The Heber Fort family of this week is that of John Murray Murdoch (Murdock) KWNX-KWL and his wives Ann Steele KWNX-KWG and Isabella Crawford KWNJ-NP. On the Heber Fort Map, the John Murdock cabin is depicted as being located near the South West corner between the Porter Dawdell and Thomas Todd Cabins. Please note that on this map, the name provided is that of “John Murdock.” Based on the review of records in Family Search, John Murdock appears to be identical to John Murray Murdoch. On page 26 in the book “How Beautiful Upon the Mountains is information about the County organization created on or about February 22, 1862. This lists John M Murdoch as the Surveyor for the county along with his Heber Fort neighbor Thomas Todd as a Selectman. Thomas Todd, was a close friend of John Murry Murdoch in Scotland and was involved in his conversion process. Both families immigrated to Utah and become neighbors in the Heber Fort. Based on the above information it is believed that John Murray Murdoch, John M Murdoch, and John Murdock are all references to the same individual.

John Murray Murdoch was born on 28 December 1820, in Drakemyre, Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, his father, James Murdoch II, was 34 and his mother, Mary Murray, was 36. He married Ann Steele on 25 February 1848, in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 9 daughters. He lived in Auchinleck, Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1851 and Provo, Utah, Utah, United States in 1860. He died on 6 May 1910, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 89, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States. 

Ann Steele was born on 27 October 1829, in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, her father, James Steele Sr, was 24 and her mother, Elizabeth Hyslop Kerr, was 24. She married John Murray Murdoch on 25 February 1848, in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 9 daughters. She lived in Auchinleck, East Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1851 and Provo, Utah, Utah, United States in 1860. She died on 15  December 1909, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 80, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Isabella Crawford was born on 12 April 1836, in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, her father, Andrew Crawford, was 25 and her mother, Margaret McLure Taylor, was 22. She married John Murray Murdoch as a plural wife on 8 August 1862, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 3 daughters. She immigrated to Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States in 1856 and lived in Barony, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1841 and Calton, Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1851. She died on 10 April 1916, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 79, and was buried in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

These are some highlights about this Heber Fort family. For full details please refer to Family Search where there are many pictures, and stories including pictures of homes still standing in Heber associated with family. 

John Murray Murdoch and his wife Ann Steele were baptized on November 20, 1850, by Thomas Hittley in Scotland. It was about this time that the Perpetual Immigration Fund was started allowing converts without the means to immigrate. President Franklin D. Richards President, then President of the British Mission was asked to find two Scotch sheepherders and their dogs to go to Utah and herd sheep. John Murray Murdoch and his family were asked to be one of these two sheep herders. John Murdoch started herding sheep in Scotland when he was 11 years old and continued to herd sheep until he was about 20 years old. He then then went into the mines in Scotland. On 24 February 1848 he married Ann Steele and went to Kinkconnel where her parents lived on a small farm where he continued to work in the mines. Thomas Todd and his wife as well as his  brother-in-law James Steele were both involved in the introduction of the Gospel to John Murray Murdock.

Responding to the call for sheep herders being needed in Utah on December 31, 1851, John and his family left Scotland. The family traveled from Scotland to Liverpool England by steamship, Liverpool to New Orleans by ship, then up the Mississippi River to St. Louis. Here they lost both their daughter Elizabeth and son James due to illness and lack of food. They then continued on the Missouri River to Kansas City, Kansas. It was here on May 20th, 1852, in a tent, during a terrific thunderstorm, that Mary Murray Murdock was born. After they were outfitted for the overland travel to Utah, they arrived in Salt Lake City on September 3, 1852. Shortly after their arrival in Salt Lake, they learned there were no sheep to be herded as most of the sheep had been lost over the prior winter. They were
employed in Farmington and in Salt Lake City where they lived in the Salt Lake City Third Ward. In the fall of 1857 John was made a Captain in Utah group that went to Echo Canyon to prevent Johnson’s Army from making it to Utah that year. The following year he and his family loaded up their belongings and moved temporarily to Goshen, Utah. They spent the summer there and, in the fall, returned to Salt Lake after Johnson’s Army had passed through. They lived in Salt Lake until the Spring of 1860 when they moved to the Provo Valley (Heber) where they learned that land could be bought by paying the surveyors fees. He and his family moved into the Heber Fort and lived in a dugout near the Todd family. John Murray Murdoch and his wives and descendants played a critical role in Wasatch County becoming a major sheep ranching industry. The memories preserved about this family are exactly what I hope each of us can leave for our families. He and his family live on through their descendants and the preserved memories. If you have time please look at his memories in FamilySearch. Below is a link to one such story with many more details than have been provided above.

https://www.familysearch.org/memories/memory/3202875?cid=mem_copy

John Murray Murdock had 15 children with his wife Ann Steele. A brief history of each of their children is provided below.

Elizabeth Murdoch was born on 21 November 1848, in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 27 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 19. She lived in Auchinleck, East Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1851. She died on 4 April 1852, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, at the age of 3.

James Murdoch was born in June 1850, in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 29 and his mother, Ann Steele, was 20. He lived in Auchinleck, East Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1851. He died on 20 March 1852, in Missouri, United States, at the age of 1.

Mary Murray Murdoch was born on 20 May 1852, in Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 31 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 22. She married James Oldham Duke on 3 October 1868, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 3 daughters. She lived in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States in 1860. She died on 20 December 1917, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 65, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Ann Murdoch was born on 14 September 1854, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 33 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 24. She married William Murray Giles on 5 June 1871, in Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 3 daughters. She lived in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States in 1860. She died on 2 January 1890, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 35, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Janett Osborne Murdoch was born on 20 December 1856, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 35 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 27. She married Henry Lufkin McMullin on 6 December 1875, in Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 4 daughters. She lived in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States in 1860. She died on 12 June 1949, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 92, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Sarah Jane Murdoch was born on 15 January 1859, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 38 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 29. She married Thomas Heber Rasband on 28 November 1878, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 3 daughters. She lived in Park City, Summit, Utah, United States in 1900 and Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States for about 10 years. She died on 16 January 1933, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, at the age of 74, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah,
United States.

Jacobina Wells Osborne Murdoch was born on 7 November 1860, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 39 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 31. She married William Jonathan Clegg on 2 December 1880, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 8 daughters. She died on 18 October 1933, in Vineyard, Utah, Utah, United States, at the age of 72, and was buried in Provo City Cemetery, Provo, Utah, Utah, United States.

John Murray Murdoch Jr was born on 1 April 1863, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 42 and his mother, Ann Steele, was 33. He died on 2 April 1863, in his hometown, at the age of 0, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

John William Murdoch was born on 21 April 1864, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 43 and his mother, Ann Steele, was 34. He died on 29 August 1864, in his hometown, at the age of 0, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States. 

Isabella Lovina Murdoch was born on 21 April 1864, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 43 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 34. She died on 17 June 1870, in her hometown, at the age of 6, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Thomas Todd Murdoch was born on 4 March 1866, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 45 and his mother, Ann Steele, was 36. He married Sarah Ingeborg Hansen on 15 July 1915, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 3 daughters. He died on 21 October 1953, in Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho, United States, at the age of 87, and was buried in Pineview Cemetery, Ashton, Fremont, Idaho, United States.

Lucy Veronica Murdoch was born on 25 November 1867, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 46 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 38. She died on 6 January 1873, in her hometown, at the age of 5, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Joseph A Murdoch was born on 11 March 1870, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 49 and his mother, Ann Steele, was 40. He married Martha Ellen Fortie on 20 May 1891, in Wasatch, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 8 daughters. He lived in World in 1935 and Vineyard Election Precinct, Utah, Utah, United States in 1940. He died on 27 August 1943, in Vineyard, Utah, Utah, United States, at the age of 73, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

David Steele Murdock was born on 31 May 1872, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 51 and his mother, Ann Steele, was 42. He married Mary Emily Van Wagenen on 21 October 1891, in Midway, Wasatch, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 10 daughters. He lived in Midway, Wasatch, Utah, United States in 1900 and United States in 1949. He died on 1 October 1950, in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States, at the age of 78, and was buried in Provo City Cemetery, Provo, Utah, Utah, United States.

Mellicent Sophia Murdoch was born on 21 August 1874, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 53 and her mother, Ann Steele, was 44. She married Edward Teancum Murdock on 9 December 1891, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 2 daughters. She died on 7 February 1916, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 41, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

John Murray Murdoch with his plural wife Isavella Crawford had seven children. A brief history of each is provided below.

Margaret Ann Murdoch was born on 19 May 1863, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 42 and her mother, Isabella Crawford, was 27. She married Lewis Joshua Hawkes on 7 November 1889, in Logan, Cache, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 3 daughters. She died on 11 March 1904, in Teton, Fremont, Idaho, United States, at the age of 40, and was buried in Teton Newdale Cemetery, Madison, Idaho, United States.

Catherine Campbell Murdoch was born on 15 November 1864, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 43 and her mother, Isabella Crawford, was 28. She married David William Hicken on 21 July 1886, in Logan Utah Temple, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. She lived in Heber Election Precinct, Wasatch, Utah, United States in 1940. She died on 6 March 1945, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 80, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

James Crawford Murdock was born on 12 February 1869, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 48 and his mother, Isabella Crawford, was 32. He married Sarah Elizabeth Giles on 27 November 1901, in Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 3 daughters. He lived in United States in 1949. He died on 14 August 1959, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 90, and was buried in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Brigham Murdoch was born on 3 November 1870, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 49 and his mother, Isabella Crawford, was 34. He married Mary Blanche Alexander on 16 December 1891, in Logan Utah Temple, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son. He died on 13 May 1947, in Ashton, Fremont, Idaho, United States, at the age of 76, and was buried in Pineview Cemetery, Ashton, Fremont, Idaho, United States.

Robert Murdoch was born on 15 September 1872, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 51 and his mother, Isabella Crawford, was 36. He died on 3 September 1893, at the age of 20, and was buried in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

John Murray Murdoch Jr was born on 1 May 1874, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, John Murray Murdoch, was 53 and his mother, Isabella Crawford, was 38. He married Minnie Maria Miller on 30 January 1904, in Wasatch, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 3 daughters. He lived in Lilliesleaf, Roxburghshire, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1799 and Park City, Summit, Utah, United States in 1910. He died on 26 April 1928, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 53, and was buried in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

 Isabella Crawford Murdoch was born on 8 January 1876, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, John Murray Murdoch, was 55 and her mother, Isabella Crawford, was 39. She married Hyrum Chase Nicol on 23 September 1903, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 1 daughter. She lived in Duchesne, Duchesne, Utah, United States in 1920. She died on 1 December 1940, in Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 64, and was buried in Heber City Cemetery, Heber City, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Heber Valley Heritage Foundation