Transcript

In 1846 we had to leave our homes with hundreds of others. We had two wagons for our family and my brother's family, so we left everything and crossed the Mississippi River, and came to Winter Quarters, where we stayed until the summer of 1848, when we crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, where we lived until 1852. While in Iowa my father farmed, raising hundreds of bushels of wheat, corn and vegetables and other grains. We were there the winter after the Battalion boys went. In the summer of 1847, father planted a lot of foodstuffs, which helped us through the winter. Ada Louisa and her brother went to school in Iowa.

On June 23, 1852, we were ready to start for Salt Lake. So again my father and mother left everything except what they could put in two wagons. They left their farm and never got one cent for it, also their houses and everything that was in them, only a chair or two; not even a table, but we had plenty of clothes, but we had no regrets for what we left. We had quite a time getting started, as some of the others decided that they did not want to go to Utah, but with much persuasion we got to the Missouri River. There were hundreds of wagons camped there, waiting to cross the river. There was much sickness at this time, but soon all was well. As we traveled we gathered lots of buffalo chips. We had plenty of Indian scares. We saw thousands of buffalo; we also scraped and dried meat.

We always stopped Sundays and held services. Almost every night we danced and every Thursday night we held meetings and sang the songs of Zion. When we arrived at Independence Rock we had a wedding. A lot of young folks went through Devils Gate; I wanted to go, but mother would not let me.

When we reached the three crossings of Sweetwater the company was divided and my father was put in captain. Here we made better time, and there was no sickness. The weather was quite cold, and we had a little snow on the South Pass. We landed in Salt Lake City on September 27, 1852. We were three months on the road. As we came into Salt Lake we thought it the most beautiful city we had ever seen. We camped a few days with some friends in the First Ward. Father soon bought a house and lot in the Sixteenth Ward and we moved into it. We had nothing but a stove we brought with us (no table, bedsteads or chairs). But we were thankful that we were all well and in the land of promise.