Edward Lorenzo Gange

Edward Lorenzo Gange is the youngest of seven children born to Thomas Edmund Gange Sr. and Ann E Powell, both from England. The family immigrated to America on the ship “Hudson.” After being on the ocean for two days, Ann delivered a son, Edward Lorenzo.

After they arrived in America, they traveled to Florence, Nebraska and joined the William Hyde Company to journey to the Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latte-day Saints. The Company left August 9, 1864.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Many of the Saints became ill, suffering from diarrhea; then cholera (a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water).

When the company was about five miles west of Wyoming, Nebraska, 2-year-old Edward Lorenzo was among the victims of the disease and passed away.

That morning a grave was dug. However, the bottom of the grave filled with water. They made the grave less deep, cut sage brush and laid the brush in the bottom. The precious body was sewn in a piece of blanket and laid on top of the sage brush to keep dry. Then he was covered with more brush and dirt. Sage was planted on the top of the grave to discourage the wolves from disturbing the grave.