Francis Laidlaw

Francis Laidlaw is the son of Francis Laidlaw and Jane L Roddick Ferguson Graham, from Scotland. The family immigrated to America with a desire to join other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to trek to the Great Salt Lake Valley. While waiting to join a company to travel west, Francis and one of his children passed away and were buried by the Missouri River.

Exhaustive travel, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Jane was expecting their third child when she joined the Daniel Garn Company. While on the journey she gave birth to a son Francis, named after his father. A month later, 1-month-old Francis passed away on the trail West. After burying her son, Jane took her remaining child, Mary Ellen, and journeyed on to the Salt Lake Valley.

Excerpt from the diary of William Athole: “Sunday 13th Widow Leadlaw [Jane Ferguson Laidlaw] was brought to bed of a son About 3 o’clock in the Morning (her Husband died on the Missouri River on his way to Zion) 13th Wednesday we camped by the Pacific Springs for the night and the Deans [Danes] went by us and the Indians with them. Thursday 14th we left and on our way sister Leadlaws [Laidlaw’s] young son [Francis Laidlaw] died and was buried it about ½ past 2 o’clock p.m.”