Peter's Story
Birth: May 20th, 1847 | male | in New Diggins, Lafayette, Wisconsin
Death: July 12th, 1850 | 3 years old | West of Fort Kearney, Nebraska
Memorial: Stone 1 | left column
Peter Weston Maughan is the second of eight children born Mary Ann Weston and Peter Maughan, both of England. Mary Ann and Peter immigrated to America. When Mary arrived in Ohio, she met and married Peter.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Maughan family joined the Warren Foote's Company to journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. As they approached Fort Kearney, Nebraska, 3-year-old Peter was riding in the front of the wagon with his brother and sister. The children had been warned several times to hold on tight when riding in the wagon as it was easy to lose balance.
The trail was bumpy and on July 12, 1850, Peter lost his balance and fell in the path of the wagon wheels. The wagon stopped before the second set of wheels passed over him. He was very bruised and broken. He looked at his parents lovingly, closed his eyes, and passed away.
They dressed him in white clothing. One of the brethren in the company made him a little coffin out of a dry goods box. Peter was buried on the north side of the road along the trail in Nebraska, and they consecrated his grave before moving on.