After joining the Church in 1852, Robert Francis Neslen left England for Utah in 1853. From 1855 to 1859, he served a mission in New Jersey and Connecticut and in England and Scotland. On April 11, 1859, he and his wife, at the head of a large company of European Saints, sailed for America aboard the William Tapscott, a triple-decked, square-rigged ship. Thirty-three days later they landed at Castle Garden, New York. From here they traveled by railroad and steamboat via New York (Albany), Illinois (Chicago and Quincy), and Missouri (Hannibal and St. Joseph) to the outfitting place at Florence in Nebraska Territory. Some of the Tapscott emigrants were placed in George Rowley's handcart company. Others who had means to purchase their own outfits and supplies were organized in Neslen's company-known as the European Independent Company.
There were 56 wagons and 380 people in this company. Most were from Scandinavia, but there were also some Swiss and Germans. They left Florence on June 26. Edward Stevenson's company left Florence the same day and as they proceeded westward, the two companies were never far apart. Before leaving, they unanimously agreed (by vote) to help one another, especially those who lost cattle during the trek. However, by July 10, when they had reached Wood River, some had forgotten their earlier promises. When some had cattle die, others refused to loan them their cattle. They claimed that their own heavily-laden wagons needed the extra pulling power of all their cattle. At a meeting it was decided that some of the freight would be removed from excessively heavy wagons. Stoves, earthenware, and china were unloaded from these wagons and buried, with the idea that the owners would someday return and retrieve their property.
On July 15 tragedy struck. While teams were getting hitched up and everyone was preparing to move out from the camp, someone tried to yoke up a wild cow. The terrified animal let out a bellow, frightening other teams and causing them to bolt. In the confusion, one man was killed, another got a broken leg, and five others were injured. The sorrowful man whose wild cow caused this disaster became so despondent at shouldering the blame that he went down to the Platte River with intentions of drowning himself. He was found sitting on the riverbank. He told them that there was not enough water to carry out his plan.
The company also faced a prairie fire and a herd of buffalo stopped the train temporarily. They met and fed several bands of Indians. When they were 40 miles west of Ash Hollow on August 17, there were reportedly only 51 wagons in the company. Neslen wrote Brigham Young from Fort Laramie on August 6 of his concerns about their supplies. They had to travel slowly because of the large size of the company and lame cattle. He hoped that their supplies would last through to Salt Lake.
At Ham's Fork, Apostles John Taylor and Franklin D. Richards met them with enough fresh cattle and food to last them for the rest of the trip. Accompanying them was Peter Hansen, who then took charge of the Scandinavian part of the train. As they neared Salt Lake and crossed Big Mountain, a terrific thunderstorm burst on them. During the storm a child became lost but found the camp at the foot of the mountain early the next morning.
The company arrived in Salt Lake City on September 15. A two-wheeled covered cart pulled by a small white ox led them into the city. The ox was bedecked with garlands of wildflowers and on the sides of the cart was written, "Hail Columbia, This Beats the Hand Carts." Large crowds met them and gave them fruits and vegetables. Neslen was credited for his ability in successfully bringing such a large company comprised of people from many countries and speaking so many different languages. There had been six deaths and three births along the trail, and the company lost 24 head of cattle.