John Rowe Moyle (22 February 1808,

Wendron Wendron (; historically St. Wendron) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is approximately to the north of Helston and to the west of Penryn. The parish population at the 2011 census was 2,743. The electoral ...

, Cornwall, England – 15 January 1889,

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

) was a

Mormon pioneer The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

and a settler of

Alpine, Utah Alpine is a city on the northeastern edge of Utah County, Utah, Utah County, Utah, United States. The population was 10,251 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Alpine has been one of the many quickly-growing cities of Utah ...

. He was a master

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

for the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

, and was the carver of the inscription "Holiness to the Lord" on the temple's east side.

Biography

Moyle was born in Cornwall, England, to James and Elizabeth Rowe Moyle.Some sources give the name of John Rowe Moyle's father as Stephen. See:
;
In his youth he worked in the

tin mine Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use ca ...

s of Cornwall, and later became a stonemason, learning the trade from his father. He and his family converted to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) in 1851. Moyle travelled to

with the first handcart company in 1856, settling in Alpine two years later. Both a farmer and a stonemason, Moyle traveled to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

frequently to serve on the temple construction. Moyle installed the Temple's circular staircase and carved the inscription "Holiness to the Lord" on the east side of the Temple. In 1863, Moyle built a chapel in Alpine. He also built an Indian fort to protect his family during the

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

of Salt Lake City by federal troops. Moyle suffered a compound fracture of the leg when he was kicked by a cow, necessitating the leg's amputation by his family and friends. Moyle subsequently carved a wooden leg for himself and learned how to use it. After the accident, he would again walk to Salt Lake City and work on the temple. Moyle was married to Phillippa Beer, who was born in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

shire, England, and ( polygamously) to Mary Ann Williams. Moyle's son, James Moyle, became foreman of the builders and stone-cutters on the

Temple Block Temple blocks are a type of percussion instrument consisting of a set of woodblocks. It is descended from the muyu or wooden bell, an instrument originating from eastern Asia, where it is commonly used in religious ceremonies. Description It ...

in 1875 and general superintendent of the temple in 1886. Moyle was the grandfather of James Henry Moyle, a prominent Utah politician, and the great-grandfather of Henry D. Moyle, an

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

of the LDS Church.Uchtdorf erroneously refers to Henry D. Moyle as John Rowe Moyle's "grandson".

Legacy

Torleif S. Knaphus used Moyle's likeness (along with several others) as the inspiration for the father's face on the ''Handcart Pioneer Monument'' on

Temple Square Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediate ...

. Moyle is the subject of the 2008 short film ''Only a Stonecutter'', directed by

T. C. Christensen Thomas C. Christensen (born 1953) is an American cinematographer, film director, and writer best known for his work on films related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), including '' Joseph Smith: The P ...

and starring Bruce Newbold.

References

External links

Family website
at JohnRoweMoyle.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Moyle, John Rowe 1808 births 1889 deaths American amputees Farmers from Utah American stonemasons People from Wendron Farmers from Cornwall 19th-century English farmers Mormon pioneers People from Alpine, Utah American people of Cornish descent British emigrants to the United States American Latter Day Saints British Latter Day Saints