I, William Henry Bradfield, son of George and Sarah Vockins Bradfield, was born November 7, 1859, at Newbury Berkshire, England. We belonged to the Latter-day Saint Church and it was our desire to come to Zion. By the year 1865, enough had been saved to send Charles, Thomas and Elizabeth with some Saints coming over. Father was working very hard to get fixed to bring the rest of us when he got sick. In August 29, 1866, he died in Ealing, England, at the age of 45. His wishes were that Mother should still come to Zion; so, for the next two years we all worked hard and saved our money to help out.

With money we saved and made out of selling our belongings, and whatever my brother Charles sent us from Salt Lake City, Mother, Mary, Joseph, Caroline, Jane, Eliza and I left Liverpool, England, June 4, 1868, on the sailing ship John Bright. We left my brother, George, who was married. I remember how mother cried when we [p.60] left my brother standing there saying, "My son, I'll never see you again on this earth, but we will meet in heaven!"

There were 760 on board ship, 660 being Latter-day Saint converts. We were on the water six weeks, nearly all the time the sea was wild and stormy. One night Captain McGaw told the Saints they had to give up the ship; so, if they believed there was a God, they had better ask for help. We children were clinging to mother's dress and crying. If ever there were prayers offered up, it was that night, and they were answered! Next day was a beautiful day and we children went on deck where we could see the rigging all torn away and the masts cracked.

We arrived in New York harbor July 13, 1868. Our things were put on a platform and while we children watched them, Mother went into town and got some bread and cheese. We were then put in cattle cars for the train trip west to Laramie, Wyoming. The cars were so crowded we could hardly sit down. There was little food or water for the next ten days. When we got to Laramie, we were met by wagons and mules. There were 50 wagons for six hundred immigrants. Joe Rogers, of Fillmore, drove our wagon. We reached Salt Lake City in late September, 1868. [p.61]

BIB: Bradfield, William Henry, [Reminiscences], Treasures of Pioneer History, comp. by Kate B. Carter, vol. 3 (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1954) pp. 60-61. (CHL)
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