George F. and Ann Prior Jarvis were converts who were eager to come to Zion in 1860. A company was being outfitted in Florence, Nebraska, but they had no wagon of their own to join. George Q. Cannon heard about their situation and gave them permission to share a wagon of his which as not very heavily loaded, and which he had arranged to be driven west by a "Mr. H" (not further identified in the record).

The trip started with difficulty. Mr. H and his wife had taken the wagon a few miles west from Florence to find better feed for the animals. The Jarvis family had to walk and carry their possessions to catch up with the wagon. When they did, they met a reluctant driver--Mr. H refused to allow them to put their luggage in the wagon, but permitted them to hang it on the bottom and underneath. When Ann Jarvis placed her baby in the back of the wagon for a ride, Mr. H fastened down the wagon cover tightly to prevent her from doing that. A granddaughter of the Jarvises later wrote:

"At times the children (of Mr. H) begged him to let them walk, but he absolutely refused them to do so, for fear he would have to let some of the Jarvis children ride. So it could easily be said that Grandfather and Grandmother Jarvis and their family of six children walked all the way across the plains. Before they left for Utah, grandfather had expressed his desire to get to Utah even if he had to walk all the way to get there, and it appears that he had to do so in order to experience his heart's desire."

The clothes and shoes of the Jarvis family were inadequate for the trek. George Jr. was about twelve years of age when the trek began, but eventually found himself barefoot when his shoes wore out. His feet became sore and bruised. One day they were so bad that he decided he could go no further, and would rather die or be eaten by wolves than try to continue. He quietly sat down by the road and watched the wagon train move out of sight. His feet felt somewhat better after a rest, and he started to regret his decision, he prayed and asked God to bless him and bring some deliverance.