Joseph's Story
Birth: December 26th, 1862 | male | undefined
Death: August 11th, 1863 | Infant | Unknown Location
Memorial: Stone 12 | right column | 44th name
Oscar Joseph James Eliason, born 26 December 1862 in Lindås, Liared, Älvsborg, Sweden; died: 11 August 1863, West of Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Stone: # 12 Right
Oscar Joseph James Eliason is the fifth of nine children born to Anders Eliasson and Christina Hedvig Carlsdotter, both of Sweden. The family immigrated to America, sailing on the ship B.S. Kimball. After arriving in America, they traveled to Nebraska to join the John A. Young Company to journey to the Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The company left June 30, 1863.
Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. While traveling in Wyoming, 18-month-old Joseph became ill and passed away of unknown causes. He is buried 55 miles west of Fort Laramie, Wyoming along the Mormon Trail.
From the diary of Hans P. Lund: “Aug 11 crossed Platte and drove through some mountainpasses. Br. Anders Eliasens son [Joseph Oscar], 1½, died, They are from Gøteborg. Aug 11 Drove over distances with burned grass, camped near Platte”