John returned to Iowa and brought his wife and children to Utah sometime between 1851 and 1853. His daughter Eliza Jane was born 12 November 1850 at Mount Pisgah, Union, Iowa. The first documentation to place him in Utah is when he signed up with the Utah State Militia on 10 September 1853. Further research is needed to determine the year of the family's arrival in Utah and the name of the pioneer company with which they traveled.