Betty Musser Genealogy
George Dollinger Pyper (1860-1943), father
m.
Emmaretta Whitney in 1883
Children:
George (Gordie) Whitney Pyper
Retta Pyper (d. 1964)
m.
Harry Shepherd (1882-ca. 1970) in 1908
children:
Betty Shepherd Musser
Dorothy Shepherd
Biography of George Dollinger Pyper
George Dolllinger Pyper was born November 21, 1860, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of Alexander C. and Christiana D. Pyper. The Pyper home was a small log cabin located on Third South between Main and State Streets. The Victory Theater was later located on this site.
As a youth, Pyper helped his father raise silkworms in Brigham Young's cocoonery, and also herded cows in the Sugarhouse area. He attended the Sugarhouse and Twelfth Ward schools, and for a short time Brigham Young's private school. Pyper also studied law for two years at the University of Deseret.
Pyper met Emmaretta Smith Whitney, the daughter of Horace K. And Mary Cravath Whitney, while attending the University of Deseret. The two were married in the Endowment House on September 24, 1883, and had two children, Retta Pyper (Shepherd) and George (Gordie) Whitney Pyper.
In 1875, at age fourteen, Pyper worked as a Salt Lake Police court clerk; his father Alexander C. Pyper was a judge. When his father died in 1882 Pyper resigned as clerk. Between 1883 and 1887 Pyper served as a justice of the peace and performed over one hundred weddings. Between 1886 and 1890 Pyper served as a city alderman and as a police court judge.
In 1890, Pyper was appointed assistant secretary of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society and the secretary of the State Fair Organization. In the capacity of these two positions, Pyper organized the Utah Agricultural exhibition at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the Utah Exhibition at the Tennessee Centennial in 1897. Pyper considered both fairs successful in favorably promoting Utah in the minds of the American people.
In 1896 Pyper was called to join the Eastern States Mission of the LDS Church, along with Brigham H. Roberts, Melvin J. Ballard, and Edward Midgley. The four men were asked to present spiritual re-enactments of LDS religious events. Roberts was originally assigned as a narrator, with the other three men responsible for the song and prayer recital portions of the program.
Upon returning to Salt Lake City in 1897, Pyper was appointed to the Deseret Sunday School Union General Board. He spent many years working with the Sunday School programs and increasing membership. In 1918 Pyper was appointed to the board's General Superintendency, under Superintendent David O. McKay. In 1934 Pyper assumed position of general superintendent. One of Pyper's interests on the board was the publication of LDS life add religious messages through the medium of magazines. In 1890-1891 Pyper worked as an associate editor of The Contributor, and from 1910 until his death in 1943, was the editor of The Instructor.
Pyper devoted much of his life to music and the performing arts. Starting in 1885 with is first operatic role in Patience, Pyper sang as the lead tenor for the Salt Lake opera Company for the next twenty-five years. Pyper was also a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and toured with the Choir on trips to Chicago and San Francisco in 1893. In 1911 Pyper managed the Choir's trip to the National Irrigation Congress on New York, and arranged for performances en route.
Pyper managed the Salt Lake Theater from 1898 until it's demolition in 1929. He authored an informal history of the Theater, The Romance of an Old Playhouse, as a commemorative piece for the last performance on October 20, 1928. The book received many favorable reviews for its description of early Utah/Mormon cultural life, the construction of the theater, and the many events associated with a first-rate western playhouse. Over the years as its manager. Pyper met many famous performers who passed through Salt Lake, including native Utahn Maude Adams and the famous Russian Ballerina, Anna Pavlova.
In 1930 Pyper chaired the LDS Centennial Pageant Committee and organized the pageant, entitled "The Message of the Ages." Pyper considered its work his most significant achievement. In 1939, continuing his tradition of service to the LDS community, Pyper published a book entitled Stories of Latter-day Saints Hymns. The book relates the stories of how many of the hymns were created.
Pyper was an active and concerned member of his community. In addition to the many contributions mentioned above, Pyper was also a member of the Orpheus Club, the Philharmonic Society, and the Rotary Club. He also served terms as president of the Musical Arts Society and as president of the Salt Lake Civic Music Association.
George Dollinger Pyper died on January 17, 1943.
(Elizabeth Perkes researched the material included in this biography.)
Chronology-George Dollinger Pyper
1860 Born November 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah
1875-1882 Police court clerk
1883-1887 Judge for the Fifth District Court of Salt Lake City, Utah
1883 Married Emmaretta Smith Whitney, September 24
1885 First Operatic role in Patience
1890-1891 Associate editor of The Contributor
1890-1897 Assistant secretary of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society and secretary of the State Fair Organization
1893 Organized the Utah Agricultural Exhibit at the Chicago World's Fair
1896 Served an LDS Mission to the Eastern United States
1897 Organized the Utah Exhibition at the Tennessee Centennial
1897-1929 Managed the Salt Lake Theater
1910-1943 Editor of The Instructor
1918 Member of the Deseret Sunday School Union General Superintendency
1930 Chairman of the LDS Centennial Pageant Committee and produced "The Message of the Ages"
1934 General superintendency of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board
1939 Published Stories of Latter-Day Saint Hymns
1943 Died January 17 in Salt Lake City, Utah
Biography of Harry Shepherd
Harry Shepherd was born April 17, 1882, in Paris, Idaho, the son of William Nathaniel Shepherd and Emily Mary Phipp Shepherd. Shepherd's childhood was spent in Paris until age fifteen when moved to Salt Lake City to attend the Lowell School. After his graduation, Shepherd worked at Dinwoody Furniture and then at Bennett Glass and Paint Company for about five years.
Shepherd served an LDS Mission in 1905. Until 1908 he served as secretary to mission president S. F. Balliff, in Zurich, Switzerland. Upon returning to Salt Lake City, Shepherd married Retta Pyper in June 1908 at the Salt Lake Temple. The couple had two daughters, Dorothy and Betty. Retta Pyper Shepherd died May 29, 1964.
Following his return to Utah in 1908, Shepherd returned to work at Bennett Glass and Paint. When the company acquired a glass and paint department from Morrison Merril in September 1908, Shepherd was assigned manager of the new division, which retained the name of Salt Lake Glass and Paint Company. As the years passed, Shepherd bought a controlling interest in Salt Lake Glass and Paint Company and also a minority interest in Pratt and Lambert. When Shepherd retired in 1950 he sold Salt Lake Glass and Paint Company to Pratt and Lambert.
Harry Shepherd died February 1971.
(Elizabeth Perkes researched the material for this biography.)
This collection was compiled by Betty Musser (Utah State Senator between 1933 and 1936), daughter of Harry and Retta Pyper Shepherd, granddaughter of George D. Pyper, and wife of Burton Musser. Materials in the collection include photographs of the Pyper, Shepherd, and John D. Spencer families. In addition, the collection contains photographs associated with the Salt Lake Theater, managed by George D. Pyper between 1897 and 1929.
The two boxes comprising the collection contain 133 prints and two negatives. Most of the photographs are Albumen type, usually in the form of cabinet portraits of cartes-de-visite. Many well known Salt Lake City portrait studios are represented in the collection, including those of Savage, Sainsbury, and Johnson, and Thomas. A smaller number of images are of modern type photographs taken in studios and by family members between the 1920s and 1940s. One tintype print of a Pyper family member is also included.
Box one contains portraits of George D. Pyper (circa 1890-1940), photographs taken on trips to Hawaii and Europe by George D. Pyper in the 1930s, membership photographs of the Deseret Sunday School Union, portraits of George D. Pyper's son, George (Gordie) W. Pyper, photographs of the younger Pypers' LDS Mission in Germany, and portraits of Pyper family members of the first, second and third generation (Alexander C., George D., and George W.) Box two contains portraits of Arthur Shepherd (uncle of Betty Shepherd Musser), portraits of the John D. Spencer family, a variety of identified and unidentified portraits, publicity photographs associated with the Salt Lake Theater, and miscellaneous photographs.
Following is an index of individual names:
Collection is arranged topically. Fds 1-8 contain photographs of George D. Pyper, Fds. 9-11 contain photographs of George D. Pyper with other people. Fds 12-13 contain photographs of George D. Pyper's son, George (Gordie) W. Pyper. Photographs of George W. Pyper are identified with "Gordie," and photographs of George D. Pyper are identified with "George D." Fd 14 contains photographs of George (Gordie) W. Pyper with other people. Fds 15-19 contain photographs of Pyper family members. The names of portrait studios were often stamped on the press-board backing of the Albumen prints. When studio names appear on collection photographs the name and studio location are included in parenthesis.
Box 2. Fd 1 contains photographs of Arthur Shepherd. Fd 2 contains John. D. Spencer family photographs. Fds 3-5 contain photographs of identified people collected by Pyper family members. Fd 6 contains photographs of unidentified people collected by Pyper family members. Fds 7-9 contain theatrical photographs of George D. Pyper. Fds 10-12 contain publicity photographs of Anna Pavlova. Fd. 13 contains photographs of Salt Lake City. Fd. 14 contains photoprints of paintings.
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Processed by Janet Everts in 1990.
Manuscript materials were transferred to the Betty Shepherd Musser papers (MS 0561).