John Mills

John Mills was the son of Thomas Mills and Alice McDonald. He was born about 1788 in Belfast, Ireland. John and his brother William were left home alone one day to get their own lunch. John decided to make apple dumpling, their favorite desert. They ate all the apples out of it during the process of making and cooking. His parents had a successful tin smith business. He learned the trade as well. John had a fine sense of music and loved it. He played the clarinet and violin and belonged to a band on the Isle of Mann. He sang tenor.

John married Elizabeth Hall. It this point in time he and his parents were living in Douglas, Isle of Mann. John Taylor preached the Gospel here and John and Elizabeth were converted. He put the Book of Mormon promise in Moroni 10 to the test and received a testimony of the Gospel. John was the third man baptized by John Taylor in Isle of Mann. John and Elizabeth immigrated to America And jointed the Saints in Nauvoo.

While living in Nauvoo John was commissioned to make the horns, hoofs and ears of the 12 oxen that support on their backs the baptismal font in the Temple. He was given a sample of the oxen taken from the Kirtland Temple. Using these as a pattern he made a separate mold for each horn, ear and hoof. They he melted the pewter and poured it into these molds. Then he took them to the Temple and soldered them to the oxen. This gave John a close association with the Prophet Joseph. The Prophet Joseph explained the significance of baptism to John and others as they went about this work. John Mills was ordained a Seventy October 8, 1844.

While John and Elizabeth lived in Nauvoo he went to St. Louis at times to find work. He would go anywhere he could find work. Finally in 1852 they had provisions to come to Utah. They had two teams of oxen and cows. His two sons died on the way.

John Mills loved to read the Bible and other good books. His daughter Elizabeth tells how he had her memorize James 1: 5-6 and other scriptures that the missionaries had taught him. He impressed upon her mind that they really found the one and only true Church. Struggling to support his family, John decided to use his tinsmith abilities. He went to California to work on the gold diggings. While soldering a keg of dynamite, it exploded and killed John. He died the 1st of November 1857.