. . . He [William Bown] progressed in his new church and was ordained a teacher on 2 December 1852. On 17 January 1853, he set sail in a company of 332 other converts of the ship Ellen Maria, bound for New Orleans under the presidency of Moses Clawson. They arrived on 6 March, after a voyage of 47 days. Those had been eventful days; there had been 5 births, 5 deaths, and 2 marriages en route. William's had been one of the marriages, for one day as he walked the ship's deck, he met a beautiful girl, Jane Ann Metcalf. She, with her parents and family, were traveling to "Zion" as Utah was called at that time. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and as she raised her eyes to meet his, he admired her very much and he later stated that he knew at once that she was the only girl in the world for him. A romance followed and on 30 January they were married by Elder Clawson; they had known each other about a week.

They arrived at New Orleans and traveled by steamboat up the Mississippi River to St. Louis. They stayed there about five weeks to prepare for the next leg of the journey-- another steamboat trip to Keokuk, Illinois. . . . [p. 1]

. . . Several pioneers died and were buried by the wayside; wagons broke down and oxen were lost; but the little band was encouraged by faith and a dream and at last they arrived at Salt Lake city on 11 October 1853, at 8:00 p.m. The journey had taken almost three months. . . . [p. 2]

BIB: Bown, William [Journal], IN Brooks, Ann Marie Bown, comp.,
William Bown, Senior, His Children, His Ancestors (1978) pp.1,2 (CHL)
(source abbreviations)