In far away Scotland, a wee bonnie lassie was born to Nathaniel and Cecelia Sharp on April 13, 1836, in a small town called Sterling. They named her Jane. She also had a sister named Cecelia. These small girls were also reared part of the time in the town of Clackmannan.

The father worked in the mines, a very good job, but so many of the miners contracted miner's consumption. The miners lived in apartments furnished by the mine owners. The apartments had long halls with doors opening out, no doubt for safety in case of fire or other accidents. Nathaniel Sharp was a robust, strong and healthy man, and he always took care of himself and his wife and children. The Sharp family and the Hunter family lived across the hall from each other and Jane Sharp and Elizabeth Hunter became fast friends. They were always together. This friendship lasted down through their lives and goes down in history as an unusual one. In later days, remembering the days in Scotland, the girls used to say, "We used the same butt and ben", meaning of course the long hall which led to the outside.

After some years Nathaniel Sharp contacted miner's consumption and in spite of all the doctors could do passed away after a long and painful illness, leaving the good wife and children to struggle on alone. The good mother did all she could to keep the hone in good condition and give the children every care. After some years time a goodly man named Gibson Condie asked the young widow to marry him explaining that he could help her in the training and rearing of her children, also he was very fond of her and would she carefully consider the proposal. She took considerable time figuring all her problems and finally decided it would be better to have a husband's help and advise, so they were married. About this time many families were joining the Mormons, or Latter Day Saints, having heard the Elders explaining the beliefs and principles and fully believing it themselves, they embraced the church.

The Hunter family [the family of Elizabeth Hunter who also married Joseph Stacy Murdock] and Cecelia Sharp family came from their homes together. They left their native soil and all their friends to cross the mighty ocean and the great desert plains. They endured all the hardships that they were called upon to pass through, and finally settled themselves in the barren valley of the Great Salt Lake. They came with the John Sharp Company and arrived in 1849. Brigham Young was at that time managing what was called the Church Pastures and the Church Farm. These used to be in Davis County but since have been moved to Salt Lake County.

Joseph Stacy Murdock, a great friend of Brigham Young, arrived in Salt Lake Valley on September 22, 1847, and was given employment at the Church Pastures, where the dairy business was successfully carried on. Gibson Condie, who had taken care of Mother Sharp and her girls, became well known and friendly with the folks at the dairy farm and brought the milk each day to sell. He carefully saved his pennies, as he was a thrifty man. In later years Grandfather Condie and his descendants were counted among Salt Lake's most wealthy folks. This was due largely to his steady work and knowing how to teach his family to save pennies. Being so careful, Grandfather Condie often made the girls feel like they shouldn't eat quite all they wanted, so they found work so they could help the family with their expenses. The girls were strong and husky; they had walked many, many miles on the tiresome journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Elizabeth Hunter and her family were always friendly with the Sharp girls. They were all fast growing up and had many offers of marriage. At this time polygamy was being practiced among the Latter Day Saints, so Jane Sharp and Elizabeth Hunter became the wives of Joseph Stacy Murdock on June 11, 1854. They were both Scot maidens and had endured the rugged experiences of pioneer life and the trails and the pleasures, never living far apart and always the best of friends.

Jane Sharp Murdock was the mother of six fine children and she lived most of her life in Provo Valley, a helpful and useful woman. She had a loom and spent many an hour weaving carpets, sewing rug rags and coloring them to make a carpet look brighter and pretty. She knitted socks and gloves for her family of boys and girls, sewing everything by hand as she had no sewing machine. She always found time to help with sewing of rags and other sewing and making quilts for the poor and in helping the Relief Society when they needed help. Jane Murdock was a good cook and her children, her grandchildren and even her great grandchildren knew where the cookie jar was kept, and it was seldom found empty. In those days cookies were kept in a bucket with a lid on to keep them fresh. Grandma Jane was often called "Grandma Cookie". Jane traveled much to carry cookies, bread, jelly or some tasty bite to old folks or a sick person or for a birthday surprise. Jane spent many nights helping to care for the sick or for little children or to baby-sit for free, to help a tired mother.

She took special pride in having her folks and friends join her on her birthday and have dinner with her. She made good pies and even cooked her own birthday dinner when she was eighty years old. I have never heard her complain about food. She always was thankful to have enough to eat and she had seen times when food was scarce and had even been hungry. She always advised us never to waste food and to be willing to share with those in need. It was always nice to happen in at mealtime as she always had something good to eat, or if it wasn't on the table, she could always find it in the house somewhere.

Jane assisted much in helping her daughter with the rearing of her children as they lived near her, and her daughter had to go out of the house to make a living. She always cooked the noon meal for her granddaughters, and she helped with the sewing or mending or helped in anything she could so they had a nice life. The father, Owen Hylton, a convert to the church, had died with complications resulting from an operation on his teeth when the girls were small. Sister Jane Murdock Hylton McDonald is with us yet at the age of eighty two, the only living relative of the Jane Sharp family. The four living granddaughters are all living good useful lives, influenced much by their wonderful grandmother and her teachings. She said to be kind, helpful, and to never tell any badness, and to always look for the best in other people, and to always look and act your best. Be ready and willing at any time to help and share with the less fortunate. She advised us to respect the rights of others, and always say our prayers, so we could do right at all times. She advised us to attend church, to learn the hymns for in each can be found a sermon.

Grandmother Murdock was a good planner. She raised chickens, and made butter and cheese, milked cows, raised vegetables, bottled fruit and always had something in her house to eat and to share with others. Her wonderful cookie cutter with the scalloped edge was left to her eldest granddaughter Margaret Jane Murdock, who tried and succeeded in making good cookies. Her father, David N. Murdock said, "Almost as good as mother used to make." He enjoyed cookies any time and lived to eat them until he passed away December 13, 1951, in his seventy seventh year.

Grandmother Jane took great pride in looking well dressed and always kept her meeting dress, hat and wrap ready and in good condition so she could be ready to go and look her best at any time. She did lots of teaching of the religion to her family, as Grandfather Murdock spent much of his time in moves to different places where he was called to assist the saints in making homes. She was good to her own and all other children and they loved her. Many incidents showing great faith in the Lord are shown in her experiences and with her dealings with her family and friends and her neighbors and others. She usually had good health; even at the ripe old age of eighty six, she wanted a new bonnet.

A brief sick spell caused pneumonia and the Lord called her home to dwell with her loved ones and her friends of days gone by. Her girlhood friend, Elizabeth Hunter Murdock, lived to the ripe old age of ninety six, almost ninety seven, and for all these years their friendship never faded.

By her daughter, Margaret Ellen Murdock Murray (1867 – 1946)