Transcript

Several of my mothers folks, who had previously gathered to Kirtland, and who, when the crash came there, had lost the faith, had by this time found their way into Wisconsin.

With them we tarried about a year, buying cattle, wagons, and an outfit for crossing the plains, from hire--Spring Prairie, Wadsworth Co.--Wisconsin--on the 21 ^st day of April 1854, with four wagons, drawn by eight yoke of oxen and two horses, and driving about a dozen cows, we commenced our journey Zionward.

During the previous winter I was taken with inflamatory rheumatism in the legs, and had to use crutches, in which condition I crossed the "plains", throwing them away on entering Salt Lake City August 2, 1854

Our family practically, crossed the plains alone, were only "held up" once by the Indians, bought an "honorable release" for a few groceries, lost no stock, made a quick trip, and arrived at our destination, all well, having traveled over fifteen hundred miles in one hundred and twenty-nine days

At the Elkhorn River we picked up Elias [Willard] Williams and family, with two wagons, and not an animal to move them, this so weakened our teams that we had to yoke several cows, in order to proceed, but we were enabled to land them in Salt Lake City all right, myself driving one of their wagons.