Transcript

The desire to come to America and join the Latter-Day Saints in Utah became so strong within John that he bade farewell to his family and friends and left his native land, Scotland, and went directly to Liverpool, from where he set sail on the ship "General George Washington" April 15, 1857, two years after being baptized. He was two months on the Atlantic Ocean. How glad they were to greet the sight of land once more!

After landing in New York he went directly to Iowa City, Iowa by train. Here he immediately began building his own handcart in preparation for crossing the plains. His handcart was made of wood and put together with wooden pegs that he also made. The box was made of rawhide and with each rainstorm it became tighter. Into this little affair he loaded all his earthly possessions and pulled it from Iowa City to Salt Lake City, Utah, a distance of 2,000 miles. It cost him just $45.00 to come from Liverpool, England to Salt Lake City. Upon arriving in Utah he had very little money left and was almost barefooted. He waded every stream of water while crossing the plains, carrying either a frightened child or a woman on his back. He described this trip as a hard and dangerous journey, but everyone enjoyed it greatly. He would have gladly returned to the East to accompany other groups of emigrants over the plains had he been asked to. John crossed plains with Captain Israel Evans Handcart Company arriving in Salt Lake City September 15, 1857, just five months to the day that he set sail from Liverpool.