Alameda Jane Johnson

Alameda Jane Johnson

was born on September 26, 1833, in Wyoming, New York, the daughter of Sir John Johnson and Clarissa Palmeter. Her childhood occurred during a period of religious revivalism and expansion in western New York, an area often referred to as the burned-over district. Her family converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which set them on a path of migration.

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Alameda traveled across the plains to Utah as a young woman, experiencing the physical hardships of the wagon trail. In Utah, she met and married Henry John Platt Sr., an English convert who had emigrated to join the LDS community. Together they raised a family in Utah, contributing to the establishment of early agricultural settlements.

The St. Johns Conflict

In the 1880s, the family was called to colonize St. Johns in Apache County, Arizona Territory. The high plateau of northern Arizona was a demanding environment, with cold winters, dry summers, and a short growing season. Furthermore, the settlement was a site of intense conflict. The newly arrived Mormon farmers clashed with the established non-Mormon stockmen, who controlled the local courts and newspapers, an alliance known as the St. Johns Ring.

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In this environment of political and physical precarity, Alameda managed their household. She preserved food, made soap and clothing, and supported her family's agricultural efforts. Her son, William Erastus Platt, was born and raised during these frontier migrations, eventually studying medicine and returning to practice in eastern Arizona.

Legacy of Endurance

The constant demands of pioneer life took a heavy physical toll. Alameda died in St. Johns on March 14, 1889, at the age of fifty-five. Her death predated her husband's relocation to the Gila Valley and the subsequent medical career of her son, Dr. William Erastus Platt. However, her endurance on the plains and in the volatile St. Johns mission provided the foundation of strength that her descendants carried into the twentieth century.