Murray, Salt Lake County, Utah Genealogy
History[edit | edit source]
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Family History Resources[edit | edit source]
Notable Biographies[edit | edit source]
Eli Houston Murray: Murray was born in 1843 in Cloverport, Kentucky. After serving as Civil War General, Rutherford B. Hayes appointed him Governor of Utah territory in 1880. Murray served as Governor for the next six years before Grover Cleveland discontinued his term. Best known for his opposition to the Latter-day Saint influence and culture, Murray is remembered for overriding the election of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leader and polygamist George Q. Cannon to appoint Allen G. Campbell as a delegate to Congress to minimize Latter-day Saint representation and influence. In 1883, the South Cottonwood Post Office was changed to Murray Post Office in his honor, and the present-named city soon followed just years before Murray’s death in 1896.
George Huscher: After following a Mayor-Council form of government from 1903 to 1911, George Huscher was appointed the first mayor of Murray, Utah following the new Commission form of government. He served from 1912-1915 and to date remains the only socialist elected to a major office in the state of Utah. The area’s influential labor and union populations rallied immense support for the socialist party and were critical to Huscher’s appointment. Huscher is best known both for the establishment of the presently named Murray City Power Department, which was critical in the development of Murray’s municipal power plant.
Brigham Young: Brigham Young, successor to Joseph Smith as President of the Church of the Latter Day Saints after Smith’s death in 1844, believed Salt Lake Valley would be the optimal place for the to settle. After years of confrontation and conflict with neighboring settlements due to religious beliefs and practices, Young sought after an area unattractive to these other cultures and religions. In July of 1847, the first company reached Salt Lake Valley. Scouts Erastus Snow and Orson Pratt arrived in the Valley on July 21, followed shortly by Wilford Woodruff, driver of Young’s wagon, and Young himself on July 24. Days later, on July 27, Young established a site for the Salt Lake Temple. Within the next six months, over 2,000 members of the Latter-day Saint community had completed the journey to the Salt Lake Valley.
Emily S. Richards: In 1870, the Utah Territorial Legislature granted women the right to vote, making Utah the second state in US history to legalize women’s suffrage. Seventeen years later, Congress repealed the legislature as part of a national anti-polygamist movement. Just one year later, at the age of 38, Emily S. Richards proposed the creation of a Utah sector to the National Women’s Suffrage Association. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints approved her proposal, setting Utah’s territorial women’s suffrage association into motion on January 10, 1989. Richards was appointed a state organizer and acted to form local community sectors of the association throughout the state of Utah. Through her constant efforts, along with several other active members of the association, Congress adopted Utah’s new Constitution on November 5, 1895, with the following provision: "the rights of citizens of the State of Utah to vote and hold office shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex. Both male and female citizens of this state shall enjoy equally all civil, political and religious rights and privileges."
Neighboring Community Websites[edit | edit source]
- Taylorsville is a closely neighboring community about 3.3 miles to the west of Murray.
- Cottonwood Heights is another closely neighboring city 6.3 miles to the southeast of Murray.
- Holladay is 3.6 miles to the east of Murray.
- Salt Lake City is the nearest major city 8.2 miles to the north of Murray Utah.
- Millcreek is a small town 2.1 miles to the north-northeast of Murray.
- West Jordan is 5.5 miles to the southwest of Murray.
- Sandy is a moderately-sized city 8.2 miles to the south-southwest of Murray.
- West Valley is a collection of communities about 10 miles to the west-northwest of Murray.
Cemetery History[edit | edit source]
The city of Murray has one cemetery located on 5490 S Vine St. This cemetery has a rich history. Through the years, there have been many people and events involved in the establishment of the cemetery in bringing it forth to the cemetery it is today.
The original landowners for the cemetery were William Wooten, William McMillan and John Benbow. William Wooten deeded a large portion of the land to the South Cottonwood Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. William McMillan deeded his part of the land to James Godfrey. Eventually, the land was deeded over to the South Cottonwood Ward.
On June 6, 1872, the bishop of the ward, Joseph Sharp Rawlins, decided to plan a cemetery over the land. Before the cemetery was established, the pioneers would bury their loved ones in the Salt Lake Cemetery, in nearby community cemeteries, or in private cemeteries near their properties. The cemetery was established around 1872. It was named the Murray Cemetery.
The very first grave for the new cemetery was for pioneer John Benbow, who now has over 275 descendants. Afterward, some private graves were transferred over. The first graves belonged to early Mormon Pioneer settlers who traveled to Utah from the British Isles and Scandinavian countries. As the smelting industry in Murray started to expand, so did the cemetery. It began to include families who traveled to Utah after 1870 from Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, and many other Eastern European Countries.
In 1913, Bishop William B. Erekson began negotiations to transfer the cemetery lot to the city of Murray. The cemetery needed more upkeep and the church did not have the authority to tax people to maintain and beautify it. The city, on the other hand, did have this power, and so it was reasonable to sell the land. Murray City purchased the land on August 1917 for $3,150 and renamed it the Murray City Cemetery.