William's Story
Birth: May 7th, 1863 | male | in Jarrow, Durham, England
Death: September 4th, 1864 | 1 year old | near Sweetwater, Wyoming
Memorial: Stone 13 | left column | 42nd name
William Burnhope Spens is one of two children born to Nathaniel Spens of Scotland and Jane Ann Burnhope of England.
The Spens family immigrated from England to the America on the ship “General McClellan.” After arriving in America, they traveled to Nebraska to join the Joseph S. Rawlings Company bound for the Salt Lake Valley. With other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Company left Nebraska on July 15, 1864.
Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. September 4, 1864, three days after leaving Sweetwater Bridge, little William passed away from dysentery.
He is buried along the Mormon Trail at Sweetwater, Wyoming.