John's Story
Birth: November 23rd, 1848 | male | in Heywood, Lancashire, England
Death: October 3rd, 1853 | 4 years old | in Echo Canyon, Summit, Utah
Memorial: Stone 4 | right column
John Thomas Openshaw is the first of seven children born to George Openshaw and Nancy Ingham, both from England. George and Nancy married in 1845 in England.
In 1853, 4-year-old John Thomas immigrated with his parents to America. After arriving they joined the Cyrus H. Wheelock Company to travel west 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. As the company was near the end of the journey, John Thomas suffered from dysentery (severe diarrhea) and passed away in Echo Canyon. His parents carried his body with them to the Valley and buried their son in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.