. . . We left Dover May Thursday the 21, reach London and stayed all night. Left next day and reached Liverpool in the evening. Went on board the ship Antarctic. I went on shore to buy some little extries [UNCLEAR, PROBABLY MEANING extras] such as a little sugar, cheese, flour, raisin currants &c. I slept onshore the night and went on board next morning. We sailed out of the Mercy about noon on Saturday, May 23rd. My brother and wife and two children were very seasick, and also Emily Swain, 13 year old daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Swain, Dover Branch, so that I had my hands pretty well full to see after these poor sick folks and had to fight against [p.83] it myself and take all the air I could on deck to prevent seasickness. After we had been out to sea a few days, a Sister Watters (or Waters) [Sarah Walters] was confined and died. Her husband was in England as a missionary. She had two other children with her. After a short time at sea the measles broke out among the children and we buried ten or eleven. My brother's [daughter] died. I took my turn nights and days watching over her and being very much attached to her. I felt very bad to see her buried in the sea.

We were seven weeks and two days getting from Liverpool to New York. Then by railroad and steamboat we reached to within three miles of Florence, Nebraska. We passed through some towns where they were fighting with bushwackers or some kind of outlaws till there was a continual flashing of firearms all over the town. When we arrived at St. Joseph's, Missouri, we had to be very careful how we acted and what we said for fear the Union soldiers should take offense and shoot some of us as many of them were there, and some very drunk and shooting around and swearing about the Mormons. This was a very strange thing to me after being working more or less for three years among English soldiers at Dover. And never had heard them insult the civilian and here they done it for fun, and I was told by people round there not to say a word to them, for if I did, and I was likely shot down dead. Somebody would bury me and that was all the trouble there would be about it. There was in our company about 700, about half British or English, Scotch, and Welsh, the other half what we British called foreigners. The British hired a large room and all made our beds as best we could and all laid [p.84] down as best we could to sleep till morning. Next day we went on board the steamboat, that was the worst part of all the voyage or trip. I never was more pleasant than I was when I saw the covered wagons with our brethren coming to fetch us to Utah. John Needham was president and Brothers Philip De La Mare and Samuel H. B. Smith, his two counselors over the company. . . [p.85]

. . . Captain Height [Haight] and company reached Salt Lake City at about 2 p.m. Oct. 4, 1863 and I arrived at about 4:30 p.m. . . . [p. 89]

BIB: Kirby, Thomas Wright. Autobiography (Ms 1033 1), pp. 83-85, 89. (CHL)
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