Johnston line (Jerry's father's side)
Hugh Johnston
The pioneer who died on the trail
An Orkney fisherman who, with his family, was among the first on Graemsay to accept the LDS faith. The surviving John M. Wood passenger registry (page 41) records him as 'Fisherman,' having paid the £13-company fare for the family's crossing. He left the island forever in January 1854 and died of seven days' gradual weakness on the Mormon Trail near the Green River, Wyoming — 300 miles from Salt Lake City. He was buried on the trail the same day; his grave has never been found.
At a Glance Has open questions
- Born
- ~1800, Graemsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland
- Died
- September 29, 1854, 9:30 PM — near Green River, Wyoming (age 54)
- Parents
- Not yet documented (Orkney)
- Spouse
- Cecelia Yorston
- Children
- Margaret, James (b. 1836), and William
- Family line
- Johnston line (Jerry's father's side)
- Relation to Jerry
- Jerry's great-grandfather (paternal line)
How sure are we? Death date, cause, and approximate location are documented through Cecelia's own 1856 letter and Peter Sinclair's journal. The precise grave location is unknown.
- The exact burial location near the Green River crossing is unconfirmed — the grave is unmarked and unfound. The Lombard Ferry / Green River trail site is the most likely area.
- The John M. Wood manifest lists his wife as 'Annie' rather than Cecelia (ages and all other details match) — likely a middle name, nickname, or a Liverpool clerk's mishearing.
Read about Hugh in…
From Scotland to Zion · The Family Tree
Sources for this page
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Cecelia Yorston Johnston — Letter to her son Hugh in Cardiff, Wales
Written sixteen months after Hugh Johnston's death. Found among Cecelia's personal effects when she died in 1886; a typed transcription was made ~1916. One of the only first-person accounts in this entire family history. Preserved in family genealogical records.
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Peter Sinclair Journal, 1853–1854 (pp. 167–270)
First-person account placing the Johnston family in his tent ('four Johnstons together,' Sept 1, 1854). Held at the LDS Church History Library, Salt Lake City.
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Gertrude Thompson family sketch — Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum
Names Green River, Wyoming as Hugh Johnston's death location. Preserved in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum archives, 36 State Street, Salt Lake City.
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Geni.com — Hugh Johnston profile
Contains the Gertrude Thompson sketch and details of Hugh Johnston's trail death.
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LDS Church History Biographical Database
Confirms Hugh Johnston's death (Sept 29, 1854, age 54, Empey Company), James Johnston's 1890 British Mission, and the Blackett family (John William Blackett ID KWCF-N6M; Robert Collingwood Blackett Sr. ID KWJH-KQV).
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LDS emigration registry — ship John M. Wood, 1854 (page 41)
The original LDS emigration application book for the John M. Wood survives at the Church History Library. Page 41 lists Hugh Johnston (occupation Fisherman) with his wife (recorded as 'Annie', age 55), Margaret (24), James (17), and William (14), address Edinburgh; Peter Sinclair (Sailor, age 22) is listed immediately after. The family traveled at the £13-company fare.
Notes from the family
Remember something about Hugh? A story, a photo, a correction, a date?
Even a messy note helps. Just open the plain-text file
research-notes/hugh-johnston-notes.md and type it in — or tell Scott (or Claude Code)
“add this to Hugh’s page,” and it will be woven in properly,
with the source recorded.