. . .On the 11th of April, 1881, I bore a faithful testimony to my cousin William Constantine (in Birkenhead) and his wife. Bade them goodbye, took the ferry back across the River Mersey to Liverpool. The remainder of the time I assisted the Saints in getting ready for the voyage in tagging & addressing [p.59] their luggage, & placing it in the steamer (Wyoming) & showing them their berths, &c. in the steerage. The company of Saints consisted of 700 souls. I had state room No. 55 allotted to me, which was a swinging berth in first cabin, which was very comfortable in a rough & stormy sea. As I lay in my berth I could hear the creaking & grating of the bolts in their sockets as the ship was tossed from side to side by the mighty waves of the ocean.
We left Liverpool on the 16th of April amid shouts of people on the quay, waving their handkerchiefs wishing us a safe voyage across the mighty deep.
On Sunday the 17th we called at Queenstown, an Irish seaport town, situate on a hillside & below was an arm of the sea made a very good harbor for ships of heavy burden. Here we took on board some Irish passengers bound for the land of America, which swelled our numbers to 1160 souls, English, Irish, & Germans.
After a voyage of 10 days we arrived at Castle Garden, New York at 4 o'clock p.m. We passed the custom house officers by 11 a.m. next day. We then took cars for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I purchased food for myself & one Miss Fanny Collins, a young woman I was bringing to Zion who afterwards fell from the light into darkness. I felt sorry for her after coming so far for the gospel sake. May the Lord have mercy on her.
After 3 days & nights journey across the continent in the railway cars, we arrived at Milford on the 7th of May. I must forget to mention a brief stay at Salt Lake City of 3 or 4 days under the kind hospitality of Edward E. Brain Junat, his father's house who made us welcome.
Here I learned of the death of my father-in-law, Joseph Walker. The father of my second wife Betty Marsden Walker, he passed away April 1881 at his residence Cedar City, surrounded by his family & friends in his year.
On our arrival at Milford Depot I found my ever faithful wife & partner of [p.60] my youth Rachel, standing at a distance from the cars, ready to greet me & welcome me back and also my brother Sylvester T., who had brought a team & wagon to take me to my beloved home on the hill side. We arrived home of May the 9th, 1881. Mid the affectionate greeting of my family & friends, after an absence of 18 months from my mountain home. I felt to praise God from whom all blessings flow, for this another opportunity of meeting my loved ones once again in the flesh, & that the Lord had preserved their lives & also mine, during my mission to the land of my birth. [p.61]
BIB: Jones, John Lee. Reminiscences (Ms 4465), pp. 59-61. (CHL).
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