"EMIGRATION NEWS FROM SCANDINAVIA. . . . the Franklin, (Captain R. Murray,) on the 15th, with 413 souls, under the presidency of Elder C. A. Madsen . . ."
MS, 24:18 (May 3, 1862), p.283
"Tues. 15. [Apr. 1862] -- The ship Franklin sailed from Hamburg, Germany, with 413 Scandinavian Saints, under the direction of Christian A. Madsen. The company arrived in New York harbor May 29th and at Florence [Nebraska] June 9th. Between forty and fifty children died of measles on board the ship."
CC, p.67
". . . For several months, the preparation for this large emigration had been going on in the different conferences throughout Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The emigrating Saints from the Jutland Conferences in Denmark went direct to Hamburg, while most of those from the other conferences first gathered in Copenhagen and thence made their way to Hamburg in different companies. Thus the steamer 'Albion' sailed from Aalborg, April 6, 1862, with over 400 Saints from the Aalborg and Vendsyssel Conferences. Sailing southward, the ship took up the emigrating Saints from the Aarhus and Skive Conferences at Aarhus in the morning of the 7th, and at Fredericia later the same day they picked up the emigrating Saints from the Fredericia and Fyen Conferences at Fredericia; the ship reached Kiel in Holstein on the eve of the 7th. Here they were joined by a small contingent from Copenhagen, and the journey was then continued the same day (April 8th) to Altona and Hamburg; in the evening the emigrants went on board the ships 'Humboldt' and 'Franklin,' which were anchored in the Elbe. . . .
. . . On Tuesday, April 15th, the ship 'Franklin' (Captain Robert Murray) sailed from Hamburg with 413 emigrating Saints, nearly all from the Aalborg and Vendsyssel Conferences. They were in charge of Christian A. Madsen, an elder returning home. He chose Jens C. A. Weibye and Lauritz Larsen as his counselors. On board the ship the company was organized into eight districts with the following brethren as presidents: Jens C. Thorpe, Jens Christensen Kornum, Niels Mortensen (Lynge), Lars P. Fjeldsted, C. P. Borregaard, Jens C. S. Frost, Thomas Larsen and Jens Andersen. Jens F. Mortensen was appointed baggage master, Anthon H. Lund, interpreter, and Christian Andersen captain of the guard. . . .
. . . On Thursday, May 29th, in the forenoon, the 'Franklin' arrived at New York. The emigrants were placed on a transport steamer to be landed at Castle Garden, but on arriving at the wharf, they were not permitted to go ashore, because of some cases of measles yet existing among them. After 18 of the sick had been taken into the hospital, the rest were returned to the 'Franklin' and there remained on board two more nights and a day. Finally, on May31st, they landed at Castle Garden, where they were met by Elders Charles C. Rich, John Van Cott and other brethren.
A part of the emigrants did not have means to carry them further on their way to Zion than New York, but through the generosity of some of the Saints who were more fortunate, a sufficient sum was raised to take all these poor Saints along, and with rejoicing the journey was then resumed, leaving New York May 31st, at 9 p.m., by extra railway train to Albany, where they arrived the next morning (June 1st). From there the journey was continued by train via Syracuse, Rochester, Niagara, Windsor, Detroit and Chicago to Quincy, Illinois, and thence by steamboat across the Mississippi River to Hannibal, Missouri, and again by train to St. Joseph, Missouri, where they arrived June 6th. The following day they boarded the steamboat 'Westwind' and left St. Joseph at 10 p.m., after having spent the 'Day of Pentecost' in a way that was anything but pleasant (as there was very poor and crowded accommodation for so many people on this comparatively small vessel). The company arrived at Florence, Nebraska, on Monday, June 9th, at 10 o'clock p.m. Hans C. Hansen's company, which crossed the ocean in the 'Humboldt,' arrived there a week before. Among the 48 persons who died in the 'Franklin' company during the voyage on the sea was Brother Jens Andersen from Veddum (Aalborg Conference), Denmark, who with his own means had assisted 60 or 70 poor Saints to emigrate. He died on the North Sea on the 25th of April, soon after the ship had left Cuxhaven. On the way from New York to Florence [Nebraska], two children died, of whom one was the 15 months old daughter of Jens C. A. Weibye. Eleven persons (4 adults and 7 children) died while staying at Florence and a young girl died on the plains, making in all 62 of the 'Franklin' company who died between Hamburg and Salt Lake City.
On Tuesday, June 10th, the emigrants pitched their tents a short distance north of Florence, and the necessary purchases of oxen, wagons, cows, etc. were attended to.
Those who crossed the plains by the Church teams were organized into messes to receive their provisions from the commissary of the company. A few of the emigrants had become apostates on the way and remained in the States. Among these were a blacksmith
, J. P. Jacobsen, and Lauritz Larsen from Hojen, Christopher Thomsen from Gaardsholt, Vendsyssel, Denmark, and others with their families. The rest of the emigrants remained in camp for several weeks before beginning the journey across the plains. A few days before the company left camp, Florence and vicinity was visited by a terrible tornado, accompanied by rain, thunder and lightning, by which two of the brethren were killed and Elder Joseph W. Young received severe wounds from a wagon box which blew down upon him; after the accident, he was carried to a place of safety in an unconscious condition, but recovered after a while. The tents and wagon covers of the company were badly torn and shattered on that occasion. . . .
. . .The emigrants who sailed across the Atlantic in the four ships mentioned [THE Humboldt, Franklin, Electric, and Athenia] came together in Florence from which place those who had not the means wherewith to equip themselves for the journey across the plains were assisted by the teams sent there from the Valley by the Church, while those who had means wherewith to help themselves were organized into two independent companies. One of these was placed in charge of Elder Christian A. Madsen and was composed of 264 persons, 40 wagons, 14 horses, 174 oxen, 99 cows, 37 heifers, 7 calves, 6 dogs and 10 chickens, and brought along 22 tents, 32 cooking stoves, 5 revolvers and 37 rifles. Hans C. Hansen was captain of the guard and Jens C. A. Weibye secretary for the company, which was divided into six divisions with the following brethren as captains: Soren Larsen, Jens C. A. Weibye, Niels Mortensen (Lynge), Thomas Lund,
Lauritz Larsen and Christian H. Gron. The first mentioned had charge of five horse teams and the others eight ox teams each.
The other company, which also counted about 40 wagons, with its quota of persons, animals, etc., was in charge of Elder Ola N. Liljenquist, and Elder John Van Cott was placed as general leader of both companies, which broke camp at Florence, July 14, 1862. The first few days some difficulty was experienced, as the oxen, who were not used to Scandinavian orders and management, would often follow their own inclination to leave the road and run away with the wagons, but after some practice on the part of their inexperienced teamsters, the difficulty somewhat disappeared. The journey from Florence was via Elkhorn River, Loup Fork, Wood River, Willow Lake, Rattlesnake Creek, Fort Laramie, Upper Platte Bridge, Devil's Gate, South Pass, Green River, etc., to Salt Lake City, where the company safely arrived Sept. 23, 1862. . . ."
HSM, pp.162-65, 166-67
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