. . . I was baptized a member of the Mormon Church at the age of ten years, by E. S. Greco, at Ostra Torp, Sweden.

Shortly after, sometime between the 10th and 15th of May, 1866, we left our home, which had previously been sold and the furniture auctioned off. This was the beginning of a long journey, for our destination was Utah. We traveled by team to Malmo.

Around three sides of the city of Malmo, there is a canal several hundred feet wide and the other side is bounded by the ocean. While in Malmo awaiting transportation, a few of us boys were playing in a boat, that was tied to one side on the canal. While we were playing, the boat broke loose and floated down the stream. After some time, we were rescued by a party on the canal, an brought back. From Malmo, we went to Copenhagen by steamboat, and from there, by steamboat, to Hamburg, [p.1] Germany. June 2, 1866, we boarded a sailing vessels, the Humboldt, as steerage passengers, to cross the Atlantic Ocean to America.

The food on the boat consisted of soup, potatoes, beans, fish, bread or hard tack biscuits. The cooking was done in iron pots so large that the cook could get inside. No bread was made on the ship, the biscuits having been made months before and were extremely hard and dry. The potatoes were sour and soggy. The drinking water was taken from the River Elbe, in Germany, put in wooden barrels, that had been burned on the inside, and was as black as coal, when we drank it. Water was also put in large iron barrels, holding about five hundred gallons, and when the water from the wooden barrels was exhausted, the water from the iron barrels was used. This was red with rust. Pigs would object to the food and water but we had to take it.

The beds on the ship were made of common lumber, with room for four in width and were two tiers high.

There were about three hundred Latter-day Saints emigrants in the company. We had a good trip except for fog as we neared the New Found land Coasts; where another sailing vessel ran into us causing slight damage to our ship. When we were in mid-ocean, I did a boyish prank. Outside, under the bow of the vessel, where anchor and chains are hung, I ventured out unknown to my parents or anyone else. I sat there for some time and was able to see beneath a part of the vessels as the boat plowed through the ocean. This was a very dangerous thing for me to do. Had I slipped and fallen into the ocean, no one would have known what had become of me. But I climbed back safely.

We were six weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean and were glad when we reached Castle Garden, New York, where we stayed for three days. We all had to pass a doctor's inspection before landing. Had there been any contagious diseases on board, we would not have been allowed to land. We left New York City and went up the Hudson River in a boat to Albany, New York, where we put in very dirty cattle cars. After many days, we reached St. Louis, Missouri having changed cars at Chicago, Illinois. A Brother Johnson was president of the company. We went in a paddle wheel steamer up the Missouri River to Florence, Nebraska, now called Omaha, where we remained two weeks waiting for [p.2] ox teams from Salt Lake City.

The one spring of water that was used by the Saints in Florence for drinking had been poisoned by some of the citizens of that place, because of hatred towards the Saints. Consequently, the water could not be used and we had to go to Missouri River for drinking water and for general purposes.

When we started for Salt Lake City, Peter Nebeker of Willard was captain of the entire company. There were forty-eight teams, and each team consisted of two yoke of oxen for each covered wagon. Each wagon was loaded with merchandise and provisions, besides our luggage. All those who were able to walk, were expected to walk all the way to Salt Lake City. Mother and father rode part of the way on the latter end of the trip, mother was side and had to ride. We boys walked all the way.

Carl Loveland and Charlie Valentine of Brigham, were night herders. The oxen had to be herded as the Indians might drive them away. But the Indians were friendly and came to us only once on the trip. They wanted food, clothing, guns, and ammunition. The only thing we could give them was a sack of flour. After accepting it, they peacefully left us. When camping at night a corral was made using the wagons and arranging them with the tongues inside, with an opening at each end of the corral. The object of the corral was to protect ourselves and enclose the cattle, when necessary, from the Indians.

William Packer of Brigham was teamster of our wagon. We traveled on a average of ten miles a day. Bread was made in Dutch ovens and buffalo chips were used, at times, as fuel. When fording the Platte River, the bottom was very uneven and it was necessary to put five or six yoke of oxen on a wagon, so that some could pull while others had to swim in places. I remember one wagon box, load and all, was lifted from the gear and it floated down the river some distance before it was rescued. As we young boys could not swim, we would cling to the rear end of the wagon box. Mother was a small woman. Consequently father had to hold to her or she would have been carried down the stream. After reaching the other side of the river, we had to pause for a few days to dry our clothes. The weather was good throughout our entire journey across the plains. We saw herds of buffalo. We reached Salt Lake City, Saturday, Sept. 29, 1866. . . . [p.3]

BIB: Jenson, Olof. Autobiographical sketch (Ms 11373), pp. 1-3. (CHL)
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