100 YEARS IN THATCHER
1883-1983

HEBER CHASE LAYTON

Heber Chase Layton, the son of an early Mormon Pioneer, Christopher Layton and Rose Ann Hudson, was born in Kaysville, Utah November 2, 1867. As a young child he walked three miles to and from school each day. At the the age of fourteen he was working on his father's header machine, the old hand-fed horse-driven machine. On Saturday it was his job to polish the harness and wash the buggy in preparation for Sunday.

In 1883 his father was called to preside over the St. Joseph Stake.

Thatcher was just a clump of mesquites, a few people in Pima and a few more in Safford. A year later Christopher sent for Heber's mother and family to move to Arizona. He put them on the train and with four other boys of the family and other families brought wagons, horses and farm implements through the wilderness, crossing Lee's ferry on the Colorado River during flood time. They had to cut stairways in the rock for the animals to get out. They spent six weeks on the road.

Heber landed in Pima the day before his 17th birthday. In Safford he started working in the grist mill owned by his father, this was on the corner of First Avenue and 8th Street. He met Agnes Almeda Welker, daughter of Adam and Agnes Welker, early pioneers of Safford. Heber went back to Utah to look after interests for his father, but returned after two years and was married to Almeda on April 7, 1887.

Almeda was born November 19, 1867 in Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho. In 1883 the Welker families, grandfather, uncles and aunts left Idaho for Arizona, arriving two and a half months later in Safford, where they bought land South of town in Layton. Almeda was an immaculate housekeeper and loved working in the yard which always looked like a flower garden. She served in the auxiliaries and spent many years in the Relief Society presidency.

Heber and his father took a contract with the United States Postal Department to operate the mail carrier from Bowie to Ft. Bowie, a distance of fifteen miles, another haul from Bowie to Ft. Thomas, a distance of seventy miles. They also contracted with Wells Fargo to transport express and passengers over this route. For such a tremen­dous undertaking they maintained 150 horses. It was Heber's responsi­bility to manage the stage line, horses, coaches and harnesses had to be kept in perfect condition. At the end of their first year they subcontract­ed another route from Ft. Thomas to Globe, a trip each day. Later they added mail and passenger haul from Ft. Thomas to Ft. Grant on a tri-­weekly basis.

After four years his father retired because of ill health, leaving Heber to bid for the new contract, which he did., for two more years. Then when the Eastern Arizona Railroad was built from Bowie to Geronimo taking part of his business, he sold the rest of the run to Mike Leahy.

In 1893, leaving his wife and four small children he filled a mission for his Church in the Western States. He provided two year's of stove wood and two milk cows for his family's support and Medie went to work in the Mercantile Store.

On his return he started farming and worked with the gin companies in the Valley. He was appointed State Land Appraiser by Governor Thomas E. Campbell. He was secretary of the Union Canal for 27 years, served as Justice of the Peace of Thatcher for 19 years. He was Mayor of Thatcher for 10 years, and was a bookkeeper at the Pace Hardware in Safford for many years.

He was active in the L.D.S. Church and served in many capacities. Their home was blessed with seven children, one son died in infancy, Lorenzo, Agnes Romney, Adam LeRoy, Della Smith, Glenna Webb Smoak, Genevie Clifford.
Almeda became ill in 1942 and on November 5th passed away.

Heber moved to Safford, and in February 1948 he married Alta Burke. He was 80 years old at this time. He passed away six months prior to his 90th birthday on April 20, 1957 and was buried in Thatcher Cemetery.
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HEBER C. LAYTON

Heber Chase Layton, 89, a long time resident of Thatcher, died April 20, 1957 in Thatcher, due to broncho pneumonia. He left his loving wife Alta Layton. His occupation was a farmer.

His parents are Christopher Layton and Rosa Ann Hudson.

-death certificate