26 Mar 1859 – 8 Jul 1874
Grandson of Philip Cardon and Martha Marie Tourn
Son of Catherine Cardon and Moses Byrne
Freaks of Lightning.
During the thunder storm last week, a son of Moses Byrne was fatally injured by lightning, at Aspen, on the line of the U. P. R. R.
Mr. Arthur Stayner, of Farmington, reports a house struck at that place, destroying the door, tearing up the floor, and other damage.
-Published in the Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), July 23, 1874, Page 3.
Tragedy for the Byrne Family
The year was 1874. Moses and Catherine Byrne had moved their family from the Muddy Stage Station to Piedmont, Wyoming. Now that the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were laid, there was no longer any need for the stage line.
Moses built five charcoal kilns and a log home next to the tracks. The kilns were used to burn wood into charcoal which was then loaded on railroad cars and shipped to the smelters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The family had herds of cattle and also raised hay.
Moses and Catherine had a large family of eight sons and four daughters. The oldest was Joseph then John, James, William, Alice, Charles, Albert, Edwin, Frank, Mary Jane, Minnie and Katie. Mary Jane passed away on the 8th of June in 1874. She was just two years old and was buried up on the hill behind her home in the Byrne Cemetery.
Early in July, Moses sent his son James to check on a herd of cattle that were grazing above Piedmont. James was late coming home so his older brother’s Joseph and John were sent to look for him. As they were riding up the draw, they met a group of Indians. The Indians said they had found a dead man up by Aspen Creek. Joseph and John were afraid the Indians might be setting a trap for them so the boys rode back to Piedmont to get more help.
When they resumed their search and came close to the creek they found James and his horse dead. Both had been struck by lightning. James was blinded and had crawled toward the creek for water. He was only fifteen years old. He died on the 8th of July in 1874 and is also buried in the Byrne Cemetery.
Within one month Moses and Catherine had lost two children.
-Contributed by Fawn LaRae Rasmussen on familysearch.org.
Byrne Family Cemetery, Piedmont, Unita County, Wyoming
