Mariah's Story
Birth: November 7th, 1856 | female | in Genoa, California
Death: October 16th, 1857 | Infant | Nevada on the Mormon Trail East
Memorial: Stone 8 | center column
Mariah’s parents are George Nebeker II of Delaware and Elizabeth Dilworth of Pennsylvania.
In 1855 George was sent to Carson City for a mission, Elizabeth and children accompanied him there. When President Brigham Young called for the Saints to come back to Utah, they joined the Chester Loveland Company to travel back East to Utah. They left September 26th.
They were two weeks into the journey when little Maria passed away. There is no information found as to why she passed away.
According to Elizabeth's history:
“After Maria died, her father took the end gates from their wagons and made a crude coffin. They couldn't bury their daughter where she died, because the animals would dig the child up. They took her in her coffin to Salt Lake City and buried her there. It took 6 weeks from the time she died until they arrived in Salt Lake City.”
Henry P. Richards diary:
“Fri Oct 16th/57. I assisted Bro Nebaker in the morning, he being busy preparing the Corpse to take through to the Valley.”
Little Mariah is buried somewhere in Salt Lake City.