William Crystal

William Crystal is the sixth of 13 children born to Andrew Crystal and Elizabeth Cousin, both from Scotland. The Crystal family immigrated to America crossing the ocean on the ship “Cynosure.” While on the ship there was a measles outbreak. William was among the children who contracted the disease.

After arriving in America, the Crystal family traveled to Nebraska and joined the Samuel D. White Company to journey to the Great Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The company left Nebraska on August 15, 1863.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Two weeks into the trek, William grew weaker, still suffering from the effects of measles. On September 1, 1863, 1-year-old William passed away and is buried in Nebraska by Pawnee Springs.

From the parent’s history: “While crossing the plains many of the people died. This was the lot of one of the Crystal children, William age one. Captain Height took the flour from his box, put it in a sack and fixed the box up as a casket for the little boy. The company halted long enough to bury the boy then started on their westward journey again.”

William Henry Perkes recorded: “Tuesday Sep 1st Started about 8 am and crossed the first sand hill but again struck the bottom of the River where we camped for noon. The heat this afternoon was very great, flying ants troubled us very much. This morning the infant child of Wm Crystal aged 1 yr died & was buried. he died of measles taken on ship board. Camped in the evening on Pawnee Spring. Beautiful water. No wood Visited by Soue Indians in the evening”