Wayne County, Utah Genealogy

United States  Utah  Wayne County

County Courthouse
Wayne County Courthouse 18 South Main St., Loa, UT 84747

Wayne County Courthouse 18 S. Main, Box 189 Loa, Utah 84747 435-836-2765

Wayne County website

Parent County

 * 1892--Wayne County was created 10 March 1892 from Piute County. Most of its towns were settled after 1880 because of the remote location and limited resources.  County seat: Loa

History
NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Wayne County, Utah Communities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_County,_Utah. Once in Wikipedia, scroll down to Cities and Towns and click on the community name, to learn more about the vibrant communities that make up Wayne County.


 * BICKNELL - Bicknell is a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, United States.

Bicknell was originally called Thurber or Thurber Town", for A.K. Thurber, who in 1879 built the first house in the area. In 1897 the town moved to a new location due to sandy soil and poor water conditions.

In 1914 Thomas W. Bicknell, a wealthy eastern author, historian, and Education Commissioner for Rhode Island, offered a thousand-volume library to any Utah town that would rename itself after him. The town of Grayson also wanted the library prize, so in a compromise in 1916, Grayson took the name of Blanding, Mr. Bicknell's wife's maiden name, as a tribute to her parents. The two towns split the library, each receiving 500 books. [3]

References: 3.^ Van Cott, John W. (1990). Utah Place Names. Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press. p.31. ISBN 0-87480-345-4.


 * CAINEVILLE - (Wikipedia could not find this name).
 * FREMONT - It lies along State Route 72 just northeast of the town of Loa, the county seat of Wayne County.

This town was named after the explorer John C. Fremont, who passed through on his last and near fatal expedition to the west in the winter of 1853-54.

Between Fremont and Loa is a six acre park, belonging to the county, which is located at Allred Point which features a historic monument to the original pioneers.


 * FRUITA - Before the Park Service took over, this was a community known as Fruita.

The Federal Government bought the land owners out and renamed the area Capitol Reef because of the reef that caps the landscape.

The Navajo Indians called this the "Land of the Sleeping Rainbow", because the formation (most colorful of the earth's crust) is asleep because it lies on the ground.

Inside the park, one mile south of the visitor center, is the old Gifford Historic Homestead.


 * GROVER - Originally known as Carcass Creek. Carcass Creek was so named due to its steep banks, which proved hazardous to livestock.

The first settlers on Carcass Creek were experienced Wayne County ranchers who arrived in 1880. In 1881, more cattlemen settled along Fish Creek. A small number of residents scattered through the area over the next few years.[2] These early settlers referred to their settlement as Carcass Creek.[4] In 1887, the Mormon residents were organized into a congregation called the Carcass Creek Branch, although meetings were held only irregularly due to the distances among homes.[2]

In the early 1890s the growing town was granted a post office,[2] and the name was changed to Grover in honor of U.S. President Grover Cleveland.[4] The Grover Irrigation Company organized in 1893 to build and manage structures for drawing and distributing water from Fish Creek Lake.[5] The first school classes were held in the winter of 1892–1893, and the first log school/church/community building was built about 1900.[2]

In 1935, a new school building was built in Grover. A stuccoed log one-room school, the Grover School was built with funds and labor provided mainly by the Works Progress Administration. Unlike other area schools, it had a fence and lawn.[6] Due to Grover's small size, the school board quickly decided the school was an unnecessary expense; within three years the older children were sent to school in Bicknell, and in 1941 the Grover School was closed. The building has remained largely intact, and in 1986 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]

References: 2.^ a b c d e f Murphy, Miriam B. (January 1999). A History of Wayne County. Utah Centennial County History Series. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society. pp. 122–123. ISBN 0-913738-45-X. 5.^ Murphy, p. 229. 6.^ Murphy, p. 266. 7.^ a b McCormick, John (April 9, 1986) (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Grover School. National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/86000753.pdf. Retrieved December 13, 2010.


 * HANKSVILLE - Hanksville is a small town in Wayne County, Utah, at the junction of State Routes 24 and 95.

The town was settled in 1882, and known for a time for the name given to the surrounding area, Graves Valley.

It took the name of Hanksville in 1885, after Ebenezer Hanks, who was the leader of the group of pioneers who established the small Mormon settlement.

Hanksville was a supply post for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, who would hide out at Robbers Roost in the desert southeast of town.

During the uranium mining frenzy following World War II, Hanksville became a supply center for the prospectors and miners scouring the deserts of the Colorado Plateau.


 * LOA - Loa is a town in, and the county seat of, Wayne County, Utah, United States,[3] along State Route 24.

The name was suggested by Franklin W. Young who has served a mission for the LDS church to the Hawaiian Islands. Mauna Loa (Mt. Loa) is the second highest mountain on the islands and is an active volcano. When this Mountain belches forth, the native islanders viewed it with awe and wonder and gave it the name "Loa" which means, "high, large and powerful".

Loa has two parks, one named the Harold Brown Park, so named in 1921 after a local lad who made the supreme sacrifice in World War I, this park was developed by city fathers and volunteers from the fire dept. The other park, named Turner Park, was named after the Turner family who donated the land to the town. South of Turner Park is the beautiful and historical Tabernacle.


 * LYMAN - Lyman was originally known as East Loa. It became a distinct place from Loa in 1893.

The original townsite was changed to the present location at the advice of Apostle Francis M. Lyman in 1893 and was named in honor of him.


 * TEASDALE - Teasdale lies along local roads south of State Route 24, southeast of the town of Loa, the countyseat of Wayne County.[3]

Named after an LDS Apostle, George Teasdale.

3.^ Rand McNally. The Road Atlas '08. Chicago: Rand McNally, 2008, p. 102.


 * TORREY - Torrey is a town located on State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, eight miles from Capitol Reef National Park.

The town was established in the 1880s by Mormon settlers, and was initially known as Youngtown, after John Willard Young[3]; it is generally held to be named after Jay L. Torrey from Pittsfield, Illinois. Torrey was a member of the Wyoming legislature, who, upon the advent of the Spanish-American War, achieved national attention by proposing the creation of what became three volunteer cavalry regiments, made up of cowboys and stockmen. Torrey was commissioned Colonel of the 2nd Regiment, the "Rocky Mountain Riders"; the 1st Regiment, the only regiment to see action, was better known as the Rough Riders.

3.^ Murphy, Miram B. A History of Wayne County (Salt Lake City: Utah Historical Society and Daggett County Commission, 1999) as reviewed in Journal of Mormon History, v27 n2, Fall 2001.

Incorporated Places:
Bicknell (originally Thurber), Hanksville, Loa, Lyman, Torrey

Unincorporated places:
Caineville, Fremont, Fruita, Grover, Notom, Teasdale

Ghost Towns:
Fruita, Giles

Neighboring Counties:
Sevier, Piute, Emery, Garfield, San Juan

Neighboring Counties
Emery | Garfield | Grand | Piute | San Juan | Sevier

Cemeteries
Cemetery Records -- Wayne County, Utah, by Genealogical Society of Utah. (FHL US/CAN Book #979.254, V3c)

Wayne county cemeteries at the Utah State Historical site

Census
The 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. federal population schedules of Wayne County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Utah Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in national indexes, try checking local indexes. Created by experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide indexes.

See Utah Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.


 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records

Early, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, church records for Wayne County Wards and Branches can be found on film and are located at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The film numbers, for each ward or Branch, can be located through the Library Catalog at https://www.familysearch.org/. Or by refering to Jaussi, Laureen R., and Gloria D. Chaston. Register of Genealogical Society Call Numbers. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Genealogy Tree, 1982. (FHL book 979.2258 A3j; fiche 6031507). These volumes contain the film numbers for many (but not all) membership and temple record films.


 * Caineville
 * Fremont
 * Giles (Torrey)
 * Grover
 * Hanksville
 * Loa
 * Lyman
 * Teasdale
 * Thurber
 * Torrey
 * Wayne Stake

Local Histories
"Grit Enough to Stick With It" Stories from Blue Valley, edited and introduced by Kent Davis &amp; Kristen Rogers Utah Historical Quarterly Summer 2000 vol. 68 no 3 pg 223

A History of Wayne County online at Marriott Library Digital Archives.

Wayne County Histories

The Family History Library has histories in its collection in Salt Lake City, Utah which can be accessed by visiting the Library. These books may also be available through interlibrary loan.

A History of Wayne County - by Mariam B Murphy (a Utah Historical Society publication) 979.254 H2m. It can also be purchased at the County Clerk's office in Loa.

Rainbow Views: a History of Wayne County - by Anne Snow (a Daughters of Utah Pioneers publication) 979.254 H2s 1977

Vital Records
Western States Marriage Index

Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed on the Family Search Record Search Pilot. Utah requires a death certificate before a burial is completed. A death certificate may contain information as to the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death, as well as the age, birthdate, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

Utah State Burial Index

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Loa Utah Family History Center

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Wayne County, Utah Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Wayne County, Utah Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)