Death of John S. Carter from Cholera
Published September 3, 2026 at 9:59 AM
John S. Carter was a member of Zion's Camp who contracted cholera during the epidemic that struck the camp in Clay County, Missouri. He was the first member of the camp to die from the disease, passing away on June 26, 1834. Heber C. Kimball, who was caring for the sick, recorded that he and others stayed with and prayed for the sick, but John S. Carter expired at approximately 6:00 p.m.
In Their Own Words
“On the 24th of June, the cholera broke out in our camp. I was left at the camp in company with Joseph B. Noble, John D. Parker, Luke Johnson, and Warren Ingalls, in care of those who were sick. We stayed with and prayed for them, hoping they would recover, but all hope was lost, for about six o'clock in the morning John S. Carter expired. When the cholera first broke out, he was the first who came forward to rebuke it; when he was immediately seized by it, and was the first to die. We buried him in a small piece of woods, near the bank of a small stream, where we were encamped. We wrapped him in his blankets, and laid him in the earth, and covered him with poles and brush to protect him from the wolves. We were in a very destitute situation, and had to leave him in that lonely place. We then moved our camp, and the disease continued to rage in our midst. I was soon after attacked with the cholera, and suffered much, but by the power of God, and the administration of the elders, I was healed.”
— Heber C. Kimball, in Orson F. Whitney, 'Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle'
Sources & References
Orson F. Whitney, “Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle,” chapter on the Zion's Camp cholera (Kimball's journal account), full text at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35333 ; background in “Zion's Camp,” Mormon Thoroughfare (Religious Studies Center): https://rsc.byu.edu/mormon-thoroughfare/zions-camp — research note: John S. Carter, a veteran of the march who preached at the camp's Sunday services in Jacksonville, Illinois, on June 1, 1834, died of cholera at Rush Creek, Missouri, on June 26, 1834, and was buried by Heber C. Kimball's company of attendants; his death was recorded by Kimball, who helped nurse the sick through the night. Full first-person account: Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle, Chapter 10 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/35333/pg35333-images.html
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