. . . The following extracts from a letter which the subject of this sketch addressed to J. F. Tolton, who was then in England, Sept. 25th 1885 are explanatory of themselves:

"When I had fairly attained my majority, my father and mother, sisters, Maria, Hannah, Mercy and Fanny, and brother, John, prepared to emigrate to the United States of America. Of course I left and came with them, bidding as I supposed a final [p. 1] farewell to "Old England". Previous to our departure, my father was a local Baptist preacher, and was over-seer of the brick works at Newbold.

We set sail from Liverpool to America on the ship Medford, a sailing vessel, Sept. 15th, 1842, and after enduring a siege of seasickness which continued (as regards myself) for four or five weeks, we anchored in the port of New Orleans, the first day of November, 1842.

Had any other feelings than those of despondency and a dread for the perils of the sea which pervaded my breast at this time, predominated over my will, I evidently would have retraced my steps. However, considering these drawbacks, a very enjoyable time was realized the few days that we remained in the "Delta City".

We then embarked on a Mississippi Steamboat for St. Louis, Missouri and reached our destination about the middle of November. The weather was, and had been for several days, extremely cold and wintery, and the climate so different from that of my native clime, that had I been in possession of the necessary means, I should have bade the New World a final farewell and sought the "Green Lanes of Merry England".

After remaining a few days in St. Louis my father expressed a desire to settle on a farm. Consequently he and I went up the Mississippi to Alton, Illinois (about 30 miles from St. Louis) to take in the situation of a farm that was for sale. This journey resulted in the purchase of 160 acres of land at a small place called Monticello, about 7 miles north of Alton.

We then moved the whole family to the farm and arrived there in the early part of 1843. Sister Maria and Hannah joined the Latter-day Saints in Birmingham, England in 1841, and their joining the Church was the cause which led to our emigration to this country, and the breaking up of the old home in England. These two were the only ones in our family who had joined the Mormons at the time we arrived in America. . . . [p. 2]

BIB: Tolton, Edward, letter of. (Special Collections & Manuscripts, Mss 409, pp.1-2. (Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah)
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