A Compilation of General Voyage Notes
"DEPARTURES. -- The packet ship B. S. Kimball, Captain H. Dearborn, sailed, on the 8th
instant, from this port for New York, having 657 souls of the Saints on board. The Saints, who
were principally from Scandinavia, were organized in the morning of the same day by
President Cannon, who, together with Elder Jesse N. Smith, president of the Scandinavian
Mission, Elders C. W. West, J. M. Kay, B. Young junior, Joseph Bull and others, were visiting
the Saints on board the vessel previous to their departure. Elder H. P. Lund was appointed to
preside over this company of Saints, with Elders P. Bechstrom and C. S. Winge for counsellors,
and Elder P. V. Poulsen as clerk. The Saints on board were addressed by Presidents Cannon
and Smith and Elder Lund, who gave them such teachings and counsels as were calculated to
comfort, edify and bless them if they will only remember and practice them . . ."
"Fri. 8. [May 1863] . . . The ship B. S. Kimball sailed from Liverpool, England, with 654
(or 657) Saints under the direction of Hans Peter Lund. . . . The emigrants on the B. S.
Kimball landed in New York June 15th and thence continued by rail to Florence. [Nebraska]
. . . ."
". . . About two hundred emigrating Saints from the Christiania, Lolland and Bornholm
Conferences sailed from Copenhagen per steamer 'Aurora,' April 30, 1863, bound for Utah,
under the leadership of Elders Carl C. N. Dorius, Johan F. F. Dorius and Hans Peter Lund.
Some of the Norwegians emigrating in this company (28 souls) had sailed from Christiania
April 13, 1863, per steamer 'Excellensen Toll.' A strong and contrary wind on the Skagerak
and Cattegat made the voyage very uncomfortable, but the emigrants were safely landed in
Copenhagen April 15th.
Another company of emigrating Saints (about one hundred souls) left Christiania, Norway,
April 28th, under the direction of Elder Johan F. F. Dorius and arrived in Copenhagen, April
29th, where the Norwegians joined the emigrants from other parts of the mission. About a
dozen Saints emigrating to Zion went direct from Stavenger to Hull where they joined those
who had sailed from Copenhagen.
When the emigrating Saints left Copenhagen April 30th the weather was fine, and a great
number of people congregated on the wharf to see the the Saints leave, but there were no
disturbances, as a number of police had been detailed on special duty to keep order. The
emigrants made themselves as comfortable as they could on the deck and in the second
cabin of the 'Aurora,' which on the morning of Friday, May 1st, arrived at Kiel, where the
emigrants walked to the railway station and left at 11 o'clock a.m. by railroad for Altona,
where they arrived at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. From Altona to Hamburg the emigrants
walked in about half an hour to the ship 'Roland,' on which they went on board, together with
about four hundred emigrating Saints from Jutland and Fyen (or the Saints from the
Vendsyssel, Aalborg, Skive, Aarhus, Fredericia and Fyen Conferences) who, on June 30, 1863,
had boarded a steamer at Aalborg, Aarhus and Fredericia, and like those who commenced
the voyage from Copenhagen, landed in Kiel, whence they traveled by rail to Altona. After
the emigrants, numbering nearly six hundred souls, had gone on board, together with about
forty steers and several hundred sheep (which made the atmosphere on board anything but
comfortable for the emigrants), the ship 'Roland' sailed from Hamburg May 1st about midnight.
he weather was very fine, but the emigrants, in their crowded quarters, nevertheless, were
uncomfortable. Early on Sunday morning, May 3rd, the 'Roland' cast anchor off Grimsby,
and a little later sailed to the wharf, where most of the emigrants landed, with some of their
baggage; the balance of the baggage, together with forty of the brethren, remained on board,
as the ship went to Hull, where they arrived at 6 o'clock in the evening and remained on board
all night. The next morning (May 4th) a small steamer ran up to the side of the 'Roland' and
took the rest of the baggage, belonging to the emigrants, back to Grimsby, while the forty
bretheren went to the same place by rail. Elder Carl C. N. Dorius, however, remained in Hull
where he, about 11 o'clock the same day, received some emigrants (seven adults and six
children) who arrived direct from Stavanger, Norway, per steamer 'Skindinavien.' In the
afternoon, after settling with the captain of the steamer for their passage, Brother Dorius led
these emigrants by steamer and train to Grimsby, where they were united with the other
emigrants.
At Grimsby the emigrating Saints were made quite comfortable in a large building erected
for the use of emigrants. On the 6th all the emigrants, except the Norwegians, made
themselves ready for the journey to Liverpool. They left, nearly seven hundred strong, by
rail for that city at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. A young Danish sister who was sick was carried
in a chair into the cars.
The exact number of emigrants who arrived in Liverpool May 6, 1863, was 681. At this port
644 Scandinavian and 13 English Saints were taken on board the ship 'B. S. Kimball'
(Captain H. Dearborn), while thirty-seven Scandinavians were placed on board the ship
'Consignment.' Elder Anders Christensen was placed in charge of this little band.
President George Q. Cannon organized the company on the 'B. S. Kimball,' with Elder Hans
Peter Lund as president, Elder Peter Beckstrom and Christoffer S. Winge were chosen as his
counselors. Elder P. Wilhelm Poulsen was appointed secretary for the company, which was
divided into seven districts with a president and a captain of guard over each. Other helps
were also appointed. Both ships sailed from Liverpool on the 9th of May. Four deaths
occurred on board the 'B. S. Kimball' during the voyage; two children were born and the
following couples were married: Christoffer S. Winge and Anna Marie Salvesen, John Ness
and Christine Andersen, Jorgen Dinesen and Christine Christensen, Soren Petersen and Ane
Nielsen, Soren Mikkelsen and Christine Weibel, J. H. Hendricksen and Maren Rusmussen,
Rusmus Nielsen and Maren Sorensen, Lars Gustaf Bergstrom and Johanna Engstrom, Peter
Christian Steffensen and Mariane Berthelsen, S. J. Christensen and Ane M. Nielsen, Niels
Larsen and Wilhelmine Hovinghoff.
The 'B. S. Kimball' cast anchor in the harbor of New York in the evening of Saturday, June
13th, and on the 15th the passengers were permitted to go ashore. In the evening of the
same day the emigrants continued by train to Albany. There a fine boy was born. The
company then proceeded to Florence, Nebraska, from which place the journey across the
plains was commenced in connection with the other company from Scandinavia. . . ."
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