*William Heber Gurr*

Brief History of William Heber Gurr

Born: 12 October 1856 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Parents: William Gurr and Sarah Elizabeth Barker
Married: Anna Hansen, 10 April 1877 at Cedar City, Iron County, Utah
Died: 1 August 1933, Parowan, Iron County, Utah

WILLIAM HEBER GURR -- A LIFE SKETCH
William Heber Gurr was born to English emigrants to Australia 12 October 1856. He was the second of nine children born to William Gurr and Sarah Elizabeth Barker. His parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sydney, and determined to emigrate again, this time to the United States. They sailed to San Pedro aboard the Lucas, departing 27 June 1857, and arriving at San Pedro after a problematic voyage on 12 October 1857. They joined the Saints at San Bernardino, for a couple of months, and then were "recalled" to Utah because of the "Utah War."

They stopped in Parowan, Utah. Here, William Heber grew to adulthood, and met Anna Hansen, born to Danish parents in Cedar City. In October, 1879, they were among those called to settle in San Juan County.

When their first child, William, was two-years-old, they traveled through the “Hole-in- the-Rock” to help colonize Bluff, San Juan County, Utah. The party chiseled their way over slick rock hills and valleys.

The trip took about six months and was filled with terrible hardships. The cattle had to be guarded each night and day as there was always the threat of Indians around who would stalk the camp in order to steal them. Once, after they arrived at Bluff, the Indians drove off a few head of cattle belonging to the colony at Bluff. William stripped off his clothes, swam across the San Juan River, and drove the cattle back. Because he was naked and so white, the Indians never fired a shot at him!

A second son, Peter, was born while the family lived in Bluff. William worked on a ranch in Montezuma Canyon. By December of 1882 the family was again living in Parowan. Seven additional children were born there. Of the nine, seven survived to adulthood.

In Parowan, William Gurr was a partner with other citizens in organizing the People’s store in the 1890’s. He was the manager and opened the store in one of the rooms of his housel Even though others lost interest, he continued to run the store mostly on his own for a number of years. He died 1 August 1933, at Parowan, Iron County, Utah. Anna died two years later. Both are buried in Parowan Cemetery.