Transcript

In the Spring of 1847 my Father with 143 others was Selected to Start April the 14th to Pioneer the way to the Rocky Mountains[.] When Father told me that he was Selected to go I burst in too tears[.] My Mother haveing jest died it Seemed More than I could endure to be left alone[.] This affected my Father very much & he went & told President Young how I felt & that I wished to go with him[.] The President Said, Let him go it will be all right. This news gave me great joy, Bro[ther] John. D Lee. furnished us a Span of Mules & a light waggon for the journey[.] Accordingly on the 14th of April we took our leave of - - - [blank space] and My Sister Mary, & Sister Harriet who was lying on her death bed at the time with the Canker, and went out a couple of days journey to a Suitable Camping place, here we waited a few days for President Young & others to accompany us[.] While here we received information that My Sister Harriet had died –

All things being ready we took up our line of march for the far off Rocky Mountains to seek a place where we could live in Peace & be free from the persecution of our Enemies. As a People we had for many years been Subject to rank persecution[.] Our Prophet and Patriarch Slain in Carthage Goal [Jail] for the Testimony of Jesus, and being driven from our homes Many times & Robbed & plundered of all our possessions, and many haveing died by the way through exposure, and our leaders haveing Suffered much through being falsely imprisoned & had many vexations[.] Lawsuits at a vast expense of time & money, we hailed the day of our deliverance with joy & felt to thank God for the privalige of Seeking an assylum in the far west over a thousand miles from any mark of civilization and where the foot of white man had not trod for many hundre[d] years- - -

Our waggons were loaded with provisions, Some corn for our animals Farming implements, tools of different Kinds &c. Proffessor Orson Pratt with instruments for taking observations (Latitude Longitude &c) One boat on a waggon to be used in crossing Rivers, one Cannon, & one Rodometer that we might measure the distance traveled Each days which we did Marking the distance on Buffalo bones & skulls & Sticking them up by the Side of our trail for the benefit of those following after us later in the Season. We lengthened out our provisions on the way by adding plenty of Buffalo Meat, along the Platt[e] river & through the Black Hills there were Buffalo in great abundance, So much so that we often were obliged to stop our waggons & wait for hours for them to get out of our way before we could proceed[.] We were forbid to kill any more than we could consume as it was and is a Sin to waste that which God has created for the good of man –

When we Started it was as Much as My Father & Myself could both do to Harness—drive—& take care of one Span of Mules, oweing to the Sickness we had passed through But our health improved So that in a Short time we were quite strong & well. I had been sickly in my childhood, once when an infant I was nigh unto death the effects of which can be Seen on my body to this day[.] And I was very sick in Nauvoo and my life was dispaired of for many weeks But now I began to feel better & stronger than ever,

We proceeded on our journey with being molested by Indians altho we Saw Many tribes and bands they injured us no more than to Steal two or three horses, We often traveled two or three waggons a breast in order to consolidate our Strength in case of an attact by the Indians, And used the utmost precaution at night to avoid Surprise, Thus we continued our journey from day to day & from week to week through a country none of us had any Knowledge of, being led by the inspiration of the holy Spirit. And our way pointed out by the finger of the Lord

After traveling over plains & mountains & through mountain gorges a distance of 1100 Miles we at length came to the valley of the Salt Lake haveing had a difficult though a prosperous journey. I was taken Sick with the Mountain fever while camped on the Big Sandy But was healed by through the prayer of faith & the laying on of hands by President Young

We pitched our tents for the first time in the S. L. Valley on the 24th of July 1847, on what is now Known as City Creek and jest below where Emigration Street Crosses the creek.