Layton City's Namesake: Christopher Layton

LAYTON City was not incorporated until 1920. However, the community was called "Layton" as early as 1886 – when it received its own U.S. Post Office – named for Christopher Layton, a well –
known "Pioneer, colonizer, settler, statesman, farmer, industrialist, church leader" in the area.
Mr. Layton actually helped establish Kaysville (called "Kays Creek" at first) and may have never himself ever lived
in Layton's future borders, but Layton City grew out of Kaysville and fully separated as its own community in 1907.
He pioneered dry farming and planted alfalfa in the Kaysville-Layton area. He also served as a bishop and a counselor
in the Kaysville Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He was born in Bedfordshire, England on March 8, 1821. He was baptized into the Mormon Church in 1842 and emigrated to America with his wife a year later, settling in Nauvoo, Ill.
Before coming to Utah, he was a private in the Mormon Battalion, where he developed a reputation of being practical and plain spoken.
For example, according to one story of the Mormon Battalion: "Colonel Philip St. George Cooke ordered him (Layton) to cross a swollen river to take a message to Captain Jefferson Hunt on the other side. Layton tried to get his mule to swim the raging stream but it refused. The colonel yelled for him to cross over. Layton readily sensed that to cross the river would cost him his and the mule's life so he turned his mule and rode off, saying as he went, 'Colonel, I'll see you in hell before I drown myself and mule in that river.' The colonel stared at him for a moment and muttered, 'What is that man's name?' An attendant replied, 'Christopher Layton,
sir.' 'Well, he is a saucy fellow."'

                                               Christopher Layton

Layton earned money as a ranch foreman after his military service. He then returned to England and brought some of his family and friends to the United States. Later, he led a company of Church members across the plains to Utah.
For some years, Layton had a large cattle ranch in Carson Valley, Nevada. Church President Brigham Young said of Layton's large cattle herd: "Brother Layton, you have more stock than the whole Church." Layton's reply to that was: "Brother Young, they are all at your disposal."
Soon after Layton returned to Utah and settled in Davis County during the Johnston's Army era. In 1872, Layton was also awarded a five-year contract to manage the Church's sheep herd on Antelope Island.

            Sheep were a common fixture in both Layton and on Antelope Island in the past.

Church leaders eventually called Layton to Southern Arizona, to preside over the Saint Joseph Stake, which he did for 15
years. He was then called as a patriarch. He also managed to return periodically to visit Davis County.
In June of 1898 Layton became seriously ill and was transported to Utah in a special railway car. He underwent an operation which proved unsuccessful. He died August 7, 1898 at age 77.
Layton was simply said to be one of the greatest men of the Mormon Pioneer era. Andrew Jenson, LDS Church Historian, stated that “Christopher Layton was one of the most remarkable men that ever figured in the history of the Mormon Church."
A family man, Layton had 10 wives and 60 children, during
the era when some LDS Church members practiced polygamy.
A bust of Christopher Layton is on display at the Heritage Museum of Layton. It was erected there in 1999. LDS President Thomas Monson, then first counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the monument.
"Christopher Layton was a pioneer in performance of duty," President Monson said at the dedicatory ceremony. "He had grit. He had true grit."
-It is believed that the Layton name, for the northern portion of the then Kaysville community, was first used in 1882.
Also, Mr. Layton might have put a sign out, with his name on it, on the railroad, so they knew where to deliver goods for the Farmers Union store. Or, another legend is that survey of Layton in the 1880s found one more person with the last name of Layton in town than Adams.
Prior to that, Layton was also sometimes referred to as "Kays Crossing."


SOURCES: www.FamilySearch.org, Utah State History and
Deseret News Archives.