# John Ferrier — A Study in Scarlet character guide

> John Ferrier in A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Ferrier, John, old John Ferrier, Brother Ferrier

**First appearance:** 0009-i-on-the-great-alkali-plain

## Who they are

A weathered Utah pioneer whose wealth and stubborn celibacy made him a legend — and whose defiance of the Elders made him a marked man.

## Relationships

### [Brigham Young](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/brigham_young)

_rivalry_

Brigham Young, as the leader of the Mormon church, exerts oppressive control over John Ferrier, demanding he convert and marry his daughter into the faith, creating a hostile dynamic.

### [Jefferson Hope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/jefferson_hope)

_friendship_

Jefferson Hope is a loyal friend and protector to John Ferrier, having saved his life in the desert and later becoming his ally against the Mormon threats.

### [Enoch J. Drebber](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/enoch_j_drebber)

_rivalry_

Enoch J. Drebber is a Mormon elder who relentlessly pressures John Ferrier to allow him to marry Lucy, creating intense antagonism.

### [Lucy Ferrier](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/lucy_ferrier)

_family_

John Ferrier is the loving adoptive father of Lucy Ferrier, fiercely protective of her against the Mormon elders.

### [Joseph Stangerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/joseph_stangerson)

_rivalry_

John Ferrier is threatened and persecuted by Joseph Stangerson, a Mormon elder who demands Lucy's hand in marriage.

### [Brigham Young](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/brigham_young)

_rivalry_

Brigham Young, as the leader of the Mormon church, exerts oppressive control over John Ferrier, demanding he convert and marry his daughter into the faith, creating a hostile dynamic.

### [Enoch J. Drebber](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/enoch_j_drebber)

_rivalry_

Enoch J. Drebber is a Mormon elder who relentlessly pressures John Ferrier to allow him to marry Lucy, creating intense antagonism.

### [Joseph Stangerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/joseph_stangerson)

_rivalry_

John Ferrier is threatened and persecuted by Joseph Stangerson, a Mormon elder who demands Lucy's hand in marriage.

### [Jefferson Hope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/jefferson_hope)

_friendship_

Jefferson Hope is a loyal friend and protector to John Ferrier, having saved his life in the desert and later becoming his ally against the Mormon threats.

### [Lucy Ferrier](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/lucy_ferrier)

_family_

John Ferrier is the loving adoptive father of Lucy Ferrier, fiercely protective of her against the Mormon elders.

### [Jefferson Hope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/jefferson_hope)

_friendship_

Jefferson Hope is a loyal friend and protector to John Ferrier, having saved his life in the desert and later becoming his ally against the Mormon threats.

### [Brigham Young](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/brigham_young)

_rivalry_

Brigham Young, as the leader of the Mormon church, exerts oppressive control over John Ferrier, demanding he convert and marry his daughter into the faith, creating a hostile dynamic.

## In the story

### [The Country of the Saints](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/chapters/part-ii-the-country-of-the-saints)

Rescued in the desert with Lucy, becomes a prosperous settler in Salt Lake City, and is later pressured by Brigham Young regarding Lucy's marriage.

### [I: On the Great Alkali Plain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/chapters/i-on-the-great-alkali-plain)

A gaunt, dying wanderer who has survived a disastrous journey across the desert with a little girl, Lucy, whom he has adopted after her mother died. He is rescued by Mormon pilgrims and agrees to join their faith.

### [II: The Flower of Utah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/chapters/ii-the-flower-of-utah)

Adopted father of Lucy, a successful farmer who prospers in Utah but remains celibate, conforming to Mormonism otherwise.

### [III: John Ferrier Talks with the Prophet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/chapters/iii-john-ferrier-talks-with-the-prophet)

Ferrier is visited by Brigham Young and pressured to have his daughter marry a Mormon; he internally opposes the faith and plans to flee Utah.

### [IV: A Flight for Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/chapters/iv-a-flight-for-life)

Defiantly rejects the marriage proposals from Stangerson and Drebber, then flees with his daughter and Jefferson Hope.

### [The Avenging Angels](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/chapters/v-the-avenging-angels)

Found dead with a grave marker; his death fuels Hope's vengeance.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters/john_ferrier
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_study_in_scarlet_se/characters