When Linda Ross began working for Kaysville City in 1983, she had no idea of the effect that old records and her love of history (and Kaysville) would play out into her future. She originally started in an executive secretary position and was promoted to City Recorder after two years. Ross was raised in Bountiful, lived in Kaysville for 40 years, and retired after 33 years in 2016. 

A City Recorder is a City Historian tasked with producing, filing, indexing and ultimately digitizing old minutes and records from 1868 – current, as well as keeping official city records. Ross said she would research and read the original hand-written and typeset minutes in search of historical information for city business. During those searches, she started to understand the vast history that Kaysville had. Residents would come to City Hall to pay utility bills and talk about their ancestors and experiences during decades of living in Kaysville. Ross started to write those stories down thinking to herself “one day I will write a book.”

When Ross retired in 2016 and was cleaning out her office and computer, she took her notes, stories, and historical information collections “just in case she decided to actually do it.” She took a year off (relocating to St. George to be near her daughter and grandchildren) and then got to work, spending nine years of her retirement in producing “Legacies of Kaysville.” She wrote, edited, and published a four-volume history of Kaysville from its earliest days to the present.

During the research (her favorite aspect) and writing process, Ross said it was easy to get lost in the amount of information. She had a collection of first-hand stories but wanted to fact-check her stories to make sure the book reflected accurate history. She used multiple areas of information, including the Utah State Archives, Utah Historical Society, Church History Library, old newspapers or newsletters, libraries, other online and microfilm collections, and even the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia. The collections include stories and historical photo collections. “Kaysville has so much rich history,” Ross said. “Many do not know this, but Kaysville originally spanned from South Weber to Farmington.”

Originally, Ross envisioned a single hardcover volume. However, due to the scope of the material, publishers advised that the manuscript would require multiple books. She instead chose to publish through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform, allowing her to expand the project into four volumes – two focused on people and two on places.

The online description for each volume lists some of the people, places and subjects found in each book for ease of purchase. Families interested in earlier generations may want the complete set and can also do a word search in the eBook versions. All four volumes are available in paperback and e-book formats through Amazon. Ross said she priced the books at the lowest level allowed by the platform, with no profit, to ensure accessibility for the community.

The collection includes first-hand accounts, historical photographs, and detailed records of city leadership, including mayors, recorders, treasurers, department heads, and long-serving employees. One volume also features a history of Davis High School, compiled from decades of yearbooks. Another highlights the city’s annually recognized “Unsung Heroes.”

Ross is a walking version of Kaysville’s history. “So many times it became overwhelming and I wanted to quit,” said Ross, “but if I did not complete the publication, it would not get done and I couldn’t live with that.” She even took a class on publishing at the Family History Center so that she could complete the process.

The Kaysville-Fruit Heights Museum of History & Art is excited to help in advertising the availability of the long-awaited historical set. Ross credits the help of Museum Chairperson Fawn Morgan and Kaysville’s beloved historian Bill Sanders to her success. Morgan said “the 250th anniversary of our country’s birth is the perfect year to read about our local history from a thoroughly researched perspective”.

Kaysville Mayor Tami Tran and the City Council recently awarded A Key to the City to Ross “in recognition of her dedication to preserving Kaysville’s history for future generations.”