In my One Name Study, I look for Micklethwaites worldwide. One branch led by Willoughby Mickelwait (as it is recorded in the US) emigrated in 1831 and ended up on what is now the Iowa/Nebraska border. One son Wheatley became ferryman at Plattsmouth. His efforts at resisting a mob of disillusioned gold miners from destroying the town are well documented.
I am of course also looking into other lines of my own family. My 4th great grandfather Jonathan Midgley had a brother Thomas who married Ellen Hinchliffe. Thomas, Ellen and family became Mormons, and between 1850 and 1855 emigrated to Utah. Ellen died on the trek across America and was “buried at the side of the Platte River, Wyoming 4 Sep 1855”.
So the Mormon Trail ran through Plattsmouth. Was Wheatley Mickelwait the ferryman when my Midgley cousins went through?
Andy Micklethwaite's Family History Blog 