Thomas said if she would not go with them, that he would take his three daughters and leave without her. Hannah waited for her chance and fled with their three girls to her parents’ home. Thomas tried several times to see Hannah, but she would not see him. Thomas prayed and read the scriptures to help him to know what the right thing was to do. When he read about the sacrifices the men in the scriptures did for the Gospel, he decided he would go to America. His brother David was interested in the Mormon Church but had not joined. He helped Thomas gather the things he would need for the journey.
The boat was to leave in late January which would take him to Liverpool to board the Ship "Gondola". When the wind was right, they would set sail. The day Thomas was to be at the pier, he went to David's home and told him he would try to see Hannah before he left. He told David to take his trunk to the ship. As Thomas approached Hannah's parents’ home, he saw Mary and Elizabeth running to see him. Five-year-old Mary was afraid because her mother had warned her that her dad might take her away. She ran back to the house, but Elizabeth embraced her father.
Thomas made a split decision to take Elizabeth with him and at least he would have her. He took her and left hurriedly. He knew he had no right to take her but didn't want to wait to legally have it worked out and to miss the boat. As they arrived at the boat, it was ready to set sail. They hurried as fast as they could. His brother David delayed taking his trunk to the boat and it began to set sail. Thomas screamed for David to throw his trunk into the water so as not to lose everything he owned . He did and two men in a small boat retrieved it and got it safely on board.
The Saints began to sing Hymn after Hymn as they departed. They reached Liverpool January 30th but did not get aboard the "Gondola" until February 2nd. There were 264 Welsh Saints aboard along with British Saints. There was some confusion with his boarding the Ship as all his family was not with him. They told him they could not refund his money but could transfer his money that was to be for Mary to a ticket for a little girl named Sophia Lewis. Her father said he would pay him back. He was grateful for that kind gesture.
The bachelor’s and men without wives bunked together. Because Thomas had Elizabeth, he was able to occupy the palette he paid for in the family section. Two flights of stairs down he found an open crowded room dimly lit. No outside light came into the room only light from a few hanging lanterns. The room was divided in the center by tables and benches. The palettes were small six foot by six foot and usually held 4-6 people, but Thomas had one all to himself with his daughter.
Four hundred and four Mormons were divided into seven groups for chores. There was a storm that came through heaving the ship to and from. Everyone was sick on board for the first few days. During the voyage meetings were held five times a week. The Saints were blessed with the gift of tongues and interpretation, visions and revelation.
They arrived in New Orleans on March 18. They were 42 days on the Ocean and only one death occurred. We all had to clear health authorities and customs. Only a few were detained. We were free to enjoy this port. Now it was time to board a strange looking flat-bottom Steamboat the "Illinois". It weighed 682 tons and made of wood and powered by wood. It was a paddle boat commonly used on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. During this trip ten people lost their lives probably due to cholera.
They arrived in St. Louis, Missouri and then transferred to another of the same Steamboats to Keokuk, Iowa. They stayed there several weeks while wagons, teams and provisions were gathered for the trip over land to Salt Lake City, Utah. Thomas owned a wagon and a team of oxen. He had never driven oxen before, and it took the oxen some time to get use to him and for him to get the hang of it.
As he was traveling, right from the start Thomas came down with Cholera. He got pleurisy from sleeping on the wet ground. He saw Buffalo and Indians which would stop to trade with them. He had never seen so much land in every direction. The sun was hot, the work was hard, and the trail was long. Every morning they would build fires for breakfast. Afterwards all the gear was packed up and ready to get in a proper line to march. Every moment was special. They had to get from one watering hole to the next before it was time to make the next camp. Whenever they stopped, they cared for the oxen before they feed themselves.
After the evening meals they would sing, dance and tell stories. Thomas said it gave their muscles a much-needed rest. After eight weeks of crossing the plains, they came to the mountains. Now the trek was more difficult. Fallen rocks and trees had to be moved out of the way. The wagons broke down often because of the difficult terrain. This made the trip slower. Finally, past the mountains lay a valley with streams. There were cabins and houses with fences and smoke coming out the chimneys. We arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on the 24th of September. I arrived with nothing but a box of books and a pair of clothes. I got a job working for William W. Phelps hauling wood from the canyons and clearing his land in return for room and board.
“Thomas Job’s story of coming to America” n.d., "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch, (www.familysearch.org : accessed 18 August 2023), entry for Thomas Job (KWJX-48P), undocumented family tree, public memory.
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