Charles McCarty, captain of this small company, was not a Mormon, though he was obviously friendly to the Latter-day Saints. More importantly, he was an experienced plainsman from Florence, Nebraska Territory. William I. Appleby, president of the company, was a Mormon elder who, from headquarters in New York City, had recently presided over the Church in the northeastern states. William G. Saunders was a returning missionary, while Ebenezer Russell Young was a prosperous businessman from Westport, Connecticut, who had owned a cotton factory and a silk mill and who had served as president of various branches of the Church. He and his family were emigrants.
The company organized at Florence. There were 6 wagons, 34 cattle, and 23 people. Four of the men were teamsters: William Allhand from Utah, Alexander Warrender from Connecticut, and Don Carlos Babbitt and Charles Goodwin from Iowa. The train left Florence August 9. By the 14th they were at Genoa, a Mormon settlement on the Loup Fork River. Here, the company attended a meeting in the bowery and President Appleby (also known as Judge Appleby) spoke to the congregation. Here also, another teamster (Edward Culver) joined the group, and local citizens helped the wagons ford the river. By August 16 the train was again on its way. The travelers had a prosperous journey. They met with no accidents and experienced no serious storms. Other than a few cases of chills and fever, they all enjoyed good health. Most of the cattle stood the journey quite well also, though one ox died and a yoke of oxen strayed and was not recovered. The travelers saw large numbers of friendly Indians and they passed several hundred government teamsters who were returning east. The emigrants arrived in Salt Lake City on October 17.