George Edward Bell

George Edward Bell is the son of Edward Bell and Jane Brown, both from England. The Bell family immigrated to America on the ship “John Bright.” Once in America, they traveled to Nebraska where they, and other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joined the Samuel D. White Company, departing Nebraska on August 8, 1866 for the Salt Lake Valley.

Disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. As the company journeyed through Wyoming, 9-month-old George Edward passed away of unknown causes. He is buried by a river in Wyoming.

From his mother’s history: “One of them was the baby boy that was about 9 months old and George Edward became very ill as they traveled. Jane and the two children walked and pulled the handcart with Edward and the baby in it. The baby died and was buried along the trail in Wyoming in a shallow grave as the ground was so hard they couldn't dig a deep grave. A little girl’s sun bonnet was a covering for the baby, they covered the body the best they could with dirt and rocks. Later that night Jane heard wild animals howling and feared that they had dug the baby up.”

From Richard Litson's journal: “On crossing a bridge, they saw Laramie to the left, and had to stop and be examined before they could proceed further. During the time the company was stopped for examination, a child of Brother & Sister Belle [Bell] died and they buried her [him] beside a large tree on a hill.”