James Edwin Williams #2 (read previous entry first)

As I was doing a bit more research earlier in writing my previous post... I came across a website that I'm sure has been around awhile... but today it became a treasure - http://lib.byu.edu/mormonmigration/index.php it's the Mormon Migration website that's hosted through the library at BYU. Wonderful!

So... as I was reading TONS of details about the Ship Hudson and it's voyage from June 3, 1864 to July 20, 1864 on this page http://lib.byu.edu/mormonmigration/voyage.php?id=169&q=hudson%201864 I found one sentence that answered my question about little James Edwin Williams. This is pulled from the very end of a letter written by John Kay the president of this company headed to Utah to President Cannon,"Wednesday, July 20th, in Castle Garden, died of measles, James Edward, son of George and Harriet Williams, from Calne Branch, Bristol Conference, aged 10 months and 6 days."

James Edwin (even though he's called James Edward above) died of measles at Castle Garden on July 20th. More than likely he was buried at Wards Island in New York which was the public/potters field of that time.

An additional mention of this death was mentioned by Matthew McCune in his diary (on this same webpage), "Wednesday 20th July 1864, New York - Landed today at Castle Garden. About 11 o'clock a.m., a young of Brother Williams died of repercussion of measles after landing."

So go visit http://lib.byu.edu/mormonmigration/voyage.php?id=169&q=hudson%201864 and read the details about this voyage. Lots of kids died of the measles and were buried at sea in this huge group of LDS immigrants.