William Harvey Gange

William Harvey Gange is the fourth of seven children born to Thomas Edmund Gange Sr. and Ann E Powell, both from England. The family immigrated to America by sailing on the ship “Hudson.” After being on the ocean for two days, Ann delivered a son, Edward Lorenzo.

Once the family arrived in America, they traveled to Florence, Nebraska and joined the William Hyde Company to journey west to the Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Company left August 9, 1864.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Shortly after beginning their trek, many members of the party became ill, suffering from diarrhea and cholera (a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water). Among the victims as Williams's baby brother, Edward, who died August 12. Then, when the company was 80 miles west of Wyoming, Nebraska, 8-year-old William grew ill. At midday as the company stopped to eat and feed the animals, Ann tried to encourage William to eat. He was pale, limp, and would not eat. Shortly after the company began to travel, William Harvey Gange passed away.

William and another member of the company were buried side-by-side. The bottom of the grave was lined with sage brush, then the bodies were sewed in pieces of blanket and covered with sage brush and dirt. Sage and rocks were placed on top of the grave to keep animals from disturbing the burial place.