The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-13
Martins Handcart Company, 1856
JOSIAH ROBERTSON. No

This will not be a romance. nor the his
tory of IAN extinct race that never ex-
isted. but the truthful narrative, travel
inss, hardships. sufferings and privations
of one of the most devoted band of Chris
tians that ever knelt in prayer and wor-
ship to the Living God and His Son, the
Christ.
There are several reasons why the emf
grafton of 1856 was augmented in numbers
above that of many years previous (and
which I will endeavor to explain here
after. but the main reason in memory
now was, that hundreds of the first con-
VertS to MOrmonism. in 1881, $40 and till
1870. had been so whole-sculed in their i'm
portunities to President Young. Heber G.
Kimball, Orson Hyde. Orson Pratt. Will
lard Richards and other prominent elders
that first went to England, Scotland and
Wales, with the gospel for "deliveranee
from the British Isles. that President
Young became determined to meet the
emergency with the handcart expert
ment.
That we started a month too late, and
that the snowstorms in the Wind river
and Rocky mountains came on a month
earlier than usual and than general. tells
talities would not have been one-tenth
and the results entirely different.
I have before me the very valuable
diary of the Mr.. ]. G. Bleak church his
torian of southern Utah. and recorder In
the st. George temple for the last thirty
or forty years. of the sailing of the ship
Horizon from Liverpool with $50 Mormons
on board and of this number. the list and
roster of Martins hand-cart company.
Hunt and Hodgett's wagon companies
were composed. Very worthy of record
and interesting reading. I find as to the
Horizons company crossing the Atlantic
from Liverpool to Boston. Mass, that Mr.
Bleak left London Chis home). NAV 81
1856, at $50 a. m; arrived Liverpool 3
o. M" distance of ZIG miles in eight
hours and half
This afternoon we went on board and
slept there. May %. lowed out of Bran
merly-Moor dock into the River Mersey
liverpool, England); May "a, inspected by
the doctor and government inspectors;
Sunday. May %, the Horizon cleared with
$50 passengers, all of the Mormon faith.
Edward Martin, captain of the company;
Jesse Haven and George p. Waugh.
counsellors.'
In the afternoon. and with q faint view
of ireland in sight on the right, the pilot
boat left us in the Irish channel. but be-
fore returning President Franklin d.
Richards, Cyrus II. Wheelock. Joseph A.
Young. William Young. James Ferguson,
John Kay, w. G. Dunbar, Elders CARR
gan and others gave us some parting adj
dresses and blessings, and the clarion ten
of w. c. Dunbar and the sweet bari
tone of John Kay in the
"Oh we mountains high,
Where the clear blue sky
Arches over the wales of the free"
Is still ringing In the ears of every pas
senger that day on the Horizon. and the
still surviving members of Martins hand
cart company.
Never did any band of emigrants have
a nicer or more pleasant voyage across
that ocean. and our Captain Reed, who
had been a seaman then for over twenty
five years. would listen betimes to our
glee clubs and quartettes, when they
would render the song, We'll Marry
None but Mormons." he repeatedly said
he would carry none but Mormons, if he
could help il, the rest of his life.
I'VE cast anchor in sight of Boston.
Mass. June %, 1856; got the cars July 2
for Iowa City. Ia; passed through Buff
falo, July 4. while the celebration was in
Tuesday. July s. 1885, the end of all rail-
road tracks then in western America, and
made camp on Iowa Hill. three miles from
Iowa City. Ia, Wednesday, July 8. 1856
I shall leave Brother Bleak's faithful
and accurate diary now, for the present.
and publish the names of the heads of
families and single members of Martins
Florence, Neb, Monday. August %, 1856
and resume in the subsequent chapters.
with the names of the company that
started from Iowa Hill, Ia, July e. 1856,
our daily travels and incidents from there
to Florence. Neb
Names of Martins handcart company:
SJohn Toone.
Hannah Wardell.
Jemimd Cook.
John Oldham and family.
Elizabeth Parks.
John Jacques and family.
lamar Loader and family.
George Lawley.
John Parkins and family.
John Ollorton and family.
James and Elizabeth Wilson Chis wife).
Sarah Jones and family.
Mary A. Greening
Lydia Hooker.
Harriet BENEFIT.
Jane Gibbons.
Martha Anglesea.
Samuel Jackson and family.
James Mellor and family.
Joseph Moss and family.
Margaret Robson and family.
Jane Nightingale and family.
Sarah Grundy. William Howard.
ker.
Robert Kirkham and family.
Samuel and Esther Ramsden.
William Openshaw and family.
Charles Lord and family.
James Stones and family.
Sarah Franks.
Mary Taylor and family.
Charles WoodcOck.
Harriet and George Housely.
George Padley.
Eliza Hartley.
Elizabeth BOwes.
Esther Parkes and family.
Mary Ann and Emily Marshall. Richard