George Peder Geertsen

George Peder Geertsen was the first of six children born to Peter Christian Geertsen and Mariane Pedersen Gjoderum, both of Denmark. The family immigrated to America by sailing on the ship “Monarch Of The Sea.” After their arrival in America, they went to Florence, Nebraska where they joined an unknown company to trek to the 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. When the company was near Wyoming, Nebraska, 1-year-old George passed away of undocumented reasons. There is a memorial for him next to the Mormon Trail where he is buried.