Transcript

A History of the travels & labors of Eli Bell Son of Alfred & Martha L. Bell, Born in Shelby County Ill [Illinois] in the year of our lord 1834. Nov 12 ^th our Parents haveing joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter[-]day Saints[.] Previous, when I was about 4 years old, journeyed up to Nauvo[o] also in this State with Theire famaley which consisted of Father & Mother My half Bro on Mothers Sid[e] Claborn [Clayborne Montgomery] Elder My older Bro William [Milton Bell] & Myself.

Arrived at Nauvo[o] in the year 1838[.] finley Setled in Nashvill[e] a little town on the other Side of the Mississippi River in the State of Iowa 3 Miles below Montrose after which we Moved cross the River in to Ill[inois]. where we remained untill after the deth of the Prophet & Patriarch Joseph & Hyrum Smith in June 4, 1844[.] in the year 1846 in the Month of February 1846 we started with the main Bodey of the Church on their journey into the Western wilderness crossing the Miss[issippi] River on the Ice. Our famaley consisting of 5 Souls with Provision Clotherings &c. Piled into 1 wagon. drawn by one yoke of Oxen, We begen our (which afterwards proved) to be a long and tedious journey. we traveled on as best we could stopin at times to work untill in the Spring of 1847 we turned off the Main Road and went down into the Stat[e] of Missouri, in the vicinity of St. Joseph on the Mis[s]ouri River where we remained eaarning an “outfit” to cross the Pla[i]ns with, untill the Spring of 1851 when we started on Our journey to Salt Lake or Utah which had ben located and settled by the Pioneers of the Church in 1847. by this time we had 2 wagons with 3 yoke of Cattle to each wagon and our Provisions for the journey with our Clothing filled the wagons to the Bows. Thus we journeyed cross the Plains arriveing in Salt Lake City in the Month of Oct 1851.