Transcript Cemeteries of Iron County - ULA -

Cemeteries of Iron County
Created for the Utah Library
Association Genealogy and
Local History Roundtable
By Steven D. Decker,
Cedar City Library Director
Did You Know…
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The Utah History Research Center recognizes
12 cemeteries in Iron County?
Iron County cemeteries include burials of
martyrs, Olympians, and statesmen?
Many of Iron County’s cemeteries are indexed
for online searching?
Recognized Cemeteries
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Cedar City (5,389 burials)
Enoch (140 burials)
Hamlin Valley
– No data
John McGarry Memorial Park
(15 burials)
– At Beryl
Kanarraville
– No Data
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Milton Gentry Ranch
Modena (98 burials)
Newcastle (86 burials)
Paragonah (576 burials)
Parowan (2,665 burials)
State Line (11 burials)
Summit (190)
First Burial in Cedar City Cemetery
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Joseph Chatterley,
1807 –1853, was the
first burial in the Cedar
City Cemetery
Died of an accidental
wound
Wheelwright & Iron
Worker
(Replacement stone)
Walls (Arch)
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Parowan City Cemetery
Arch
This is at least the third
arch at the entrance of
the cemetery, the others
having been knocked
down by trucks or
machinery trying to enter
through the arch.
Walls
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Parowan Cemetery
Construction by Civilian
Conservation Corps
Walls
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Cedar City Cemetery
Originally constructed by
the Civilian Conservation
Corps
Destroyed
Rebuilt using much of
the same stone
Southeast corner of
cemetery
Walls
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Wall surrounding Enoch
Cemetery
Memorials
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Cedar City Cemetery
Memorial to American
Veterans
Wars:
–
Mexican, Indian, Civil,
Spanish-American, World
War I, World War II,
Vietnam, Korea
Memorials
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Veterans Memorial at
Enoch
Memorials
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Paragonah Memorial
Memorials
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Parowan Cemetery Visitors
Center
Donated by the Daniel L.
Evans Family Trust and
members of the Evans
family in memory of
Clefford and Ada Evans
(Parowan’s Veteran
Memorial is on the City
Park)
Personalities
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Ellen (Nellie) Pucell
Unthank
Martin Handcart
Company
Double amputee (below
the knee)
Spent rest of life walking
on her knees or the
stubs of her legs
Mother of 6
Cedar City Cemetery
Personalities
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Parowan Cemetery
Grave of William Horne
Dame
Military commander at
the time of the Mountain
Meadow Massacre
Personalities
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Edward Meeks Dalton
Polygamist
The only known martyr
for the Mormon practice
of plural marriage
Shot in the back by U. S.
Deputy Marshal
Thompson, of Beaver
Parowan Cemetery
Personalities
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Parowan Cemetery
Alma Wilford Richards
Utah’s first Olympic
champion (High jump:
6’ 3.3” at Stockholm)
Utah Sports Hall of
Fame, Helms Hall of
Fame, BYU Hall of
Fame, U.S. Track and
field Hall of Fame.
Personalities
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Brig. Gen.
J. Frank Dalley
Commander of 213th at
Kap Yong (Korean War)
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All members of the 213th
returned home alive even
after intense fighting
Summit Cemetery
Personalities
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Governor
Scott Milne Matheson
Utah’s 12th Governor
Governor: 1977-1985
Democrat
Parowan City Cemetery
Unique Stones
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Western Iron County was
the home of numerous
Chinese workers at the
turn of the century.
Chinese people worked on
the construction of the
railroad and in the mines of
the region.
Modena Cemetery
Source: www.surweb.org
Unique Stones
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Cedar City Cemetery
Ball is not attached and
is sometimes removed
by pranksters
Deceased: Hunter
Unique Stones
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Cedar City Cemetery
Deseret alphabet
inscribed along the top
of the stone
Deceased: Morris
(Replacement stone)
Unique Stones
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Cedar City Cemetery
Above ground
mausoleum
Deceased: Burrascano
Unique Stones
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Cedar City Cemetery
Intricately carved stone
with a draped vase
Deceased: Bullock
Unique Stones
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Cedar City Cemetery
Stone set diagonally
Deceased: Middleton
Unique Stones
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Parowan Cemetery
Tree of Life
Representation
Many intricately carved
stones: Handshakes,
lambs, draperies. This is
an example
Deceased: Davenport
Unique Stones
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Parowan Cemetery
Charley’s Grave (similar
stone for “Osman T’s
Grave”)
Uniquely simple in
inscription but there is a
carved floral design
Damage:
Mother Nature Reclaims Her Own
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Cedar City Cemetery
Stone fragments lying
next to each other
Damage:
Mother Nature Reclaims Her Own
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Cedar City Cemetery
Sandstone markers
eroded completely
through
Native Americans
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Cedar City Cemetery
A section of the Cedar
City Cemetery
containing Native
Americans.
Certain of the local
Native Americans have
asked that the plots not
be “grassed” like the
surrounding area.
Lore
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Parowan Cemetery
Butch Cassidy: It is not
known where “Butch,” Robert
LeRoy Parker, is buried but
his brother, Daniel Samuel
Parker, is buried in Parowan.
At least two sextons have
claimed to have hit an
unmarked grave on or near
the Parker plot. Is it Butch’s?
Lore
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Summit Cemetery
Built on Indian Mound (Fact)
Nephite Battle Ground
At or near this site Samuel T.
Orton’s team of oxen refused
to continue plowing. This
continued for three
consecutive days until Orton
had a vision that convinced
him that “we were standing
on the battle ground where
they [the Nephites and
Lamanites of the Book of
Mormon] had had a great
battle (Dalton, 193-194).”
Interest
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Paragonah Cemetery
Note the concrete slabs
covering graves (once a
relatively common
practice
Note the permanent
flagpoles in the
background honoring
veterans.
Interest
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Paragonah Cemetery
Used to be many more
like this – fenced family
plots
Cemetery plots are
deeded parcels of land
Deceased: Edwards
And much, much more…
Sources
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Dalton, Luella Adams Dalton, History of the Iron
County Mission and Parowan the Mother Town.
Evans, Carl, [Oral Tradition of Samuel T. Orton
Experience].
History to Go:
http://historytogo.utah.gov/people/almarichards.html
Utah State History:
history.utah.gov/apps/burials/execute/searchburials
www.surweb.org, Counties of Utah – Iron County.