Saints by SeaMy father died when I was seven years old, leaving Mother and six children, five sons and one daughter. Five years later Mother and children joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She at once sold the estate and made preparations to emigrate to Salt Lake City, Utah. She left Copenhagen with her six children on May 4, 1865, traveling by steamboat and rail to Hamburg, Germany. She sailed from Hamburg on sailing vessel named B.S. Kimball on May 8th, 1865, with 557 Mormon emigrants for America.
As we started out on the North Sea my brother Peter, a boy of 19, was ordered taken off the ship because of smallpox, by a German health officer and landed at Gluckstadt, Germany. We sailed on leaving him there. One year passed before we heard from him. However, he got well and came on to America a month or so later, but remained and worked in the forests of Michigan until the spring of 1866. Arrived at Salt Lake City in Oct. of the same year, where he met his mother, brothers, and sister (thus fulfilling the promises given Mother by President Widerborg that she and her children would all arrive at Salt Lake City safely).
The sailing vessel B.S. Kimball, on which we sailed from Hamburg, continued on. At mid-ocean, took fire, causing a panic for a short time, but the fire was put out and we sailed on, arriving in New York on June 14, 1865.
We continued on our journey from New York by rail and steamboat to Wyoming, Nebraska, on the Missouri River, arriving there on June 26th, 1865.
There we fitted out to cross the plains with ox teams. The company consisted of about 60 wagons with 3 yoke of cattle to the wagon. About 66% of them being wild steers, which caused us much trouble and delay.
Our company consisted of about 600 emigrants, with Miner G. Atwood as captain . . . . [p.1]
. . . We arrived at Salt Lake City about Nov. 15th, 1865, where Brigham Young shook hands with the emigrants, then the company disorganized. . . . [p.2]
BIB: Anderson, James P. Autobiographical sketch (formerly in Msd 2050), pp. 1-2. (CHL)
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