Jane Johnston Black – Faithful Servant of the Lord

Jane Johnston Black was born June 11, 1801, at Lombag, Antrim County, Ireland. When her father, who was a Wesleyan Methodist minister, passed away she was sixteen years old.  Upon her father’s death she was called as a local preacher on the same circuit that her father had traveled and remained in that position until she was twenty years old. During this time she lived with a guardian, William Black Sr. In 1822 she married William’s son, William Young Black, who had been away serving as a soldier in the British Army. Three sons and one daughter were born from this union.

In 1834, as a family, they moved to Manchester, England. While living there they heard of the people called Latter-day Saints and were invited to go and hear them. They were addressed by William Clayton and Joseph Fielding, “which brought glad tidings and great joy to my husband and me. We both believed, and on, or about, the 14th day of January, 1839, were baptized by Elder William Clayton.”

In 1840, Jane took the four children and, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. Her husband William, as a companion to John Taylor, was serving as the first LDS missionaries into Ireland. The family moved to Augusta, Iowa and remained there until William joined them. Because she was a Nurse, Brigham Young set her apart to deliver all expecting mothers and care for the sick. In 1844, following the martyrdom at Carthage, President Taylor, who had been seriously wounded, would not permit a doctor to see him until Jane Black arrived and the bullets were removed from his body. Mrs. Black asked him later why he had sent for her. He said, “Because I knew there was none better at such a job, and wanted you to stand at the morning of the resurrection and testify to the Lord against the assassins who murdered the Prophet and his brother Hyrum.”

At the time of the Martyrdom, William was in Canada collecting his annual retirement pay from the English Army. With William gone, Jane took the children and moved back to Nauvoo and remained there until the Saints were driven from there. She and the children crossed the river with the other saints to Montrose, Iowa. They stayed there for about a year and then went to winter quarters Nebraska where they spent another year before starting across the plains by ox team in Captain Pace’s company. “After a weary trialsome journey over 1,000 miles walking fifteen to twenty miles a day on foot to ease the load on the team, we arrived in Salt Lake Valley in 1850.”

The family lived in Salt Lake for a short time, then President Brigham Young called them to go to re-settle Spring City, Sanpete County, where they remained until 1861.They were then  called to go to St. George. Sometime later they were called to move up the Virgin River to a place now known as Springdale, Utah. After settling Springdale, they moved a few miles away to Rockville, Washington County where William died and is buried.

Jane lived in Rockville for a number of years until such time that all her children had left to live in Deseret, Millard County, Utah. Finally, she decided to join them and died there in 1890. Her remains were transported back to Rockville to be buried beside her husband.

Interested in more, click on one of the following:

BlackFamilyGenealogy  –  Genealogy pertaining only to the Black Family

BlackFamilyGenealogy Research   – 13,000 family and friends genealogy

FamilySearch Tree  – LDS Genealogy Website

Jane Johnston Black Lineage

John E. Black 
    Reuben E. Black b 1901 d 1981
       Nephi Black b 1870 d 1959
          George Black b 1823 d 1873
              Jane Johnston Black b 1801 d 1890