We left Denmark and arrived at Liverpool. Here our son Lars Christian Hansen died the sixteenth of January 1854. My wife gave birth to another son, who was named Joseph Christian Hansen, born January sixteenth 1854 in Liverpool. After about two weeks stay, we departed in the sailing vessel Benjamin Adams on which seven or eight hundred Latter-day Saints were passengers. On this voyage my wife suffered much with sickness which was a great trial for me, as it was difficult to find a woman who nursed, so our little son could be breast fed. After seven weeks we landed at New Orleans, in the blessed land of America, after having crossed the Atlantic Ocean and up the lovely Mississippi River; on the banks of which beautiful gardens were planted with trees that only can be grown in countries with climates like here. I felt an inexpressible joy and happiness on entering this beautiful country about which I had read so much. This country where so many great things had been done.

We sailed up the river to St. Louis. Here my wife regained her health which was a great joy to me as well as a relief, for now she was able to nurse our baby. The river banks here were as before, very beautiful. Orange trees and other fruit trees were growing in the beautiful landscaped gardens. We now went aboard another steamboat, which sailed up the river to Kansas, where we camped in a forest. Here my wife received a child whose mother died during childbirth, who with our own child had sufficient breast feeding. This child's father was Jens Pedersen who had emigrated from Sjaelland. The child lived however lived [UNCLEAR] only a couple of weeks. Cholera had just started up the river and the child caught it and died. Due to this communicative disease my half brother, Jorgen Jacobsen and several of his children, died and was buried in this forest. A daughter of my brother, Peder Hansen and his wife Karen also died here. Karen was also very sick, so we naturally thought she would die too. My brother Peder, her husband, and I even selected a place for her body when we buried their daughter Anne Kirstine, but soon she was better and lived.

Our camp was soon moved to another forest by the name of Westpole, thinking that it would be more healthy, and the health of the camp seemed to improve now.

I was appointed captain of the camp, which assignment I had until our arrival at the Great Salt Lake Valley. . . [p.6]

. . . I feel and understand by all of this, partly the greatness and power of the Lord by viewing his handy work. We crossed the large and smaller mountains and entered in through Emigration Canyon, where my father came to meet us. We were very happy to see each other in the camp of Zion, the gathering place of God's children. My father had now another wife by the name of Dorthea. My mother had died aboard the ship that took them from England To America, but because they were so close to land she was buried in America. October fifth 1854 we came into the Great Salt Lake Valley and the beautiful laid out city. It was a joy to see and to realize all of the work had already been done in so short a time they had lived in the valley. I felt very thankful to the Lord for his protection and for the comfortable trip we had with the exception of the trial I went through when he called my wife and little son home and the difficulties with my brother Jorgen P. Hansen. But the joy and satisfaction of arriving here to Zion healed these wounds. . . . [p.8]

BIB: Hansen, Jens. Autobiographical Sketch (Ms 7550), pp. 6, 8. (CHL)
(source abbreviations)