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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Menzies Macfarlane (October 11, 1833 – June 4, 1892)[1][2] was a Scottish-born Latter-day Saint hymnwriter, choir director and civic leader who spent most of his life in Utah Territory.
John Menzies Macfarlane | |
---|---|
Born | Stirling, Scotland | 11 October 1833
Died | 4 June 1892 58) Utah Territory, United States | (aged
Occupation | Hymn writer, militia, judge and academic |
Nationality | Scottish |
Notable works | "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains", "Dearest Children, God is Near You" |
Macfarlane was born in Stirling, Scotland. He came to Utah Territory in the early 1850s and settled in Cedar City in 1853.[3] In 1852, Macfarlane married Ann Chatterley. Multiple sources identified him as one of the many Iron County Militia men involved in the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre.[4]
Macfarlane served as superintendent of schools from 1866 to 1868 for Iron County, Utah,[3] and the leader of the choir in Cedar City which he took to St. George. Erastus Snow urged Macfarlane to move to St. George and start a choir there, which he did.
Besides leading the choir, Macfarlane served as a district judge and worked as a surveyor and a builder. In St. George, he was involved in founding an academy in 1888 that was the predecessor to Dixie State College of Utah.[5]
Among Macfarlane's hymns are "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" and the music to "Dearest Children, God is Near You".
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