Two (2) John Neffs

New FamilySearch and 2 John Neffs
by Alice Neff

Sidney Wells, a friend of mine, introduce the newFamlySearch Internet program that will come out in a year or two. This is a huge project, linking all the families of the world into one database. It is inspired and unique. Nothing like it has never been done before. Everyone will be able to add to it and correct data they have entered. As soon as information is added, everyone in the world can view it and send an email to the person who submitted it. We will all be able to work together to get this great work done, that we might present to the Lord “...a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.” D&C 128:24

There are problems with the program right now. The first is that in combining all the records that have ever been submitted to the church, errors that were in the database were carried forward. The computer engineers at the church are working to find a way to eliminate these errors. We are working to fix the errors in the information about our ancestors.

When newFamilySearch.org becomes available please type in information you have on your own children, parents, aunts, cousins and ancestors for whom you have done the original research. I think we will be able to resolve the problems with the John Neffs better if everyone isn’t making changes.

The big problem is that John Neff, the pioneer, has been recorded as having more than one wife. Here is the explanation of the problem.

There are two John Neffs who came to Utah as pioneers. Both must have been wonderful men, but they are not the same man.

Our ancestor John Neff of East Millcreek, was a Mennonite born in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 19 Sep 1794 to John Neff (born 1 Jan 1769 in Strasburg) and Barbara Herr (born 28 Jul 1762 in Strasburg). On 12 Jan 1822 John married Mary Barr born 1 Dec 1801 in Bart Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Christian Barr (born 11 Oct 1765 in Bart Township) and Susanna Brenneman (born 1 Apr 1772 in Donegal, Lancaster, Pennsylvania).

John and Mary have 10 children, 8 came to Salt Lake and raised their families in the LDS church, Amanda died young and Cyrus died in Winter Quarters. When John and Mary arrived in Winter Quarters late in 1846, John bought the flour mill Brigham Young was having built and got it up and running.

When the family went west in 1847, they left their son, Franklin Neff, and his wife, Elizabeth Musser, behind to run the mill. The rest of the family traveled with the Jedediah M. Grant Company and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, 2 October 1847. The next spring their son, Amos Herr Neff, and his new wife, Martha Ann Dilworth, went back to Winter Quarters to help Franklin and Elizabeth and their new baby girl, Martha Elizabeth Neff, get to Salt Lake. They happened to be in the same company as another John Neff and his family.

John Neff of East Millcreek only ever had one wife, Mary Barr. They lived the rest of their lives in East Millcreek running a flour mill, building and running lumber mills and serving in the church. Their sons kept the mills going after they died. John died 9 May 1869 and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

The John Neff who died in Pleasant Grove 5 June 1877 was born in Amsterdam, Montgomery, New York 16 July 1795 to John Neff and Martha Beckwith (who were married in the Dutch Reform Church). This John Neff married Rachel Starr who was born 30 April 1784 in Brookfield, Connecticut to Elijah Starr and Mary Smith. They were married about 1815 in New York and then moved to Illinois where their three daughters were born, Lucy, Lodema and Laura. Rachel died between 1840 and 1846. John had joined the LDS Church before 1840 and in 1846 took the children to Winter Quarters on their way to Utah. There he married Susannah Gazey, 10 October 1847. (Notice Susannah Gazey was married to the other John Neff in Winter Quarters 8 days after our John Neff arrived in Salt Lake.) Susannah and her first husband William Beers had joined the church in England and come to New York and then Nauvoo with their 6 children. William died or left the family.

This is where it gets confusing. John Neff of Pleasant Grove, his daughters, Susannah and her children were in the Brigham Young Company arriving in Salt Lake Valley the 20-24 of September 1848. Franklin Neff, (son of the our John Neff) his wife Elizabeth, their daughter Martha Elizabeth, his brother Amos and his wife Martha Ann were in the company also. On June 8, 1848 Elizabeth wrote to her mother, Anna Bitner “there has been two deths Since the we are here[,] A babe Six weeks old[,] the other was drowned[,] one of John Neffs children[,] A boy Eight years old...” This boy was Susannah’s son, Charles Beers, who died 25 May 1848, in the Elkhorn River.

John and Susannah settled in Pleasant Grove where Susannah served in the Relief Society for several years. They were sealed 11 Oct 1852,

On 9 June 1870 the John Neff of Pleasant Grove went to the Endowment House and
was sealed to his second wife, Susannah Gazey and
Mary Gazey and
Ann Gazey, her sisters, and
Rachel Starr, his first wife and
Mary Lull, daughter of Rachel Starr and her first husband Walter Lull and
his mother Martha Beckwith.

After Susanna died, John went on a mission back East at 80 years old. When he returned John Neff of Pleasant Grove married Susan Roberts on 25 Nov 1874 and they had the John Myron Neff born 26 Mar 1876 in Pleasant Grove. This child died 5 April 1891. John Neff of Pleasant Grove died 6 Jun 1877 in Pleasant Grove and is buried there with his wife and son.

Notice the sealings in 1870, the marriage in 1874 and the birth of John Myron Neff in 1876 are after our John Neff of East Millcreek died in 1869.