Pioneer Companies:
Eight pioneers companies left Nebraska during July of 1862, ranging from 120 to 700 people per company. Four more companies left in August. Each company consisted of 40 to 65 wagons.
In 1862 more Latter-day Saints immigrated from Europe than in any previous year. Four ships transported members from Hamburg, Germany to Hull, England, where they continued to Liverpool. Another ship sailed from Havre, France. Four more ships carried members from Liverpool, England across the Atlantic. Altogether there were about 3,600 Saints who immigrated from Europe that year.
Ebenezer Farnes said, "He handed me a long whip about fourteen feet long, and showed me five yoke of cattle ... You can imagine my surprise. I had not even seen an oxen yoked and did not know how to drive them. Well, the leader of the wagon train started the first team, and the rest of us piloted our cattle behind and we traveled about ten miles the first day on our journey of one thousand miles ...."
William came across the plains in 1862, keeping a very detailed journal of his travels.
"Bro. D. Todd caught a cat-fish this morning weighing full 20 lbs., of which we had a share. It had got into shallow water, and in a place it could not escape from; therefore,bro. Todd jumped on it, and caught it without a hook. Several fish were caught by the brethren during the day, and one turtle; weighing about 6 lbs ... We had a fine race after a hare; but in vain, as we were not swift enough for her. About 7 snakes were killed to-day by the company, a rattle-snake among them, which had 9 rattles. She was killed of our camping-place, which was on the Platte , about 12 miles from our halting place on Buffalo Creek. "
My own family has been touched by the sacrifices made by the pioneers.
My great-great grandfather, John Cameron, was born in Scotland Dec. 25, 1819. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Nov. 25, 1845. He married April 21, 1847 and had a daughter, Catherin, my great-grandmother.
They immigrated to America in 1848 and resided in Patterson, Jersey. In 1852 they moved to St. Louis, Missouri and stayed there until 1861. While in St. Louis, John buried his wife and remarried.
In the spring of 1861,the Cameron family prepared to cross the plains to Utah with a company of Latter-day Saints. They traveled up the river by boat from St. Louis to Florence, Neb. While they were camped there, a daughter was born in a covered wagon.
With a heavy wagon and two yoke of oxen they started their journey. After they had traveled several days, John became sick with mountain fever, and wasn't able to drive the wagon. John was very ill, and
Jens traveled across the ocean to join the wagon trains of 1862.
"As a rule there was an abundance of grass for the oxen, and at times also sufficient fuel to be found, but a great part of the way the Sisters had to content themselves with cooking over fires made from sunflower stems and 'buffalo chips.' Nearly all able-bodied men and women had to walk most of the way; some of the women rode in the wagons only across the larger rivers while they would wade across the smaller streams like the men. Sometimes the women and children were carried across the streams by the men when it was feared the oxen could not pull the wagons with their heavy loads. We did exactly what our leaders told us to do, and consequently everything went well with us, for we could not read in books how and what to do either on the voyage across the ocean (which took 51 days) or on the journey across the Plains (which lasted 71 days). On the journey across the Plains, the weather was generally fair and a good spirit prevailed among us.
The health of the company was also good as a rule, and only one death occurred on the Plains."
James came across the plains in 1862 at the age of 5 in the John Murdock Company.
"We passed thousands of head of buffalo during our journey. Captain Murdock would order the company to halt until they rushed past, as he said it was a bad policy to split the herd."
James Lindsay
James came across the plains in 1862 with Captain Homer Duncan's Company.
"It was in this way that we moved along at about fifteen miles a day, often resting on Saturday afternoon to wash and clean ourselves up. All day Sunday was spent resting. Prayers were offered night and morning, and often singing and dancing in the evenings."
It was a heavy load for Catherine to care for her sick parents, and the smaller children, and to take the responsibility of driving the wagon, but she did it. Catherine drove the oxen most of the way. Their company of Saints traveled throughout the hot summer over the prairies and mountains to the
More information about the Cameron family can be found at www.boydhouse.com. Many thanks to those who have put that website together and shared so much information with others!
Charles crossed the plains in 1867 with the William G. Rice Company.
"We had reached our destination, and both man and beast of the whole company were pretty well worn out and we [-] to lift our hearts in thanks to God that we had been preserved on this long tedious journey, as many were now missing of those who were with us at the beginning of our journey. Parents had lost their children, and children parents, men had been made widowers, widows and orphans, but all for the gospel sake and the Lord has promised a hundred fold in this life and life eternal in the world to come, for all these sacrifices."
Annie traveled across the plains in 1868 with the John G. Holman Company.
"On August 31st we started to cross the plains by ox team which was lead by Captain John G. Holman. We walked most all the way even if we were so tired and sick we could hardly go. There were 30 who died in crossing the plains, and in that number was my mother, who had hoped she would live to be buried on land, which she did. She was buried in a grave without any casket, just wrapped up in a cloth, laid in the grave, placed brush over her before covering her with dirt. We arrived in Salt Lake City September 25, 1868, of a long and tiresome journey."
check out these sites!
Journals of the Early Saints
Pioneer Search
Narratives of Pioneer Companies
The Journals of William Ajax 1861-1863
Pioneer and History Articles:
I have contemplated the importance of journals recently. Putting my thoughts into words, I wrote the following article for Desert Saints Magazine. It is the story of my grandmother's funeral and the disappointment I felt that I had not truly known her. To read the entire text, click here.Mary Ann Chapple Warner
Mary immigrated to America with her parents in 1868.
"Our journey was a peaceful one, unmarred except by and occasional stray Indian. Despite the fact we saw only a very few Indians, a sharp look-out was kept so that we would not be taken by surprise in case of an attack. As we traveled along the dusty, hot trail, father often shot rabbits and other wild game so that we would have a change of diet. As evening drew near and the wagons were drawn into a circle for the night, I used to go out with the other children and fill my apron with buffalo chips for the fire. Then mother would start out [p.2] to prepare our evening meal and make soda bread, which was as yellow as gold and tasted as bitter as gall. Never in her life before had mother baked bread, as in England a person took their bread to the baker and he baked it for one cent. It was no wonder that our soda bread was so bitter although I think now that is what kept us so well on the trip was the soda in the bread. After the evening meal and when dusk had fallen, from somewhere came the sound of a violin being tuned and then a burst of merry melody. Dancing and singing usually followed, blotting out for the time being the thought of the tedious toil that lay before us. Following this bit of welcome entertainment usually came story telling time. A huge circle was made around the blazing campfire, following a silence, then began the tales of previous happenings and deeds of the Indians. Blood curdling stories of massacres, scalping and raids of the Indians were recited, until the very blood in my veins ran cold and as I gazed beyond the cheerful light of the campfire, each sinister shadow seemed to conceal and Indian, hideously painted and half naked. So terrorizing were some of these stories, that I could hardly move. After the evening prayer, when silence claimed the camp and everybody was asleep, I often lay awake, afraid to even close my eyes."
Mary immigrated to America with her parents in 1868.
"Our journey was a peaceful one, unmarred except by and occasional stray Indian. Despite the fact we saw only a very few Indians, a sharp look-out was kept so that we would not be taken by surprise in case of an attack. As we traveled along the dusty, hot trail, father often shot rabbits and other wild game so that we would have a change of diet. As evening drew near and the wagons were drawn into a circle for the night, I used to go out with the other children and fill my apron with buffalo chips for the fire. Then mother would start out [p.2] to prepare our evening meal and make soda bread, which was as yellow as gold and tasted as bitter as gall. Never in her life before had mother baked bread, as in England a person took their bread to the baker and he baked it for one cent. It was no wonder that our soda bread was so bitter although I think now that is what kept us so well on the trip was the soda in the bread. After the evening meal and when dusk had fallen, from somewhere came the sound of a violin being tuned and then a burst of merry melody. Dancing and singing usually followed, blotting out for the time being the thought of the tedious toil that lay before us. Following this bit of welcome entertainment usually came story telling time. A huge circle was made around the blazing campfire, following a silence, then began the tales of previous happenings and deeds of the Indians. Blood curdling stories of massacres, scalping and raids of the Indians were recited, until the very blood in my veins ran cold and as I gazed beyond the cheerful light of the campfire, each sinister shadow seemed to conceal and Indian, hideously painted and half naked. So terrorizing were some of these stories, that I could hardly move. After the evening prayer, when silence claimed the camp and everybody was asleep, I often lay awake, afraid to even close my eyes."