My parents names are James and Isabella Cowley: - my father's trade, a miller. We were not, but a very short time Latter-day Saints, before a brother in the same church, by the name of John Kelly, offered to pay our passage to Nauvoo, on account of some money he owed Grandfather Matthias. Cain, a city situated on the bank of the Mississippi River, Hancock County, State of Illinois, North America, - at that time the gathering place for the Latter-day Saints, the City of Zion, where Joseph Smith, the founder of said church, in this the last dispensation, and Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, of the Most High God, lived. Of course we accepted the offer, and considered that the Lord had opened up the way for us to render obedience to the principle of gathering out from among the gentiles, this being one of the articles of our faith.

Accordingly, we got ready, took steamer, for Liverpool, remained a night or two with my Uncle Charles, father's brother - we then embarked on board the ship, City of Boston, laying in the Waterloo Dock. I was sea sick for about two weeks, the rest of our family was not so bad, we had one death on board, the person was ill before leaving the Isle of Mann, - made the voyage in five weeks, and three days, to New Orleans, a distance of about six thousand miles from Liverpool, England: - Mr. William Lambert, our captain, was a very pleasant and sociable man, kind and affectionate and done a great deal of good to those who were seasick, by distributing such luxuries as he had for his own benefit.

At New Orleans we took passage on board the steam boat "Congress." She was racing with another steamer and the passengers were somewhat alarmed for fear the boilers should burst as frequently happens in such cases on the Mississippi River. The scenery on each side of the river were most romantic and grand, and it done my eyes good to look around me, after being so long without seeing houses and land - we won the race, and arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, in ten days, after leaving New Orleans, a distance of about twelve hundred miles. While remaining there a few days father was offered ten dollars per day to stop and go to work making oatmeal in a new mill that had been just finished for that purpose; there were very few in the country at that time, who understood making the article.

"No!" says he, "I started from home to go to Nauvoo, to see the Prophet of the Lord, Joseph Smith, and I'm going, bless you souls. I would not stop here for all St. Louis!"

They of course thought him a fanatic and a fool, - deluded by the Mormons.

However, we engaged passage on board the steamer "Mermaid" for the city of our anticipated destination for some time, a distance of about five hundred miles father up the river. In two or three days and nights we arrived safe at Nauvoo late in the evening, and all being strangers, we did not go about much that evening, but engaged a large house on the bank of the river, about one mile from the landing, and we all bundled in there together. The house belonged to a brother by the name of Thomas. . . [p. 1]

BIB: Cowley, Matthias. Reminiscences, typescript (Ms 1584), p. 1. (CHL)
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