George Calvin Murdock, Sr.

HISTORY OF GEORGE CALVIN MURDOCK

    GEORGE CALVIN MURDOCK WAS BORN FEBRUARY 28TH 1862 IN AMERICAN FORK UTAH.  HIS PARENTS ARE JOSEPH STACY AND ELIZA CLARK MURDOCK.  HIS FATHER PRACTICED POLIGAMY AND ELIZA WAS HIS 3RD OF 6 WIVES.  HE WAS THE 6TH OF 7 CHILDREN. WITH A TOTAL FROM ALL THE WIVES OF 33 BROTHERS AND SISTERS.  HIS SIBLINGS ARE SARAH ANN B- MAR 2 1853,  JOHN HEBER B- APRIL 28 1854,  JOSEPH THOMAS B- DECEMBER 15 1855,  ELIZA ROXINA B- DECEMBER 18 1857,  CHARLOTTE ELLEN B- MARCH 17 1860, GEORGE CALVIN,  ESTHER MALISSA B- SEPTEMBER 6 1865.   HIS LARGE POLYGAMIST FAMILY KEPT THEM ALL BUSY WORKING ON THE FARMS AND OTHER ODD JOBS.  IN THE SPRING OF 1861 HIS FATHER MOVED HIS FAMILY TO HEBER CITY UTAH WHERE HE PURCHASED AN ENTIRE CITY BLOCK WITH A LOG CABIN ALREADY ON IT, THEY ALL MOVED INTO THIS CABIN UNTIL ANOTHER COULD BE BUILT ON THE OTHER CORNER.  THIS ORIGINAL CABIN IS STILL STANDING IN HEBER UTAH AND IS THE OLDEST STRUCTURE IN THE CITY.  THEY BUILT 3 MORE HOMES ON EACH CORNER OF THE BLOCK SO EACH WIFE HAD A HOME OF THEIR OWN.  GEORGE CALVIN WAS JOSEPH STACY AND ELIZA'S  FIRST CHILD BORN IN HEBER AND HE WAS RAISED THERE UNTIL HE MOVED TO THE TETON VALLEY AFTER HJS MARRAIGE. 

    IN OCTOBER OF 1867 CALVIN FATHER, JOSEPH STACY, WAS CALLED BY BRIGHAM YOUNG TO GO TO A NEW SETTLEMENT  IN SOUTHERN UTAH KNOWN AS THE "MUDDY"  LOCATED NEAR THE UTAH, NEVADA BORDER.  JOSEPH KNEW IT WAS A HARSH AREA AND THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH LAND OR SUPPLIES TO TAKE CARE OF ALL HIS LARGE FAMILY, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO LEAVE GEORGES MOTHER, ELIZA AND HIS OTHER WIFE, JANE BEHIND IN HEBER AND TAKE HIS WIFES, PERNETTA AND ELIZABETH AND THEIR CHILDREN WITH HIM.  THE FAMILIES WERE SEPERATED FOR 3 LONG YEARS.  UPON RETURNING TO HEBER JOSEPH FOUND ALL WAS WELL AND THE FAMILIES THERE WERE ALL WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND THE BOYS HAD KEPT THE FARM RUNNING SMOOTHLY. NOTHING MORE IS KNOWN OF GEORGE'S CHILDHOOD DAYS.  JOSEPH TOOK A JOB AS A MAIL CARRIER FROM PROVO TO ECHO A 75 MILE ROUTE.  LATER GEORGE AND SOME OF HIS OTHER BROTHERS WOULD HELP WITH THIS MAIL ROUTE.  GEORGE'S BROTHER AL, HAD A SAW MILL OPERTATION THAT GEORGE ALSO WORKED IN.  HE MARRIED SARAH LOUISA BAGLEY IN HEBER UTAH ON AUGUST 4TH 1880.  THEY HAD 7 CHILDREN BORN TO THEM.  GEORGE HURT HIS BACK LIFTING LOGS AND SUFFERED FAINTING SPELLS AFTER THIS INCIDENT.  AS A RESULT ON JULY 27TH 1894 AT THE AGE OF 32, GEORGE FAINTED AND FELL INTO THE RIVER AND DROWNED.  2 STORIES ARE TOLD ABOUT THIS, ONE IS THAT HE WAS FISHING WHEN IT HAPPENED, THE OTHER IS HE WAS WORKING AT THE SAW MILL ON THE RIVER FOR HIS BROTHER WHEN IT HAPPENED.   HE LEFT SARAH WITH 6 CHILDREN AND PREGNANT WITH ANOTHER.  THE OLDEST SON WAS ONLY 13 AND HAD TO TAKE ON A LARGE RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP TAKE CARE OF THE FAMILY AFTER HIS FATHERS DEATH.  GEORGE CALVIN IS BURIED IN THE CHARLESTON, UTAH CEMETERY.  

** See Sarah's history on her memorial Note from JoAnne Brasier Haws: George Calvin is my 2nd Great Grandfather through his son, Albert and his son Russell.

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via mother Eliza Murdock (born Clark) by SmartCopy: Feb 25 2015, 18:26:00 UTC