Sarah Altana Catlin

Sarah Altana Catlin is the daughter of George Washington Catlin Sr. of New York and Elizabeth Marilla Emery of Pennsylvania.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Catlin Family joined the William Snow / Joseph Young Company to journey west to the Great 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. Cholera (a bacterial disease caused by contaminated water) invaded the camp and infected many Saints. Four miles west of Rock Creek, 4-year-old Sarah died of the disease and was buried near Murdock, Nebraska. Sarah’s mother also became ill with cholera and died on July 5 and is buried near Clear Creek, Nebraska.

According to the journal of William Snow: “Wednesday, 26th. We traveled 6 miles to Rock Creek. Crossed over foornoon. On the west bank of this creek we saw three graves of the Saints, viz. M. McDougal, Alfred Brown, a child by the name of Webb. Continued our journey on this afternoon to where we found water on the prairie without timber, about 4 miles from the creek. Here we camped. This night Clark Campbell, aged 26 years, died with chol[e]ra. Also a little girl of Geo. Catlins 4 years old [Sarah Altana Catlin].”

*Margaret S. Loosle researched where little Sarah is buried and said “Oxbow Trail near Murdock, Nebraska”