Martha's Story
Birth: May 28th, 1861 | female | in Pennsylvania
Death: September 6th, 1862 | 1 year old | Eleven miles west of Fort Laramie, Wyoming
Memorial: Stone 11 | left column | 14th name
Martha Ann’s parents are William Priest and Martha Allmark, both of England.
They came from England and stayed in Pennsylvania to work and earn money to journey to the Salt Lake Valley. When the civil war broke out, they decided it was time to depart.
It was in Pennsylvania that their fifth child was born, a daughter named Martha Ann.
They joined the Ansil P. Harmon Company to travel west. The company left August 1.
On September 6, little 1 year old Martha Ann passed away from diarrhea.
From the parent’s history, they recorded:
“6 Sep the first thing to note this morning is the Death of my little Child Martha Ann. She has been Sick More or less, since we was coming up the river. with the dierrea, and She had not Been to say well Since then, the dierrea Seem to have Stoped a few days ago and turn to information [inflamation] of the Bawles & Died this morning about 5. a.m. and was bured on a little knoll over looking the Platt river, about 12 Miles West of Fort Larime.”