George Ossian Walton

George Ossian Walton is the son of William Henry Harrison Walton and Frances Newell Taylor, both from Maine. After his parents married in Maine, 1843, they settled in Illinois where George was born.

The family joined the Harry Walton / Garden Grove Company of 1851 to journey to the Great Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. While traveling, 7-month- old George came down with a fever and became very ill. According to his father’s journal: “Thursday, June 19 Very heavy showers last evening. A man and his son near here was struck by lightning[,] the boy instantly killed[,] but the man soon recovered. I have also to relate the painful event in this little book of the death of little George who[,] after suffering intensly with the congestive fever, died this morning about five o’clock, aged seven months and 19 days. He was as pretty a child as I ever saw, and the only thoughts that can comfort his mother is that he can suffer no more. He was cut down like a tender rose bud, but his lovly co[u]ntenance from our memories will never be effacd. Alars [Alas]! to[o] lovely for this earth, and it soon returned to the blessed Savior, who said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven.

“Sweet child thou hast gone to thy rest but we know thou’lt be forever blessed disease may pass from shore to shore but it will touch thy sweet frame no more. And while we on our journey pass, let this be a simple epitaph.

“Funeral at four oclock P.M. prayer and exortation by Elder Brown. He was then burried in Kanesville burrying lot. A pleasant place on a hill.”