Richard George Banford

Richard George Banford was the youngest of six children born to Samuel Banford and Charlotte Tarrant, both from England. The family immigrated to America and joined the Jesse B. Martin Company of 1857 to journey to the Great Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. When the company was only a few weeks out of Iowa, Richard suffered from “black canker” (a type of skin cancer).

According to the company records: “Mrs. Banford hurried and walked ahead of the train reached the next settlement sometime in advance of the main party. There she purchased lumber, and they made a crude but strong casket for their dear little baby. Just at evening, they buried him at the side of the road.”