History of Mormonism: Who was John Rowe Moyle?

John Rowe Moyle (right) was an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Throughout his life, Moyle sacrificed much for the Church, even when it seemed like he had little left to give. He lived as an extreme example of Christian fortitude, and though a relatively minor figure in the history of Mormonism, Moyle left a powerful legacy behind.
Born in England in 1808, John Moyle was a convert to the Church, and left his homeland behind for the Americas, and traveled across the plains as part of a handcart company. With all the strength they had, he and his family made the grueling trek to what is now the state of Utah. The Moyles settled down and built a home about 22 miles from the Salt Lake Valley.
John had previously earned a living as a skilled stone-cutter. In 1854,  as construction on the historic Mormon Salt Lake Temple was underway, Moyle's skill set was needed in the construction of the granite building. Willingly doing his part, he began making the 22 mile walk every week, leaving his house at 2 AM every Monday morning to be at his post by 8:00, and then walking home on Friday evenings to be with his family. This continued for several years.
One day while milking his particularly headstrong cow, tragedy struck. The cow gave a devastating kick to John's leg, irreparably damaging it. His family and friends were forced to amputate his leg with a bucksaw, just a little below the knee.
Nobody would have said anything if John had decided not to continue as a temple stone-cutter. It was perfectly understandable; loss of limb tends to be a pretty legitimate excuse. But John wen above and beyond the call of duty. While he lay in bed, waiting for his leg to recover, John began carving a wooden prosthetic leg, with a cleverly designed ankle joint. Walking on this new leg was extremely painful, but as Moyle built up resistance, he would soon continue the long weekly treks to Salt Lake City and work day in and day out as the temple stone-cutter for several more years.
John Rowe Moyle's hands carved the famous gold plated inscription (left) on the east facade of the temple: "Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord".

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For more stories of early Latter-day Saints overcoming great trials, read this post about Joseph Smith and his being tarred and feathered.
How Christ knows of our pain and can empathize with us on a deeply personal level.