Polly Caroline Card

Polly Caroline Card is the third of five children born to Cyrus Williams Card and Sarah Ann Tuttle, both born in New York.

After the family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they desired to join other members in Zion in the Great Salt Lake Valley. They traveled to Nebraska and joined the Edmund Ellsworth Handcart Company. The company began the trek June 9, 1856.

On Monday, June 30, 14-year-old Polly 30 June, Polly came down with “consumption” (a serious lung disease) and passed away. She is buried in the West Linn Cemetery in Linden, Iowa.

John Oakley who traveled with the company, wrote: “Mon. [June] 30th Came 16 mi[.] a little N. of the Stage road[.] good spring[.] 2 houses near. Bro. [Cyrus William] Card's (from N. Y. State) daughter Polly C Card age 14 y. 9 mo. 9 da. died of consumption. burried in burrying ground at the Town of Linden (I think). Bro. Card & Bro. France traveled in Company with their families in waggons but not connected with the H[and] Cart Co."

Another pioneer traveling with the company wrote: "Wednesday [July] 2nd Rose about 5 o'clock after sleeping in wet clothes, and made a coffin for Bro. Card belonging to the Independent Company but travels with us, for his daughter named_____ [Polly Caroline] Card, aged _________ [14]. 5 miles from Indian town.”