptized a member of the Church of Christ 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.
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.
of the Book of Mormon
to demonstrate that Oliver Cowdery
at times wavered in his testimony
as one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Proponents argue that Johnson supporting the Book of Mormon and following the leaders of the church were one and the same.
They also note that the use of "denied" in the poem may mean to set aside, and not to speak against, and that this poem involves many statements that are not strictly true, such as that Paul had killed Christians. Poetry should not be taken as analytical evidence when it has not been collaborated.
In 1846, mobs forced Johnson to flee Ramus and moved to Knox County, Illinois
. He later joined the Saints at Winter Quarters, Nebraska
.
' company. He served as a justice of the peace
and as bishop
of the Mill Creek Ward. Johnson built a saw mill in Mill Creek Ward from 1849-1851 at the mouth of Mill Creek Canyon.
In 1849 and 1850, Johnson served in the Utah Territorial Legislature.
. He settled there in 1851. When other settlers arrived in 1854, they built a fort which they named "Johnson's Fort".
Johnson later helped settle southern Utah. In 1853, he was appointed to serve as a missionary among the Piedes
of Iron County, Utah
.
.
Johnson has been included in a list of "75 significant Mormon poets" Other texts by Johnson have were set to music in the 1980s. In fact in 1982 there was a Joel Hills Johnson Music Contest.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
writer, most famous as the author of "High on the Mountain Top" (hymn #5 in the 1985 LDS hymnbook
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymns
This article is about LDS church hymns in general, for the book, see Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Latter-day Saint hymns come from many sources, and there have been numerous hymn books printed by the Church since its organization in 1830...
, English edition). Johnson was also the founder of Enoch, Utah
Enoch, Utah
Enoch is a mostly rural and agricultural city in Iron County, Utah, United States, and is located approximately 6 miles northeast of Cedar City. The population was 5,803 at the 2010 census....
.
Early life
Johnson was born in Grafton, MassachusettsGrafton, Massachusetts
Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,765 at the 2010 census. Grafton is the home of a Nipmuc village known as Hassanamisco Reservation, the Willard House and Clock Museum, and the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine...
on March 23, 1802. His parents were Ezekiel Johnson and the former Julia Hills. When Johnson was still a child, his family moved to Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. Johnson eventually moved to Cincinnati and then back east to Pomfret, New York
Pomfret, New York
Pomfret is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 14,703 at the 2000 census.The Town of Pomfret lies in the north-central part of the county, south of Dunkirk, New York.- History :...
.
Latter Day Saints
Around the year 1830, Johnson sold his farm in Pomfret and moved to Amherst, OhioAmherst, Ohio
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,797 people, 4,459 households, and 3,388 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,646.1 people per square mile . There were 4,603 housing units at an average density of 642.3 per square mile...
. It was in Amherst where Johnson was baptized a member of the Church of Christ on June 1, 1831. Soon afterwards, he became president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the church's Amherst branch. He went on a mission to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1832.
Kirtland and Ramus
In 1833, Johnson moved to Kirtland, OhioKirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
where he operated a saw mill. He went on another mission to both Ohio and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
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
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
and did not continue to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, 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
Carthage, Illinois
Carthage is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,725 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hancock County. Carthage is most famous for being the site of the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844.- History :...
. Johnson later had a large amount of success in baptizing families that lived along Crooked Creek
Crooked Creek
- Streams :* Crooked Creek , a tributary of the Allegheny River* Crooked Creek , a tributary of the Chattahoochee River near Fulton and Gwinnett* Crooked Creek , a tributary of the Kankakee River...
. After this, Johnson directed his new converts in the forming of the town of Ramus (now Webster, Illinois
Webster, Illinois
Webster is an unincorporated community in Fountain Green Township, Hancock County, Illinois. It was originally known as Ramus and was settled under the direction of Joel H. Johnson....
).
The Ramus stake was organized on July 4, 1840 with Johnson as president.
Book of Mormon
A poem written in 1841 by Johnson is sometimes used by opponents of the authenticityAuthentication
Authentication is the act of confirming the truth of an attribute of a datum or entity...
of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
to demonstrate that Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836, becoming one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles, and the Second Elder of...
at times wavered in his testimony
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
as one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Proponents argue that Johnson supporting the Book of Mormon and following the leaders of the church were one and the same.
They also note that the use of "denied" in the poem may mean to set aside, and not to speak against, and that this poem involves many statements that are not strictly true, such as that Paul had killed Christians. Poetry should not be taken as analytical evidence when it has not been collaborated.
In 1846, mobs forced Johnson to flee Ramus and moved to Knox County, Illinois
Knox County, Illinois
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 52,919, which is a decrease of 5.2% from 55,836 in 2000...
. He later joined the Saints at Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters was an encampment formed by approximately 2,500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they waited during the winter of 1846–47 for better conditions for their trek westward. It followed a preliminary tent settlement some 3½ miles west at Cutler's Park. The...
.
Salt Lake City
Johnson arrived in Salt Lake City on October 11, 1848. He crossed the plains in Willard RichardsWillard Richards
Willard Richards was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency to church president Brigham Young in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death.Willard Richards was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to...
' company. He served as a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and as bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Mill Creek Ward. Johnson built a saw mill in Mill Creek Ward from 1849-1851 at the mouth of Mill Creek Canyon.
In 1849 and 1850, Johnson served in the Utah Territorial Legislature.
Enoch
Johnson was the founder of Enoch, UtahEnoch, Utah
Enoch is a mostly rural and agricultural city in Iron County, Utah, United States, and is located approximately 6 miles northeast of Cedar City. The population was 5,803 at the 2010 census....
. He settled there in 1851. When other settlers arrived in 1854, they built a fort which they named "Johnson's Fort".
Johnson later helped settle southern Utah. In 1853, he was appointed to serve as a missionary among the Piedes
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
of Iron County, Utah
Iron County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,779 people, 10,627 households, and 8,076 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 13,618 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
.
Poetry and hymns
Johnson was a prolific poet and hymn writer. His journal contains 736 hymns. Collections of his writings were published in the pamphlet "Voice from the Mountains" in 1881 and a 344 page book of poems in 1882. His most sung hymn "High on the Mountain Top" was written on February 19, 1853. The only other hymn by Johnson in the current English edition of the LDS hymnbook is "The Glorious Gospel Light Has Shone" (hymn #283).Personal life
On November 22, 1826, Johnson married Anna P. Johnson. He maintained a journal in which the earliest source for the interpretation of "Hot Drinks" in The Word of Wisdom was found as being coffee and tea. Anna P. Johnson died September 11, 1840. He married Susan Bryant on October 20, 1840. He later married Janet Fife on October 25, 1845. Lastly, he married Margaret Therekold in 1861. Johnson was the brother of Latter-Benjamin F. JohnsonBenjamin F. Johnson
Benjamin Franklin Johnson was an early member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a member of the Council of Fifty....
.
Johnson has been included in a list of "75 significant Mormon poets" Other texts by Johnson have were set to music in the 1980s. In fact in 1982 there was a Joel Hills Johnson Music Contest.