Thomas Durham — Preservation in the Martin Handcart Company

Thomas Durham and his wife Mary Morton were members of the ill-fated Edward Martin Handcart Company of 1856. As the company was caught in early, severe winter storms in the Wyoming wilderness, hundreds perished from cold and starvation. Durham's family records indicate that despite his physical frailty and the extreme conditions, he was sustained by a 'supernatural strength' that allowed him to continue pulling his handcart and survive the trek when many others of similar constitution did not. He attributed their survival to the direct protection and deliverance of God in response to fervent prayer.