John T. Dorcheus memoirs

John T. Dorcheus (1842-1932)

L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of a new digitized collection: John T. Dorcheus memoirs (MSS SC 1879). This handwritten autobiography written in 1911 details Dorcheus’ life in Gunnison, Utah and later in Ashton, Idaho, and his participation in the “Utah Black Hawk War.” Also included are typed copies of blessings given to Dorcheus family members.

John Nicoli (Nicholas) Thueson was born on 25 April 1842 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Neils Thueson (later Dorcheus) and Angelica C. Lund. Dorcheus was a locality where the family lived in Denmark and was added to the last name. John and his family sailed to America from Denmark in 1857, and later emigrated to Utah in 1860 in the James Darling Ross Company. He married Ellen Jensen on 17 June 1865 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and they had two children together. On 14 June 1869, John married a widow with two children, Alice Penniston Wasden, as his second wife, and they had four children together. He also had a third wife, Mary. The Dorcheus family lived in Gunnison, Utah, and Ashton Idaho. John was also a veteran of the Utah Black Hawk War. John T. Dorcheus died on 11 February 1932 in Salt Lake City, and was buried in the Murray City Cemetery.