George Harper

George Harper was the second son and sixth child of Charles Alfred Harper and Harriet Taylor. He was born at Park City, Utah January 24, 1868. Growing up in Park City, he learned the trade of farming and ranching. His early childhood was spent tending cattle and raising sheep. As a teenager, George moved with his family to Holladay where he received some formal education. At the age of eighteen, he moved to Arizona to help his father and two half-brothers clear a farm there. He worked for several years in and around Mesa, Arizona as that town was being built. He returned to Utah in 1894 to work on his father's farm at Holladay.

He married Zenobia Jane Sutherland on December 3, 1896 at Holladay. After the marriage, the couple lived on his father's farm and George also worked at the smelter in Murray. About this time, he invested in a 60-acre piece of dry ground at Rigby, Idaho and in 1906 he moved to Idaho with Zenobia and their four little daughters. Three sons and a daughter were born on the farm in Rigby over the next ten years, and he would continue farming here for the rest of his life.

George had a paramount interest in education. He had been afforded very little education and was determined that his children and others in his community would not suffer the same way. He served three years on the school board in Holladay, and six on the school board in Rigby. He also served as director of the Rigby irrigation board for many years, as well as being active in his church, where he held numerous callings.

He was a quiet man of few words, and a lover of music. He played the violin and as a young man was a good singer. He instilled in his children a deep love of music that can still be found in their descendants today. He prided himself on his sense of punctuality and organization. In politics he was a Republican and served in several positions for the Republican party both in Idaho and Utah.

His health was mostly good until his early sixties when he began to have heart trouble. On September 15, 1929 he suffered a massive heart attack and died at home on the farm at age 61. His funeral filled the entire Rigby Tabernacle, which was standing room only. All local schools were canceled on the day of his funeral, and family came from all over Idaho and Utah to attend.

George is buried beside his wife and eldest son at the Rigby Pioneer Cemetery.

Parents:

Charles Alfred Harper (1817 - 1900)

Harriet Taylor Harper (1836 - 1907)

Spouse:

Zenobia Jane Sutherland Harper (1874 - 1965)

Children:

Norma Harper Morris (1898 - 1994)

Vilate Harper Woods (1901 - 1990)

Ruth Harper Bright (1903 - 1994)

Marjorie Harper Luke (1905 - 1998)

Alvin George Harper (1907 - 1909)

Murray Charles Harper (1909 - 2011)

Eleanor Harper Tannler (1912 - 1984)

Harvey Wendell Harper (1917 - 1980)

Created by: Brian Harper-Tibaldo

Record added: Feb 12, 2004

Find A Grave Memorial# 8382473