Transcript

The voyage lasted for six weeks and three days. At times the sea was very rough and many wondered if they would see land again. We landed off Castle Gardens on June 15, 1856. We remained there about three days and then went by rail to Iowa City. We arrived in the midst of a most tremendous rain storm which flooded the city and destroyed much property besides rendering the roads almost impassable. The storm continued for several days and as we were totally unprepared to protect ourselves against such conditions, many were sick and suffered greatly. In this dreadful condition my mother gave birth to a baby (Heber Brigham) and did not get shelter until next morning, when Bro. Findlay gave her his tent and they succeeded her in the exposure of the wild elements. We endured this condition for 8 days, remaining some time here. The men were busy breaking mules, horses and oxen. Some were engaged in making the celebrated handcarts. There was one set aside for our family and my father, sister and myself became the team to draw it across the plains. Hence we began our journey.

Mother carried her infant baby and we suffered hunger, fatigue, mud, the scorching rays of a July sun. It took many weeks and we arrived in Florence August 11, 1856.

Hungry and worn out we recruited at this place in preparation to leave for Salt Lake City. Mother was ill, the sister had the fever, and the rest of the children had the scurvy so badly that we were unable to proceed farther with the company.

I remember there being a great many visitors present anxious to get a look at the Mormons, as they were called, to see, as I suppose, what they looked like. Among the number was a man who resided about three miles south of Council Bluffs, Iowa, a farmer by the name of Gardner. He offered my father the use of an old log cabin, that he, at the time, used as a shed, to live in if he cared to go with him. Being strangers in the land and knowing nothing about the habits and customs of the people, Father concluded he had best take the man up on his offer, so he accepted, and we went to live in the log hut, where we passed the winter of 1856.