John Kartchner

1851 – 1946

John Kartchner was born the first night following the day the Mormons arrived in San Bernardino, California, and he was the first white child born in that city. He was the fourth of his mother’s 11 children. He was born in a tent and the wind was blowing so hard that it was necessary for one man to attend each of the four corners of the tent so mother a baby would have protection from the bitter weather of the night.

When John was five years of age, he moved with his father and mother and their family from San Bernardino, California, to Beaver, Utah. In Beaver John lived the farm boy life. He was the oldest living son so he spent many hours with his young brother, Mark, hoeing weeds and doing farm chores. John’s father was nearly always in his blacksmith shop, so as John advanced in years a little, he took charge of much of the farm operation.

In 1865 the Kartchners move to what was at the time called “The Muddy” in Nevada. William D., John’s father, had rheumatism and it was believed that he would be better in the low climate of The Muddy. The father went ahead and then sent for the family to follow. John drove to yoke of oxen the long distance from Beaver, Utah to The Muddy, over very rough frontier roads. He was 14 at this time.

The Kartchners stayed at The Muddy for six years. Through this time John’s father ran his blacksmith shop and was the postmaster. John was in charge of the farming with his sisters and the younger boys. He raised corn, potatoes, squash, alfalfa hay, and truck garden items. The main cash crop was cotton which they hauled to St. George, Utah. Some of the cotton they would sell for much needed cash and some they wove into cloth, taking the cloth back to The Muddy for their own use.

In 1871, when John was 20 years old, President Brigham Young called all the Mormons from The Muddy and advised them to return to Utah. The Kartchner family lost their home and all they had developed at The Muddy. They had wheat up and growing fast, cotton ground prepared, and the farm was ready for a crop. Most of the Mormons set fire to their houses and barns and sheds and buildings.

During this early part of John’s life he had become a very good fiddler. He played hundreds of popular tunes for all kinds of square dancing and he didn’t need a drink to put pep into it. Where he went he was welcome. He played for house parties and public dances, much of the time for benefit dances and of course the house parties were mostly for the fun, and he had a lot of fun doing this service. He could play all night and not play the same tune twice John loved his fiddle and he liked anyone who enjoyed dancing.  He also liked anyone who can play a fiddle or guitar or an organ.

The Kartchners moved from The Muddy to Panguitch, Utah, in 1871. Here he met Lydia Amelia Palmer who later became his wife. They were married May 11, 1874 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. On return to Panguitch John built a long log house. He moved into the house in 1875 where his first child, Theda, was born April 29, 1875. John and his wife and their baby lived in the log house until the spring of 1876.  At this time he became interested in the United Order.  So, he sold all he owned in Panguitch and moved to Long Valley or Orderville.

In 1877 all the Kartchners were called to help colonize the northeast corner of Arizona. They settled in te area which carried the post office address of “The Little Colorado.” Here, through a period of time John was Presiding Elder. He was also foreman of one of the crews of men in the dam construction. The settlers attempted to build an earthen dam across the Little Colorado River.  When the rains came which brought flooding in the river, the dam did not hold and the settlers decided to move, giving up the project.

The committee was delegated to talk business with Mr. Stinson who owned a ranch in the location which is now a Snowflake, Arizona. The committee became discouraged and returned without making a deal for the ranch.  William Flake, John’s brother-in-law, then went to the Stinson place and purchase the ranch. Mr. Flake then invited all who wished to join him, and all the Kartchner clan moved to the Stinson Ranch (Snowflake).  A townsite was surveyed in each family drew to find which homesite or lots each would own. In this drawing, Mr. flake took his chances along with the rest. The town was named Snowflake in honor of Mr. Flake and Erastus Snow. Award of the LDS church was organized with John Hunt as Bishop, William Flake as First Counselor and John Kartchner  as Second Counselor.

While in Snowflake John met and married Nancy Jane Mann. They were married in the St. George, Utah, Temple, March 20, 1884. The Kartchners lived a rugged frontier life, but they were happy. He made himself part of all the activities for the betterment of the town. John ran a small farm, had milk cows, pigs, chickens, raised hay and grain, and always raised a good garden. In addition to these activities John ran a small herd of sheep on the open range.

All the time John was making people dance to some of the best country fiddlin’ they had ever heard. With or without pay the music was always the best he knew how to give, which was good. He loved every minute of it.

While in Snowflake, John served on the town Council, acted as deputy sheriff, and acted on the committee which selected the first County officers.

Early in 1885, President John Taylor advising people in Snowflake that any person who was about to be jailed for polygamy could if he wished, go to Mexico where the Saints were forming some colonies. Many of the men and some of the women decided to go to Mexico. Jesse N. Smith was President of Snowflake Stake.  He and Jesse N., Jr., Lot Smith, and Bishop John Hunt were among the ones to start for Mexico. John Kartchner was the only one who completely sold all he owned in Snowflake, and he and his family moved to Mexico. John and Bishop Hunt traveled together. Soon after they arrived in Mexico, Bishop Hunt received word that one of his wives he left behind in Snowflake had burned to death in an accident. Bishop Hunt rushed back to Snowflake and never returned to Mexico.

A short time after the John Kartchners arrived in Mexico, John began to help organize, survey, and do the things necessary to create the colony which was to be called Colonia Diaz. John’s wife, Lydia Amelia, lived in very poor health and in Diaz  her condition became rapidly worse. So, because of Lydia’s health condition, the John Kartchners moved up into the mountains of Chihuahua and help to settle Colonia Pacheco. It was in Pacheco that the Karch nurse spent most of the time they were in Mexico and it was in Pacheco most of John’s 18 children were born.

In Mexico, life for the Kartchners was packed with hardships. They lived an extremely rugged frontier life. They would go many weeks and even months without sugar. Part of the time they were fortunate enough to have molasses for sugar substitute. On rare occasions they would enjoy wheat flour. And sometimes there was not much to season the cornbread. It was common in most of the Pacheco homes to see a little container in a convenient place in the kitchen with a piece of rock salt and which had been gathered from the hill. Water would be soaking the salt and then the salty water would be used to season food.

John worked many different jobs trying to make a living for his large family. He was a fair carpenter, a good blacksmith, and a good sawmill man.  He worked at all these trades, but the deepest interest was in farming and livestock and he kept trying to get into this business.

In the evenings when the day’s work was done and the Kartchners would gather around in the frontier home, they would have good times. All the family would enjoy singing with each other and they would see many songs and also they would spend time testified each other of the truthfulness of their Christian faith. Some of the favorite songs of this family group were “All is Well,” ”We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet,” and “The Unknown Grave.”  They sang many of the songs of the prairies, the plains, the Indians, and the cowboys. And, of course they also enjoyed many of the current love songs. In those days new songs and the words to those songs traveled around very slowly, but they learned and kept in the family circle the decent songs they could hear and learn.

On August 10, 1896, Lydia Amelia Palmer Kartchner died in Colonia, Juarez. At this time Nancy was living in Dublan and when it became apparent she was going to pass away she felt heartbroken about Lydia. Nancy and Lydia loved each other dearly and had respect and trust for each other. After Liddy’s death the Kartchners moved back to Pacheco but for the rest of the time John lived in Mexico he owned a shack in Diaz, a home in Juarez, and a home in Pacheco.

By 1909, there was already some Revolutionary rumblings in the Sierra Madres. The rebel army by necessity had to live off the land. This condition made it more and more difficult for the Mexican colonists.  John Kartchner decided to leave Mexico and go to United States at this time. He sold, by contract, most of what he owned in Pacheco and stored the things he didn’t want to sell in a cave nearby. He never returned to the cave. He then went to Juarez with the intention of selling his property there. While in Juarez, Vanetta reached her 17th birthday and while a small group of children were playing at the party she fell off a spring seat which was placed on a double bed wagon. Her side struck the wagon tongue and within four days she died from this injury. The John Kartchner family then stayed in Juarez as until the spring of 1910.

By the spring of 1910 John had rounded up more of his cattle and made time payment sales of the things he could not take with him to the States. He left the colonies with three teams, two wagons, a white top buggy, and riding mare. He arrived in El Paso with one team and wagon, and sold them for money to live on and to travel by train to Bluewater, New Mexico. The Kartchners then went my team and wagon to Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, arriving in Blanding on July 10, 1910.

In 1923 John and Nancy had only two children left at home and at that time the family moved to the Salt Lake Valley. John Kartchner died February 3, 1946, in Salt Lake City. At this time his home was at 316 East on 13th South Street. Nancy Mann Kartchner died November 1, 1961 at Blanding, Utah.

Pearl K. Robertson, daughter

Pg 382 Stalwart’s South of the Border Nelle Spilsbury Hatch.