This pair of red leather shoes belonged to a pioneer girl, Georgina Fisher, who died along the trail near Laramie, Wyoming.
Of the about 70,000 pioneers who came to Utah from 1847 through 1869, close to 6,000 died along the way, making the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. One of them was Georgina Fisher.Georgina was born at Deptford, Kent County, England on August 17, 1846. Her father was Thomas Frederick Fisher, born February 18, 1811, in Chester, England. He was an excellent and artistic carpenter employed at the government dock yards in Woolwich. Her mother was Jane Christton Fisher born March 18, 1812 , in Deptford, England. Jane's dainty form and features won the heart of the English lad from Chester. And they were married in 1834.
Georgina was the sixth child born to Thomas and Jane. An other sister died at the age of two and a half years and a brother was stillborn.
In 1841, Lorenzo Snow carried the Gospel to Great Britain, and Jane was quick to recognize its beauty and love the strength it gave her. She and her family were soon baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There was much talk of the wonders of America among the missionaries and other members of the Church. Although Thomas's health was poor, the family was eager to join the Saints in Zion. They left Liverpool on April 8, 1854 on the Marshfield Bath. The ship was towed down the River Mersey to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Fishers were soon on their way to America with 366 other Saints aboard.
The seas were rough, and the food and water were poor. There was scarcely any privacy and little sanitation for their comfort aboard the ship. It was a great hardship for this family who had left a comfortable home furnished with treasures collected over many hyears. A little white Swiss organdy dress, skillfully made by her mother, was worn aboard the ship by Georgina as she danced and sang for the captain and other passengers. It was made in 1853 in England.
After six weeks on the ship, they landed at New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 29. From there they went by boat to St. Louis, Missouri, where there was a stake of Zion. They traveled on to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they were outfitted with a wagon and ox-team for the long journey.
The Fisher family joined the Robert L. Campbell Company in Westport, Missouri, and departed to cross the plains on July 18m, 1854. In the company were 397 individuals from America, Germany, England, Ireland, Jersey, Switzerland and Italy. They began their journey with 36 wagons, 170 oxen, 97 cows, 11 horses, 3 hens, 1 calf, 1 dog, and a donkey.
After traveling for two months, the company was near Laramie, Wyoming, at or near LaBonte Creek. It was here that the Fisher family experienced the tragic loss of their little eight-year-old daughter, Georgina, in a wagon accident. The trail excerpt reads as follows:
...about 8'clock at LaBonte Creek an accident, which after wards resulted in death, occurred. Just at the campground, Brother Thomas Fisher's wagon, having suddenly gone down a hill, his daughter Georgina, aged eight, years, being asleep in the wagon, fell out. The wheel of the wagon having gone over her..She died on the following morning...The grief of the parents on this occasion can be better understood than expressed, as the child was interesting, being well-educated and nicely accomplished for her years. We rolled at 7 ½ a.m.
The company arrived in Salt Lake in October and the Fishers settled in Bountiful, Utah.
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| Georgina Fisher |
