John S. Haslam was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1842 at the age of nineteen years. He immigrated to the United States in the fall of 1842, on the same ship as Elder Orson Hyde on his return form Jerusalem. While on the ship, Grandfather heard some of the sailors plotting to take Orson Hyde's life upon landing. He went to Orson Hyde and told him what he had heard, telling him to get away as soon as possible, which he did. Thus, his life was saved by this timely warning.

He tarried in St. Louis, Missouri for two years. On 4 March 1845, he was married to Martha Hamer by Orson Hyde, in St. Louis. Sam Worthen was a witness to this marriage.

They moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. Here he was ordained a Seventy in the Church, and belonged to the 29th Quorum of Seventies. He remained in Nauvoo until the Saints were expelled in the fall of 1846. He worked at his trade of blacksmith on his way west. His services were in such demand at the point of outfitting for the journey across the plains that his own arrival in Salt Lake Valley was delayed until 1851. Thereafter he was employed at the Church blacksmith shop and other places where his skill was needed.

He had eleven children by his first wife, Martha Hamer. She died 16 June 1867 when her youngest child was ten days old. The baby, Ruth, died September 6, 1867 when she was three months old. The names of the other children were Jane Ellen, John Joseph, Samuel, Martha Ann, Thomas, Elizabeth, Brigham, William, Mary, and Joshua.

In the fall of 1867 he was called by President Brigham Young to take his family and go on a mission to Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. This was called the Muddy Mission. President Young advised him to get married again. He followed this advice and on 9 November 1867 he married Mary Ann Kay Openshaw in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. This wife had one child, Martha Jane, by a previous marriage, which had been dissolved by a temple divorce. Two weeks later they left Salt Lake City for the mission, a distance of 300 miles away. John S. Haslam had owned the whole block of land between 1st and 2nd North Streets and between 5th and 6th West Streets. He sold all the land but approximately 200 feet or so each way from the northeast corner of the block, for a team of oxen to use to make the trip to his mission. They traveled by ox-team and arrived there a few days before Christmas, December 1867. Samuel Hamer and his family (Grandfather's brother-in-law) were also called on this mission. On arrival, they built a blacksmith shop together and worked together for 3 1/2 years, having been called for the purpose of building up this settlement. They lived in a dugout during this time. Two children were born while they were in Panaca, Maggie and James Kay. At the end of 3 1/2 years a part of Panaca was turned over to Nevada, and then President Brigham Young released all who were called there to return to their former homes or to go wherever they chose. Some remained. John S. Haslam returned to Salt Lake City in June 1871 and built a two-room house and summer kitchen on the property he had reserved for that purpose. Later on, he built additional rooms on.

He went to work for James Lawson, a blacksmith, at his shop at 2nd West and 1st North Streets. He worked at this until he got work at the Utah Central Railroad where he got a piece of steel in his eye, blinding him in that eye and eventually causing the other eye to go blind. His health began to fail and he died 27 November 1883, apparently from bronchitis at the age of sixty. He died a faithful Latter-day Saint and was buried in the City Cemetery 29 November 1883. He was a member of the 16th Ward. To his second marriage five children were born: Maggie, James Kay, Enos, Zina, and Annie. In those days there was a high mortality rate. They lost seven children in fourteen years. One was lost each year for four years and two in one week from contagious diseases. This indicated the trying times they lived in.

This biography was submitted by Myra King, and is on file at the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Library, Salt Lake City.