. . . In the spring we sold our effects what we did not want to take with us as we intended to immigrate to the United States of America, so we took the train for Liverpool, and on March 1st, 1853, went to board the ship Elvira Owen and set sail for America (for it was a sailing vessel) myself and wife and our son, Henry M. Pett, together with about 300 Latter-day Saints. Owen was the ship captain's name, and Elvira was his wife's name, so the ship was named after the captain and his wife and the captain steered his ship for the port of New Orleans, taking the southern route and [p.68] running down to the 20th degree south where the trade winds blow spring and fall from the coast of Africa direct to the West Indies. We all passed the health inspector when we came aboard and most of the immigrants were seasick more or less. I was seasick more or less for ten days and then I was alright the balance of the voyage. For the first two weeks we had very rough weather, and as most of us were steerage passengers we were buttoned down below decks, and one day as the storm was raging, one of the sailors lost his grip on the ropes and was blown overboard and lost, and another sailor was badly injured by a fall but he recovered and after that we had good weather, but our troubles was not over with for as we got into a warm climate the smallpox broke out through a child that was passed by the health inspector at Liverpool which appeared to him to be somewhat feverish but nothing of a serious nature. It was about ten days from the time we left before it appeared. We were well out in the ocean at the time and several were took down with it, and the first that was taken down with it was John Rex Winder (first counselor to President Joseph Smith). Soon, however, five others were found to have the disease and a small house was built on deck and all were quarantined. A few days later, Brother William Jones, a young man, died and in a short time the sailors took him and cast him into the sea, and as the sailors were taking him from the post house, Brother Winder lay there and he heard the sailors say as they would have him next. It was the most solemn funeral that I ever witnessed. But, however, they did not get Brother Winder, as he said afterwards that he had a living faith that he would recover and get to Zion, which he did. And as we approached the West Indies, our captain, Joseph W. Young, president in charge of the company, appointed a day of fasting and prayer and asked the Lord to remove this disease from us that we might continue on our journey and not have to be quarantined at New Orleans. So from that very day, no others were taken down with it and those who were sick began to recover and all were made whole according to our desires, and we were now down among the West Indies Islands. We passed San Domingo and Puerto Rico on the west and sailed alongside the island of Cuba on the east and had a good view of the island and also the Isle of Pines, which lays close to Cuba on the west side and then across the Gulf of Mexico to the mouth of the Mississippi, and we made the run across the sea in 36 days and the health inspector came aboard and inspected the company, and by that time all that were sick had fully recovered and no one could tell that the company had been afflicted with smallpox, only those that knew, for there was no clue or sign left and the inspector made a remark to the Captain Owen that we were one of the finest and healthiest company of people that he had seen cross the Atlantic Ocean, and old Captain Owen made a remark to Captain Joseph Young that if we had been any other people than Latter Day Saints, one-half of us would have died under similar conditions, and I must confess it was a miracle to me. And then we were taken in tow by a powerful steam tug which took us over the bar at the mouth of the Mississippi River up to New Orleans, which is located about 100 miles up the river, and there we bid goodbye [p.69] to Captain Owen and his good ship, Elvira Owen. We unloaded our baggage and placed it on a river steam boat and started on our river trip to St. Louis, which is 1300 miles north of New Orleans where I landed. It took us about one week to make the trip, which was a very pleasant one, it being the last week in April. And there I found my brother John and his family, and James Ingram and his mother all well. They had immigrated in 1852 and were located at St. Louis working at their trade. My brother was a carpenter and James Ingram was a wood turner and all doing well. There I remained with my family about two weeks, making preparations to cross the plains as soon as we could get ready. We bought a wagon and two yoke of oxen at St. Louis. We paid about $25 per yoke at that time, and after we had made up our outfit we took a steam boat to Keokuk, Iowa (about 100 miles north of St. Louis) as that was the outfitting point for the Mormon emigration that year of 1853. And after waiting on the camp ground for about a week, we formed a company of about 20 teams. Elder Gibson was the captain and we started across Iowa headed for Council Bluffs, which was about 300 miles northwest, and traveling two days we arrived at Sugar Creek, a short distance from Montrose, which place lays across the river west of Nauvoo, and being desirous to see Nauvoo, a few of us walked over to Montrose to take in the old historic city where
Joseph Smith, the prophet, dwelt, and there had a nice view of the city and temple. And the spire of the temple had been partially destroyed by mobocracy, and few, if any, Latter-day Saints remained there. And then we returned to camp and we felt well paid for the visit and next day we resumed our journey. And being a very wet season, the roads were very muddy and consequently travel was slow, but after about a month we arrived at Council Bluffs, and there was one little incident that occurred on the road here was that one of the crew of the old ship, Elvira Owen (the carpenter) fell in love with one of our Mormon sisters and came up with the company to St. Louis and stayed over there a few days and got married and then came up to Keokuk with the intention of crossing the plains with some of the companies and brought their wagon, ox team and outfit complete and started out on the fearful muddy road and Smith (that was his name) was not accustomed to such traveling and driving oxen through mud half leg deep, so after traveling a few miles, he began to despair as he found out that land traveling was far more unpleasant that it was to walk to the decks of an ocean schooner under like conditions, and he became very abusive as nothing suited him, and finally he threw down his ox whip and declared that he would not go another step farther. So after a little parleying with his wife, he took his bundle of clothes and went back to sea, and his wife hired a young man to drive the team and she came to the Valley, and that was the last of Smith. And that is only one incident out of thousands that came to my notice while crossing the country from the Mississippi over to Salt Lake Valley, but time and space will not admit to notice any more at present. Having arrived at council Bluffs and waiting for a chance to cross the Mississippi over to Salt Lake Valley, but time and space will not admit [p.70] to notice any more at present. Having arrived at Council Bluffs and waiting for a chance to cross the Missouri River, which was difficult that season on account of very high water as it overflowed the bottoms from bluff to bluff, hundreds of emigrants was waiting for the water to recede so that they might cross. And time went on and we were eating up our stock of provisions pretty fast that we had laid in for the journey and the season advancing, it being now
July 20th. I concluded to stop over for another season and let my brother John take my share of the outfit and continue the journey with his family as he had quite a family of boys and girls. So after waiting so long they crossed the river and started out on the plains and reached the Valley in September. . . . [p.71]

. . . . we made the Weber River cross over and began to ascent the Big Mountain and down and over the Little Mountain down into Emigration Canyon, and soon we had a beautiful view of Salt Lake valley and came down and camped on the 8th Ward Square, that begin September 28th 1856. After ten weeks travel of over 1,000 miles, and I must have walked twice that distance hunting game for the company. . . . [p.74]

BIB: Pett, James [Autobiography], IN Marble, B. Glen, comp., Mormon Marbles: Roots and Branches (privately printed, 1979) pp 68-71, 74. (CHL)
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