Persecution caused the spirit of emigration to Utah to become the desire of the brothers. It was decided that Jakob should go first, and if he found conditions satisfactory, his brother would come later. The homestead was owned jointly by the two brothers. Johann Rudolf purchased Jakob's interest for $2,000 or 10,000 francs in Swiss money, a considerable fortune in that locality at that time. One thousand dollars was considered an ample sum to take the family to Utah and purchase a home.
The money was entrusted to two Mormon Elders for safe keeping, but they got into some trouble with the authorities and it cost them the entire sum to free themselves. This delayed Jakob for sometime, but he was determined to go to Zion. As soon as his brother was able to give him the remaining thousand dollars, he made preparations to go to Utah.
The family consisting of the parents, Jakob and Elizabeth and five children, Maria born the 21st of February, 1854, Verena, born the 23rd of February 1857, Jakob, born the 27th of October 1858, Elizabetha, born the 14th of March 1860 and Emuel, born the 17th of August 1861, sailed from La Havre, Franc, on the ship Windermere, the 15th of May 1862. This was the 119th Company. The ship set sail on Thursday with 109 Saints from Switzerland and France, under the Presidency of Serge L. Ballif. The Windermere had 460 immigrants on board. Elders Johannes Liedermann and frederick Goss assisted President Ballif on the voyage, also six other Elders and some Priests and teachers. The non-Mormons paid three dollars more per person than the Saints. The cost of emigration from La Havre was five dollars less than it would have been had the immigrants traveled, as heretofore via Rotterdam, Hull and Liverpool. It was the first attempt at emigrating Latter-day Saints direct from La Havre, France to America.
The trip across the ocean in a sail boat took six weeks and the family was crowded into the poorest part of the ship. Jakob called it a cattle ship and they were crowded together as cattle are shipped on boats. It was especially hard for the mother with five small children. They stayed in winter quarters for the next year, where Elizabetha gave birth to her sixth child, Sarah, who died soon after birth. Jakob's brother and his family never left Switzerland.
Jakob, his wife Elizabetha and five children left Florence, Nebraska, the 14th of August 1863 on the tenth church ox train, Samuel D. White's Company, the last church train of the season, bringing freight and about 300 Latter-day Saint immigrants. They arrived at Loup Creek the 21st of August 1863. they traveled in covered wagons. They arrived in Great Salt Lake the 15th of October 1863.
“Jacob Bachman Full History” n.d., "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch, (www.familysearch.org : accessed 19 July 2023), entry for Jacob Bachman (KWJX-14S), undocumented family tree, public memory.
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