John James Esplin was born in Salt Creek (now Nephi), UT, on January 1st, 1857. He went by the name John J. When he was 11 years old, he went with his father to settle the Muddy Valley (now Moapa), NV. They struggled there for two years, before abandoning the settlement after the new territorial government of Nevada demanded back taxes from the settlers. (This time in what is now Moapa is of special interest to me personally, since Shelly's family were some of the settlers who re-established the Moapa Valley community several years after the Esplins and other original settlers left. The school in Moapa is named after her great-grandfather). After leaving the Muddy Valley settlement, the Esplins volunteered to help re-establish a settlement in Long Valley, in what is now Mt. Carmel, UT, after the original settlement was abandoned following struggles with the local Indian tribes. Grasshoppers destroyed their crops the first year in their new community, and the majority of the family returned to Nephi. John J. and his older sister Margaret stayed with their father to help establish their Long Valley home. The United Order was established in 1874, and in 1875, the Esplin family joined this community.
At age 19, John J. married his two wives, Harriet Leonora Allen and Emily Alvira Hoyt on the same day, July 10th, 1876, in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. John J. and his new family returned to the Long Valley and established their home in Long Valley Canyon, north of Glendale. The young people nicknamed this area Love-Berg. John J. worked as a foreman at a lumber camp in the area. He, along with his father and his brothers, also rented sheep from the Order and herded them in the area. John J. and his brothers continued in this enterprise after their father died. However, they eventually dissolved their partnership. John J. continued to raise sheep and cattle for most of his life. He owned land around Duck Creek Falls before it was taken by the Forest Reserve, but he was given a permit to continue grazing the land for a certain period of time each year. After the United Order was dissolved, John J. was given two building lots in Orderville, and farmland in the Cove.
On January 2nd, 1890, John J. was called to serve a mission in Evansville, Indiana. Three months later, however, he contracted pneumonia that left him very weak. He was released from his mission to return home. Not completing his mission was a great disappointment to him.
John J. was the father of 21 children. 15 of those children lived to maturity. He was described as having a very keen mind, and regretted his lack of education. He determined to give his children the opportunity he lacked, and provided each of his children two years away from home to attend a school of higher education, so they could do better for themselves. He also explained to his children, when they wanted something, that missionary work and education came first. After that, they could consider other luxuries. John J. enjoyed reading in his leisure time, and is recalled as saying when putting down a novel, "well, that was a pretty good made-up yard." Having endured hard times himself, he was known to be very generous to others in need. This caused problems, especially when he worked as a director of Panguitch Bank. The bank learned that they could not always safely loan money to people John J. recommended for loans, due to his generous nature. When the bank turned people down, however, John J. often loaned them his own money. These people often did not repay their debt to John J..
In 1916, John J. bought his first car, a Ford. He was not a skilled driver, however, so he often had one of his sons drive him where he needed to go. He was described as having a strong constitution, but was prone to chest colds, that twice turned into pneumonia. He also suffered from insomnia, and had stomach ulcers. In 1917, he went to Cedar City to consult a doctor. He contracted pneumonia en route, after having to help push his Ford along the muddy roads. He was then taken by train to Salt Lake City for stomach surgery. They treated his pneumonia with quinine, which severely affected his vision. After this treatment, he lost his peripheral vision, and could only see straight ahead.
John J. was a faithful member of the L.D.S. church. He was ordained an Elder in 1874 by Samuel Claridge, ordained a Seventy in 1855 by Jacob Gates, and a High Priest in 1920 by Joseph F. Smith. In about 1926, he and his wives were also called to serve as Stake Missionaries in the St. George Temple. In 1930, he and his wives embarked to visit Moapa, where he had lived as a child, so he could see how the community he helped settle had progressed. Emily came down with bronchitis the night they arrived in St. George, and she died before they could seek help. John and Harriet returned home to put Emily to rest. John J. and Harriet later made the trip to Moapa. By the time they returned home, Harriet had caught a cold, that later developed into pneumonia, and led to her death. Both of John J.s' wives, who he married on the same day, died 23 days apart, both as a result of their decision to visit Moapa, NV. After his wives deaths, John J. continued to serve in the St. George Temple. He was struck by a car while out walking on the morning of December 20th, 1936, fracturing his hip. He died 10 days later, two days before his 80th birthday.
John James Esplin story, told by his daughter, Clara Esplin Spencer
