. . . A large ship had been chartered for my company but as I did come in time it was occupied by another company of Mormon emigrants, but as it had drifted into the shoreland, lost part of her reel, the emigrants had to disembark. The ship was set in the dry dock to be repaired. [ITS NAME WAS "Helios."]

Brother Linforth came & took me to his house to dine where I found, President [Franklin D.] Richards & Elder Jaques & some sisters. My feet were very sore from running around with Brother Williams.

At night I went and slept with Brother Richards in the office, and on the 26 in the morning I went to see the Saints in the hotel, and received instructions, and stayed there hence the coming night with Elders Hogan & Martin.

A smaller ship, the James Nesmith, was then chartered for us and when she was ready to receive us. We moved on board; after which we received the luggage. Also one week's provisions, consisting of bread, flour, peas, pork, cheese, tea, sugar, rice, chocolate &c. The ship being too small for the whole company 24 were left to come afterwards with Brother Hogan. A child was born.

After the ship was hauled out of dock, the doctor came on board but we were not cleared. Next day the doctor on board again & we were not cleared. Another child born. Then we were cleared with 441 passengers and Niels Mounitoens [Mauritsen] child was buried. On the 12 of January we were ready to leave, and as it was rather calm we had a little steamer to tow us out a little ways. Meantime according to given instructions I called the brethren together & had Brother Hans Peterson interpret my written appointment which placed me in charge of the company till we should reach St. Louis we [UNCLEAR, PROBABLY MEANING, where] Elder Erastus Snow would make further arrangement. Chose two counselors Johan Eilertsen & Nils [Niels] Peterson & organized the ship into 7 districts &c. Brother Hans Peterson was my secretary & done much good on the way and is yet amongst the faithful. Elders were chosen to preside in the districts, and arrangement was made for cleanliness &c and the whole was sustained by unanimous vote. I put upon Brother [Johan] Eilertsen to get as marshall see that no iniquity was going on, nor unbecoming conduct, and Peterson placed as sergeant of the guard.

Next day we had a fine breeze and got out of the Irish Channel, and an infant died and was committed to the watery grave.

Sunday the 14. We held three meetings.

Monday 15 was a day of airing and washing. Peter Petersen died & was buried. He was 75 years old. A good old man. Some of the passengers, a nice family, had caught the itch from somebody left behind in Liverpool, and our captain very kindly administrated salve unto them in the cooks galley at night and they rejoiced in his goodness. Captain Mills has often the elapse of many years been inquiring for me in Salt Lake City while I was on a mission in Denmark.

Tuesday [16th] the emigrants were again airing &c washing.

On Wednesday [17th] evening the breeze ceased and we had a calm. A child was born.

On Thursday [18th] the calm continued and the first mate & I served out provisions, viz: a weeks rations. Next day we began having big swells, which continued till Sunday afternoon when we began to have a little, were blessed with a little wind. This day we held two good meetings, buried a child and marriage [of] two couples.

On Monday [22nd] it was more windy and we buried another child of Mauritsen.

On Tuesday the 23rd our fore topsail yard broke down. When we were sailing with reefed top sails and a new yard was taken up.

On Thursday 25 we had smooth water & pleasant weather and we buried Just Larsen, the father of Alexander Justesen who was shot by the Lamanites/Sanpete in Sevier valley some years afterwards.

On Friday 26 we were sailing fast. I had received from Brother F. [Franklin] D. Richards 1800 yards of Noukoen or cotton canvas for tents & wagon covers worth £50, 12 shillings, 6 demies 22 [-] of thread with £1.13.0 & a lot of needles worth 2.shillings 11. and this day I commenced selling out these things.

On the 27 we also sailed fast. Buried Staffenson's child. On Sunday we held [p.118] two good meetings and married four couples.

On Monday we buried another child 9 years old.

On Tuesday the 30 we got into the trade wind.

On Friday the 2nd of February a child was buried. The fine weather continued till Sunday the 4th when it rained whole day. We had two good meetings and buried a child.

On Monday it was calm & rainy. But on Tuesday we had a fine breeze again, which continued throughout the week.

On Saturday a child was buried.

On Sunday the eleventh it was very rough. Several sails were tore in pieces. We were going right to the Isle of Abaco, but had to bear off east for fear of being cast on the shore. We could have no meetings for the ship rolled, too much, but I married a couple. The stove came loose in the galley so no cooking could be done. A child was buried.

On Monday 12 it was quite pleasant again and many sails were seen. The ship "Mediator" of New York passed closely before us, and what a beautiful sight it is to see a fine ship ride over the long billows, where one half of her keel may be seen at the time out of water. In the evening we passed "Hole in the Wall."

On the 13 we passed several islands, the Great Isaacs, the Hen & Chickens &c. The captain & I bought a barrel of oysters from the fishermen.

On Wednesday the 14 it was rather squally and on Thursday slow sailing. The captain & I bought a barrel of oysters off a fisherman for a dollar.

On Friday 16 we had good going & passed a Philadelphia schooner and we passed the last of the Tugases, with fair wind.

On the 17 we had fair sailing, but in the night it became rough and continued.

On Sunday the 18th . In the morning we buried Anne Nielsen and about noon we anchored off the mouth of the Mississippi.

On Monday the wind kept blowing, heavy from land. Pilot came on board in the morning and the wind blew heavy from land. A child was buried.

The water being too low on the bar we remained at anchor two more days but on Thursday the 22nd were towed into Pilottown after burying a child in the morning. A fourteen year old girl was also buried onshore I think. She died from the affects of the itch spoken of before. At night we were taken over the bar and started up the river.

Friday the 23rd was cool, and we arrived at New Orleans at noon. Pretty soon our emigrant agent Elder [James] McGaw came on board and told me he had two boats engaged for us. In the afternoon we took our provisions on deck, when it was discovered by the second mate that and revealed to me that William Snow the first mate had hid up a big lot of our provisions, a purpose to steal it.

On the next morning we shipped fifty passengers with the "Moses Greenwood" in charge of Elder Nils [Niels F.] Petersen, one of my counselors and gave him a brother along who could speak a little English and a proper share of provisions. And in the afternoon the [UNCLEAR].

"Oceana" came and took the rest of us and we started at dark having to serve all and no one to wait on me I came away from a pair of good new boots and also lost my best coat, a deep blue broadcloth dress coat.

The 25 was Sunday but circumstances did not allow of holding a meeting, but I served out provisions.

Monday was very cold. We buried Nicolai Dorius's child near a sugar plantation.

On Wednesday the 28 we overtook the other boat.

On the first day of March we buried another child.

On Saturday the 3rd we passed the City of Memphis in the night and after that it was no longer cold. The cold air however I thought was a blessing in those unhealthy regions. Last night we met some floating ice. [- -]

On Sunday we met considerable of ice. Buried Axel Tulgren's child.

On Tuesday the 6th we buried two children. One of them was Hans Wilhelmson's. This complained of not getting enough to eat while on the sea and suffered his children to steal, when he was called in question and being very growlish. I, being moved upon, said that if he did not repent they would die all of them. They were husband & wife & three children, and all died before we left the Frontiers.

On the morning of Wednesday we passed the quarantine & arrived in St. Louis at [p.119] 3 in the afternoon I walked up to the office and found Elder Snows who then was publishing the "Luminary." I recollect a Brother Hart being there to assist him in his multitude of business. Two or three went ashore apostatizing. According to the contract I had a right to cabin passage for four persons. I took one myself let my counselor have another, and my secretary another. The fourth I gave to a young sister whom I was taking along with the intention of having her for a wife by and by. The dining hall was beautiful, the diet very good and the serving at the table very good. The clerk of the boat whose name was Phillips had the appearance of a Libertine. He colleged [UNCLEAR] with a chambermaid who to serve him contrived to fix a cotton string through the door of the chamber where the young woman was sleeping so as to enable him to lift the latch and enter the chamber in the night. But the girl was very careful to turn the key before going to bed. When I learned of the fact I went and spoke to the captain about it and he got angry and talked very loud about it, promising ten dollars to anyone who could tell him who was guilty. Before I left the boat he told me that he was sure that Phillips was the villain and that the chambermaid had assisted him, but he had no way of proving the fact, but he would be sure to turn them off when the trip was out, and he did so.

One day as I was seeking for some in my chest it and being called away by my business I put a little box of mine into an empty barrel and some blankets and other things on top of it in the barrel and forgot it for several days. When I thought of leaving the box there and that there were valuables in it I went and took it to take it out, and found the two blankets missing, and after looking deeper I missed 2 small woolen shawls and when I looked into the box there was a little gold watch gone, which Mr. Alexander had given me; also a gold finger ring. I soon saw the blankets hanging in the office and went in and told Phillips that they were mine and after equivocating a little he let me have'em. Some day while at a wood pile the barber, a mulatto, left the boat suddenly and Captain Miller said Mr. Hanson, there's the thief, I assure you! I thought so myself. I felt grieved, but nothing could be done.

On the 8th about 70 persons went up to the hall for to stay in that city for want of means. A child and Wilhelmsen's wife died and was buried. I think S. in below. [UNCLEAR]

On the 10th those unable to go to Salt Lake City were sent in care of Elder Eilertsen with Paul Nielsen as interpreter on the "Polar Star," to be landed at Weston where they might obtain work and make a living. The rest of us, 204 souls, embarked on the "Clara" for Atchison, Kansas Territory. I went to a lumberyard and bought some planks to make tent poles of. . . . [p.120]

On Saturday the 11 we had a Danish meeting in the hall at 1 o'clock.

On Monday we buried a child, received 24 wagons which were laid up on the [-] deck, and 11 cooking stoves [-] and started about six afternoon. . . . [p.120]

On Friday the 7th we [-] drove down into the City and encamped on the Public Square west of Brother Kimball's place, . . . . [p.124]

BIB: Hansen, Peter Olsen. Journal (Ms 1437 2), pp. 118-20,24. Acc. #17787. (CHL)
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