James Powell

James Powell is the third of six children born to James Thomas Henry Powell and Sarah Brittle, both of England.

James and his mother were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England on November 1861. After James’ father passed away (in England), Sarah took two of her living children and immigrated to America, sailing on the ship “Minnesota.” After they arrived in America, they traveled by train to Nebraska and joined the Joseph S. Rawlins Company. The company left Nebraska on July 25, 1868 bound for the Salt Lake Valley.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Cholera, a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water, infected many of the travelers. In the second week of their journey, 17-year-old James drowned while crossing the Plate River in Nebraska. His body was never recovered.

From the journal of Zebulon Jacobs, company clerk: “August 1st... In crossing the river Thursday a young boy by the name of James Powell 19yrs drowned while crossing he got into the deep water and was carried out of sight, his body could not be found, it cast a gloom over the company he the eldest son of Sarah Powell a widower he was her main support she being a cripple. It nearly broke the old lady heart."