John Buchanan was born January 25, 1825 to John Buchanan and Adeline Coons. He was born in Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky. John was the 6th of ten children. His siblings are: Jane Bach, Elizabeth, Lorenzo Dow, Emeline, Catherine, Mary Ann, Eleanor, Archibald Waller, and Martha Marie.

His parents embraced the Gospel and moved to Nauvoo, but were expelled with the Saints in the early days. The company of Saints they were with moved across Iowa and settled at Garden Grove, on the banks of the Missouri River. Shortly after their arrival at Garden Grove, his father died; leaving his wife and family to mourn his loss and to struggle on in sorrow with the rest of the Saints.

In July 1846, President Polk sent a request to the Prophet Brigham Young, who was with the Saints on the Missouri, where Mormon settlements were; for a body of five hundred men to aid the war with Mexico.

On the 16th day of the same year; John Buchanan enlisted in this battalion as 2nd Corporal in Company D, Mormon Battalion; and was mustered into the service of Uncle Sam, at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Col. Allen, commanding officer of the battalion marched down the Missouri River, south to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; reaching there August 1st, where they received their arms and equipment and then began their long and weary tramp across a desert of two thousand miles, to their destination—California.

Soon after leaving Fort Leavenworth, their Col. Allen, died. He was loved and respected by his men who all mourned his passing. He was succeeded by Col. Smith; a harsh, cruel, vindictive man.

On October 2nd the Battalion reached the far famed Red River, of New Mexico. The army suffered much from want of food. At Santa Fe, the commanding General, General Kearny divided the infantry into two companies; detailing about one hundred and fifty, who were considered physically unfit due to sickness or extreme youth, some of whom were barely 19 years of age. Others unable to endure the forced marches and reduced rations; over the waterless waste of desert that lay before them.

John Buchanan had contracted a severe case of measles from which his recovery was very slow and consequently, he was among that number.

They were placed under the command of Captain Brown and Higgins and sent north to Pueblo, on the Arkansas River; now in Colorado, here they were joined by a company of Mississippi Saints. Some had sailed down and others up the Arkansas river to this point.
Pueblo, a Spanish town of wealth, was then held by U.S. troops and henceforth was an American city of note.

Here, this part of the Battalion dwelt in comfort through the winter, while their companions in arms were toiling over the desert being days without water to quench their thirst, and falling by the wayside; then after nightfall they would stagger on to camp.

When spring came, this company at Pueblo were again divided. Those with families were left on the banks of the Missouri at Council Bluffs, Pisgah, and other places in Iowa; received discharge and returned to their friends. The rest of the company under Captain Brown started to find the Basin of the Great Salt Lake, hoping to overtake the company of pioneers with Brigham Young.

John Buchanan was with the later division, acting as a scout and pathfinder, with a dozen other brave and hardy young men, eagerly scanning the mountains, prairies and the horizon, for some sign of the immigrants who they knew had left Winter Quarters that spring.

The scouts struck the Pioneer trail July 22, 1847 and rode into Salt Lake Valley July 25th; only one day after Brigham Young and his company of pioneers.

July 29th the entire company of Pueblo Saints entered the valley.

On August 9th 1847, John Buchanan was called by President Young to go with Jesse C. Little's exploring party, which was also to act as guard to Samuel Brennan, as far as old Fort Hall, near where Pocatello is now. This party explored Bear Lake, Bear River, a part of Weber River, and also a portion of the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake, and some of Cache Valley. They stopped at the Fort of Miles Goodyear, from whom they subsequently purchased the northern part of Utah, which was owned by Goodyear under a Spanish grant. Then they returned to Salt Lake.

On August 16th 1847, John Buchanan, with a company of seventy-one men, started back to the Missouri River in Iowa to bring their families back the following year. They traveled light and made the trip successfully.

Once again back in Iowa, he engaged in carpentering. Later he was in the milling business.

One day, standing near his mill, he saw a young lady; come like Rebecca of old, to the well for a bucket of water; only this was a spring. He gallantly offered to fill her pail for her and she shyly allowed the courtesy. This was a noteworthy case of love at first sight. On February 25th,1851, John Buchanan and Adaline Coons were married at Glenwood, Iowa.

John met and married Adeline Coons on February 1851 in Pottawattamie Iowa. Adeline and John had 12 children: John Lorenzo, Mary Ann, Elinore, Nancy Jane, William Henry, Ernestine Eliza, Matilda, Elizabeth Ann, Matilda, Libbeus Thaddeus, George Washington, and Laura Day.

Johns family became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. John was baptised on June 5, 1854. The family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois.

John took a prominent part in Indian affairs during the years of the Black Hawk War. During the latter years of his life he received a pension from the government for his services in the Mormon Battalion.

John later married Sarah Wilkinson and entered into plural marriage. They were married April 21, 1966 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sarah and John had 9 children: Raymond, Adelbert, Mary Ann, Raphael Sims, Mable Clair, Nellie Reid, Archibald Lorenzo, Allen, and Sophronia.

When plural marriage became illegal, John lived in his offices for a time. He had both of his wives live in separate houses.

Eventually, John returned to live with Adeline Coons.

John Buchanan passed away on October 11, 1897 in Manti, Utah.