Johann Georg “John George” Hafen

Original Name: John George
Birth: 17 Oct 1838
Scherzingen, Bezirk Kreuzlingen, Thurgau, Switzerland
Death: 4 May 1928 (aged 89)
Santa Clara, Washington County, Utah, USA
Burial: Santa Clara Cemetery

Santa Clara, Washington County, Utah, USA Show Map GPS-Latitude: 37.140501, Longitude: -113.6675561
Plot: 2K08
Memorial ID: 41880 View Source

Son Hans George Hafen & Maria Magdalena Hafen

Married Susette Bosshard, 18 Oct 1861, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Anna Maria "Mary Ann" Stucki, 24 Nov 1873, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Anna Maria Elizabeth Huber, 13 Nov 1884, St. George, Washington, Utah

Married Rosina Stucki, 28 Feb 1885, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

SHORT HISTORY OF JOHN G. HAFEN

Compiled by Geraldine Hafen Stirling, Granddaughter

John G. Hafen was born in Scherzingen, Canton Thurgan, Switzerland on Oct. 17, 1838. His earliest known ancestors came from Austria at the beginning of the 30-year war in the year 1618. Being of nobility, they were forced to flee their country and crossed the mountains into Switzerland. They settled on a cove or harbor on Lake Constance. From that location they took their name Hafen, meaning harbor, or haven in their native tongue.

He had one sister, Barbara, who was three years older. His mother, Mary Magdalena Hafen, died when he was 16 years old. His father, whose name was also John George, (some sources say his father's name was Hans George), lived with him the rest of his life.

They were farmers, growing hay, grain, potatoes, and fruit. They cut the grass with scythes and raked by hand. Their farm was 15 acres and provided all their needs and some surplus to sell They made wine from the vineyards.

John G attended school until he was 16 years old. Arithmetic was his favorite subject. Their home was a religious one. They asked the blessing at each meal and read from the prayer book around the hearthstone.

One day, they were visited by two men. His sister Barbara was the most intrigued, with the message of the Latter-day Saint missionaries. John and his father vigorously opposed, but Barbara's influence and the power of the Holy Ghost soon over came them. They were baptized in April 1860. John was 22 years old.

Soon after his baptism, John G. served a mission in Berne and later Zurich. In Zurich he met a beautiful young lady named Susette Bosshard, whom he later married. She was a convert to the church. On his mission he was taken by a mob and dunked in a well in a mock baptism.

At that time, there was a strong urging from the church, for all Saints to gather in Zion. Materially he was doing well in Switzerland, but the gospel meant more to him than all else, and he did not hesitate to leave his home and friends. He sold their property for a fair price...

Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, Sixtus E. Johnson Company (1861)