Transcript
Transcript for Bailey, Charles Ramsden, [Autobiography], in Jay L. Long and Betsy W. Long, Charles Ramsden Bailey: His Life and Families [1983], 60-61
However, the spring of 1863 came along all right, and another call [came] for men and teams; and our proportion was 9 men and 8 teams, 32 yoke of oxen, and one horse and [a] man for a guard. I was called at the head of the list to take charge of [the] Wellsville, Mendon, Hyrum, and Paredice [Paradise] teams—20 in number. This season I cooked for 12 men and drove team and did it cheerfully and easey. The boys gave me good assistence, and as soon as we got in camp, noon or night, we set to work and had our meal ready in thirty minutes. We had a hard time to get such a large out fit of oxen and teams. Work cattle was not so plentiful, [so] I took my first steers that I raised along with me. However, [we] got fited up and started. Bishop Wm. B. Preston was captain of 65 wagons.
We started [the] 10th of April and went through the mountain to Brigham and had a hard road—lots of snow drifts and mud and stormey wether till we got behind Salt Lake City, then it got more pleasant. Captain Preston would ask me all about the road and how to make our drives for feed and water, as I was the onley one that had been twice along the road. But I remember the road from the first time I came [across] when a boy. When we got on the Platte River we met mor[e] emegrants [emigrants] coming west then before, and they was surprised to see so maney teams coming from Utah. There was 12 large companies, [with] 60 or 75 waggons in each company. In [the] latter part of June we arrived at Florance [Florence] and found a large crowed of people there.
[The following happened] after we had been there two weeks: One day, while standing at a store—about 6 of us—three young ladies came along, and I remarked, "Boys, there comes my girl [Johannah] whom will be my wife." And the boys looked at me and asked me, "Which one?" I said, "The middle one." They said, "You have never seen or spoke to her yet." I said, "No, but I will of course." They laughed at me. However, in a few days we went to a dance and I spoke to her. But she seemed hard to make understand, and when she did not want to understand, she would say, "Nix frusta." And I began to wonder about my dreams of two years ago and if there was anything in it. And a few days Thomas Lishmen told [me] that my girl was gone in the Sanpete Company. "Now," said he, "what about that [what] you said that time at the store?" "Well," I said, "I did not know why I said it, but I felt that way then. But if it aint her, it will be someone else, so I need not worry about [it]." But mark the change [and] in a few days see how it came about.
One morning I woke and said to Joseph Kay, my bed mate, I said, "Let us go down to town today. What for, I don't know, but I feel I must go after breakfast." We went after some of the cattle and had quite a time to get them, but we succeeded, and [then] we went down to Florance [Florence], 5 miles there. As soon as we got to the store, Bro. Cluff, who had charge of the Scandinavian Saints, asked us if we was from the Cash Valley Company. "Yes, we are." "Can you take some folks that is campt out here, as they want to go in that company?" I said, "Yes," and told Jos. Kay to go after them. And I said to Jospeh, "I'l bet you my girl is there." "Do you think so?" he said.
So he went, and I went into the store. In a short time I see him coming. He waved his whip and hat; then I knew she was there. We went to camp [and] Bro. Leishman looked. Said he, "Have you been to the Santpeete Company to get her?" I said, "Yes." He said, "You beat all [the] fellows." They remained in Jos. Kay's waggon all the way and was close bye all the time.
Early in July we started back for Utah. We did not have so verey maney emegrants in our company. We had about 15 keggs of nails for the Salt Lake Tabernacle. We made good time till we got to Sweet Water; then food was verey scarce—verey dry summer. Then the cattle began to fall off in flesh, [and] taking sick, and lots of them died. It is then a teamster feels bad; I remember loosing one at Aspen.
However, after a hard jurney we arrived in Salt Lake City and finialey got unloaded.