Transcript
Transcript for Smith, William, [Autobiography], in "Utah Pioneer Biographies," 44 vols., 2:185-86
We landed alright at Florence which was in Nebraska. While we was on the camping ground we had one of the awfulest storms that I ever saw, with thunder and lightening and rain and the wind blowed as though the very eliments was coming down.There was a creek that ran past where we camped and a bridge over it. While John W. Young and others was traveling along the road, John W. Young was struck with lightening and hurt pretty bad. Some tents was blown over. I was a might glad that night; while going my rounds, I saw one tent that was blown over and a girl laying asleep on some boxes. I brought her to our tent and let her stay until next morning and then took her to her father and mother.
We remained here about six weeks. We had two small children (children of our own.) We left Florence towards the last of August with a company of Saints that was led by Captain P. Harmans church train.
We arrived in Salt Lake City on the 5th of October with emigrants. Some fifteen children had died on the plains from measles. There was 3 grown persons died. One old man of the name of Smith, he went down in the brush to ease himself and laid down and died.
One young lady in the next tent to ours. A wagon or two behind us there was a babe fell out of the wagon down between the wheels and if it had not been for a rock that was between the wheel and the childs head, it would have been killed. The strangest thing was about the rock was how it came there. The teamsters and the Captain said there could not be another found within one hundred miles of that place and it was a miracle.My wife was confined in one of the wagons of a girl. Her name was Lucy D. Platt Smith, born September 10, 1862 near the Platt river 8 miles West of Dear Creek, Nebraska territory at half past eleven at night, and died on 21st of October 1862 <[NOTE: It is recorded in his record book that Lucy D. Platt Smith died 16 Oct. 1862.)>.