1855-56: Ship "John J. Boyd"
Niels Christian Nielsen, wife Maren and 2 daughters are passengers
Liverpool to New York. Ane Catharine died 1855
The Wicked Captain of Ship “John J. Boyd.”
My father and Myself arrived at Liverpool on December the 9. Stayed and visited with my sister and husband until the 12th and in the evening we went on the old ship John J. Boyd bound for New York. After we had got all our baggage on board we found the ship would not sail until the next day so I said to my father and Mother that I would go back and stay all night with my sisters, as we left my sister Tamar to stay with my sister Zilpha, to help her to get ready to leave in July.
In the afternoon I left them to go down to the ship again and when I got there, low and behold, to my great surprise the ship was in readiness to start out. The men was just taking away the last plank. There was all my folks standing on deck watching anxiously for me and shouting to the top of their voices "for the Lord's sake bring my girl on the ship and don't leave her behind."
There was just the one plank to walk on from the deck to the ship and father and Mother was so afraid I would fall off into the water. The sailors said "Miss, do you think you can walk this plank?"
I told them I thought I could but they thought I may get dizzy and fall off into the water so they was very kind. One man went on the plank before me and took my right hand the second man came and took my left hand. They said if I slipped they would save me from going in the water. I thanked them and got on the plank. With the assistance of those two brave sailors I got safe on the ship and felt very thankful to be with my father and Mother, brothers and sister again.
My dear good father says "God help you my dear girl. We was all afraid you would be left behind. We watched for your coming so anxiously and when the man began to take away the planks your Mother began to fret and said oh what will we do. Patience has not come and the vessel is ready to start out to sea and we will have to leave her behind ."
There was great anxiety with them all when they see me walking on just one plank with two sailors holding my hands and there was great rejoicing when I was safe on the vessel with them all.
We moored out a little way that evening. Never will forget the first night on the ship. There was five hundred Danish Saints, three German and two Italians and one French family. Two Scotch families and 5 English families. Charles Savage had charge of the German and French Saints as he could talk their language and Elder Canute Peterson was president over the whole company. He was a very kind and fatherly man. So good and kind to all.
We passed a terrible night. Not much sleep for anyone that first night and we was ordered to go below. We could not get a berth the first night so we had to lie down on the floor as best we could. I began to think we would smother to death before morning, for there was not a breath of air. I made my bed on a large box. I had a big loaf of bread in a sack, this I used for my pillow. To make sure of having bread for breakfast this was not a very nice thing to do, to sleep on my bread, but it was very little sleep I had but I rested my body for I had had a long walk before I got on the ship. I was very tired at twelve o'clock.
The guard came around to see us all with his lantern. I told him I was very glad to see him came with the light for we had been in darkness up to that time. He said, "How is it miss, you are not asleep?" I asked him if he thought I could sleep in a place like this. I asked him if we would have no better accommodations than this all the way to New York. He said, "Don't feel bad. Tomorrow we will be able to give you a berth up above and I will try and give you a place where you can get more fresh air. Then you will feel better."
The guard said he was sorry for us but it would be better for us all in a few days. Old Brother and Sister Hailey, quite an old couple, made their bed down on the floor. They had a beautiful feather bed and pillows all in white covers to keep clean. All at once there came pouring down in their faces and all over their nice clean bed some dirty water. The old lady jumped up crying out to the guard, "Lord have mercy on us. I am going to be poisoned. Oh, dear me, what can we do in this dirty place. Have we got to stay down in this dirty place all through the voyage? We will all die before we get there and be buried in the sea." Poor old lady, I felt sorry for her and her poor old husband. The guard listened very attentively to her complaints and tried to console her by promising her that they should have a better place the next day.
We was all glad when morning came so we could go on deck and breathe a little fresh air for we nearly all smothered. Not any of us felt like eating breakfast. Our family consisted of father & mother, myself and three sisters, two brothers and my brother, John & wife and two children.
I will never forget that night of experience. I am glad to say we left that place in the morning and went on the deck above and we had a very good place. Our berths was about in the centre of the deck just beneath the skylights and they was opened to give fresh air. My brother John had traveled on the sea many times. He, it was, that perceived us to get in this part of the ship.
Going on deck we were glad to meet President Franklin D. Richards. My brother-in-law and my sister, Zilpah, his wife, they had came in a small boat to bring us some nice things for Christmas. As they said, we would have to eat our Christmas dinner on board the ship and they had brought us some raisins and currents and suet already chopped and everything to make our Christmas pudding and a sack of own made bread. Some cheese, butter and many other good things.
As soon as President Richards had settled all his business with the captain of the vessel and Brother Peterson and Savage and gave all instructions necessary and all good counsel and blessings to us all. They bid us goodbye to us all and commended to the care and protection of our Heavenly Father, praying that we may have a prosperous and safe voyage across the mighty deep.
Then my dear sister and husband bid us farewell and got into the boat. We all felt somewhat downhearted in parting with each other. But we did not part thinking we would never see each other again as my sister and husband and child, that dear little Flora, that was her name, and my sister Tamar, all expected to leave Liverpool about July to come to America and join us again, which they did and we met on the Iowa camping ground.
Now, I will return again to the old ship and relate some things that happened on that old ship. We had a terrible severe voyage. Much sickness and many deaths, numbering sixty two in all. We were on the sea nearly eleven weeks. After we had been out at sea two weeks we had a bad storm. The hatchways was all locked and we could not go on deck for anything. The skylights were opened and the sea washed over the deck and tons of water came down through the skylights. As it happened we was all in our berths unable to get out. We were all seasick. The whole family, with the exception of my father and brother John, and they was kept busy waiting on us. We was all sick for five weeks, after the storm was over which lasted for nearly a week.
The Captain told the Mate to come down and tell us that all that were able to come up for a time, so my brother and father helped us girls to go on deck. They said we were all sick and it would do us good to have a little fresh air. We was all so weak that we were not able to go without help.
After we were on deck, the Captain said if we would be good girls and keep very quiet and keep out of the way of the sailors we could stay on deck and see the men turn the vessel that he had sighted a ship in distress, and they was going to their assistance. This was something that none of us girls had ever witnessed before and we thought we would like to see. The captain of our ship was a very rough, cross man, (The Shipmaster was Captain Thomas Austin) but this was one kind act that he did and this was once that he spoke kindly to us but he was a bad man to his sailors.
When everything was ready he gave orders for the lifeboats to be lowered and the ship Mate got into the boat and went to the vessel in distress. He found the vessel was all broken to pieces and several of the men had been washed overboard. The ship was loaded with flour bound for Liverpool. The mate fetched in his boat the first time four poor sick men. Poor things, they looked so poor and worn out. Two men had two ribs broken and could not do anything. They went into the hospital and the doctor attended to them.
The other two poor men said to the Captain, "Sir, we feel to thank you. God bless you for coming to help us." The brute of a captain said to them, "G.D-----you go to work. That is all I want of you. Get up that rigging. I don't want to hear no more of your talk." I thought, "Oh, what an unkind man that he was to make these poor men go to work at once without giving them anything to eat."
The boat returned again with more men. They, too, had to go to work. The third time the captain of the vessel came with the last of his men. This captain had his jaw broken, the poor man. He was a very, very different man to the captain of our vessel. So kind to his men. He had lost his only son sixteen years old, the first time he has ever been from home. He said his boy begged so hard of his mother to let him come with me and now this has happened. " I have lost my boy, my only child. How can I go home to my wife without our poor boy." Poor man. It was very grievous to see and hear his grief. This was a very distressing scene.
At the same time it was a blessing to us that the captain of our ship had not men enough to mark our vessel. He had often to call on some of the brethren for help and it was said that if these men had not come to our assistance that we would never have gotten to New York. At one time, the Captain said if we did not stop our D---- preaching and praying we would never land in New York. I told the mate that was the only thing that saved his vessel for he was such a wicked drinking man and neglected his duty it was a wonder that he was suffered to live.
One night I was lying in my berth and I saw some spark of fire come down. I watched and they came down again. I called to mother and told her there was fire coming down. We got up but we did not see anymore. The guard came around us, as usual. Then we found the captain was drunk and had kicked over his stove in his cabin. The men, smelling fire, went in and put out the fire. It had already burnt the floor and if the men had not gone into his cabin the stove would soon fell through upon someone below.
In the morning the carpenters came to repair the burnt floor. In this I acknowledge the protecting care of God, our Heavenly [Father], was over his children. Now we was on the mighty deep in the hands of a drunken captain who had command of the ship. If it had not been for some of the men he would have been burnt to death in his own cabin and probably the ship would have been burnt and with all on board. In our escape from such a death, I acknowledge the hand of God in preserving our lives.
All through such a long and hard journey crossing the sea in taking these other men on board proved to us another blessing. These was more help to make the vessel and we had a more pleasant journey after they came to us. But through these men coming on the ship, we became short of fresh water and we was only allowed one pint of fresh water per day and that was for drinking. We had to wash in salt water and cook our potatoes in salt water. I said, "Well, one good thing, we will not have to use any salt to our potatoes and we are all willing to share our fresh water with those poor men that lost everything and have come to help us." I felt to bless those poor men.
We had a great deal of sickness on the vessel. Sixty-two deaths in all. It seemed a severe trial to have to bury our loved ones in the sea. My brother buried his little girl, Zilpha. It did, indeed, seem very hard to roll her in a blanket and lay her in the big waves and see the little dear go floating away out of sight.
There was one Danish brother and sister. Their two sons, all the children they had, both died and were buried in the sea. The eldest was eleven years old and the younger nine, I think. This was a very severe trial for this poor brother and sister. They were faithful, good Latter-day Saints. They was wealthy people and had then the means of several poor families coming to Utah, but the loss of their two only children seemed almost more than
they could endure. I never saw them after we got to New York.
We had a very hard voyage crossing the sea but we had a very nice company of Saints. Good and kind was the Danish brothers and sisters and we enjoyed ourselves together although we could not talk their language, neither could they talk the English language, but we could make each other understand. They would make up a dance and as many of the Danish brethren had instruments with them and could play many good dance tunes and the young men would come and invite us English sisters to their dance and we would go and enjoy ourselves for hours together and Brother Peterson, our president, would always attend the dances. He was a very kind, fatherly man and very watchful over his flock and ever ready and willing to give kind and good advice to those under his care, but the journey was so long and tedious that we all began to get tired and worn out. It really seemed, sometimes, that we would never see land again.
One night when we had a bad storm we could not sleep as we had to hold on to the berth to keep from being thrown out. We were all in the dark. My poor mother was fretting and thought we would all be lost and drown in the sea. My father had fixed some curtains in front of our berth to make it more comfortable and private for we girls. Just when the ship was tossing and rolling the worst, I opened my eyes. We were all in darkness, but in a moment the curtains opened and a beautiful lovely figure stood there. Oh such a lovely countenance I had never seen before in all my life and the light was so bright around him that I could see the color of his eyes and hair.
He had brown eyes and lovely brown hair and he spoke the words to me as I looked at him. He said, "Fear not. You shall be taken there all safe." Then he left and the curtains were again closed and I called to my dear father and mother in the next berth. I told them what I had seen and for them not to think that we would never get to land again for I believe that I had seen the Savior and that he told me not to fear and that we should all be taken there safe. My father and mother believed in what I said and they all felt encouraged and felt to rely on this promise that our ship would take us all through safe to New York.
I forgot to mention that poor old Brother William Hailey went on deck to the cook house and the wind blew his stove pipe hat overboard and when he came and told his poor old wife that he had lost his hat, she scolded him and said, "Now you can go the rest of the way without a hat for I will not let you have your new hat or you will lose that." So she tied a red handkerchief around his head.
The poor old man felt very bad about losing his hat. He said it cost him 12 schillings and 6 pence. I asked him how long he had worn it, and he said twelve years. I said, "Well, if I were you, Brother, I would not grieve about that old hat for I think it has done you good service. I think that has been a very cheap hat." Oh me, how angry he was with me. He seemed to think that I had no sympathy for him in his troubles and when we arrived at Castle Garden, his wife found an old half stove pipe hat and she gave it to the poor old man. He said it was too small for him but as she was the boss, she put it on his head and said, "You will have to wear that or none." I will never forget how the poor old man looked with that old hat just stuck on the top of his head. I felt sorry to see the poor old man go out in the street looking such a way. They had plenty of money but his wife said she would not go and buy him another hat and she was the captain. Her word was law.
Not very long after this one morning my brother John came to our berth and said, "Come girls. Get up and go on deck and see land!" We did not believe him at first. We told him that he only wanted to make us get up as he had been up to the galley and cooked breakfast for us and we told him that we could not eat or drink anything as we were feeling sick. "Oh," he said, "come on deck and you will feel better when you see land." So after some persuading we dressed and went on deck and to our great joy we surely could see land. I will never forget the joyful feeling and how thankful I felt to think that we had spent our last night on the old ship.
John J. Boyd was the name of the poor old ship. This was the last voyage she went. I ran downstairs to tell father and mother that surely land was in site and tonight we would land in New York. This was joyful news to them for we was all tired of our long sea voyage. Although we had made some very good friends with many of our Danish brothers and sisters, and Brother Charles Savage, he was such good cheerful company. He would sing to us so many of his good old songs to try to pass the time as cheerfully as we could for he was getting tired of the long and tedious journey. At last we landed all safe in Castle Garden, New York in February, 1856 about nine o'clock in the evening.
Patience Loader Rozs
John J Boyd
DISTRICT OF NEW-YORK - PORT OF NEW-YORK
I, Thomas Austin Master of the John J Boyd do solemnly, sincerely and truly swear that the following List or Manifest, subscribed by me, and now delivered by me to the Collector of Customs of the Collection District of New York, is a full and perfect list of all the Passengers taken on board of the said John J Boyyd at Liverpool, from which port the said John J Boyd has now arrived, and that on said List is truly designated the age, sex, occupation of each of said passengers, the part of the vessel occupied by each during the passage, the country to which each belongs, and also the country of which it is intended by each to become and inhabitant; and that said list or Manifest truly sets forth the numbers of said passengers who have died on said voyage, and the names and ages of those who died. So help me God.
Thos Austin
Sworn to this 18 Feby 1856
List or Manifest OF ALL THE PASSENGERS taken on board the John J Boyd whereof Thos Austin is Master, from Liverpool burthen 1311 tons.
John J. Boyd
Ship: 1311 tons: 195' x 38' x 28'
Built: 1855 by S. G. Bogart at New York City, New York
Nearly two thousand Latter-day Saints were transported to America in three voyages by the full-bodied ship John J. Boyd of New York. Her first voyage began at Liverpool on 12 December 1855, just a few months after she was launched. On board were between 508 and 512 Mormon emigrants from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Italy, England, Ireland, and Scotland. Elder Knud Peterson presided over the Saints. The shipmaster was Captain Thomas Austin. He had previously skippered the 1418-ton ship Jacob A. Westervelt and the 1448-ton ship Cultivator. It was a well-ordered company. Rules of cleanliness and conduct were established. A trumpet called the emigrants to prayer morning and evening, and religious services were held frequently in the English, Danish, and Italian languages.
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1856: "Canute Peterson Company" Niels Christian Nielsen, wife Maren, an older son and a daughter are in this company
Transcript for Nielsen, History of Jens Christian Nielsen:
June 15, 1856 Sunday the most of us went to the Emigrants camping ground of the Danish Saints. There was dance to 10 o'clock p.m. and then we went back to Omaha (Florence a new place) and I began to hunt for a place for myself, Maria, and her sister Else. Did not find any for myself but Brother Morten Lund would like to take Else.
June 16, 1856 I hunted work but did not find any.
June 17—I got work in digging a shelter, together with A. Fredericksen, and to June 21 made $9.00 and I got work again by the 25th made $8.00.
June 25, 1856 Came Brother N.L. Christensen from camp and said I could get to drive a team and that way work my way through, and by paying Bro. Samuel Lee $30.00 he would take Maria, and Bro. Lund would take Else with for nothing. So I made haste in getting ready as the emigration was to start the next morning. Now $30.00 was very near all my money and I needed some boots and clothing. What could I do? Bro. Christensen said to me if you do not take a girl with you it will be hard for you to get one when you come up to Utah, but there was no time for me to hunt a girl and go into engagement, so I concluded to try my luck. This Maria was very anxious to get up and I paid the $30.00 for her without any engagement whatever, nor a word on my money.
June 26, 1856 Got a wagon, got my things packed off and left Omaha for Florence camp ground and I got a place to drive English Brother F. Pollens' team and paying the $30.00 for Maria to Lee's English family.
Now we commenced our journey across the great desert or plains and we got along all right. I had no trouble in driving my team as I had drove Oxen before. When we came to the first river, which was very deep, could not be crossed with teams. The wagons were took over on a ferry boat and the oxen and cows to be swimmed over, and there was not too many men that liked to swim that water. I was generally handy to do all I could for the saints. I did swim that river three times after cattle, with my clothes on. That went all right, but after we got everything across I was ordered to stand guard in the night and given no opportunity to get dry clothes on. That was more than I could stand and the chills took hold of me and I suffered greatly for 400 miles in doing my work. It was hard and some thought I would die, but I did get over it. When I came to Salt Lake I was well.
Now I am not keeping any journal but will say that we had our trials, especially in crossing rivers and in the buffalo country many times our oxen stampeded. The man that I drove for was run over and picked up for dead, but came to but laid up in the wagon most of the balance of the road. At another stampede a man was run over and died on the spot. Another time a hind axle was broke and no wheel-wright in camp, so it fell on me to make an axle out of a green cottonwood and I made it and Brother Lee had blacksmith tools so we got it all fixed up, but that was a hard day for it happened on a sand hill and was blowing almost a hurricane. We had many stampedes but those were of the worst. Well, the oxen began to give out, got tender footed and had to be shod, and some dying and the saints had to unload their things on the plains, and I saw some emptying out the feathers from their featherbeds.
Then we had to dig wells for water for our stock and sometimes it was not good when we found it. I do not know how many oxen did die, but some teams lost half. Our team I drove did not lose any, but Tollins wagon was an old light wagon with two good yoke oxen.
When we came to Sweetwater there was snow on the ground and cold, and Green River was quite cold for women to wade across, and grass got a little sscarce for our teams, but I did not hear much grumbling. Many old ladies walking nearly all the way from Florence.
Knute Petersen was the Captain of this company, but left the English, or one-half of the company, at Laramie, on account of grass not being enough for so large a company. He took the Danish and went on. We, that is all about crossing the plains. The reader may guess the balance. I will however say that the Saints had much patience and would dance and sing around those camp fires and bake the bread by the buffalo chips, praying, singing the songs of Zion.
September 22, 1856 We arrived in Salt Lake City and I left Brother Pollen, the same staying in Brother Reiser's home that night.
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