This is the time I write this part of my history. We left Glasgow 12th February 1847 and sailed to Liverpool. We stayed in Liverpool 6 days then we were towed into the river, we stayed there two days. The river is called the Mersey. Liverpool is built on the side of it. I did not see all so as to give a description. Its harbour is six miles long constantly filled with ships from every country and Island in the world. We sailed from the river on 22nd February. I got sick the first day. We were 14 days in the Irish Channel, this is along the Irish island. I was sick all the time. We were driven back twice into the channel called Georges. We got through into the Bay of Biscay then a storm arose which lasted twelve hours and drove us back within sight of the Irish lighthouse on Cape Clare in Ireland. When the storm was over we sailed away with the wind ahead at the time we left Liverpool. It is reef strewn, the Bay of Biscay. When we were eight days out after the storm we met a Dutch ship which had been in the same storm. They hoisted up their colours to let us know they were in distress. Their masts were all torn away and the bulwarks were all taken away. Some of the men were hurt. They told us they had seen four other ships as bad as themselves. Its name was William the Second. It was laden with coffee and sugar. They told us they had thrown overboard four hundred barrels of coffee to lighten the ship. They did not need nourishment nor drink, they had both, They just wanted a main sheet or sail which we gave them and they went away and we went away.
The passage was pleasant on the way after that. Nothing happened to us worthwhile to mention but Near the Van Tague a old man died and his body was buried in the sea. Next morning we saw Van Tague, one of the West Indian Islands. Then we came to Mount Siratt and high mountain then we came to the Gulf of Mexico. It is one thousand miles to the mouth of the Mississippi. We sailed over two thousand miles very quick. When we saw the land of America we were all overjoyed to see the land of our destination ------------. I would have had something to say about my two children had they been alive. To let them know how we took both of them and toiled to keep them alive. They were young both of them, in order that they night honour us for our protection. As a father and mother we were kind to them and they were dear to us. Before I leave the history of our passage over the sea I want to refer to the character of the captain and the crew. The captain was a fine man and he was good to the saints! His name is Captain H. Kingsey. He loved the saints and was kind to the sick. Several times he treated them to brandy and every privilege on the deck and in the ------. The crew was also kind and treated the saints with respect and would do anything for their favour. We went up the river Mississippi in the boat called Marmaluke we were eight days coming up the river to Saint Louis. We were in good health at the time except little Janet was sick on the river and we thought she would die but she recovered on landing, We stayed in Saint Louis ten days. Then we started to go up the Missouri river to Council Bluffs. We went up the river in ten days. We stayed at Council Bluffs five months. Then I came down to ------ to work for some --. I was there when Christina came down to me with the ---- and the two children. I was at this time working in Alton and was doing well. I was glad to see her. We next moved to the ------ coal diggings were I built a house and worked at the coal diggings. I have plied that kind of work for 17 years and to this day I am tired of it. I say so. It was here my two children died Mary and Janet. We have the ague and fever five months, both Christina and myself have also. We have one born alive since is Ann Smith Davidson. She is our fifth born to us, four are dead and one is alive. February 16.
May 6th 1850. I left the coal diggings to come to the great Salt Lake. I came up the river called the Missouri in a steam boat called the packet boat to Council Bluffs, then traveled by land to great Salt Lake the distance from Saint Louis to Salt Lake was 1500 miles. I left Salt Lake and came to Provo City and while there was ordained a Seventy by Brother Young, and Brother ------. In Provo my son William was born and my son James was born there,
In Cedar City, December 25, 1854. And in the year 1853 by orders of the president I moved to Cedar City, Iron County, Utah. Here my son James died and my daughter Christina was born.
1856. In this year my wife Christina E. Davidson died in Cedar City, Iron county, Utah Territory. She was born in Scotland, in Lanarkshire, in the parish of Old Monkland on April 1, 1826. Her father’s name is James Eadie, her mother’s name is Christina McLaren
In this year I married again to Ellen Neish. She was born In Lanarkshire, Scotland
Her fathers name is Thomas Neish and her mothers name is Elizabeth Penman.
My wife Christina died in childbed with a son. His name is Thomas John Davidson . He was born 14th December 1856. He is alive and doing well at this date 23rd February 1857.
ev
ADDED- Think they left Glasgow Feb. 1848(daughter born Sept. 1847 Lanark)
I have a passenger list April 1848 ship Carnatic(Liverpool to New Orleans)
William Davidson 27
Christina 22
Mary
Janet