Johannes (John) Gubler

A History of Johannes (John and Maria (Mary) Ursula Muller Gubler
Johannes, or John Gubler was born in Mullheim, Switzerland 29 November 1818 the 3rd son to Hans Heinrich and Ann Margaretha Dinckel Gubler. On 10 Jan 1823 Maria, or Mary Ursulla Muller was born at Eilhart, Switzerland, where they were living when they were converted to the Latter-day Saints or Mormon Church.
They were parents of seven children, three of whom died in infancy. The four living and who grew to maturity were Anna Mary, Louisa, John and Herman.
In Switzerland they had a comfortable home and a small piece of land, also a small store. John was a salesman. He would take the goods and go to different towns nearby and sell them. Mary, his wife, took care of the vegetable garden besides her family.
The family had heard rumors about the Mormon Missionaries, but hadn't met them. As Mary was greatly opposed to the Missionaries from the stories she had heard, John after visiting them, attended some of their meetings without her knowing it. He took a liking to them and believed what they preached. One day he told her there were some missionaries coming to hold a meeting at a nearby town and asked if she and the children would like to go with him and hear them. She concented to go and take the children, not knowing which church the missionaries represented. Mary liked the meeting and the doctrine they taught very much so they went often and it wasn't long until she and John were converted and baptized. They were anxious to emigrate to America so they could live their religion and worship as they wanted to without being persecuted and shunned by their friends. They sold everything they had for just what they could get and left Switzerland in August 1859. They were six weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Liverpool to New York. Anna Mary was eight years old and she got very sick while crossing the ocean, so they had to remain in Williamsburg, a small town near New York, for two months until she was well enough go on their journey by train to Florence, Nebraska, where the rest of their outfits were. That was as far as the train went and the Company stopped there to get their outfits ready to go on to Salt Lake City. They still had a 1,000 miles to go with wagons pulled by oxen. The men worked day and night making wagons and getting their outfits ready for such a long journey. It was a long tiresome trip across the plains. When they finally reached Ogden, they like many others, were getting very low on food, so they stopped there and found work of different kinds to earn money for food.
John was given a piece of land to raise some crops. They lived there one year and were getting along quite nicely when at the general conference of the Church in October 1861, President Brigham Young called a company of 309 missionaries to go to southern Utah. Included in the number was what was designated as the Swiss Company. They all joined and formed a company with Daniel Bonelli of Salt Lake City as their leader. He could speak with their language, and English. Teams were provided by the Church to take them south. The route they followed was practically that of the state highway of today. As they had some experience in grape culture, they were told when they arrived in the south to go to Santa Clara to raise grapes and cotton, both of which had been grown there successfully prior to that time. An Indian mission had been established at Santa Clara a few years previously and approximately twenty families were living at the fort, called Fort Clara. The company arrived Nov. 28, 1861.
They drove to the fort and camped for about three weeks and it was decided to make a perminent townsite below the point of the hill on the bend of the river where homes would be safer from the flood waters of the creek. Preliminary arrangements had been made with the original settlers to relinquish their claims in favor of those recently arrived. This was carried out and Santa Clara had a new beginning.
A survey of the new townsite was made in December. The people assembled on the 22nd of Dec. for the dedication of the new site, at which Elder Daniel Banelli offered the dedicatory prayer. Lots and vineyards were laid off and the settlers were given their plots of ground. During the month a dam in the creek and a ditch to the new townsite had been built. This was completed by the 25th at a cost of $1,030. Men were given two dollars credit per day for their labor. The very day this was completed rain began to fall and it continued to rain for a prolonged period of time. On New Year's Eve a terrific flood swept away the Fort and other buildings of the original townsite and destroyed the dam and canal just completed. They must now begin anew to build the town and all pertaining to it. They set to their task with vigor so that by the 16th of March they had again completed the construction of the dam in the creek and canal to the townsite.
After the lots and vineyards had been platted, corresponding numbers were written on sheets of paper and placed in a hat. Brother Bonelli drew the numbers from the hat and alloted them to the various families. The land was nothing but sage brush and greesewoods, and they had to clear it and make ditches. By spring their food supply was so low they had to gather pigweeds to cook, which served as their food with a scanty bit of bread for many weeks. They were three weks without any white bread and had just a bit of corn bread. In those days they would save a small dab of dough to start the next batch of bread. One day Herman found a piece of this sour dough which his mother had saved. It was dried and as every bit as hard
a rock, but he ate it eagerly. When Mary saw him it made her cry to think her boy had to go so hungry.
The first year their main crop was corn. Since better bread could be made with part wheat to go with the corn. Mary and all the children except Louisa went north with many other people to glean wheat for their winter bread.
John stayed home to run the farm and Louisa stayed to cook and help him. This went on for several years. The last year they went north to glean wheat, John, the oldest son, became very sick with malaria. Then Mary and Herman contacted it so they had to return home.
At about this time they received a $150 they still ahd coming from the sale of their home in Switzerland. With this they bought some land across the creek, known as the south fields. There were three rows of peach trees on the land just beginning to bear. The land was purchased from some English people who lived at the old fort. They dried the peaches and raised cane which they made into molasses. In the fall Mary went up north with the dried peaches and molasses and traded them for flour and potatoes. In this way they got along much better during the winters. John couldn't speak English very well so he took one of the boys along with him to interpret, and they made many life-long friends with whom they were able to stop overnight while on these trips.
In those first years there weren't any doctors or nurses so the women cared for each other when they had their babies. Mary acted as nurse to many women during their confinement.
After things were a little better, Mary bought a team of mules. Herman told of a trip his mother and father took to Salt Lake City with a load of dried peaches. They took him along to help drive as John didn't know much about driving or handling a team. In fact, he never had any experience with horses or mules, and he was quite nervous.
When they got to Cove Fort, one of their wheels was about to give way so the man living there told them if they would stop over a day, he would make them a new wheel. In those days they made the wheels from all wood. After the wheel was made, they went on their way and got along nicely until they were driving down main street in Salt Lake City. The Pony Express that carried the mail came along and frightened the mules. It caused them to run and tip the wagon over, and the dried peaches were scattered all over the streets. People came from every direction to help gather up the peaches. John was so excited about his load he hand't noticed Mary was hurt. He was told that she had been taken to the hospital. He was very excited and found she was badly injured, but the doctor told him she would be all right. She was in the hospital for three weeks before she could go home.
In those days grass grew along the sides of the roads. As there wasn't much hay, people turned their animals out at night to eat the grass. Sometimes they would stray off and the men would have to hunt them next morning. This happened on their way home, and they spent all day looking for the mules but couldn't find them. That ight they prayed to our Father in Heaven that they might find them. The next morning the mules were found next to where they were caped, and they went on their way rejoicing and thanking their Heavenly Father for helping them.
They lived in their dugouts until they could make a house of adobes. This they lived in for many years. Then John and the boys wet up on the Pine Valley Mountain and worked to earn lumber to build a two-room frame house. Later they build a larger home which consisted of three large rooms and two porches.

It took Johannes, now Americanized to John, and the boys two years to clean and prepare two acres of land for cultivation. They raised cane which was made into molasses. They also raised different kinds of fruits. In the fall of each year, John went north with his produce to trade for grain, flou and other things the family would use. He could not speak English very well so Anna Mary, being the oldest child, went with him for company and to translate from Swiss to English. In those days they often met hostile Indians, but John would pray in silence to his Father in Heaven that they would not be harmed, and they kjnew their prayers were answered because they always returned hom unmolested.

Once when John and Anna Mary were in Parowan with grist to be made into flour, they saw a large cloud of dust which proved to be a band of Indians. John and Anna Mary prayed, then John put Anna Mary out of sight. As the Indians came closer, they could see that they were on the war path. Their faces were painted; as they approached, they lined up on both sides of the wagon. John was impressed to make his horses go as fast as he could. The Indians just stood there. They were still standing still when John and Anna Mary disappeared from their sight. They went on their way and returned home in safety with grist, flour and bran.


John and Mary were always ready and willing to help do their part in building up the town and community. John helped buil the first public building on the square which was made of adobes. This served as church house, school house, and amusemnt hall for many years. John also assisted in the construction of the St. George Temple. He and the boys hauled lumber from the Pine Valley Mountain and Mount Trumble. In all their hardships and struggles they both stayed true and firm in their belief.
John's health was quite poor in his later years, but he was only bedfast a few days before his death. He died 2 January 1897, being 79 years old. Mary only lived four years after John's death. She had a severe stroke which caused her to become helpless. Her right side became paralyzed. Her children often took her in a wheel chair to visit relatives and friends. She was always cheerful and happy to get outside. She was patient and uncomplaining an appreciated everything that was done for her. She died 20 September 1901 at the age of 78. Both she and John were buried in the Santa Clara Cemetery and have nice headstones at their graves.
Compiled by Selina G. Hafen and Eliza H. Gubler.