Son of John Murdock & Eleanor Riggs

Married Julia Clapp, 14 Dec 1823, Mentor, Lake, Ohio

Married Electa Allen, 3 May 1838, Far West, Caldwell, Missouri

Married Sarah Barney, 8 Jan 1809

Married Amoranda Turner, 4 Feb 1836, New York

Married Sarah Zufelt, 13 Mar 1846, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois

Married May McEwan, 27 Jan 1857, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah


Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia
Volume 2

Murdock, John, the first Bishop of the 14th Ward, Salt Lake City, Utah, was born July 15, 1792, at Kortright, Delaware county, New York, being the third son of John and Eleanor Murdock. His father was the son of Samuel who with his father and two brothers (Wm. and Eliphalet) emigrated from Scotland to America about the middle of the 18th century. John Murdock came west when 27 years old and settled in Orange township, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, married Julia Clapp when 31 years old, was baptized by Parley P. Pratt Nov 5, 1830, at Kirtland, Geauga county. Ohio, and was confirmed and ordained an Elder the Sunday evening following by Oliver Cowdery at Mayfield, Cuyahoga co. He preached and organized a branch of the Church of some seventy or eighty members at Orange and Warrensville in about three or four months. His wife Julia was baptized Nov. 14, 1830, and died in Warrensville April 30, 1831, leaving him with five small children, two of them but six hours old. The Prophet Joseph and wife received the two infant twins to raise in their family. Bro. Murdock was ordained a High Priest at Kirtland, June 6, 1831, by Joseph the Prophet. In company with Hyrum Smith he filled a mission to Missouri, where he was sick for five months and returned to Kirtland in June, 1832, in company with Elder Parley P. Pratt. In 1832 he sent his three oldest children to Bishop Partridge in Missouri with some means for their support. Joseph kept Julia, whose twin brother (Joseph) died in the Hiram persecutions in March, 1832. Bro. Murdock sold his property, and sent some of the money obtained thereby to Bishop Partridge in Missouri for the support of his children, and he also gave some to Brother Joseph. Thus he was prepared to preach the gospel. He preached, baptized, and built up a branch of the Church that fall and winter in the east part of Geauga county, received instructions and the washing of feet in Kirtland, and beheld the face of the Lord, according to the promise and prayer of the Prophet. In April, 1833, he started into the Eastern country on a preaching mission, on which he built up a small branch of the Church in Delaware county, N. Y., the place of his birth; he returned west in December, 1833, and after visiting Livingston county, N. Y., he arrived at Kirtland early in 1834. He went to Missouri as a member of Zions Camp in 1834, suffered with sickness, saw his children and returned to Ohio in February, 1835. He started on another mission March 5, 1835, to the East, visiting New York and Vermont, and returned to Ohio early in 1836. He married Amoranda Turner Feb. 4, 1836, and went on foot to Kirtland, where he arrived Feb. 24th. He received his washings and anointings in the Kirtland Temple, March 3, 1836. His wife arrived at Kirtland May 28, 1836, and they soon afterwards started for Missouri, where they passed through the persecutions at De Witt, Far West, etc. Bro Murdock was the oldest member of the High Council at Far West. His wife Amoranda died of fever Aug. 16, 1837, and Bro. Murdock left Missouri in 1839. After stopping temporarily at Quincy he settled at Nauvoo, Ill. Here he was ordained and set apart as Bishop Aug. 21, 1842, and he presided over the Fifth Ward at Nauvoo till Nov. 29, 1844, when he was called to travel, visit and set in order branches of the Church abroad. He continued in this calling till March, 1845. In October, 1845, his wife Electa Allen, whom he had married May 3, 1838, died. She left one son, Gideon, A. Murdock, who acted for many years as Bishop at Joseph, Sevier co., Utah, and is now (1914) a resident of Minersville, Beaver county, Utah. He married the fourth time March 13, 1846; this time he took Sarah Zufelt to wife and left Nauvoo soon afterwards for the West; two of his sons, Orice and John, were called into the Mormon Battalion. He emigrated to Salt Lake Valley in 1847, arriving on the site of Salt Lake City Sept. 24, 1847. Here he acted as a High Councilor and he was set apart as Bishop of the 14th Ward Feb. 14, 1849. In December, 1849, he took his seat in the legislative body for the State of Deseret and acted as such and as Bishop til Feb. 6, 1851, when he resigned to go on a mission to the Pacific Islands. He traveled with Parley P. Pratt to the Pacific coast, starting on this mission from Salt Lake City March 12, 1851, with others and traveled to San Francisco; he was then called by Apostle Parley P. Pratt to open up a mission in Australia. Together with Charles W. Wandell he landed at Sydney, Australia Oct. 30, 1851, as the first Latter-day Saint missionaries to that land and Bro. Murdock labored in Australia till June 2, 1852, when he left for home, leaving Elder Wandell to preside. On his return to Utah he found his family at Lehi, Utah county, and at the April conference, 1854, the Saints voted for his ordination to the office a Patriarch. At Lehi he presided over the High Priests and filled other important positions. In his last days he was feeble and lived with his children. He received his second anointings June 7, 1867, and died Dec. 23, 1871, at Beaver, Utah.