. . . As the baby was so very young, Mother tried to persuade Sarah to wait and come with us, so mother could help her. Sarah said no, as she was afraid her husband, George Ashley, would change his mind, as George's folks or some of his brothers lived in New Zealand, and George was inclined to go there where his folks were. But Sarah had been taught Mormonism from her childhood; and she desired very much to come to America, where she knew her mother and father and other relatives would be living. Her husband was not then a member of the Church. Of our near relatives, only Grandfather and Grandmother Fowler would be the only ones who had not emigrated to Zion. So sister Sarah lent all her influence and persuasion to come to America; and she told Mother she would not ask George to wait until the next company for fear he would change his mind.
So their beautiful furniture, including the bedroom wedding suite George had made himself, were all sold at auction, and they set sail for America as planned on the steamship Wyoming. The baby, Alfred S. was blessed on the ocean, being promised he should live to receive the priesthood. Although he only lived until February 11, 1880, the priesthood was conferred upon Alfred by the elders who were called in to administer to him in his sickness. It happened this way. Alfred was very sick where his parents were living in Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho. The elders were called in several times. His mother remembered the promise made to Alfred at the time of his blessing, and thought the baby could not die, as she understood that only adults could have the priesthood conferred upon them. The baby grew worse. The elders came again and administered. They went out as far as the gate, when Brother Charley Oakey, one of the elders, said to the other two with him, "Brethren, I feel impressed by the Spirit of the Lord to go back and confer the priesthood upon that baby. This they did, thus fulfilling the promise as made upon Alfred at his naming and blessing in mid-ocean.
Also at the time Mother, Fannie and I were living in the upstairs room at Naunton, next door to Grandmothers, about three weeks before we left England for America, my sister Fannie and I had a bad case of mumps. Our money was paid, our berths had been secured, and we were ready to leave. But our faces were still swollen some, and mother was very uneasy, fearing that the ship's Health Inspector would notice us and would not pass us, but would turn us back. But through the blessing of the Lord he passed us all O.K.
I remember very well all the packing of boxes, and preparing for the long looked for journey to Zion. I remember our passing through Birmingham Station and arriving at Liverpool, where we joined our friends, Brother and Sister Harris and family of Malvern. Emily and I were fast friends from that time, crossing the ocean and traveling by train to Evanston, Wyoming; they to locate in Salt Lake City. We were met at Evanston by father, his brother Samson, Mother's sister Jane and her husband, Alfred Sparks. We traveled from Evanston to Paris, Idaho by team and light spring wagon, through Laketown Canyon. My father's mother was living in Paris; my father's brother Sam and my Mother's sister JaneSparks and their families having previously lived in Paris, were now living at a place called Dingle Dell, afterwards when organized as a ward called Cottonwood, then later when a Post Office was opened there it became permanently known as Dingle.
Before we left Liverpool, England we got our emigrant's outfit which consisted of a tin slop pail, wash basin, drinking cups, etc. As I remember it a stout string was put through the handles of all these articles together.[p. 335] When they had to be carried anywhere I had to carry them. I felt rather too proud to do it, but I did carry them, as I never thought to be disobedient to Mother's wishes. I remember going out to the steamship Wyoming in a boat from the shore for about two miles, and then going up the gangplank onto the great ship. Everybody with their tin outfits and luggage were all sitting or standing about deck until they were located in their different berths in the third class or steerage passage. Ours were around the hold of the vessel, where they lowered the luggage or baggage of the ship. The berths were built around this square, two tiers of berths. the Harrises and others of our friends, the Saints, were our neighbors. Then we all had to form in line and pass by the Health Officer. As Fannie's face and mine were still swollen from the mumps before mentioned in this narrative, our friends and Mother were under a great suspense until the officer let us pass, hardly glancing at us.
We sailed in June 1879. I was then ten years old. The ship weighed anchor and the officers and men returned to shore. We were starting on our long expected journey to Zion and to father, brother and sisters Alice, Annie and Louisa, and other relatives. In one half hour after the ship had started Mother commenced to be very seasick (she was then in the change of life). Everyone was more or less seasick for the first three or four days or week. But the ship's steward came around every morning and demanded or forced everyone to go up on deck. They were either helped or carried up to the deck, where they remained until evening. There they ate out of their own lunch of oranges or other things, and of pickles and other dainties that they had provided for themselves before starting, as most of us could not eat the ship's food as provided for us. There was a big long table with tin plates, cups, etc., soup and fish are the articles I remember most, but there was very little of the ship's food eaten, at first, as I remember it.
The ship's motion, as I remember it, was first it would dip forward, then backward, then to the right, then to the left, then it would repeat those movements over again. After we commenced to get over our seasickness, Emily Harris and I used to walk together along the passageway between the ship's cook shops, bakery, where the food was cooked for the captain, first and second class passengers, and where the waiters used to load their trays and take them to the saloon. One of the waiters used to give us fancy cookies and cakes from his tray in passing us on his way sometimes. It was like walking along the main street of a city. There were about 300 or more people all living on the steamship. I remember the smell of roasting meat and other foods, and one shop where five or six men peeled all the potatoes all day long. But potatoes for the third class steerage people were served with their skins on. Now, in the year 1931, this is thought to be the best way to cook potatoes from a health point of view, but then this was thought to be the way to cook them for fattening hogs.
The most of the people on shipboard were members of the Mormon church, emigrating to Zion, with a president in charge of the company and other Mormon elders. But there were people of other denominations. So after a while when people were able to walk the deck, groups of friends would link arms and stroll around the promenade deck and often sing, staying on deck as long as they were allowed, before going down to their berths.
One special event was when the different denominations would hold religious meetings. The president of the Mormon company sought and obtained permission from the captain to hold religious services.[p. 336]
We were three weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean. We landed at Castle Gardens, New York City, where the customs Office was, and where we all exchanged our English money for American money. We were there at least one night and one day or more, while the Customs officials went through out luggage. We then took the train for Paris, Bear Lake County, Idaho. We were riding on the train for two weeks. I remember Pittsburgh and other stations where we stopped or passed through on our way to Evanston, the end of our train journey.
Mother had provided me with a bunch of white rick-rack braid and crochet hook, so I passed away some of the time in crocheting a chain along one edge of the rick-rack braid. One thing I remember seeing was ladies and people sitting in their rocking chairs, rocking away in the cool of their homes. I had never seen a rocking chair before in my life.
We arrived at Evanston in good health but tired. Our father, George Neat, was there to meet us, also Mother's sister, Jane Fowler Sparks. Her husband, Alfred Sparks and father's brother, Sam Nate, were there with two teams and light wagons. We passed through Laketown Canyon and arrived in Paris after two days travel, camping and sleeping out at night. Paris and Dingle are ten miles north of Bear Lake. Laketown is on the south end of Bear Lake in Utah.
We went straight to Grandmother Passey's house where were assembled aunts, uncles, and cousins by the dozens. A long table was set with the beautiful things of the earth, as they all had milk, butter, eggs and meat in abundance. They all owned their own ranches and cows, horses, etc.
One thing happened that I remember. My sister, Alice Marinda was a young lady then, 17 years old. She took me outside and told me that when we children sat down at the second table to eat, if they asked me if I would take tea to drink to say, "No, I will take milk," as none of the Mormon children in that day drank tea or coffee; not our relatives anyway. As I had always had my little china cup and saucer and tea to drink in England, she did not want me to be conspicuous among my cousins, as they were watching everything Fannie and I said and did. So that was the last of my tea drinking. . . [p.337]
BIB: Bennett, Emma Neat, [Autobiography], in Bennett, Archibald F. and Nordgren Blanche Bennett, comps., Our Legacy from William and Elizabeth New (privately printed, 1984) pp.335-337. (CHL)
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