Cyrenius Edward Bagley

Cyrenius Edward Bagley is a son and the seventh of 12 children born to Edward Cyrenius Bagley of Connecticut and Julia Anne Grant of Canada. With other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and with a desire to trek west to the great Salt Lake Valley, they joined the Seth M. Blair and Edward Stevenson Company.

Cholera, a disease caused from contaminated water or food, was an all-to-frequent threat to the pioneers. Cyrenius and his mother suffered from the illness. His mother died on June 20, 1855, and Cyrenius succumbed to the disease three days later. He is buried by Nymnshaw Creek on the trail through Kansas Territory.

Information from the Company journal: “…on the Next day 23rd Sister Middlemas, Eliza Greer, and A. Priestly died. On the same day S. Bagley, M. A. Jones, Julia A. Bagley, Fanny Philips, Emma S. Middlemass, Hugh Philips, and John Greer.

“The Bagley family started across the plains with the Seth M. Blair/Edward Stevenson Company but family members soon died from cholera so they stopped at the Big Nemaha River ‘to clean up the wagon and selves.’ They then continued on to Utah with the Richard Ballantyne Company. He is listed as "S. Bagley" in Blair/Stevenson Company journal.”