Those messengers whom the parents heard proclaiming to them that the second coming of the Lord and master is at hand to deliver the members of the church, and with a prophet to guide the Latter-day Saints; bringing them a message like unto the prophets of old. With the elders proclaiming the acceptable time when the Lord of Hosts was to come in the clouds of Heaven, and with such a doctrine being preached in my parents native land, they became infatuated with it, and wishing to see the west, both were baptized and became members of the Latter-day Saints Church, for the souls salvation.

As soon as they were confirmed member by those in authority, the elders counseled them to gather to the bosom of the church in the land of Zion, Utah.

The consequence was that they arranged to leave England the latter part of May 1848. They finally left Liverpool in the Arkwright sailing vessel. [In this account, John Bond recorded their voyage as aboard the Arkwright, but they actually traveled on the ship the Anglo American.]

O'ER THE DEEP BLUE SEA

On arriving at the wharf, many friends came to see the parents and children set sail for the westward.

In a short time, the gangway planks were ordered to be pulled on board by the captain and much handshaking commenced, and shedding of tears in profusion, all wishing them God's speed and a safe landing on the western shore.

Alas! the whistle blew and bells rang while the ship glides slowing out to sea.

The sailors are active, climbing the masts, putting the sails out to the breeze as the ship sailed on slowly. In a short time, the ship was in mid ocean; aboard were weeping, sorrowful hearts at leaving friends and native land. Through the night and first day, the waves were large, dashing on the deck where many were lying seasick, wishing they were back on land. Such now, was of course fruitless, as they must proceed to the western shore. When we were at sea three weeks, the sea porpoises were seen in great numbers in the day time and were a great sight to behold.

The voyage was still rough, and the ship pitched backward and forward, dashing boxes against berths while tin cans were thrown in all directions. This was most startling to the passengers. Mothers were screaming to their husbands, "The ship is going to be wrecked." Their answers would invariably be, "Go to sleep, mother, we can't help it now. This life has to be borne while sailing over the blue sea."

The jolly cooks were kept busy cooking the food for the emigrants and were also very kind, bringing them delicacies to eat. The ship sailed steadily nearly six weeks, making good time. At last! a cry is heard when emigrants come on deck to see what was the matter. The captain has sighted land, which caused the passengers to rejoice and their faces were all smiles to think they were nearing the long looked for Boston Harbor, July 15, 1848, which was a grand sight to see after so rough a voyage as they had passed through. [p.2]

The gangway planks are put out on the docks, as friends were waiting and a joyful handshaking ensued. Many tears were shed to think they were permitted to arrive on land once more. The baggage was soon transferred from the ship by the dock hands to the car to go to Fall River, Massachusetts. The parents and children had a lunch and then went on to the part destined to go for a season.

On arriving in Fall River, the parents rented a small house of seven rooms from Mr. Goodroom on Columbia Street. There, father started in his tailoring business, putting out his sign and employing three tailors to work for him. As soon as he could, he went in search of the presiding elder of the Latter-day Saint church and found Nathan Slater presiding with a fair congregation. Here we attended religious services until April 1852 when Nathan Slater, his father, mother, brothers and sisters went to Utah.

When they went away, father was appointed president in his place to promulgate the work of the Lord. Father now sent me to a free school near the Rhode Island line to Miss Scholes and Miss Jones. They were excellent teachers and were very strict in school yet they were kind with the scholars at recess playing with the boys and girls on the playgrounds. I went to school five years and finished the primary grades ready for High School. At this time the elders counseled the parents to gather to the valley of the mountains, the Zion of Utah. This necessitated father to put me to work in the Water Pea Factory (a cotton factory) as a back boy to put in rope in the spinning room, making twenty three cents a day for ten hours work for two years.

This work helped the parents very much. While at work at the factory, William Richardson wished me to go to his Sunday school but the parents did not like me to go to any other Sunday school but theirs. This I did not like as I was of a turn of mind. I wished to hear other beliefs to form my own opinion as to the Savior's teaching and a few times went to the Christian Church unknown to my parents. These were the happiest moments of my innocent boyhood days. We also took a stroll one Sunday to the Fall River Beach to gather the pretty shells and stones until our pockets were well filled. We wandered several miles to the woods and climbed the trees for birds' nests and to gather the huckle and blackberries to eat, as we were getting tired and hungry. We now lay down on the green grass beneath the shade of the trees and both fell asleep for a while and on awakening started for home, picking flowers, buttercups and roses, so as to have a bunch to take to our mothers' they looked so pretty. We traveled on and arrived at the Matticomic Factory mill pond and here took a rest. While resting here, we both commenced to wash the dust off the flowers in the mill pond in innocence.

When I was looking around to see some playmates standing near, and as I turned back again I could not see my strolling mate. The water ran from the mill pond in an aqueduct to the print works, a rapid flow. I still looked for him and my heart heaved with sorrow fearing he may have fallen in the pond and might not arise again. I still watched for him anxiously and at the last moment he came up out of the water and grabbed the aqueduct stone where it ran under the same. I caught him by the hands while the water pulled heavy on his body. I commenced to get exhausted in trying to hold his head above the water. I called to the boys nearby to come and help but they did not seem to understand the grave situation my playmate was in. At this juncture a gentleman saw me holding to my playmate. He begged me to hold on to him or he would drown before he could get to us. I was nearly exhausted when the gentleman got to us and pulled him out of the swift current which filled our hearts with thankfulness to think his life was saved. We both returned him thanks for his kind assistance and at once started for home. On arriving home his mother wished to know why his clothes were so wet and I told her of his miraculous escape form being drowned. She thanked me, his rescuer, for saving him from death in the mill pond while in innocent play. [p.3] I went home with a determination to go on a stroll on the Sabbath day again. On the following Sunday I was baptized in Fall River at eight years of age by Nathan Slater to obey my parents. There were many Christians of the different denominations come to hear father preach the new gospel.

Elder Savory became very anxious to have the parents and children make ready as soon as was convenient for them to do so, to go to the valleys of the mountains to hear the Prophet preach the true gospel to receive everlasting joys.

They were faithful, and diligently prepared with hearty good will for the soul salvation in the eternal world.

The missionaries became more urgent, from the valleys of the Saints to gather form the calamities soon to be brought upon all nations, where in the land of Zion they would have peace and plenty. To fulfill those requirements, father sold out his business so as to be ready to start with the first emigration to the Valley or Great Salt Lake, the last of February 1856. This was happy news to the parents and the children and they were thankful the way was open to gather to the bosom of the Saints and be able to sing the hymns in spirit with buoyant hearts in Zion. So, on the last of February, the parents packed the household effect and the dray was brought to haul the boxes to the Fall River wharf ready to start on the journey westward. The boxes were put on the steamboat trucks and hauled on the steamboat too.

SET SAIL FOR NEW YORK CITY

All were ready at the appointed hour - 7 p.m. - to depart from the eastern home. Now parents shake hands with dear friends and many tears are shed to be separated from each other who had been lifelong neighbors and friends. Ah! the steamboat's whistle blew and the bell rang when the gangway planks were pulled in on board by the boat hands, when the ponderous steam engines start the water wheels which start the boat to glide away from the docks, while the friends are wishing goodbye and waving their handkerchiefs. There were many weeping at the separation as they may never meet again.

The steamer moved on at a rapid rate through the waves which made the folds. Some were seasick but were comparatively well cared for by the nurses through the night and at 4 a.m. the whistle blew a signal that we were near New York City wharf. At last we arrived safely when the steamboat hands put out the gangway planks and the passengers were escorted to the steamboat station. With thankful hearts we were once more safe on land, a trip long to be remembered by all. [p.4]

Chapter II

Reminiscences of the Plains

Upon our arrival in New York, my parents and I went to see John Taylor, then editing a paper "The Mormon". They inquired as to the best way to get to Utah and arrive in good season. He told them that Brigham Young had written him from Salt Lake City to act as Church Immigration agent for New York. Franklin D. Richards acted as agent in Liverpool, England; Erastus Snow at St. Louis, and Daniel Spencer from Iowa Camp Ground, Iowa.

March 9, 1856 my parents were informed by John Taylor that if they had sufficient means with which to buy the equipment necessary for the journey, they should let him have the money as the agents of the Church were buying everything in large quantities, and therefore it would be safer, cheaper and the best way to secure the things. My father acceded to this advice and signed contracts with John Taylor for $600.00, which was to pay for two yoke of oxen, wagon and supplies to be sent to Daniel Spencer at Iowa Camp Grounds within a month. They then paid him our railroad fare, which was by first class to Iowa City, then the end of the railroad.

We started the same day for the west, crossing the North River by boat, and they rode to Patterson, New Jersey on the cars. Here we changed cars for Chicago, arriving early a week later. The reader can hardly imagine our surprise when we transferred into lumber, hog and cattle cars which were in a dreadful dirty condition. These may have been "first class" cars for these commodities, but hardly for human beings. They had the money and also had us in a yoke. We reached Iowa City four days later and were glad for the deliverance.

Here we were met by the Church agents who transferred the Saints and their luggage, oxen, mules, wagons and etc., two miles west passing over beautiful rolling prairie grass in sight of the Iowa River to Iowa Camp Grounds where we arrived March 18 and rested for a season. The country was sparsely settled and there were no immigrants on the camp grounds. But for the few Church agents who lived there, my father pitched the first tent. Our camp life for the time being was quite a novelty. It was a great change for mother as she had to do her cooking by camp fire. We had been here about two weeks when a terrific electrical storm blew the tent down. The heavy wind and downpour of rain put our new home into a most deplorable condition. The contents of the tent were as though they had been dragged through a creek. Though this was very trying, father and mother bore these burdens very bravely as they believed these things must be endured for the Gospel's sake. After several weeks, missionaries from England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Denmark and Norway, with 2,000 Saints from these countries, arrived at the camp. The agents of the church supplied these people with large round tents with accommodation for twenty persons each. The elders, while on their missions, had advised the people to bring their best clothes and other valuable personal property in boxes as these things would be very useful in the valleys and mountains. The Saints brought with them from two to four boxes per family and these, upon their arrival at the camp, were stacked out in the open camp in inclement weather. Before their departure from Liverpool, many of the Saints paid from 10 to 18 pounds per head (50 to 60 dollars). This money was paid to Franklin D. Richards and signed contracts with him to pay for hauling the Saints in wagons to Salt Lake City.

When these people arrived at Iowa Camp Ground, Daniel Spencer, the agent, received a letter form J. M. Grant, Brigham Young's counselor of the divine plan. This plan, it was stated, was a revelation from God to Brigham Young. It was an order that the Saints were not to rider across the plains in wagons; but pull hand [p.5] carts. This order brought consternation to camp and many of the Saints resented the idea with murmurings and shedding of tears.

When Daniel Spencer heard of these murmurings, he called a meeting of the Saints. Here ways and means whereby the hand carts could be pushed to the valley were considered. The object being to console the people. The leading returned missionaries from Europe, James Furgeson, George D. Grant, John Van Cott, Cyrus H. Wheelock, W. C. Dunbar, William H. Kimball, Joseph A. Young, Moses Cluff, Daniel Jones, F. D. Richards and others all spoke at the meeting, advising the Saints that they must not find fault with the Lord's anointed. That the plan was to be carried out. As the Saints had faith in the elders teachings and had arrived thus far from their native land without any serious mishaps, they assured that the Lord would see them through their journey in safety. There, many fervent prayers were offered by the elders, and all the instructions seemed to crystalize into one thought, and the "Hand Cart Plan" was unanimously adopted. The distance from here to Zion (Salt Lake City) was 1,300 miles.

Work was begun at once and taken hold of heartily by all the Saints I making the hand carts. A large tent 40 x 24 was put up for a workshop. The leading men in the new enterprise were Chauncy W. Webb, William Latey, Edwin F. Munn, W. C. Owen, and George Haines. Some of the lumber was brought from Chicago and this was used for hubs and shafts, while trees were felled near the camp for other purposes. A large steam box was erected so that the sticks could be bent. The carts when complete weighed 60 pounds and the carrying capacity was about 120 pound. They afforded conveyance for the effect of from four to eight persons. . . . [p.6]

. . . The reader will recall that mention was made at the outset that our equipment was to arrive at Iowa Camp Grounds one month after the signing of the contracts. One day a call was heard in camp that the wagon train of supplies was arriving. Shouts of "Hurrah!" rent the air as we had been kept waiting four months for these things. My parents received their yokes of oxen, wagon and supplies to start with the first independent train of wagons which had Benjamin Hodgets and Nathan Porter as captains. . . . [p.10]

. . . When we go on down into the valley, it is a large sage brush bench, with large mountains on either side. The mountains on the east are very broken and rugged, while the Ensign Peak is plainly visible to the naked eye in the distance, as the rays of the solar luminary glisten on the snow. As we travel on, we see Great Salt Lake in the distance to the northwest. We had been approaching a most beautiful valley from east to west and from north to south. It gladdens the hearts of all. The train goes on down the bench quite rapidly, finally arriving at the edge of the city. The houses are built of adobe, or sun dried clay, and are quite home-like with from two to six rooms each, with a two story building here and there. The streets run east and west or north and south, with trees and water ditches for irrigation showing good taste and judgment.

As we pass through the streets, we hear the roosters crowing and the hens cackling, which made all of us feel we were getting home again. This was pleasing to both mind and heart. The train arrived in Eight Ward Square at 4 o'clock, November 30, 1856. . . . [p.46]

BIB: Bond, John. [Reminiscences]. Handcarts west in '56. (privately printed, 1970) pp. 2-6, 10, 46. (CHL)
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