. . . Now I must say my father had not given me anything toassist me on my journey and I did not know how to act. I wrote to father from Reading to ask him the reason that I was so hated as to be allowed to go away forever apparently from them and he not to give me anything to help me perform my journey. I requested him to write to me and direct it [p. 29] to Liverpool accordingly. I received a letter from him with an order in it to the amount of 2 £. I wrote to him again as I then had not enough to ensure my passage to New Orleans in the ship John M. Wood. By the return of the post I received a letter from Bill, my brother, to say that I did not care who sunk so that I swam and a deal more not worthy of mentioning here. By a denial to my request I was put greatly about. I did not know what to do. I asked a french man, a Brother Baliff but I suppose he did not like to do it for me. I offered my watch and a clock that I had not sold but it was not enough. I offered it as a security for the money but he did not do it. At the last moment as it were the Lord provided a friend for me in Eli Whitear who lent [p. 30] me 3 £ so that I was able to pay my passage to New Orleans. I pond my watch for ten in Liverpool and sold my clock to Mrs. Powell at 63 Great Crop Hall Street for 11 so that I was able to get a few things as necessaries in the wares and so on. I wrote home again to father and asked him send me a little more money and I received another letter from him with another 2 pound order in it. I took out my watch again and Eli wanted it so I let him have it for 1 pound to help pay off what I had borrowed. I let him have a coat & leggings [- - -] so that I owe him 2 now. By I will endeavor by God's blessings to pay him as early as possible. Now I had 1 £ 10 shillings after all as I had spent the rest in buying one thing and the other as necessary. I wrote back and thanked my father for what he had sent me. Now we stayed a week at Mrs. Powell's waiting for the shop. After that time we went in the ship, John M. Wood, and our rations there.
We stayed 10 days before we left the docks at last the tie arrived for our departure which was on Sunday, 12th day of March 1854. It was very fine day. All things went well through the day except my wife, she began to be seasick. It was beautiful and fine when we went to bed about 10 o'clock. In the morning the wind blew up a hurricane which lasted all the day on Monday and Monday night and we made but little or no progress sailing backward and forward on the Welsh Coast [p. 32] under the shelter of the Welsh hill sometimes in the St. George's Channel and then contrary winds would blow us back again so that we made but little progress until the following Saturday when we cleared the Irish Coast and got in the western ocean. We nearly all suffered from seasickness. I myself was sick for a week continually since that time up to the 25 day of March in the morning. Now I thank God, my Heavenly Father, for his blessings unto his children and may he ever let his spirit be with us to direct us aright. By the blessings of God our Father our journey have been prosperous up to this time. No contrary wind since the above date not worthy of mentioning. [p. 33] Our health have been tolerable good each of us
. My time since seasickness have been over, have been spent in repairing the tins of the Saints that was out of repair principally so this have been the case. Touching the order of the ship there is the first presidency consisting of the President, Elder Cambell [Campbell] and his 2 counselors Elder Woodard & McDonald. Then the ship or the Saints are divided into 8 branches and there is a president in each branch and each branch meet separately in meetings and prayers. Without it has been in one case when all the brethren met in one meeting to celebrate the birth of the Church or the [p. 34] kingdom of
God upon the earth which 24 years old, 6 April. Nothing worth recording transpired up to the 8th day of April 1854. Now by the blessing of thee our God and our Father I hope to go on in this thy work and do they will and live humble before thee and by the power of thy Holy Spirit to be enabled to get rid of every kind of feeling that is not favorable to thy cause that I may not stumble nor fall but hold forth to the end in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior - Amen.

Now again this 26 day of April I will resume my writing and mentioning the principle events of journey well, all things goes on well. I spend the [p. 35] principal part of my time in me siding the tin cans &[-] to. Our health is pretty good. Both of us. There was a conference held on the 24 of April to give the report of the different branches of the ship. On the 22 of April we had a tea party or dinner party. About 80 of us sat down to a good repast and had good entertainment. After singing and theatrical performances we could not sit down to tea all together. There was not a convenient place for all but about 2 branches together. I do not make mention of every passing thing but all of importance. Our ship have been becalmed sometimes a day but no longer but I must say our voyage [p. 36] have been good and prosperous. On the Sabbaths we have had meetings on the deck in the morning and in the afternoon the different branches that was organized in the ship. Our voyage was a prosperous one. I will say so because I know it. We arrived in New Orleans 2 of May 1854. We shifted our luggage on board of a steamboat by the name of "Josiah Lawrence." We was 12 days coming to St. Louis from Orleans. We were detained at quarantine 5 days but we reached quarantine on Sunday and on Monday I went by permission of the doctor to St. Louis to seek for employment with another Brother by the name of Kempin. We succeeded and in also getting [p. 37] a room. We returned the same night but to late too cross the river. We had to sleep by a heap of rocks until the next morning. On the Thursday evening the ferry boat came for us and we took our luggage from the "Lava" to the room. So we left the Saints. I went to work in Gratriot Street on the Saturday and on the Monday I went to work in the Mississippi Foundry. There I stayed 2 weeks then I left and went to work on the Monday as I left on the Saturday night before. So we had the room up [p. 38] over the shop. We had not been there past six weeks before my dear wife was taken sick. The heat was too great for her strength and the state of her body. She continued sick about 3 weeks. I took her to a more healthy part of the city to a Mr. Patterson in Biddle Street I took her there on the 1st day of August and she died on the 2nd of August 1854. Her body lies interred in the Wesleyan Cemetery which is 2 miles out of St. Louis. Her loss I thought I could not endure but God in his goodness and mercy has found me [p. 39] another partner which came in the same ship as ourselves. After the death of my dear wife I used to frequently go to see Frances Dinwoody and I spent the greater part of my leisure time at her house for I found in her company was joy to me and my heart began to feel after her and we mutually agreed to be married and at the expiration of 5 months or on the 25th of December we were married by Elder Milo Andrus, President of St. Louis Stake of Zion at a tea party in the church being Christmas day and now I thank God that he has so ordered [p. 40] that my dear Francis and me are come together. We live with her father and mother on Washington Avenue. Nothing of importance transpired for several months. We both enjoyed good health up to the conference when we had a good time of it for three days beginning 6th day of April. In the month of April I received a letter from Eli Whitear from Salt Lake Valley all well and prosperous. In the month of June my wife's parents emigrated to [p. 41] Salt Lake Valley arrived there quite safe as they informed us by letter. I myself during my stay in St. Louis held several responsible offices such as counselor to the President of the priest quorum; afterward called to the office of an elder ordained under the hands of Bishop Chas. Chard on the 28th of June 1855. I acted as his second counselor. I afterward was called to be first counselor to Bishop Lowe and then the same for President Lees and the same for Bishop Turner. [p. 42] Nothing of importance transpired until my wife bore unto me a son which I am thankful to God for. He was born November 4, 1855. His name is Henry James Rampton. May the Lord God Omnipotent preserve his life long upon the earth to do good. He was blessed by Elder Jas H. Hart, the President of the St. Louis Stake of Zion on the 9th of December 1855. Nothing transpired up to this day which is the 5 day of May 1856. The little lad is growing fast and we are striding to pursue our journey across the plains. [p. 43] According to our desires we endeavored to make a start for the plains and thence the Salt Lake City. We started on the steamboat [blank] on the 2nd of June 1856 arrived at Florence on the 14th of the same month and laid there until the 6th of July and then started across the plains and after traveling some 3 months arrived in Salt Lake City 5th of October 1856. All well and glad to see the place after so long and tedious a journey. . . . [p. 44]

BIB: Rampton, Henry. Diary, (Ms 6080) Acc. #8439. pp.29-44 (CHL)
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