Jacob's Story
Birth: December 6th, 1853 | male | in Spiez, Bern, Switzerland
Death: October 17th, 1864 | 10 years old | by Green River in Wyoming
Memorial: Stone 13 | right column
Jacob Burgener is the fourth of seven children born to Jacob Burgener and Maria Mühlematter, both from Switzerland.
The Burgener family immigrated to America, sailing on the ship “Hudson.” After they arrived in America, they traveled to Nebraska where they joined the Warren S. Snow Company bound for the Utah Territory. Along with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Company left Nebraska on August 13, 1864.
Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Just weeks from entering the Salt Lake Valley, 10-year-old Jacob passed away and is buried along the Mormon Trail near Green River, Wyoming.
According to a family history: “The morning after an especially hard days travel, he, Christian, being only eight years old, and one of his brothers (Jacob, we feel sure) were standing by the fire having breakfast. He handed his brother a cup of hot drink--the cup fell to the ground and his brother dropped dead. (He was eleven years old) The company halted until he could be buried. This happened 17 October 1864.”