William's Story
Birth: November 7th, 1854 | male | in Quincy, Adams, Illinois
Death: September 21st, 1856 | 1 year old | in Wyoming
Memorial: Stone 6 | left column
William N. Leason is the only child born to Mr. Leason from Illinois and Ruvina Jane Mount from Pennsylvania. Mr. Leason passed away in 1854.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ruvina with Willliam joined the James Willie Handcart Company to journey to the Salt Lake Valley.
Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Cholera, a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water, infected many of the travelers. To compound their challenges, the Company left late in the season, subjecting them to severe snowstorms and frigid temperatures. Of the 500 Saints in the Willie Handcart Company, 67-70 pioneers died before reaching the Salt Lake Valley. Among those lost was 1-year-old William. He is buried along the Mormon trail somewhere in Wyoming.
From the journal of William Woodward: "Sunday, 21 Sept. W.N. Leason, son of Sister Ruvinia Leason, of Quincy, Illinois, died at 11:30 p.m. of canker in the stomach. He was born on 7 Nov. 1854. "Monday, 22 Sept. W.N. Leason was buried this morning at 7 o'clock, a suitable inscription in wood being placed on the grave.”