(25) Rose early & assisted the Saints to adjust their baggage & went to 42 [42 ISLINGTON WAS THE ADDRESS OF THE BRITISH MISSION IN LIVERPOOL] for breakfast then on board and sailed at 1 p.m. The steamtug was pretty well loaded with Saints when it left us & the many goodbyes, farewells & handshakings were given & received with a hearty good will & many Gods blessings attend you invoked from either party and the moisture would accumulate in ones eyes the tears of joy would come unbidden to the eyes of the most hard & indifferent ones so long as a form could be recognized or a flutter of a kerchief be seen as the rug rounded for the shore & we steamed from them and I silent & sad turned & went below. The thought of leaving so many faithful Saints behind & perhaps many of them I will never see again. A pretty hearty dinner at 4 and walked the deck of the splendid steamer Wyoming till 9 then to bed. Down the Irish Channel & during the night the sea was rough which caused me & many others some unpleasant thoughts while casting up of accounts from seasickness & I did leave my bed or berth till we stopped at Queenstown at 9:30 and then wrote my last letter on this side the Atlantic to Brother Munns at Leeds & after an hours stay steamed down the coast of Ireland. As the sea became rougher I became more violent in my paroxysms.
(October 26 1876. At sea) and went to my room & berth & lay till next day when after considerable effort I dressed & went upon deck. When I found that I had not been alone in my exertions to shake off or cast off all things earthly on the wide, wide sea. Most of the passengers were of no better disposition morally or at least bodily than I myself Rough weather sea has a singular quality of effectually developing the meanness of humanity internally and externally. Kept around most of the day. Eat nothing but two apples & they relished. Bed early.
(27) Late rising. No breakfast. Went down into the storage found Sisters [Jan] Barker & Durrans quite ill. Not feeling able to stir but talked cheerfulness into them & almost carried them on deck which revived them & after a time prevailed on them to promenade one at a time by supporting them & they felt better but were worse through the night as the sea got rougher and the steamer rocked badly.
(28) I am better & ate some.
(29) Sunday. Better appetite. A meeting in the cabin. Church of England service & a short sermon by the young clergyman going to N S to take orders. Meeting at 2:30 in the steerage. Several cabin passengers present & one of the young ministers D. [David] McKenzie spoke about an hour on first principles bearing a faithful testimony. Another meeting below in the evening. More calm. Passengers present who paid good attention. Preaching by P. D. Lyman, about 50 minutes one of the ministers present. Most of the passengers & a pretty good attendance at table.
(31) Can eat like a horse now. First breakfast 8:30, lunch 12, dinner 4:30 & tea at 8, to all of which I do ample justice to my good appetite & destruction of the generous fare. Weather fine & the ship quite steady. Our average speed thus far has been 13 knots an hour. Very few but come to table.
(Nov.1) At two this morning saw the light of Cape Race Newfoundland. Last night assisted in administering to a young man who has palpitation of the heart. The night before to two [SIC] children, who are better now & come to table. At 9:30 two birds, owls, fell on deck quite exhausted were picked up & given free first class fare.
(2) One of our bird passengers died at an early hour this morning. It will be carefully preserved and cared for. Passed the light on Sable Island last night & are now at 1.30 under easy sail at the rate of 14 knots Ship steady as a clock with hardly a perceptible motion in the cabin. Last night a concert or entertainment in the cabin at which each one was invited to assist. The two young pastors rolled their eyes in holy horror each time that one of our party, a Mormon, was called up but all went off well & in good order. Our party sit at the doctors table & consists of David McKenzie, Peter Barton, president of company, Rees Lewellyn William Evens, P.D. Lyman, H. W. Taylor & your humble servant. The brethren, except B.W. Carrington are returning missionaries Carrington has been in England several years at school. Married his teacher's daughter & now returning with wife. Mrs. Barratt & Miss David her niece are from Manchester Conference & under the special care of [David] McKenzie. A testimony and sacrament meeting at 10 today in the steerage & another tomorrow. The SS"Nevada" from N Y is passing at a distance. The passengers are unusually civil & courteous sociable & affable, accommodating & polite, while the captain, officers, steward & crew are very kind indeed. In the steerage are 118 passengers very comfortable & not crowded. Sickness is a thing of the past, everyone so far as I know comes to table.
(3) Coming fair but the wind rose gradually till the vessel pitched considerable & passengers began their old game of accounting past deeds. Some to bed supperless, but toward morning more calm. Before noon a white star steamer the "Britannica" passed steaming ahead rapidly, having left Liverpool 27 hours after us At 6 this morn- a pilot came on board being about 200 miles out. [David] McKenzie preached in the steerage at 5 p.m., polygamy & the Mormons. At 8 the Parsons had thanksgiving & prayer in the cabin. This being our last night on board all was stir & bustle in making ready to land in the morning & not much sleep for some.
(4) Up at 4. Land on both sides with plenty of lights & much shipping moving up or down. Passed the "Britannica" as she could not get over the bar till full tide. Came to anchor before 7 & waited two hours for the doctor to pass through the boat & us. I wrote two [p.252] letters home. Got into the dock about 10. Luggage passed without trouble by feeing the officials with a few dollars. Brother [William C.] Staines was at the landing waiting for us & brought us letters. Three for me, one from Elisha Norton Fredonia & two from father, one with $30.00 in money so that I have now over $70.00 & think to leave train at Pittsburgh & go to Fredonia on a visit The company got off at 5 p.m. & I had expected to go with them but my box did not turn up.
(New York Nov 4 1876) and I stopped to hunt it. Went to the Steven House & stopped for the night and found it there & I was vexed at not going. Got supper & went to bed. The Saints all went off feeling jolly at so short a stay.
(5) Started at 7 for a run around little New York. Went to the bridge building across east river to Brooklyn. The two towers or abutments costing $1,400,000.00 without the wires. The wires are now being put on. It is built by the two cities; New York & Brooklyn. The abutments are each 250 feet high. Breakfast at an eating house, took tram to Central Park to compare it with those of England & find this far superior to anything I saw there. Came back to South Ferry at Castle Garden 7 miles for 5 cents crossed to Brooklyn 2 cents then to Greenwood Cemetery 7 miles in 3/4 for 5 cents. This is no doubt the largest and most magnificent cemetery in the world for modern times The wealthy of these two places seem to vie with each other in doing the greater honor to their dead. This place cannot be described. It must be seen to be appreciated. I spent 2 hours and saw but little. Came back by 6:30 & wrote home.
(6) Considerable running. Met some elders direct from Utah. Dinner with them. Fixed up my box & got it to the ferry. Left with a small company from Massachusetts at 7p.m. from Jersey City. Came to Philadelphia by 12 midnight Stopped at a private house.
(7) Went to the Centennial at 8 & walked. Very busy till. 6 p.m. & looked very fast & saw but a small portion but still a great deal. Paid for board & lodging $1.75.
(8) Started at midnight for the west & came to Pittsburgh Slow train by dark. Stopped for night $1.00 for bed, supper, & breakfast.
(9) Started 9 a.m. for up the river & came to Irvinton & stopped at 4:30. Trains did not count. Paid hotel bill. A very hilly & rough country along the Allegheny Mountains Saw very many oil wells & much iron & coal up hill a steep grade. Hills and woods.
(10) Started at 9 & came to Mr. Nortens. Found all well excepting me. Done some visiting & treated kindly.
(11) Mr. Norton took me in his carriage along Webster Street, passed our old farm. Saw the graveyard. Called on Nancy Webster Eliot of Horace Webster & Alanson Bailey. Saw Lemuel Webster then to Fredonia & home. Saw many of father's old friends. Fine day
(12) Sunday. A fine day. Drove through Fredonia toward Dunkirk. Called on Frank Berritt who married Mr. Norton's oldest daughter Ann. Came back past the cemetery, found the graves of two of our family a boy & a girl. Came to George C. Roods. Very few of the old stock remain & less of the new.
(13) Mr. Norton took me 1 miles east of Fredonia to Mr. Marcus Chapmans. He married Mary Ann Mumford, Uncle Harry's girl & he took me to Sheridan. I called on Julia and she knew me after 39 years. Then went Mr. Snow's, Janet's husband & found Uncle Harry & stopped the night These two girls married Snows brothers one is Esra Snow. A good visit.
(14) Spent the forenoon with Julia & came to Chapmans. Called on Ephriam Thayer & wife and Horace & wife. Evening saw Nellie Hendricks, a good girl.
(15) Rain last night with snow one inch. Chapman took me to Dunkirk. Saw the water works and the Lake Erie, which last was just as I remember it. Short stay. Saw Jeff Richardson came to Fredonia Called on Mrs. Mullett, an old lady, an intimate in early times of my father & mother. She was glad to see me. Supper at Chapmans. Nellie lives with him & goes to normal school in Fredonia. After dark Chapman took me to Roods.
(16) Mr. Rood took me to see Harriet Brown, an old schoolmarm before 1839 to H.Tarbor. Dinner with Toni More very rich to Fredonia. Saw two foxes: Fad Daniel & John. Saw several old people that knew my father. Called on William Risby. Saw Hi Clark & WilClark, Erastus Bartholemew, James Mulett & back to Roods to talk. Then walked to Nortons in the dark.
(17) Rose early & went on to fathers old farm wood lot & orchard. The same trees are bearing yet & got a few apples grown on the trees of fathers planting before I was born. Got the apples for Father. The man paid 3,000.00 for the farm of 50 acres. Train at 9:30 for home. Having seen enough & more to repay me for my time & expense. All here have received me kindly & urged me to stay longer. My father is everywhere well spoken of & respected with the utmost kindness & respect. Some told me that they always thought more of my Father than of their own brothers, which gives me much comfort & would have liked to stay longer but it is late in the season.
(Fredonia New York. November 17, 1876) Saw few of my old time associates & schoolmates & places have changed much but I knew the landmarks the roads fences & wells of water just as I knew them when but a child. [p.253] From Nortons to Warren the country seems but new. The fields are many of them filled with stumps of trees seeming but lately cut and I saw miles of fence with stumps of trees seeming but lately cut and I saw miles of fence made of stumps that have been taken out bodily refusing to rot & piled up for fencing. Ivrington was founded by Dr. William Irvine who purchased a large tract of land on the Allegheny River which is left and following up the Conewango Creek [New York] and along CassadagaLake. One dam across Conewango Creek 4 feet high set back 12 miles thus proving the flaws of the county near Warren and considerable lumbering done here yet but mostly grazing. Saw millions of staves for coopering and very much hemlock piled for tanning. Irvington is near the junction of broken Straw & Allegheny. Many oil wells here & at Warren out to Titnsville through a thickly timbered country with several flourishing mills judging from the great quantities of lumber in sight. Titnsville seemed a large place with much oil works & manufacturing & is too very smokey. A damp lousy day. This town has been built mostly within the last 15 years. The oil has made it & it has now 7,000 inhabitants Crude oil is now worth $3.00 and 3.50 per barrel. Wasted here from 2:30 to 7:10 & then to Pittsburgh by 6:40 and through the oil region Titnsville is on Oil Creek.
(18) Waited till 8:30 & took train for Omaha Saw the Ohio River. Crossed the Muskingham River at Stuberville. Stopped here for the first time. Down Muskingham River some distance and across to Costraction [UNCLEAR]. Changed cars at Columbus Ohio on the Seiota River. Now through a level country with good farms & large corn fields on either side. Came to Logansport, Indiana at 3 a.m. Sunday morn.
(19) Sunday. No train today & have been walking as much as the rain will allow, having rained pretty hard yesterday & all night. Went up the hill to the college, a large four story building. Came back across the Eel River then across the Wabash. These two make a large stream which is tributary to the Mississippi. A dull damp. Toward night found a man named Mason who kindly volunteered to show me around the town. Some very fine dwellings & one very large school 4 stories with iron fence around the entire block. The building is capable of seating at least 1,000 scholars, I should judge. Stopped over night with him as he charged but half the Hotel fare although he kept a hotel himself Stopped in Titnsville 5 hours, 2 hours in Pittsburgh, 1 hours at Columbus & 30 hours in Logansport . 297 miles from Burlington to Omaha.
(20) Left Logansport at 8:30 came to State Line Crossed Illinois River at Peoria. Came through Laharpe 8:30 & Mississippi River at Burlington & laid over. Paid for straw bed .50
(21) Left 8. Crossed the state of Iowa. Have had wet weather every day. Some this morning mild, but soon after starting had a blustering snow storm for some hours. Snow falling fast with strong west wind then clear with sharp frost at night. Come through Iowa about half a crop. Wet early in the season, very little wheat & a light crop of potatoes. Came to Omaha & to bed by 12. At Emigrant depot 50 cents for bed & breakfast & was kept here till after 5p.m. gathering tickets & luggage, provisions etc. I had time to look around the town which does not seem very flourishing at present. Went on to the Bluff where I could see across the river to Council Bluff formerly Kanesville & up to Florence, old Winter Quarters of 1846. Could see many familiar landmarks.
(22) I met Sharp Walker & Chester Lovland from Salt Lake City of late, one going east. Walking going west in a few days. Nearly dark. Have found a companion, a man from Indianapolis named Tull for California Came to Cheyenne in half in two days Had a good comfortable car & slept very well. Have a good company all emigrants & 18 heavy loaded freight cars. We make 10 miles an hour just half as fast as the passenger trains. Very cold weather but grew more mad or etc as we got into [-]. We meet many emigrant companies going east, being sick & tired of mountains California. Came to Cheyenne, half way in two days.
(26) Sunday came to Ogden after dark & stopped over night. Left at 5 next morning and came to Salt Lake to breakfast. Found all usually well. Father saw me in his sleep & told what door I came in at. Have had a pleasant passage from Omaha. All the passengers or many of them came to make my acquaintance when they learned I was going to Utah . . . . [p.254]
BIB: Brown, Lorenzo, The Journal of Lorenzo Brown, 1823-1900 (privately printed) pp. 252-54. (CHL)
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