My Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Denney, Second Wife to David Leaker.

Elizabeth Denney Leaker

      My grandmother, Florence Leaker's mother,
Elizabeth immigrated to America USA at the age of 17. She came across the Atlantic on the ship Hudson on the third of June 1864. A Compilation of General Voyage Notes of the ship Hudson.  She arrived on 19 July 1864 in New York on the ship Hudson with 1038 LDS passengers and Church Leader, John M. Kay, presiding. She came and arrived without family. On the ship's manifest it was noted that she was a spinster.

     On the ninth of August 1864 she started her emigration to the Salt Lake Valley with the pioneer William Hyde Company. There were 350 individuals and 62 wagons in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post at Wyoming, Nebraska (the west bank of the Missouri River about 40 miles south of Omaha) She made the trek with Ann and Priscilla Boyd, Henry Code, and the Daniel Clark family.
     William Hyde's Church train with 62 ox-drawn wagons left Wyoming, Nebraska Territory, on August 9. Wyoming was a Missouri river port founded in 1855 and used as the principal outfitting place by Mormon companies from 1864 to 1866. It was located 44 miles south of Omaha and 6 miles north of Nebraska City. Mormons were attracted to the port city of Wyoming because of its expansive staging ground and distance from Nebraska City. It was just far enough away from the rough elements and lures of Nebraska City, yet close enough that they could easily connect with the Nebraska City-Fort Kearny Cutoff. This cutoff was established about 1860 by military freight contractors and Nebraska City businessmen. It was the shortest route from the Missouri River to Fort Kearny and became a secondary route of the Oregon Trail. It ran 169 miles directly west and shortened the distance from the old Ox-Bow Trail by about 50 miles. From William Hyde's company became one of the largest death tolls among the Mormon wagon companies. Read Narrative of the William Hyde Pioneer Company.
     She became acquainted with David William Leaker soon after her arrival. David took Elizabeth as his second wife on the 25th of March 1965 where they were sealed in the Endowment House in the Salt Lake Valley. David was age 33 and Elizabeth was age 19.