We left Nykjobing in Falster Apr. 5th 1862 with the steamship "Zambia." At 8 o'clock a.m., several of our friends and relations had come there in the morning to see us once more and to bid us "goodbye." After a pleasant voyage, we arrived in Kjobenhavn at 4 p.m. the same day where we remained till Apr. 14th when we left with the steamship "Albion" for Keil where we arrived Apr. 15. at 8 a.m. Left the same morning with railroad for Hamburg where we arrived the same evening and came on board the sailship Electric [p.14] which brought us directly from there to New York where we arrived on the 3rd of June. We had quite a pleasant and agreeable voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. We had no storm of any consequence and but little sickness on board the ship. We had but 7 or 8 deaths, while other ships that went with emigrants the same season had out of the same number of people, nearly between 4 or 5 hundred , had from 20 to 30 deaths. The main cause of this difference in mortality was said to be that we went in a higher latitude on account of going north of Scotland while the other ships went south of England [p.15] and through the Channel. Knud Brokker's, daughter Else Meagrethe died in the Ocean on the 5th [of] May. Elder S. [Soren] Christofferson being the leader of the Saints on board the Electric exhorted them to diligence and faithfulness in keeping the commandments of the Lord. To be patient while in the ship, and how to conduct ourselves when we got to America. The Saints generally feel well and spend the time while on the ship singing praises to the Lord, playing, dancing &c. .

On the 6th of June we were landed in New York. Before however we were permitted to go ashore, a doctor [p.16] came on board to inspect the emigrants to see that no contagious diseases were among them, but that not being the case we were permitted to land.

We remained in New York for 3 days when we could not but admire the greatness, grandeur and magnificence of that far famed City.

On June 9th we left New York with the railroad wherewith we continued till we reached St. Joseph when we arrived June 16th. We had to change cars several times, but in the whole we had a very pleasant and agreeable ride, but we could not but see the contrast between [p.17] American Railroads and those of Europe, the latter being in our opinion much superior to the former, but all went well.

At St. Joseph we came on board a large river steamboat, which took us to Florence when we arrived June 19th and remained till July 13th, when we set out for the journey across the plains. During our stay in Florence we had it quite comfortable and convenient living in a house which we [lived] in per section with [which] a few more families had resisted. The most of the Saints while there lived in tents which they also used while crossing the Plains [p.18]

We had some considerable trouble getting started from Florence with those kind of horses, I mean oxen which there [was] provided for us . . . [p.19]

. . . finally after a somewhat tiresome and tedious trip of about 10 weeks we arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, September 23rd, 1862. . . . [p.20]

BIB: Hougaard, John Hansen. Autobiography and journal (Ms 8178), pp. 14-20. (CHL)
(source abbreviations)