Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do

Missionaries serving at Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission

This past week we left Wyoming.  Our six month mission in the Wyoming Trail Mission is over and we have been officially released.  We made many friends while we served there: adults, youth and missionaries.  We will miss them all, but we know we will see them again someday.  Other special friends we made while serving on our mission are those friendship we will always carry in our hearts. We have grown to love them over these past months.  We know we will have to wait until the next life to meet them, but we remain friends none-the-less. People like:

Niels Anderson, 41, a sturdy farmer from Denmark, traveling in 1856 with his wife, Mette, age 49, and his 14 yr. old daughter, Anna. Niels had shown himself to be one of the strongest and bravest in the entire Willie Company. In October he began to be affected by dysentery which was becoming increasingly common among the company. By October 23 Niels was so affected by this that his wife had to pull the cart by herself. Niels struggled to make the ascent over Rocky Ridge on his own and finally was carried by Levi Savage in one of the sick wagons. He passed away sometime that night after arriving in Rock Creek Hollow.

Elizabeth Bailey, 50, was traveling with her husband, John, age 51, their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, 17, Sarah Steed, 20, and Ellen Jones, 6 (it was common for non-related friends to travel together and for families who couldn't afford to emigrate to send their children ahead with friends or family members). The extreme weather and lack of food was too much for Elizabeth, and she died after her ascent over Rocky Ridge. She is buried at Rock Creek Hollow. Her husband, John, was so severely frostbitten that he could not walk and was carried by his daughter, Mary Elizabeth, until he, too, succumbed and died just a few days before entering the Salt Lake Valley. Sarah Steed's uncle, Thomas Steed, was one of the rescuers sent from Salt Lake. Mary Elizabeth eventually married Thomas and they had one son. Mary died at age 38 while Thomas was away serving a mission in New Zealand.

Samuel Gadd, 11,  was traveling with his father, Samuel 41, his mother Eliza 40, and his siblings: Alfred 18, Jane 16, William 12, Mary Ann 7, Sarah 5, and twin baby brothers Isaac and Daniel 16 mos. Although Samuel's father was a member of the Church, his mother was not baptized at the time they crossed the plains with the Willie Company. She wanted the family to remain together and so followed along with her husband's plan to immigrate to America to be with the Saints. The journey was difficult for everyone, and the Gadd family was no exception. One of the twins, little Daniel, died just before the family reached Ft. Laramie. Samuel's dad contracted pneumonia while performing guard duty in Iowa City and had never recovered. The combined strain of carrying many women and children across the icy rivers, standing guard during freezing nights, insufficient food, and extreme weather conditions proved too much, and Samuel Sr. died 5 days after little Daniel. After the forced march up and over Rocky Ridge, Samuel Jr. joined his father and younger brother in death. His mother said, “Of all her children, Samuel was the most anxious to reach Zion, but it was not to be.” After burying her husband and 2 children on the freezing plains of Wyoming, Eliza and the remaining children arrived in Salt Lake November 9th. One week later, Eliza was baptized a member of the Church. One of her descendants later wrote of Eliza: “She had proved herself a faithful Latter-day Saint and had earned the love and respect of the entire community.” Thousands of the Gadd posterity bless the names of these faithful ancestors for their fortitude amidst severe trials.

James Gibb, 67, and his wife Mary were some of the first to join the Church in their native Edinburgh, Scotland. James was a sailor, and he and Mary were anxious to come to Zion first to prepare a way to bring the rest of their family later. John Chislett, a fellow traveler, shared this account: The day we crossed Rocky Ridge it was snowing a little—the wind hard from the north-west—and blowing so keenly that it almost pierced us through. We had to wrap ourselves closely in blankets, quilts, or whatever else we could get, to keep from freezing…The ascent of the ridge commenced…and I had not gone far up it before I overtook a cart that the folks could not pull through the snow, here about knee deep. I helped them along, and we soon overtook another. By all hands getting to one cart we could travel; so we moved one of the carts a few rods, and then went back and brought up the other. After moving in this way for a while, we overtook other carts at different points of the hill, until we had six carts, not one of which could be moved by the parties owning it. I put our collective strength to three carts at a time, took them a short distance, and then brought up the other three. James and Mary were some of the oldest members of the Willie Company, and the extreme hardships of the journey took their toll. The ascent up Rocky Ridge was more than James' weakened body could take. He died and was buried at Rock Creek Hollow on Mary's 53rd birthday.

Chesterton John Gillman, 76, a sailor and coal miner, and his wife, Mary Ann Goodrum, joined the Church against the wishes of their 11 children. Mary died in 1854, and Chesterton determined to go forward alone with their plans to join the Saints in Utah. The journey and privations that ensued were difficult for all the handcart company members, but were especially hard on the very old and the very young. As one of the very oldest of the Willie Company, Chesterton faced a challenging journey under the best of circumstances. With reduced rations and insufficient clothing to protect him from the raging elements, Chesterton's determination brought him up and over Rocky Ridge and into Rock Creek Hollow. The snow was more than a foot deep, a blizzard raged, and temperatures were below freezing. The forced march took some of the company 27 hours, and many left a trail of bloody footprints in the snow. There his exhausted body could go no further, and he died and was buried at the Hollow. “One of Chesterton's sons joined the Church and emigrated to Utah in 1859, his wife and child following in 1860. Perhaps if Chesterton had not been so determined in the first place, none of his posterity would have chosen to follow his dream of reaching his “Zion” in the Rocky Mountains of Utah.”

Thomas Girdlestone, 62, a father of 11 children was the overseer of a large farm in Northern England. He and his wife, Mary (59), were traveling to Utah with their daughter Emma, 21. Thomas made the arduous ascent up Rocky Ridge and into Rock Creek Hollow, but the effort under such extreme conditions was more than his aged body could take. Thomas died the next day after helping dig the common grave for 13 who had succumbed the day before. Five days later, Thomas' wife died and was buried near the Green River. Emma, the lone surviving member of their traveling family, entered the Valley on November 9, 1856. She eventually had 10 children and lived to be 79 years old.


William Groves, 22, was a young man traveling to Zion alone, though not without many friends and fellow travelers in the Willie Company. Young men such as William were depended upon by others in the company who needed their strength. They often helped carry others across icy rivers and assisted the companies in many ways. “After food supplies were exhausted and the tortuous trek over Rocky Ridge and to Rock Creek completed, many more pioneers died. William was exhausted himself, but continued to help as he assisted in digging the large common grave at Rock Creek. His youthful strength was finally spent and he died the next day.

James Kirkwood, 11, and his family joined the Church in their native Scotland and made plans to immigrate to Utah to be with the Saints. His father and sister died in 1852, but his mother Margaret and three brothers (Robert 21, Thomas 19, and Joseph 5) worked hard to fulfill their dream of coming to Zion. They sold many precious possessions to finance their journey. Thomas' legs had been injured as a boy and had never healed properly. Unable to walk, the family knew he would have to be pulled in the cart with their few belongings and meager food rations. Robert helped his mother with the heavy load, and James was given charge of making sure little Joseph kept up with the family. By the time the company reached Rocky Ridge, young Joseph's feet had been frozen and he was unable to walk. There was no room for him in the cart, so James carried him the tortuous 15 mile forced march—sometimes putting him down when his arms were weary, but always picking him back up without complaint. Early in the hours of October 24, 1856, James finally arrived at camp with his little brother and found his mother and brothers waiting up for them with a welcome fire burning. The excursion was too much for James' starving, weakened body. He carefully lowered Joseph into his mother's care, sat down by her and quietly died. Young Joseph, his remaining brothers and their mother survived the grueling ordeal.

William James, 46, and Jane James and their 8 children (Sarah 19, Emma Jane 16, Reuben 13, Mary Ann 11, Martha 9, George 6, John Parley 4, and Jane 8 months) left their home in England to come join the Saints in Zion. William worked as a farm laborer in his homeland but suffered from rheumatism and was not robust. The journey to Utah brought challenges to the family from the beginning. Baby Jane died while crossing the ocean and was buried at sea. Supplies were not ready as expected when they reached America and precious time was spent making carts and tents for the large Willie Company. Early winter storms and lack of food took its deadly toll. As the Willie Company began its daunting ascent up Rocky Ridge, William and Reuben stayed behind to help bury those who had died during the night. Finally they began their ascent. William collapsed and urged his wife to go with the others and he would come as soon as he was rested. Jane left Reuben with William and went ahead with the other children. But William's strength had entirely left him. John Chislett, a subcaptain, came upon William and tried to lift him up and help him along. But John hadn't enough strength to carry the older man, so he wrapped him in another quilt and told Reuben to stay by his father and John would send someone back to bring them in. Reuben was to “walk up and down by his father, and on no account to sit down, or he would be frozen to death.” When Chislett arrived in camp around 11 p.m. and reported William and Reuben's situation, boys from the Valley got a wagon and went back for them. “They found the little fellow keeping faithful watch over his father, who lay sleeping in my quilt just as I left him. They lifted him into a wagon, still alive, but in a sort of stupor. He died before morning”. Reuben was severely frostbitten but survived the rest of the journey as did his remaining family.

Ole Madsen, 41, was a Danish convert who came with his family and traveled with the Willie Company to join the Saints in Zion: Ole 41, Ane 44, Johanna Marie 15, Christene 13, Anna Marie 10, and Anders 5. He and Ane left several other children from Ane's first marriage in Denmark. Ole was a strong farmer and laborer and did much to lighten the loads of others along the journey. He also learned to hunt buffalo. Ole's strength and fortitude left him after the tortuous ascent of Rocky Ridge and on into Rock Creek Hollow, and he died after arriving there.


Bodil Mortensen, 9, joined the Church in her native Denmark with her parents and siblings. Her older sister, Anne Margrette, had gathered to Utah previously, and her parents were sending their children to Zion as they had money available. Niels Mortensen, a weaver, could not afford to bring his family all at once. It was Bodil's turn in 1856, and her parents sent her to travel with their friends, Jens and Else Nielsen. One of Bodil's responsibilities was to help take care of Niels Nielsen, the 5-year-old son of her traveling companions. As the Nielsen family began the arduous ascent up and over Rocky Ridge, Jens became unable to walk any further. Jens was a tall man and Elsie was a small woman, but she would not leave her dear husband on the side. Instead, she packed him on the cart and pulled him into camp. This left Bodil and young Niels to struggle along as best they could. Many families were separated that day as they journeyed through the blinding snow and freezing temperatures. Upon arriving in camp, Bodil delivered her young charge to his parents and then went off to find firewood. After gathering an armful of sagebrush, she leaned up against one of the wheels and closed her eyes to rest. She was found the next morning frozen to death and was buried near her young friend Niels who had also died during the night. Bodil's parents and two other siblings left early in 1857 to travel to Zion before they could be notified of Bodil's death. They arrived in late fall hoping to find Bodil and Anne together in Utah, but were deeply saddened by the news of Bodil's passing. Her mother never recovered from her grief and died just a few years later in Parawan where the family had settled. Her father continued his weaving trade and was known for his charity and concern for others.

Ella Nielson, 22, called “Hellie,” began her journey from Denmark to Zion with her grandparents, but they both died early on (possibly on the ship), and so she continued traveling with her friends, Ole and Ella Wicklund and their children. On October 16, Sister Wicklund gave birth to a baby boy. This was just three days before the Willie Company was hit by their first winter storm and was almost entirely out of food. Hellie had been sharing her meager rations with Sister Wicklund to help give her strength for childbirth and had surely spent countless hours helping the new mother, new baby and other children, ages 8, 6, 3, and 1. The ascent up Rocky Ridge in a state of starvation and exhaustion, coupled with the extreme exposure to the merciless elements, took its final toll on Ella. Without strength to continue, she was left on the side of the trail wrapped in a buffalo robe. Brother Wicklund returned later and carried her back to camp. His 8 year-old-daughter Christina slept next to her for the rest of the night in an attempt to keep her warm, but to no avail. When morning came, Hellie was dead. Her hair had become encased in ice and had to be chopped free before she could be buried. The Wicklunds and their 5 children survived the remaining difficult journey and safely arrived in Utah November 9.

Niels Nielson, 5, was the young son of Jens and Elsie Nielson. He and his parents were traveling to Zion with their friend Bodil Mortensen and about 160 other individuals from Denmark.  His father, Jens, was a wealthy man and had shared freely of his abundance with others on their journey. Jens “could have obtained wagons, horses, stacks of food and other supplies and traveled west in style and comfort and early enough to beat the winter. He gained the great victory over selfishness by parting with his life's savings and demonstrated his unyielding faith so that those Saints who had nothing might at least have a handcart.” Once in Iowa, Jens kept only enough money to purchase a cart and to stock it with 15 pounds of belongings per person. Then he gave the rest of his money to the Church. Little Niels, Bodil, Elsie, and Jens continued their journey west with the Willie Company. The 15 pounds of belongings Jens kept for his family was insufficient to counter the lack of rations and early winter storms that set in mercilessly. Rocky Ridge and its tortuous ascent took its final toll. Jens' feet froze and he could not walk. Exhausted, he stopped and told his wife to go on. Refusing to give up or give in, Elsie (a very small woman) put Jens (a very large man) on the cart and pulled him into camp.

Ane Olsen, 46, and her 12-year-old son, Lorenzo, were part of the large group of Danish Saints who traveled with the Willie Company. At least two other families traveling with them came from their little branch in Denmark: Nils and Mette Anderson and their daughter Anna, and Ole and Anna Madsen and their four children. Arriving in a new land, surrounded by customs and language so foreign to all they knew, the immigrants who did not speak English faced unique challenges in addition to the privations and severe weather that beleaguered the entire company. But Ane gave freely of her substance to those around her, whether they shared her native land and language or not. Company leaders appealed for monetary help for the poor, and at least twice aboard the ship records indicate that Ane answered their request just as she had answered the prophet's call to come to Zion, living the Lord's injunction that “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” Ane's journey did not end in the Valley as she and Lorenzo had planned. Unable to withstand the terrible tribulations that had come with exhausted provisions and severe weather, Ane died after the terrible ascent over Rocky Ridge and into Rock Creek Hollow and was buried there. Lorenzo was left an orphan.

Lars Gudman Wandelin, 60,  was from Gelle, Sweden, and was a talented watchmaker. One of the few cherished possessions Lars kept with him was a silver watch. Records do not indicate that he was traveling with any close family members, but other families from Sweden came with the Willie Company, and surely he had friends among the large group. Unable to continue after the tremendously difficult ascent up Rocky Ridge and into Rock Creek Hollow—a journey made with empty stomachs and insufficient clothing to be protected from the raging elements—many of the Willie Company were at death's door. Lars could not go on, and as he lay dying, he made clear that he did not want to be buried with his treasured silver watch. Instead, Lars donated that beautiful time piece to the Perpetual Emigration Fund so that others who had not money of their own could come to Zion. Lars died on October 24, 1856, and was buried at Rock Creek Hollow.

Lest We Forget

Happy Trails to You!