Matilda's Story
Birth: February 20th, 1859 | female | in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Death: August 20th, 1864 | 5 years old | by the South of South Platte River, Nebraska
Memorial: Stone 13 | left column
Matilda Howard is the nineth (she had a twin sister, Elizabeth) of 11 children born to Joseph Howard and Ann Shelton, both of England. The family immigrated from England to America, sailing on the ship “Hudson.” After they arrived in America, they traveled to Nebraska and joined the William Hyde Company to journey to the Great Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Company left August 9, 1864.
Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Matilda was infected with Mountain Spotted Fever (a bacterial infection caused by a tick bite). When the Company neared the South Platte River, 5-year-old Matilda passed away and is buried there. Her younger sister, Tamar, died a week prior and her mother passed away in Sweetwater, Wyoming of the same disease.