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HISTORY OF MILLARD COUNTY
stop for the semi-weekly stagecoach operated by the Gilmore and Salisbury stage company between York in Juab County and the new mining camps. John O r m o n d operated the stage stop, which included a small store, a dining room, and sleeping facilities for travelers. Nearby stood the barn where the stagecoach drivers dropped off mail and changed horse teams.47 Ormond's daughter and son-in-law, Mary and William George, were persuaded to stay in Petersburg in 1863 and assume operation of the stage station. The couple had been on their way to settle Utah's "Dixie" area—Washington County. It was written, "The travelers who stayed there often remarked how welcome the George's made them feel and what a good cook Mary was."48 Mary George was also an expert candymaker and often provided fresh sweets to the travelers, a welcome diversion from the usual fare of sourdough and hardtack found at other stage stops. William George oversaw the business of the station and hired Frederick M. Bird to care for the teams and equipment. Local residents George B. Chesley, William C. Hatton, James H. Hatton, Orson Whitaker, and others worked as stagecoach drivers. One of the drivers from Provo, George Brisker Chesley, became enamored with one of the couple's daughters, Mary Ann George. The two were married soon after she turned sixteen. The wedding celebration lasted two days and was long remembered. George Chesley continued to drive stagecoaches and he and Mary Ann made their home in Petersburg, where they were blessed with six children. Mary Ann's sister Harriet Ellen (Nell) also married a stagecoach employee, Fredrick Bird, a young Irishman. They eventually made Petersburg their home, buying the George family house, the latter family having moved to the new town of Kanosh. Bird ran sheep and dairy cows and had a successful dairy for many years. Nell Bird became postmistress of the town after it became Hatton. Petersburg grew substantially during its first eight years. Among other newcomers were Thomas and Alice Charlesworth, Richard Hatton, Solomon and Lucy Jane Barkdull, William George, and John Webb, who built homes down the long lane of Petersburg. Peter Boyce, who was employed as an Indian farmer on the Corn Creek reservation, left and was replaced by EM. Bishop. James Fisher fol-
