The 12th day of January 1842. I went aboard the ship Tremont & she left Liverpool Dock at half past ten p.m. She was towed out by a steamboat, it being a beautiful, calm day. Elder Parley P. Pratt was on board & delivered an oration to the Saints. It was a New York ship & had a American flag. I recollect him tell that the stars & stripes had reference to a land of liberty & that they had now left the oppressive land of England & was now on their way to a land of liberty & a land of plenty & would no longer have to give six pence for a small loaf of bread &c, &c. When we got out of the harbor the steamship returned back & Elder Pratt & many others returned who accompanied us thus far. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when we parted. It was a beautiful, calm evening. It was now all hustle & bustle on board our vessel, for each passenger was trying to find out where his berth would be. I do not know the exact number of passengers but in a little while we were all placed & each one having his own station. I will explain a little the manner or in other words the way we were situated in our new home. We were steerage passengers & where we stored away our things & slept was a large open space between decks. The berths where we slept was on each side of the ship, from one end to the other & one above the other. The first was about three feet from the floor & the second about six or eight. I was now totally among strangers, not a face that I ever had seen before in my life & left all my folks & not knowing as I would ever see them again in my life. I felt considerable down hearted & sad, but keeping up appearances as well as possible, I & two other men concluded to sleep together & picked out our berth which was a lower one. The weather being so beautiful we all concluded there was no need of fastening luggage of any kind until next day. So we packed our chest, bags, &c in the midway of the ship. Each one or family had cooking utensils which consisted principally of tinware, cups, &c
. Each passenger went to work & drove nails round his berth & hung up his cups, coffee pots &c, &c round his berth & I among the rest prepared a place & hung up mine & so got everything [p.8] fixed, ready to go to bed. After being in bed about two hours the wind began to blow & the sea began to roar & about midnight the cry was all hands on board. The storm grew worse & worse. It was as much as I could do to keep myself in bed. Our tinware & luggage rolled first from one end of the ship & then to the other. When it came daylight our room was an awful sight, almost every person was sick. Everything that was not fastened was mixed together. I got up & went on deck. The sea was very rough & remained so for three days, during which time I could get nothing to eat for those that had the management of the provision was sick & could not attend to it. The fourth day the storm abated some so that they dealed out some provision. The sea calmed some & the folks began to show them. After the storm we had quite a good time & I began to get a little acquainted. The seventh day after we started we were out of sight of land & continued to have good weather. In forty-one days we were in sight of land again & forty-eight from the time we left Liverpool, being forty-one days out of sight of land. During which time a great many things transpired that I shall pass over. We had a very pleasant voyage. Saw almost all kinds of fish & caught some. I worked considerable at my trade while on the sea. Had a room on the water deck in which I worked. Made considerable work for the captain & cabin passengers & others. The most of the passengers were Saints. We arrived in New Orleans the six day of March 1842. It being fifty-five days from the time we left
Liverpool until we arrived in New Orleans & fifty-eight since I left the Isle of Man. We tarried in New Orleans 12 days. I went to see some old acquaintance & faired with them first rate until I left there. The company charted a steamboat to St. Louis & we started from New Orleans the 18th of March, except some that stayed there. We arrived in St. Louis the 28th of March & next day started for Nauvoo. I had come thus far out any accident but on the 30th of March I fell through the [p.9] hatchway backward & lay there lifeless for half an hour. It was supposed the first one that saw me was Charlotte Hes, a young lady that I got acquainted with soon after we left Liverpool. I was take up & laid on a bed & remained lifeless for about one hour & senseless the greater part of the day. The day the first thing I recollect I was inquiring where I was. I was taken into the cabin & soon got well. A great many told me they never expected to have seen me well again.

The first of April in the morning we got to Warsaw. Mr. Hes & his family stayed there, they did not belong to the church. About sundown we arrived in Nauvoo, being eighty-four days from the time I left the Isle of Man until I arrived in Nauvoo. I went to shore & saw Elder Taylor. I was glad to see him for there was none other that I was acquainted with as I knew of. He invited me to his house & I was glad of the invitation. . . . [p. 10]

BIB: Callister, Thomas. Collection (LDS Church Archives, MS 5112, Reminiscences, fd. 1, p. [1] and Autobiographical Notes, fd. 2, pp.8-9; Acc. #23811) (CHL)
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