Continuing the Ericksen Family History

I will continue with a history of the Ericksens.

(Lars and his family are still on-board the William Tapscott as the story continues.)

Union and good order prevailed during the whole voyage. Prayer was held every morning and evening, and on Sundays religious services were held on the deck. Owing to cold and a change of diet, considerable sickness prevailed among the emigrants, and ten deaths occurred, most of them among the Scandinavian Saints. Four children were born on board and nine couples married, among whom were Hans Christian Heiselt and Larsine Larsen from the Vendsyssel Conference, Denmark. 

On the 3rd of June, the small pox showed itself among the emigrants, seven case of this disease were reported, none of which, however, proved fatal.

On Friday evening, June 15th, the ship arrived at the quarantine dock in New York harbor. The next day two doctors came on board and vaccinated, with but very few exceptions all of the steerage passengers, a part of the cabin passengers, and the ship’s crew. This was done to prevent a further outbreak of the disease, though all the sick had nearly recovered by this time. On the 20th, after being detained in quarantine five or six days, the passengers were landed at Castle Garden, New York. The smallpox cases had previously been taken ashore and placed in a hospital. 

On the 21sr, the emigrants left New York per steamboat “Isaac Newton” and sailed up the Judson River to Albany, where they arrived on the 22nd. From Albany, the journey was continued via Rochester to Niagara Falls, where the train stopped about seven hours in order to give the emigrants the pleasure of seeing the great waterfall and the grand suspension bridge. The journey was continued through Canada along the north shore of Lake Erie to Windsor, where the river was crossed to Detroit in Michigan. Thence to Chicago, which city was reached June 25th. From Chicago, the emigrants traveled by railroad to Quincy, Ill., whence they crossed the Mississippi River to Hannibal in Missouri, and thence traveled by railroad to St. Joseph, Mo. Here 123 persons were placed in a hospital, but upon close examination, they were found to be well enough to joining the company the following day on the trip up the Missouri river, to Florence, Neb., where the company arrived in the night between June 30th and July 1st.

Elder George Q. Cannon, who this year acted as church emigration agent, made splendid arrangements for the journey across the Plains. It was deemed wisdom to send the emigrants as far as possible by steam and avoid the toilsome and harassing part of the team journey from Iowa City to Flore4nce, a distance of nearly 300 miles, which in former years had required from 15 to 20 days’ travel. It had been learned by experience that the distance between Iowa city and Florence, at the season of the year when the emigrants had to travel it was, in point of toil and hardship, by far the worst part of the journey, owing to its being a low, we country, which in the opening of the year was subject to heavy and continued rains. These storms, owing to the nature of the soil (being clay most of the distance), rendered the roads almost impassable. Arriving at Florence, the emigrants found shelter in a number of empty houses while they made the necessary preparations for crossing the Plains.

A handcart company consisting of 126 souls, traveling with 22 handcarts and 6 wagons left Florence on their westward journey July 6th, under the leadership of Capt. Oscar O. Stoddard. The company was divided into three parts under Elders D. Fischer, Anders Christensen and Carl J. E. Fjeld, respectively. 

(To be continued.)