BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION OF DAUGHTERS OF UTAH PIONEERS IN THE COUNTY OF MORGAN By - Enid Fernelius, First Vice Captain of the Morgan Camp Given in the Morgan Ward Sacrament Meeting on July 24, 1955, at 7:30 P. M. In honor of the Centennial Anniversary of the first Pioneers arrival and settling in this valley it was thought a story of the organization and purpose of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers would be appropriate at this time. It was founded for the primary purpose of honoring the 143 men, 3 women and 2 children who constituted the first arrivals in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847 and also their successor Pioneers, the thousands who crossed the plains during the 22 years prior to the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad on May 10, I869. The official statement of purposes in the charter is as follows: "The object of this society shall be to perpetuate the names and achievements of the men and women who were the pioneers in founding this commonwealth; by preserving old landmarks, col¬lecting relics, establishing a library of pioneer historical matter, securing im¬printed manuscripts, photographs, and all such data as shall aid in perfecting a record of the strong character, pure life and heroic deeds of the pioneers; by seeking to promote and carry out the objects and purposes of which they had in view when they sacrificed all that they possessed and turned their faces to the west to seek homes in the mountains; by commemorating the advent of the pioneers into the barren waste of Utah, and such other dates and advents as are important in the history of the early days; by reviewing the lives of the pioneers, teaching their descendants and the citizens of our country toe lessons of faith, courage and patriotism, and by creating a spirit of union and fellowship among the posterity of the pioneers." The charter members of the organization were the 52 women, themselves daughters of the early pioneers, who on April 11, 1901, participated in the organizing at the home of Mrs. Annie Taylor Hyde in Salt Lake City. Mrs. Hyde was elected first presi¬dent, Maria Young Dougall, first vice president and Sarah Richards Smith, second vice president; Alice Merrill Home, secretary. Later Mrs. Hyde was given the title of founder-general. The first record I have of the Daughters being organized in Morgan County is that in April, 1918 Flora B. Home of Salt Lake City presided at a meeting and Mrs. Ella Despain Boyce was the first county president elected with Annie Waldron Clark and Annie Croft Heiner as vice presidents. Other presidents followed and the organization grew and flourished. On May 2, 1926, a camp was organized in Porterville by County President Isabella Butters and second vice president Nettie Durrant. The officers elected were Martha Porter, captain; Mary Kilburn, first vice captain and Sarah Florence, second vice captain, with Clara Carter, secretary. And then on January 30, 1934, a meeting was held in North Morgan for the purpose of effecting an organization there. County President Clara Turner presided with first vice president Viva Terry; second vice president Myrtly Richards; organist Afton Brough; historian Ivy Francis; custodian of relics Charlotte Chapin; registrar Nettie Durrant and secretary-treasurer Annie Sommers being present. Daughter Ethel Tippetts was elected captain; secretary-treasurer Mary Smith; chaplain Alice Spademan; historian Margaret Sanford and organist Thelma Rogers. Organ¬ization was not completed at this meeting. It was moved and seconded to complete it later. On March 30, 1934, the South Morgan Camp was organized with County President Eliza Rich acting as Parliamentarian and taking charge of the election of officers. The name chosen was South Morgan Camp. Daughter Kate Littlefield was elected captain; Almira Taggart, first vice captain; Maggie Tonks, second vice captain; Caroline Compton, custodian of relics; Annie Sommers, secretary; Elizabeth Waldron, historian; Jessie Francis, chorister and Catherine Eddington, organist. On June 11, 1934, a camp was organized at Peterson. President Clara Turner pre¬sided and Mrs. Pearl Rollins was elected captain, with Rachel Carrigan first vice captain; Mrs. Dan Gamble second vice captain; Mrs. Mills secretary; organist Rachel Carrigan; chorister, Mrs. Ostler; historian, Mrs. Alice Whittier and chaplain Mrs. Alice Wilkinson. This is all I could find out about the camp being organised. In as much as one of the primary goals of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers is the gathering and preservation of relics the first move toward that end was when the Stake Presidency donated a room in the opera house and the County Commissioners gave $50 for remodeling, fitting and dedicating it for a relic room. Relics which were donated by the people of Morgan County were stored here. Later the Stake Presi¬dency gave another room in the opera house which was used as a meeting room. The log cabin, which was the birthplace of the first white boy, Charles Russell Stevens, born in Morgan County on September 23, 1857, was obtained from the Jake Bohman family of Peterson in 1931 while Maggie Francis was president of the DUP. It was moved to its present site on the tabernacle grounds and dedicated July 24 1931. Some of the orginal pioneers were present at the services. They were Mary Ann Simmons Smith; Mr. and Mrs. Hyrum Geary; Mr. and Mrs. James Peterson; Matilda Peterson; Emma Hemming Rich and F. W. Clark. The next officers, with Mrs. Clara Turner as president, improved the grounds by planting a lawn, having a rock walk made from the cabin to the gate and fencing the grounds. Then while Mrs. Ethel Tippetts was president a marker was built from rocks gathered from historic places in the county and homes and public buildings built by the pioneers, also from canyons and streams named by them. Mounted in the marker is a part of a mill burr and just south of the cabin is another full-sized burr. These stones were used in the Richville Mill which was the first grist mill erected in the valley. It having been built by neorge W. Taggart and the Hinman Brothers from 1862 to 1866. This pioneer marker was unveiled and dedicated October 23, 1937. First vice president Bertha Dickson presided, welcoming all and giving special honor to the pioneers present. The monument was unveiled by Daughter Jane Foote, sister of Charles Russell Stevens, the first white male child born in Morgan County. In the absence of Mayor S. B. Dunn, President Bertha Dickson thanked the city officials for their help and the $20 donation toward the building of the monument. Mr. Charles Young was introduced as builder of the marker and. Brother Richard R. Fry, 73 years old, who was one of the very early citizens of Morgan, gave the didicatorial prayer. It is interesting to note that in the minutes of a Daughters of Utah Pioneers meeting held April 20, 1934, a report was given of the work done by the Daughters on the pioneer cabin on Arbor Day, April 16. Daughters from Poeterville, Peterson, South Morgan and other camps were on hand with numerous varieties of flowers, shrubs to improve and beautify the grounds surrounding the cabin. From the first the organization was constantly being improved upon. By February 23, 1934, President Clara Turner reported that each year the county camps celebrated with dinners being served the county Pioneers. That during the past two years funds had been raised by serving dinners to the Lions Club and each year the county camps sponsored a costume ball which was socially successful, if not financially. A story was told by Captain Eliza Rich of the first 24th of July celebration held in Morgan at the Morgan school grounds under a bowery. Ed Rich was marshal of the day. Lunch was served at noon, after a program. A forty gallon barrell of Lemonade was served, free for all. Thomas R. G. Welch end James Stuart, father of Orlie Stuart, went into the hills at Milton and got a load of snow to cool the lemonade. I think the most important project the Daughters undertook was the construction of the Memorial Building located on the County Courthouse Grounds, when Daughter Elsie Bell was president. The purpose of this building is to preserve the relics, pictures, papers, etc. of the men and women who arrived in Utah before May 10, 1869, and partic¬ularly the ones who settled in Morgan County, and to do honor to their memory. It can also be used by any camp of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in the county in which to hold meetings, conventions, etc. whenever they wish, by making arrangements with the County President. The building is available, at a very small fee, to be rented for medium sized parties, rallies or conventions. The ground for the building was broken September 17, 1948and the building com¬pleted and open house held March 17, 1950. It was built at a minimum cost as much of the labor was donated by civic minded people and organizations of Morgan County. The officers of the County Camp, South Morgan, Mount Joy and Peterson camps, as well as the members, worked hard for several years before the building was started, serving dinners, holding bazaars, dinners, etc. and with donations from members and individuals throughout the county, managed to raise $3,000. Since the completion of the building they have continued to serve dinners to different organizations; the ones who were serving that particular dinner donating much of the food that was served, so as to raise as much money as possible in order to pay the remaining balance. The dedication service for the building was held April 26, 1953 with many special guests being present. A fine program was presented with Kate B. Carter, president of the Central Company being present, and giving an interesting talk on the times and purposes of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers organisation. Patriarch Sylvester Heiner offered the dedicatory prayer, after which a social was held. The story of the settlement of Utah and the history of its pioneers is a fasci¬nating, if tragic one, No fiction ever written can compare with its truth. And to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers can go a lot of credit and satisfaction for helping preserve the tradition. All the data in this article was obtained from minutes of the DUP meetings and other records. - Enid Femelius - - Sunday evening Sacrament meeting of the Morgan LDS Ward, July 24, 1955