Born: 26 October 1857 at Manti, Sanpete, Utah
Parents: Neils Peter and Georgina Maria Kjoller Ipson
Married: Dorothy Wilhelmina Hansen 15 June 1887 at St. George, Washington, Utah
Died: 26 July 1908 at Huntington, Emery, Utah
George Ipson was the firstborn child of Neils Peter and Georgina Maria Ipson. His parents were
converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having joined the Church in Denmark. They
emigrated to the US and made their way to Utah as part of the Ellsworth/McArthur Handcart Company.
Following a short stay in the Salt Lake Valley, they were called by Brigham Young to settle the Manti
area in 1857 and, shortly after arriving, George was born.
From Manti, George's parents were called to the Muddy Mission. Eventually the area became known as
St. Thomas, Nevada, an area now covered by Lake Meade. When Church leadership informed the people
they could stay in Muddy Mission or move elsewhere, the family moved to Kanab and then to Panguitch Lake,
where George's father earned a livelihood as a fisherman.
In 1879, while living in Panguitch, President John Taylor called for saints to go to the southeastern
region of the territory to settle what is now San Juan County. George left with his sister, Sarah,
and her husband, James Riley, to join a group from southern Utah towns for the San Juan Mission. The
group was led by Silas S. Smith. George, like many of the other young men in the group, had the
responsibility to care for the livestock on the trek. Following their arrival in San Juan (Bluff),
George worked timbers needed for the homes.
Having completed the San Juan Mission call, George accompanied some of the early settlers of Emery County
to Huntington. It was in Huntington that George met Dorothy Wilhelmina Hansen and they were married in 1887.
He spent the remainder of his life in Huntington. He had a nursery business, started a bee business, and dabbled
with a number of inventions. He had patents in his name hoping to one day strike it rich.
On July 26, 1908, at the age of 50, he died of a heart attack while chopping wood.
Story shared by: M. Dan Ipson, Employment Missionary
Employment Services, Welfare and Self-Reliance Services
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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