Transcript

“During the winter of 1846[-]7, I was camped at a place called Puneau [Ponca] about 150 miles up the Missouri river from Winter Quarters, and although at times it seemed likely that we might either starve or be killed by Indians, yet we survived and moved down in time to join the emmigration that followed the first company of pioneers that started in April 1847. We were organized into companies on the west bank of the Elkhorn river, about 30 Miles from Winter Quarters. June 11^th, 1847, is the date of our breaking camp if I recollect correctly. There were C48 [76] wagons divided into companies of tens, fifties and hundreds.

”Elisha [Erastus] Bingham was captain of our ten; Ira Eldredge of our fifty, and Daniel Spencer of our 100. Captain Eldredge was a hustler, so we gradually got in advance of the large moving mass of teams. At Fort Bridger, I think it was, Capt Eldredge thought to make better time by dividing his fifty into two companies. Bingham’s company was in the advance. Eldredge following with the remainder of his fifty. This advance portion of Eldredge’s company was in the lead of the entire emigration from Winter Quarters that followed President Young’s company and we arrived in Salt Lake Valley Sept. 19^th, 1847. The remainder of Eldredge’s company were two or three days behind us.

The order in which this part of the company came into the valley is, so far as I recollect, as follows:--Sanford Bingham and his wife [Martha] (my sister), and Thomas Bingham on horseback; my uncle, Beason Lewis and wife [Elizabeth] with horse team; Captain Bingham, ox team; myself, ox team; then followed John M. Lewis and William C. Staines with ox teams. This is as far as I remember the order of teams.