John Given, Sr.

John arrived in New Orleans with his son (John Given Jr.) and mother (Martha Given) on 14 March 1851 via the ship The Ellen. It appears as though he continued on to Utah (first documentation to place him in Utah is a rebaptism in the Seventh Ward on 5 June 1853) while he left his son, John Jr. in New Orleans (perhaps with his mother Martha Given) to await his wife, Elizabeth Rowley Given, who was to arrive in 1854 from Scotland.

John Jr. and mother are documented in the Garn Company, but John Sr. is not seen in any company records. It is likely he hired out as a teamster traveling to the Valley in either 1851 or 1852. Further research is needed to narrow his year of travel and identify which company he traveled with.

His birth date is confirmed by the Seventh Ward records at the time of his rebaptism.