Payson, Utah County, Utah
PAYSON was founded in the fall of 1850. A few other settlements already existed in Utah Valley. Fort Utah had been built in 1849 in the area where the Provo River empties into Utah Lake. It was built along the banks of the river, on low ground, and flooding occurred periodically. The next year a second fort was built farther east, where the ground was higher. (This was at about 500 West and 500 North, in the vicinity of present-day North Park in Provo.)
Then in 1850 pioneers were sent to establish several more settlements
in Utah Valley -- every place where a stream flowed down from the Wasatch
Mountains towards Utah Lake. Through the summer and fall of 1850 the
following locations were settled: Alpine, Lehi (Dry Creek), American Fork,
Pleasant Grove (Battle Creek), and Springville (Hobble Creek).
Peteetneet Creek (named after the local Indian chief) was the location
of the last settlement to be established in that year. The first group
of settlers reached there on October 20, 1850, well into the fall season.
Cabins were hurriedly built, to prepare for the coming winter.
"The first settlers of the new colony at Peteetneet were sixteen in number. They included James Pace, his wife, Lucinda Gibson, and their children: William Byron, who at age 15 had served with his father in the Mormon Battalion, Mary Ann, Warren Sidney, Martha Elmina, John E. and Amanda L. Pace. A second family was composed of Andrew Jackson Stewart, his wife, Eunice Haws, and their children, Sarah, Catherine and Andrew Jackson Jr. A young couple, John Courtland Searle and his wife, Jerusha Morrison Hill were there too. Their baby would be the first white child to be born in the new settlement (and also the first to die). Also in the group were two youths, Allison Hill (14), who was a brother-in-law of John C. Searle, and Nathaniel Haws (18), brother of Eunice Haws Stewart.
(From PETEETNEET TOWN, A History of Payson, Utah, by Madoline Cloward Dixon)
A couple of months later, in December 1850, a meeting was held in James Pace's cabin and a branch of the church was organized (the Pacen Branch), with James Pace as president. Later the spelling was changed to "Payson". By the time the settlement was a year old, about 400 people were living there.
More settlers came to the area during the next few years, including five men from the 143 who had accompanied Brigham Young and the First Pioneer Company into Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STEWART, 7th Ten (1817-1885)
Moved to Payson in 1852
Later settled in Benjamin (which was named after him),
about 3 miles north of Payson
JOSEPH HANCOCK, 12th Ten (1800-1893)
Lived intermittently in Payson after about 1852
Also lived in California and in the midwest for several years
LYMAN CURTIS, 13th Ten (1812-1897)
Settled at Pond Town (3 miles east of Payson) in about 1855
The name of Pond Town was later changed to "Salem"
in honor of Curtis' birthplace
PHILO JOHNSON, 9th Ten (1814-1896)
Moved to Payson in 1857 (his wife says 1858)
Previously had lived in Salt Lake, until "the Move South"
THOMAS P. CLOWARD, 9th Ten (1823-1909)
Moved to Payson in 1859
Had previously lived in Provo
The following ancestors of ours, though not among the first
settlers, were early residents of Payson. All of them lived
in Payson for many years, died there, and are buried in
the Payson Cemetery:
PHILO JOHNSON EXPERIENCE ("SPEEDY") BROWN ELLSWORTH JOHNSON EMILY JOHNSON WIGHTMAN CHARLES BILLINGS WIGHTMAN JOSEPH WIGHTMAN MARY ANN DIXON WIGHTMAN ELIZABETH HUMPHREY DIXON MARY ANN OLIVE WARTHEN SHULER JAMES FAYETTE SHULER DAVID LANT ELSIE TANNER LANT
Other settlements were also soon established in Utah Valley, including
Salem (Pondtown), Santaquin, and Spanish Fork (1851); Cedar Fort and
Palmyra (1852); Fairfield and Lake View (1855); Mapleton (1856);
Goshen (1857); Spring Lake (1859); Benjamin (1863); and Lake Shore (1868).
Many of our ancestors were early settlers of some of these other
Utah County communities. The following were buried in Springville
or Spanish Fork.
JOSEPH WARTHEN LUTITIA SHEARER WARTHEN JAMES MILLER MARGARET ANN ANDERSON MILLER MARGARET ANN MILLER DAVIS JOHN TUCKER DAVIS LETITIA ANN GEORGE DAVIS ALMA CHARLES DAVIS
Other ancestors had come as pioneers across the plains, had settled
in the Salt Lake Valley, then had died and been buried there:
JOHN TANNER JOHN JOSHUA TANNER REBECCA SMITH TANNER WILLIAM ANDERSON ELIZABETH GOURLEY ANDERSON
Still others had joined the church in the early days, but had died
before coming to Utah. Some of them had lived in Kirtland or Nauvoo.
Others had more recently arrived from across the sea, but had died
before reaching their final destination.
AMY SHOLES WIGHTMAN -- died in Kirtland, Ohio; buried near the temple CHARLES DIXON - died at Rock Island, Illinois; buried across the river in Davenport, Iowa JOEL SHEARER - died in Council Bluffs, Iowa PHOEBE BLACKWELL SHEARER - died in Pike County, Illinois CHARLES STEWART MILLER - died of cholera near St. Louis, Missouri MARY McGOWAN MILLER -- died of cholera near St. Louis, Missouri
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