Transcript

I a rived [arrived] in C[ouncil]. B[luffs]. City on the morning of the 15 and continued my Journey on to Florance [Florence] in Nebrasca [Nebraska] Teritory

and on the 16 I delivered up 161 head of cattle to cattle head of cattle 4 mules and 1 Waggen to F. Hessler[.] Thus their had Bin 10 head of Oxen lost and left By the Way sid[e] in the heavy Wind and Rain storms that we had encounterd, on the way. But their was 2 men sent Back, who recoverd all of them acept 1.

so on the 17 I returned to Calhoun Harisan Co. Iowa[.] their I found my Father and famly all Well; So I had a settlement with my Father and after we Settled he gav[e] me One yoak [yoke] of Oxans and a fine colt 2 years Olde; and (he asoomed <the payment of> a dpt [debt] that Of one hundred dollars) that I had contracted with I.A. Canfield[.] thus he inabled me to sell a span of Mules which inabled me to [---] and purches [purchase] a comfortable outfit to Return home to my famly in Utah Territory[.] He like wise gav Brother Willis the same a mount and then fit us out with a good suply of provisions to cros the Plains with[.] So Willis and my self joind our Teems and hiched to his Waggon and on the 27 parted with the famly[.] Father went With us to C.B. City and her[e] paid our expences till we was redy to go on ower ours way

on the 30 we Crost the Mosuria [Missouri] River and in Company with Brothers, William Steal Burda and G. L. Farel [George Lionel Farrell], S. Gammet [Solomon Gamet] of Ioway [Iowa.] We proceeded to 8 miles N.W. of Florance and their we incamped till we June the 13 <12>[.] I by the request of H.G. Eldredg[e] and G.[George] Q. Can[n]on taken a hors[e] and crost Back into Ioway to purches cattle wiggens [wagons] for the Emigration[.] thus I continud whilest there was a company making up till (Sunday the 12)[.] when Eldredg and Canon came out and called a meting of the Company; at which met they Orgenised[.] By a nominite me for the President and, Cpt., of the Company[,] GLFarel sargent of the gard William Right [Wright] chaplen John Gordon secatty [secretary] of company[.] Then their was a Captain over each 10 wiggens Namely W. Steel [William Steele], W. [Richard] Williams[,] Christfer [Christopher Madsen] Funk[,] [Anders Olsson] Niewburg [Nyborg,] [Eli] Kent[,] and [William] Glidins [Gittings.] the abov Named men was a naminated[.] Br Canon and Eldredg and the Sugestions of Some Individuels and all was sustaind by the United voic[e] of the company concisting of 353 Soles [souls.] this companys outfit concisted of 59 Waggens and 114 yoak [yoke] of Oxens & 11 horses 35 cows; and 111 head of young loos[e] Cattle with amount a Suply of provisions for 75 days

thus Orgenised and Outfit; we taken up the Line of march on the morn of the 13[.] Bound for G.S.L City Utah Territory U,S, America having 1500 one thousand miles of a Journey Before us[.] This Company Concisted of English[,] Irish[,] Scotch and Welch[,] Danes and Sweds [Swedes] and Islanders and Americans from the North and Suthern States; Thus mixt and many of the company had never drov[e] an ox in their lifes be fore[.] it made rather auqurd [awkward] work to Start with But all of the Company soon learnd their places and dut[i]es and we traveled till the 18[.] we past the Company of Hand Carts Comp<any>[.] By one Brother Rawly, for the first <in a> few days; all past off very well with the acception [exception] of being a noid [annoyed] very much by the Flyse [flies] and Mosceetos [mosquitoes], which was in great a bundence and Gav us much Truble in taking Cear [care] of Our Stalk [stock]

19 we campt on the Loop fork [Loup Fork] of Platt[e] R[iver] at a little villedg called Calumbus [Columbus]

20 we Proceeded to Loocking [Looking] Glass Creek Wher we campt and I Baptized and Re Bap 80 Soles

and on the 21 proceeded to the Genoa Fary [ferry] wher we was Joind [joined] by Brother Walding who with a Baut [about] 37 Soles more cam and washed [wished] to Join our Co[mpany.] So we recieved them 10 mor Waggens; which Increased Ower number of persons to 90 <390> and waggens to 69 and Cattle and other cattle in Propotion in suplis [supplies.] Then I contracte[d] with [-] J. Johnston and Co to fery the company at 75 cents pur [per] Waggen and we Swam our Cattle and Horses[.] The Boat Being Small and the Peop[l]e; Braking it; it taken us 5 15 howers [hours] to cross all the company[.] So we camped on the West Bank

and on the 23 we proceded up the River[.] for 2 days

on the 24^th or 25 we was met by a war party of S.I. the river for 2 days and on the 3 day we left the R. and struck a crost to Wood River[.] that night Ower cattle all Taken a fright and run a way[.] But We recoverd all of them with out much Truble[.] Their was 2 colts that straid [strayed] that nite and was not found till on the 5 day after they Straid.

Now Buisness in creased on my hands so fast that I [-] did Omit dates and Ondly [only] hav Notest [noticed] the Journey as a Genrel thing[.] we Travel in peas [peace] with one a Nother[.] We past and was repast by Emegrant Trains for Pikes Peak California and Oragon [Oregon.] we all So met Severl Small partys returning from all the a bove Named places[.] they was Traveling With hors and Mule and ox teems and pack Mules and horses[.] they was Traveling in Great numbers Both wase [ways] and Some was floating down the Platt[e] River in Small Row Boats[.] thus the Whole Platt[e] Valley and River was a liv [alive] with Cattle and men moving East and West. We met with a Number Of Small part[i]es of Indi[a]ns who was friendly[,] and to keep them So we parted with Some of our provisions to them[.] Thus we continued owr Journey till in the month of July we over taken [overtook] the Church at Fort Larama [Laramie] <Train comanded by Cp. Horton Hait>[.] all well and in Good Spirits with very few axceptions; we went 7 miles a bov the Fort and encampt[.] Over hauled and repacked our lodes[,] docterd all the lame and sick cattle whilst the fee mael [female] part of our Co Washed and dun up a Good lot of Baking[.] Then we a gane [again] proceeded on owr way keping as Before on the North Side of the River crosing[.] Some rough mountain points there a crost Sandy hills[.] Still meeting and pasing and repassing Emigrants as Before Said[.] when we came to the last crosing of the Platt[e] from the other side where we left the River we then fell in with Magars and Rusels Frait [freight] Trains of hevy wagens with Suplis for the army then Station in Utah and a great many other Trains that I do not her[e] record for[.] it was to tedious to mention as it is such a comon a coranse [occurrence] to hapen with them; when we came to wher we left Swe[e]twater Be fore striking a crost the South; Pass we Stoped to let owr cattle rest and fill up as their was but Very little feed for the next hundred miles[.] we all so replaced the loding and greased our exes [axles] and then continud our Journey[.] Camp in prety good he[a]lth[.] we h ad the camp called to prears [prayers] every eavening acept when it raind or we made camp after night[.] I generely Instructed the company in their severl dutys as I con siderd was for the mutel [mutual] Benifit of all; and the Spirit of the Lord gav me utrenc [utterance] from time to time and in that I can say that the Spirit was with me and by that power I was enabled to keep the Company to Geth [together] with all the hard Ships [hardships] of Standing Guard and Going on foot al[l] that distanc[e.] we had but 2 deaths and 5 Burths[.] thus in peace and harmony we continud till Just Before we reached the Bace of the Big Moun<in>t [Big Mountain]. Brother John Taylor and H.D. Richards 2 of the 12 apostels met us and welcomed us home to the Mountains and as the Company was called to a halt we had Some instruction and Curing remarks fro<m> them; and they past on to See the Companyes yet in the rear and we crost over the Big mountain and camped at the Bace of the little Mountain[.] next morning each Captain taken his plase with his 10 Waggens so they was organ[ized] and the[n] we proceeded up the little mountai<n>[.] When all was in proper or<der> I then as usuel Mounte[d] my hors and went a hed [ahead] not to seek a Campain Ground of Grass as be fore But to report the aproa<ch> of my Company and the helth and condission [condition] of the Same as their was a bout 80 persons in camp who had Nothing for their Supers[.] I first wen<t> to Brother H.S. Eldredges and had my diner with him and then we went to Gether to Presiden[t] <B.> Youngs and maid known the condition of the Company[.] he then Sent auders [orders] to Bro Bishopp Hunter to Send out throu the Severel Wards of the City and By the ade of the Bishoopps colect as much coocked provisions as would Serv the Comp <any> for Supper and Brafurst [breakfast] an then Suply them with a Nuf [enough] besides to last. Then 3 or 4 days besides and he then Giv auders for the Church yard to be cleard and for the Companyes Cattle to be put in and fed for hay[.] he welcomed me home and was as kind as a Fath<er> could Be