Brief Life History of

JOHANNES (JOHN) HUBER

JOHANNES (JOHN) HUBER was born on the 1^st day of November 1840, in the town of Dotnacht, Thurgau, Switzerland. His christening record lists his father as unknown, so he was given his mother’s surname of Huber. It was later in life that his mother must have informed him that his biological father’s name was Johannes Schoenholzer, even though he was known throughout his life with the surname of Huber. His mother married in 1842 to Hans Martin Naegeli, and Johannes grew up in their household. While he was young, Johannes received a good education and learned to become a fisherman from his stepfather, who taught him to support himself.

In 1860, at the age of 20, he was fishing on Lake Konstanz (Constance), which borders Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, when two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rowed to him. When they asked if he wanted to hear their message, he explained he could not stop his work but invited them to his skiff so that he could listen while fishing. Soon after, on the 4^th of May in 1860, he was baptized a member of the LDS Church by Christian Moosman. Three days later, his mother and stepfather were also baptized. Johannes himself began serving as a missionary in Switzerland from 1860 to 1863. During this time, Johannes’ parents, Hans and Anna, emigrated to Utah in 1861, where they eventually settled in Payson, Utah Co., Utah.

It was during his three years of missionary service that Johannes met Maria Magdalena Munz, who had joined the Church in 1861. She would become his wife in the not-too-distant future. Maria (or Mary) Magdalena Munz was the daughter of Henrick Munz and Elizabeth Munz Munz (Elizabeth had the same maiden name as her husband’s surname). She was born on the 26th of January in 1843 at Donzhausen, Thurgau, Switzerland, the fourth of six children. She learned to do a variety of sewing and handiwork,  including crocheting, knitting, and netting. At the age of eighteen, Mary became interested in ‘Mormonism’ and each Sunday she and her friend, Amelia Stumpf, would walk eight miles to hear “a missionary from Zion” speak. The entire Munz family was  converted and were some of the first members in that area of Switzerland. Mary was baptized on the 15^th of April in 1861.

Johannes immigrated to Utah in 1863, leaving Switzerland on May 3^rd of that year and traveling to Liverpool, England, where he boarded the ship Antarctic. This ship carried 300 passengers, taking 49 days to cross the Atlantic. While making this oceanic voyage, Johannes was placed in charge of the German-speaking Mormon immigrants from 13 countries. After the Antarctic landed in New York, the voyagers then traveled by rail and steamer to Florence (Winter Quarters), Nebraska, where they joined the Peter Nebeker Company for traveling across the plains.

Mary Magdalena Munz and her friend, Amelia, had also immigrated in the same company with Johannes. However, their journey to Utah wasn’t without its tragedy and hardships. While crossing the plains, Maria and Amelia would often walk side-by-side. One day, lightning struck, and Amelia was instantly killed, while Mary was knocked unconscious. When she was revived, she rode part of the rest of the way in a wagon, while her friend Amelia was buried in a simple grave alongside the trail.

The Peter Nebeker Company arrived in Utah on September 24, 1863, and then, less than one month later, on October 18, Johannes and Maria were married. They then moved to Payson, Utah, at the south end of Utah County, because both of them had family who had previously immigrated to Payson. While living here, Johannes was employed in a tannery. Johannes and Maria remained in Payson until 1864, at which time, they decided to move to the newly settled Provo Valley, now known as Heber Valley. When they arrived in the spring, they first lived in a log house with Dr. John Gerber and his family. A baby boy was born to them in October of that year, but soon died. He was buried in the first cemetery on the hill.

The following year, on the 29^th of July 1865, Johannes took a second, plural, wife. Her name was Barbara Bretscher, born on December 15, 1845, in Toess, Zurich, Switzerland, the youngest of five children of Heinrich Bretscher and Anna Weis. She had been baptized a member of the Church in 1860 and immigrated to Utah with her parents the year before she married Johannes, Barbara and her family traveled with the William Hyde Company from 9 August to 26 October 1864. No record has been found of any children for Johannes and Barbara, nor was death information found for Barbara.

Johannes (John) and Maria (Mary) would have a total of ten children together, and all but one of them were born in Mound City or Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah. They are as follows:

1. {baby boy – unnamed} Huber, (KPH4-JW1), son, was born sometime in 1864 in Mound City, Wasatch , Utah Territory, when his mother was twenty-one, and his father was twenty-four. He never married and died in the same year of 1864 in Mound City, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory and was buried in the Mound City Cemetery.
2. John Martin Huber, (KWC2-VLC), son, was born 22 October 1865 in Mound City, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, when his mother was twenty-two, and his father was twenty-five. He married on 17 March 1897 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah Territory, to Elizabeth Gertsch – eleven children. He died on 18 May 1947 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah, at the age of 81 years, 6 months, & 26 days. He was buried in the Midway City Cemetery three days later, on the 21^st of May.
3. Henry Albert Huber, (K2WK-FP7), son, was born 7 October 1867 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, when his mother was twenty-four and his father was twenty-seven. He married on 9 December 1891 in Logan, Cache Co., Utah Territory, to Margaretta Abbeglen – five children. He died on 22 May 1920 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah, at the age of 52 years, 7 months, & 15 days. He was buried in the Midway City Cemetery three days later, on the 25^th of May.
4. Mary Magdalena Huber, (KWCL-BFF), daughter, was born 15 October 1869 in Midway, Wasatch , Utah Territory, when her mother was twenty-six and her father was twenty-nine. She married on 23 September 1891 in Manti, Sanpete Co., Utah Territory, to Jacob Probst – five children. She died on 7 May 1940 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, at the age of 70 years, 6 months, and 22 days. She was buried in the Midway City Cemetery two days later, on the 9^th of May.
5. Emma Elizabeth Huber, (KVG6-VQX), daughter, was born on 19 December 1871 in Midway, Wasatch , Utah Territory, when her mother was twenty- eight and her father was thirty-one. She married on 18 October 1897 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, to James Gibson – six children. She died on 24 July 1963 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, at the age of 91 years, 7 months, and 5 days. She was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery three days later, on the 27^th of July.
6. Eliza Otella Huber, (KWJC-PC4), daughter, was born on 29 March 1875 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, when her mother was thirty-two and her father was thirty-five. She married on 5 September 1900 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah, to Alexander Simpson Gibson – five children. She died on 28 September 1971 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, at the age of 96 years, 5 months, and 30 days. She was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery four days later, on the 2^nd of October.
7. Matilda Huber, (K2WK-N4C), daughter, was born on 8 May 1877 in Temple Stone Quarry of Little Cottonwood, Salt Lake Co., Utah Territory, when her mother was thirty-four and her father was thirty-seven. She never married, having died on 19 April 1881 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, at the age of 3 years, 11 months, and 11 days. She was buried in the Midway City Cemetery (date unknown).
8. Nephi Huber, (KWDG-71W), son, was born on 10 October 1879 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, when his mother was thirty-six and his father was thirty-nine. He married on 18 September 1912 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, to Ann Bronson – five children. He died on 19 December 1961 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah, at the age of 82 years, 2 months, and 9 days. He was buried in the Midway City Cemetery (date unknown).
9. Joseph Emanuel Huber, (KWJJ-P7Z), son, was born on 18 August 1881 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, when his mother was thirty-eight and his father was forty-one. He never married and died on 1 December 1969 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah, at the age of 88 years, 3 months, and 13 days. He was buried in the Midway City Cemetery (date unknown).
10. Ida Huber, (KWJ8-WB1), daughter, was born on 7 May 1883 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah Territory, when her mother was forty and her father was forty-three. She married on 1 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, to William Walter Alexander Abplanalp – three children. She died on 20 October 1959 in Ogden, Weber Co., Utah, at the age of 76 years, 5 months, and 13 days. She was buried in the Midway City Cemetery (date unknown).

When Johannes and Maria first arrived in this new mountain valley, only two settlements existed, both along Snake Creek. They chose the larger of the two, known as Mound City, where they would settle. However, when Indian troubles arose, these two settlements decided it would be best to merge into one, and the town of Midway was formed, thusly called because it was “midway” between the two settlements.

In 1868, Johannes and other able-bodied men from Provo Valley found well-paid employment working for the Union Pacific Railroad near Green River. They often returned home with new wagons, teams, stoves, and so on. Johannes and Jacob Buehler operated one of the first sawmills on Snake Creek, west of the Provo River. Logs were hauled from surrounding mountains and sawed into much-needed lumber.

In 1871, Johannes hiked across the mountains to Salt Lake City for the general conference of the Church, where, from the pulpit, President Brigham Young called him to return to Switzerland and serve as the President of the Swiss/German Mission, based in Berne, Switzerland. He soon said farewell to his wife and children and left on April 17, 1871, for three years. When he arrived in Liverpool, England, it had been exactly eight years since he left the Alps to go to America. While serving in Switzerland, he translated the first edition of Orson Pratt’s works from English to the German language, which the missionaries used in that mission. He was also the editor of the Millennial Star in the German language in Europe. He concluded his mission and returned to Utah on July 4, 1874.

Being a strong convert to the ‘Mormon Church,’ Johannes held many positions in the Midway Ward, including serving as ward clerk for 30 years. During that time, he created a history of the Midway Ward spanning the period of 185l to 1900. From 1870 to 1880, he moved his family to Little Cottonwood in the Salt Lake Valley, where he worked as a stone cutter and served as weighmaster in the stone quarry of Little Cottonwood Canyon for the Salt Lake Temple. After 1880, he spent the rest of his life on the Snake Creek Farm in Midway.

Johannes, or “John” as his name was listed in most records, was enlisted in the Army as a Private during the Blackhawk War. His enlistment date was 1 June 1866, and his discharge was 30 July 1866. He served in the infantry under Capt. Ira Jacob. He was later a member of the school board for 24 years, secretary of the Midway Irrigation Company, a Justice of the Peace, an agent for crop reporting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a teacher of a class in penmanship.

Besides a deep abiding religious faith and strong work ethic, Johannes had a strong appreciation for his native Swiss/German culture. He wrote music and poems with those feelings in mind.

He was also an avid lover of nature and received much of his inspiration when walking through his orchard in Midway, jotting down poems that would later be set to music for church and community gatherings. He was remembered for his many songs and poems and served as choir director for 30 years. His choirs furnished music for many community functions, singing songs that Johannes had composed. In addition, Johannes conducted a glee club and a men’s chorus for many years. As an accomplished musician, he played both the guitar and violin. On 21 April 1891, an article published in the Wasatch Wave in Heber City stated: “We are  indebted to John Huber for a copy of the ‘The Bee-Hive Songster,’ composed by Ieuan, author of ‘All are Talking of Utah.’ Being unable to sing, the book is, of course, valueless to us except as a relic, and as such, we highly prize it and extend our thanks to the donor.”¹

¹ “Local Waves,” Wasatch Wave (Heber City, Utah) 21 Apr. 1891, p.3, col.2 ; image copy, Newspapers.com (http://newspapers.com : accessed 23 Aug. 2025).

The Hubers first built a one-story, wood-frame home in Midway in 1878. It was located up Snake Creek on the west side of Midway. There were inner adobe brick walls covered with board-and-batten, plus two lean-to areas were later added as dining and kitchen areas. The gabled attic slept nine of the ten children. The Huber Creamery, a separate building, was built a few years later, in 1885, using local pot rock for the foundation and lumber that Johannes cut at his mill. Cold mountain water from the nearby Snake Creek was diverted through the creamery to refrigerate milk products in the lower room, half-buried in the hillside. In contrast, the upper room served as additional bedrooms for children and travelers. There remains a large apple orchard of over 100 trees, initially planted by Johannes, that continues to bear fruit.

Johannes Huber passed away on Monday, the 16^th of November 1914, at his home in Midway. He was buried in the Midway City Cemetery three days later, on the 19^th of November. His death certificate from the State of Utah states that the cause of death was ‘Chronic vascular endocarditis.’ An obituary for Johannes/John was printed in the Wasatch Wave newspaper on the 27^th of November 1914 and contained the following statement: “Brother Huber’s motto as exemplified in his work: 1^st true to his God, 2^nd true and devoted to his family, 3^rd kind and considerate to his fellow man, and a lover of God’s creations.”²

² “John Huber,” obituary, The Wasatch Wave (Heber City, Utah), 27 Nov. 1914, p.5, col.2; image copy, Newspapers.com (http://newspapers.com : accessed 23 Aug. 2025).

Mary had always stood by her husband as a faithful wife and mother. She was a member of the first Relief Society of Midway and served as a counselor to Elizabeth Wintch, as well as Martha Bronson. She served as an officer in the Relief Society for over 20 years. She maintained her home and farm on Snake Creek, where she died 21 years after Johannes, at the age of 93, on July 10, 1935. She was buried next to Johannes in the Midway City Cemetery.

Today, over 110 years after Johannes’ passing, the Huber home, creamery, and orchard all stand as a testament to his hard work and effort in making Utah a home for those who came from the high mountains of Europe. Located at the edge of Wasatch State Park, this property is now referred to as ‘Huber Grove,’ consisting of ten acres of the original 160 that Johannes homesteaded.