Transcript

We left our cave (dugout) on the 2nd of May 1848, and went about a mile and camped at my Bro. Jacob E. Terry's for the night. The next day we left Mosquito Creek in company with Father Miller for the Valley. My Father [Parshall Terry] also came with us about nine miles. We crossed the Elk Horn River on May 30th and on the 31st we left Father Miller's Company and joined Father [Zera] Pulsipher's Company. We had a very fatiguing journey several months. We reached Pacific Springs Aug. 20th, 1848. It had now got so late in the season for my Bro. James [Terry] to go any further with us for we had agreed with father for him to return in the fall. We should easily have been through to the Valley by this time, but we had to wait weeks to gather for the rest of the Company. There were others in the Company who could have gone as fast as we could. We stayed at Pacific Springs two weeks.

My health had been very poor all this time, but I had to do all the work for the family which consisted of John Howard [Heward], James P. Terry, Emma A Young, my little Sarah and myself. For, if I would ask Emma to pick up a few chips she would cry and would not do it. Neither would she take care of Sarah. She was cured of the canker before we started and had not been troubled with it since.

James Terry started back Aug. 26th, 1848 and our Company went on and left us for they were not able to help us so we had to wait there until a team would come from the Valley to help us. On the 2nd and 3rd of Sept. it rained and snowed and the wind blew so hard that it seemed as if we would perish with the cold. John dug a hole in the ground and built a little fire in it so this kept us from freezing.

On Sun. Bro. Brigham passed us on his way back to Sweet Water where Bro. Kimball was camped. When he saw our situation, he sent a line to Bro. Hanks about 2 miles further ahead and he came and moved us to his camp which was on the 5th of September. On Sept. 6, 1848, Bro James came to us from the Valley with a wagon and two yoke of oxen. He took our provisions and traveled with until Sept. 23rd when he fell in with our old Company and he went on to the Valley, but we did not get in until Sept. 25th, 1848.