. . . On the 27th of September we left Manchester and bid farewell to our friends and relatives and came on to Liverpool and the day following we bid farewell to our native land, leaving all as it were for the truths sake because we believed that God had spoken from the heavens and began to call his children together from the ends of the earth to prepare for the coming of his son Jesus Christ. When leaving we had a fair wind for upwards of a fortnight afterwards it was changeable, we had considerable [p. 62] seasickness on our way no deaths until we got in the river and then we had the deaths of two children one before we got to Orleans and the other in coming up between [-] and St. Louis. We had considerable excitement on board through the captain. It was on the ship Henry of New York that we came on with Captain Peers. We had also Elder Snider for our leader. We arrived at New Orleans on the 20th of November being Sunday. We found people here from almost all country. It seemed rather strange to see them holding their market day on Sunday but however it is reckoned to be the best market day with them. Afterwards, we took our luggage off the steam boat "Galnare" for St. Louis. We left Orleans on the following Thursday. On our way we found it rather difficult to get up being short of water. We saw several steam boats that had been such of late with running on shags[?]. We were obliged to stop several times on our way being short [p. 63] of water. We were stopped a whole week at Buffalo Island; while here we went out a shooting several times. We arrived at St. Louis on the 12th of December, 1842. When we got here we found the river was froze up between here and Nauvoo which is the place where we were destined to go. Also we found the other Saints here which had started before us so we took a house to remain here until the river was open. After being here some length of time under trying circumstances, amidst our enemies, and a long winter at the latter end of March, the frost beginning to leave us we began to prepare for our journeys end. We left St. Louis on or about the first of April for the city of Nauvoo. We had a tedious passage upwards of a fortnight in coming up the river the distance of about 250 miles. At length we found ourselves in the place where we had long to be a length of time. Truly our hearts did rejoice. The day after we got here we heard the Prophet Joseph Smith deliver some council and [p. 64] instruction to the Saints; more especially to those that had just arrived which caused them to rejoice and be glad. When our boat arrived at the city there were hundreds to welcome us . . . [p. 65]

BIB: Burgess, James. Journals (Ms 1858) pp. 62-65. (CHL)
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