“And my wife and brother Covey, both believed the Book of Mormon, for I brought it home with me, and read it to them and I was filled with the spirit as I read.” — John Murdock1
John Murdock was born on July 15, 1792, in Kortright, New York. He moved to Ohio around 1819, where he joined various religious groups before being baptized into the Church of Christ in 1830.2 His wife Julia died in 1831 after giving birth to twins, Joseph and Julia, who were then adopted by Joseph and Emma Smith.3
He served as a missionary several times, including a mission to the eastern states, and organized branches of the Church in Ohio. He also participated in Zion’s Camp and the School of the Prophets.2 Murdock married three more times and was involved in the Latter-day Saint settlements in Missouri and Illinois. After facing persecution, he moved to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, where he continued to serve in Church leadership, including as a bishop and a patriarch. Murdock passed away on December 23, 1871, in Beaver, Utah.4
