. . . On June 27. Our boxes were loaded on the ship and at 3:30 in the afternoon we sailed for Copenhagen. We could see Sjelland at four o'clock and could see Sweden on the left. The wind blew a little at night and some were sick but we were all well. We passed Jrekrone at 7:15 in the morning.

On Sunday we came into the harbor of Copenhagen. We landed and our things were brought to us by a man who led us to a large, beautiful hall. We had a meeting with the Saints at the hall and slept there that night. Andrew Jensen had just arrived as a missionary from Utah. He promised us that if we were obedient to the Lord's servants we should see the blessed land of America.

On June 23. I took our clothing out to be loaded on our ship, had our money changed into dollars which amounted [p.4A] to $110.50. At three o'clock we went to the harbor through the beautiful city. A doctor examined us and said we were healthy people. We showed them our tickets and entered the ship which would take us to England. We had a nice place on the ship. The wind blew and again many were sick. Sine Jensen threw up but was soon well again.

When the ship headed up toward the North Sea the air became clear again and the Danish people were on deck to have a last look at Denmark. The Saints grouped together and were very friendly. The hope of Zion kept their spirits up and there was singing, violin music, and sounds of harmonicas to make us happy. There were 380 Scandinavians on the ship. We had prayer every morning and evening. There was no land to be seen and on June 26th it was very cold. The younger men were called to stand guard two hours at a time. To pass time, I wrote music for my harmonica. It was 68 hours since we left Copenhagen. At 7:45 we came to Hull, England.

On June 27. All our boxes were taken to the station. We got on a train at 8:30 a.m. during a small rainstorm. England was a beautiful country. All the houses were dark. There were thousands of railroad cars loaded with coal. Trains drove by each other like lightning. I counted fifty six cars in all. Next there were forests and the land was uneven. There were many factories and trains everywhere. At two o'clock in the morning we came to Liverpool. Here again all the boxes were loaded on the large ship which would take us to New York.

On June 28, 1879 we were shown our places on the ship and given pepper soup for supper. The big ship sailed slowly from Liverpool to take its precious cargo to the promised land. The ship was nineteen feet wide with rooms on each side. The following day there was a hard wind and many were sick. The ship stopped for thirty minutes but started again with speed. We could see land on the right side for hours. At 5:30 we sailed past the last point of Europe. The wind blew hard. The water flowed over the deck hard at night. The little girl and I stayed well but my wife was not well. The winds continued and most of the brethren and sisters were sick in their bunks. The meals [p.4B] were three times a day. In the mornings we had white bread and sweet coffee. At noon we had soup, meat, potatoes, and pudding. In the evening we had pork and good fresh bread.

From July 1. Through July 6 the weather was bad. The wind kept blowing hard and it rained all day and all night. No one could go on deck because the wind was always blowing water on it. A sister from Copenhagen was out of her head. She yelled and screamed like one possessed of the devil. The watch couldn't hold her still. There was no land to be seen. Finally the water became more quiet and I got my wife and the little girl up. They felt better. The children and I had good appetites all of the trip. The sea blew quiet but cold. It was foggy like Denmark. Brother Pedersen and I were appointed by President Jens Christian to call the Saints to prayer morning and evening. The weather grew beautiful and we held a meeting on deck. A good spirit was in the meeting. Today I watched the Saints dancing on deck. Saw many large fish in the water and wrote a letter to N. C. Jensen in Denmark.

July 8, it was blowing and raining again causing much sickness. At 4:30 p.m. we could see land. It was a joy to see the land of Joseph. The closer we came the more beautiful it was. There was forest clear down to the sea. It had only been ten days since we left England.

On July 9 a baby died in the harbor of New York. Otherwise nearly all are well. A man and woman who were ninety stayed well the whole trip. They opened all our boxes. We tied them together again and loaded them on a small boat which took us to Caster Street and then to the station where we were to take the train at 7:30 a.m.

July 10 at eight o'clock the train was carrying us through the beautiful cities and towns. There were fenced fields and beautiful groves as far as you could see. My heart was filled with joy to know we had come luckily to this glorious land. There are beautiful cities and country towns no end. The train took us over many bridges. Ahead [p.5A] were high mountains covered with small trees. The train had 63 cars. It was quiet and fast. We passed many beautiful towns and fields, many places there were cliffs, forests and stone covered the land for long stretches.

July 11. Next we came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Station after we had passed fields of corn, oats, grass, horses, cows, sheep, and pigs altogether. At Pittsburgh they put us on another train. It rained hard. Lightning and thunder flashed for hours. There are nice towns and green forests. The trees are tall and lanky. We came to a small place where the train stopped. We bought two loaves of bread for 20 cents a piece. People came in selling apples, candy, oranges, and cigars but the price was high. We would come to places where there were no trees and we could see for great distances. Then there was a grove where nearly all the trees were dry. When we had been on the train three days we came to Chicago. We traded trains and were put into a nice car. I kept thinking of the cows we had seen grazing in grass up to their sides and of the train tracks going right through large farms.

July 12. I was on watch in our car at night by the door to see that no one came to steal. There were many thieves. Today I saw the tallest corn and grass I have ever seen. We passed a small river and a fine looking meadow. There are large groves of trees now and mountains on the right side. At every station we get fresh water. We passed over an iron bridge and then followed along the sides of the stream. There are trees and mountains on both sides. Next we came to Omaha where we bought bread, cheese, and pulse beans. The cost is high. Some bought milk at 10 cents a quart. We boarded a different train. They packed us more together. The car is the simplest we have had yet. We will ride to Ogden, Utah in it.

July 13. At eleven o'clock we came to a nice meadow. The grass is taller than the hay in Denmark. . . . [p.5B]

. . . Came to the Valley. The rest of the month I was sick with the sore throat. Everyone has been good to help us. . . .[p.6A]

BIB: Johansen, Jens Christian. Autobiography and diary (Ms 5575). pp. 4-6. (CHL)
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