Transcript

Thomas Stead [Steed] who had emigrated from England to Nauvoo in 1844, and who afterwards became a resident of Farmington, Utah, crossed the plains in Capt. Milo Andrus' company. From his private writings we cull the following: "On the 1st of May, 1850, we bade farewell to old Keokuk, Iowa, and bent our way toward Council Bluffs. We were a company of five wagons, Bro. Richard Cook, who had just arrived from England, came with us; Henry Steed and my cousin James Steads [Steed's] wife and family; we had fitted her out with a team that Bro. John Cook was to drive for her. We were 16 souls all together, and had pretty good luck in traveling through the mud and bad roads of Iowa. We arrived in Kanesville in the later part of May <1850> without any material accident and all in good health. Here we stayed a few days and were organized into the first company of Mormon emigrants in 1850. We crossed the Missouri river the 1st of June and traveled along the south side of the Platte River.

Milo Andrus was the captain of our company of 50 wagons. We got along pretty well into Salt Creek. Here the stream was swollen so high that the bridge had been carried away; so we were obliged to go to work and build a raft to carry our wagons over. We got it made in a day and the next day all our wagons were passed across in safety. We had but very little sickness in our company, although sickness and death was before us and behind us daily (among other trains of emigrants), but through the mercy of God we were preserved. Elder Hyde had told us the day we were organized, that if we would be faithful and keep the name of our God sacred, we should be blessed with health and our lives would be preserved. We endeavored to do our duty to the best of our ability and the promises of God were fulfilled toward us; there was one death and one birth, so we were just as many when we landed in the Valley. After a long and tedious journey we arrived at Great Salt Lake City Aug. 28 <30th> 1850."

 

(Thos. Stead's [Steed's] journal)