Transcript

Transcript for Griffin, Amanda Ellen Perkins, Autobiographical sketch, 2-3, in Utah Pioneer Biographies, compiled by Yalecrest Camp, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers

Date: March 15, 1850

The whole family were ready indeed, to start west. It was an opportunity to get away from those people who so little understood the faith these people has accepted. However, the glamorous trip to Iowa that the children had expected, soon proved to be one filled with weariness, hunger, and hardship. The family had one wagon, in which was placed all their earthly possessions, so it was necessary for the children to walk a great deal of the way. Of this move west Mrs. Griffin says, "Everything we owned, home, land, stock, and fowls, were left behind. There were six of us in the family and with a span of horses and one small wagon we started out with the few provisions, which consisted of parched corn and hard toasted bread so that it would keep, that our wagon would hold. It was the council in those days to leave everything behind that we could possibly do without. On our journey from Nauvoo to Iowa we endured many hardships, many times going without food and walking a great deal of the way. Our clothes were all in rags when we reached Iowa.

"There we built a log cabin and made our home. The place was named 'Perkins Camp'. We arrived there too late to plant any garden and we had no money to buy anything, but we gathered nuts and wild fruits of all kinds which we dried and this we lived on during the long cold winter. In the spring we planted corn, wheat, and garden vegetables, the seed having been brought with us and we lived with plenty during the summer and next winter.

Mother wove cotton yarn into cloth of which our clothing was made and this we wore winter and summer. We raised flax to make our linen for table cloths, towels and many things. We prospered well until we started for Utah in the spring of 1850.

We started in prosperity having two teams of oxen, two wagons, and two cows. We had plenty to eat and wear and there was nothing to mar the pleasure of our trip with the exception of the Indians and Buffalo. Many times we were frightened by these but outside of this, we reached Utah in safety, September 21, 1850.