Niels Nielsen

Niels Nielsen is the son of Jens Nielsen and Elsie Rasmussen, both from Denmark.

The Nielsens with five children immigrated to America. After the arrived, they joined the James Willie Handcart Company to journey west with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Cholera, a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water, infected many of the travelers. Furthermore, this handcart company left late in the season, placing them in the path of freezing temperatures, low food rations, and snowstorms. Niels Nielsen, 6-years-old, was among the many Saints who perished under these life-threatening conditions. Neils and 14 others were buried together.

Of the 500 Saints in the Willie Handcart Company, 67-70 pioneers died before reaching the Salt Lake Valley.

From the history written by Jen Nielsen: “So we had to start our Journey again but before we did we had to dig a hole and bury 14 bodies & my only son [Niels] was among them and a girl [Bodil] who I had along for Bro Mortensen.”

From a journal of the journey, it recorded they were at Rock Creek: “They who died that night were laid in a small ditch with their boots or shoes on and covered."