William's Story
Birth: November 17th, 1842 | male | in Washington, Washington, Texas
Death: June 27th, 1855 | 12 years old | by Maryville, Kansas
Memorial: Stone 5 | right column
William H. East is the second of 11 children born to Edward Wallace East of Virginia and Willmirth Matilda Greer of Georgia. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the family joined the Seth M. Blair / Edward Stevenson Company of 1855 to trek to the great Salt Lake Valley.
Disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Cholera (a bacterial disease caused by contaminated water) threatened many of the company, including several children of the East family, including William and his sisters Nancy and Mary.
William and Mary died on June 27.
Edward’s journal records: “cholera broke out in our Camp on the 18th, some twenty-three miles from Atchison. Brother M. R. Jone’s daughter was taken in the night and Brother Jones in the morning, and my children, William, over twelve years old, and Mary nearly five, were taken the same day.”