Wards and Branches of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bannock Stake, Idaho

This page includes the boundaries of wards and branches around 1930's, a timeline history, and how to obtain the records.

Source for this page: p. 41-42.

Bannock Stake
Stake boundaries as of about 1930 — see Encyclopedic History..., p.41-42.


 * Area of the County: Extends north to the Rim of the Basin, East to the Wasatch Mountains and South to Oneida Stake, West to Bear lake Valley.
 * Headquarters in (town): Grace, Idaho
 * Boundaries of stake:Saints residing in Gentile Valley, Bannock Co., Idaho. The stake extends north to the Rim of the Basin, or the Idaho Stake of Zion, east to the Wasatch Mountains (which at this point separate Gentile Valley from Bear Lake Valley), south to the Oneida Stake and west to the mountains, which separate Gentile Valley from the north end of Cache Valley.

History Timeline up to about 1930


 * 1898 - Bannock stake orgainzed July 25, 1898 from the north part of Oneida Stake, and a small part of the Bear Lake Stake.
 * Since the organization of the stake the following new wards have been created: Grace, organized April 23, 1899; Central, March 12, 1901; Bench, May 8, 1904; Turner, Feb. 11, 1906; Bancroft, Aug. 11, 1907; Thatcher 1st and Thatcher 2nd, Aug. 9, 1914; Ivins, May 15, 1915; Kelly, Aug. 1, 1915; Wilson, June 16, 1916; Grace 1st and Grace 2nd, Aug. 16, 1920, and Williams, Sept 9, 1923. When the Idaho Stake was organized Nov. 20, 1916, the following wards were transferred from the Bannock to the Idaho Stake: Bancroft, Chesterfield, Gray’s Lake, Hatch, Ivins, Kelly, Lund and Soda Springs. The two Thatcher wards were amalgamated in 1924. Wilson Ward was disorganized in 1923 and the Turner Ward in 1930.

Obtain the Records

 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Wards and Branches
Bench, Central, Cleveland, Grace 1st, Grace 2nd, Lago, Mound Valley, Thatcher 1st. Ward, Thatcher 2nd Ward and Williams.

Bench Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 57.

Boundaries:

Saints residing in that part of Gentile Valley which lies south of Grace and north of Trout Creek (or Lago) Ward. East the ward extends to the mountains and west to Williams Ward, or to the bluff overlooking Bear River

History timeline


 * 1901 - Bench Ward is principally an outgrowth of the Trout Creek (or Lago) Ward, of which it was originally a branch (organized Jan. 13, 1901).
 * 1904 - This branch was organized as a regular bishop’s ward May 8, 1904.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Central Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p.130.

Boundaries:


 * Saints residing in that part of Upper Portneuf Valley which borders on Gentile Valley on the south.
 * The ward consists of a farming district, extends to the Rim of the Basin (or the Idaho Stake), east to Bear River, south to Grace 2nd Ward and west to the Lund Ward of the Idaho Stake.

History timeline


 * 1901 - The ward was organized March 12, 1901.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Cleveland Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 147.

Boundaries:

CLEVELAND WARD, in Bannock Stake, Bannock Co., Idaho, consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in the south or lower end of Gentile Valley and an adjacent mountain country on the west side of Bear River.

History timeline


 * 1892 - Saints of that locality were organized as a ward in 1892 from the south part of the Mormon Ward.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Grace Wards
See Encyclopedic History..., p.293.

Boundaries:

Grace 1st. Ward

Consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in that part of the town of Grace which lies south of Center St.

Grace 2nd. Ward

Consists of the Latter-day Saints residing north of Center Street in the town of Grace.

History timeline


 * 1893 - Grace was first settled in 1893 and a post office established there in 1894.
 * 1897 - The saints at Grace belonged originally to the Trout Creek Ward, but were organized as a branch June 6, 1897.
 * 1920 - Grace Ward was divided into the Grace 1st Ward and the Grace 2nd Ward.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Lago Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 408.

Boundaries:

Saints residing somewhat centrally in Gentile Valley on the east side of Bear River. The ward extends north to the Bench Ward, east to the mountains, south to Mound Valley Ward and west to Bear River, which separates it from the Thatcher Ward.

History timeline


 * 1888 - The ward, which changed its name from Trout Creek to Lago in 1926, is an outgrowth of Mound Valley Ward and was organized as a branch of the Church in 1888.
 * 1891 - Organized as a ward.
 * 1926 - Lago Ward changed its name from Trout Creek to Lago in 1926.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Mormon Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 537-538.

Boundaries:

Mormon Ward extended from the junction of Cottonwood Creek and Bear River on the south and northward about 17 miles to Hendrick’s Springs. The Mormon Ward was 15 miles southwest of Grace, 32 miles by mountain road northeast of Oxford in Cache Valley, 21 miles southwest of Soda Springs, and 30 miles northeast of Preston.

History timeline


 * 1881 - The Mormons became numerous enough to be organized into a branch of the Church, and on Jan. 1, 1881.
 * 1888 - The Mormon Ward, Bannock Stake, Bannock Co., Idaho, consisted during its existence from 1881 to 1892.
 * 1892 - Mormon Ward was divided and the north part of the same organized as the Thatcher Ward, and the saints in the south part were merged into the Cleveland Ward, previously organized.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Mound Valley Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p.543-544.

Boundaries:

Saints residing in a farming district in the south end of Gentile Valley, extending north to the Lago Ward, east and south to the mountains, and west to Bear River, which separates it from the Cleveland and Thatcher wards.

History timeline


 * 1865 - Mound Valley was a settlement dates back to 1865.
 * 1872 - The saints were organized as a branch of the Church in 1872.
 * 1874 - The Mound Valley Ward was organized in 1874.
 * 1891 - The saints on the west side of Bear River were organized into a separate ward called Mormon Ward.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Thatcher Wards
See Encyclopedic History..., p.871.

Boundaries:


 * Thatcher 1st Ward

The Thatcher 1st Ward extended from its center 2 1/2 miles south to the Thatcher 2nd Ward, anti northward about a mile to the so-called Hendrick’s Springs.


 * Thatcher 2nd Ward

The Thatcher 2nd Ward was bounded on the north by the Thatcher 1st Ward, on the east by Bear River, on the south by the Cleveland Ward, and on the west by the mountains.

History timeline


 * 1914 - The Thatcher 1st Ward came into existence Aug. 9, 1914 by the division of the Thatcher Ward.
 * 1924 - The Thatcher 2nd. Ward was organized Aug. 9, 1914.
 * 1924 - The Thatcher 1st Ward was disorganized March 2, 1924.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Williams Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p.953.

Boundaries:

included saints residing in a farming district in Gentile Valley, lying east of Bear River. The ward extends north to Grace 1st Ward, east to Bench Ward, south to Lago Ward, and west to Thatcher Ward.

History timeline


 * 1923 - The ward was organized Sept. 9, 1923, from a part of the Bench Ward.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.