Excerpts from
Mormon Immigration Index, Family Resource File
A Compilation of
General Voyage Notes for the voyage of the James
Pennell leaving Liverpool England 2 September 1849 and
Arriving 22 October 1849. Among the passengers were
Mary Ann and Sarah Winmill. Also on board were
William Watts husband of Mary Ann.
WINMILL,
Sarah <1825> Age: 24
Bk. A, p. 32
A
Compilation of General Voyage Notes
"The Ship James
Pennell sailed from this port for New Orleans on the
morning of the 2nd of September, carrying 236 souls of
the Latter-day Saints. . . ."
<MS, 11:18 (Sep.
15, 1849), p.284>
"FORTY-THIRD
COMPANY. -- James Pennell, 236 Saints. The ship James
Pennell sailed from Liverpool for New Orleans on the
morning of September 2nd, 1849, carrying two hundred
and thirty-six souls of Latter-day Saints, under the
presidency of Thomas H. Clark. . . who in a letter
dated New Orleans, October 22, 1849, gives the
following account of the voyage:
'. . . The company
arrived in New Orleans on the twenty-second of
October, where the emigrants were received by Elder
Thomas McKenzie, who had succeeded Elder Scovil as
church emigration agent at New Orleans; he rented a
number of houses for some of the emigrants who stopped
temporarily in that city; the majority of the Saints
continued the journey up the river. (Millennial Star,
Vol. XI, pages 284, 363.)"
<Cont., 13:6 (Apr.
1892), pp.278>
"Sun. 2. [Sep.
1849] -- The ship James Pennell sailed from Liverrpool,
England, with 236 Saints, under the direction of
Thomas H. Clark, bound for G. [Great] S. [Salt] L.
[Lake] Valley. It arrived at New Orleans Oct. 22nd."
<CC, p.38>
Letter of Thomas H. Clark -
October 22, 1849
Ship James
Pennell, New Orleans, October 22nd, 1849.
Dear
Brother Pratt,--I feel it my duty to inform you of my
safe arrival at New Orleans, and also a small sketch
of our journey across the sea. Brother Barlow and
Brother Alrin were chosen as my two counselors. I
ordained Brother Alrin to the office of an elder, and
then formed the company into ten divisions, with a
president over each, to see that cleanliness and good
order were kept, and also prayers every night and
morning. We had preaching, and administered the
sacrament every Sabbath, and also preaching Tuesdays
and Thursdays. The officers also stood to their post,
as men of God, so that all was peace and harmony
during the time.
There
has been but very little sickness on board. We lost
three children, which were weaned just before they
were brought on board; all the rest of the babes have
done well. I think it would be well to inform the
Saints not to wean their children just as they come;
for if they do, they will likely to lose them before
they get across.
Captain James Fullerton is, I think, as kind a captain
as ever crossed the sea, and has been very kind to us;
he has granted us every privilege which he possibly
could, and made us many presents; his officers and
crew were all very kind to us. The captain is a good
man, and worthy to bring companies over. The ship is
a good sailing vessel. We were just seven weeks
crossing, and our passage was more like a pleasure
trip than a sea voyage.
The
Saints are all in good health and spirits, and most of
those that are going to stay here, have obtained work
already.
I have
again proved you to be a man of God, for every word
you said, when you blessed me, the night before we set
sail, has been fulfilled to the very letter.
The
Saints return you a vote of thanks for the good outfit
you gave us, and for the quantity and quality of the
same, which was good.
Brother McKenzie has met us, and has done well in
helping us. He has taken a boat to sail tomorrow for
St. Louis; and has also taken houses for the Saints
that stay here. He has brought cheering news from the
Bluffs, and also from the Valley. They have published
the arrival of our vessel in the news, and consider it
the most respectable and well behaved company that
ever entered Orleans.
Please
to give my kind respects to Sister Pratt, and all the
family, and the Saints. May the God of heaven bless
and preserve all his Saints, is the prayer of your
brother in the gospel of Christ.
Thomas H. Clark,
President.
P.S. The ship
“Berlin,” arrived the same day, and has lost
forty-three of the passengers with the cholera.
[p.363]
BIB: Clark,
Thomas H. [Letter] Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star
11:23, (December 1, 1849), p. 363. (HDL)
The Life and Travels of Frederic Gardner
. . .
We arrived in Liverpool the same night it being Aug.
30th, and stopped at the Music Hall, which had been
rented for the reception of the ship’s passengers,
until it would be ready to receive us on board. On
the following day Brother [Job] Salter [Satler] and I
took a walk around town, to purchase some necessary
articles for our use also went to look at the ship.
On Sept. 1st we are all shipped on board the ship
James Pennell, [p.10] Captain Fullerton commanding. I
believe altogether there are about 250 souls, probably
one hundred or more of whom are from Scotland. But
all are filled with the spirit of the gospel, and
working in harmony with each other. Some are lashing
their trunks so they would not tumble about at sea,
others are preparing their berths and some of them
have already begun cooking. Thomas H. Clark is
appointed to preside over the company, and the hold of
the ship divided up into districts, with a
superintendent over each. Whose duty it is to keep
order, call to prayers at proper time, and look after
the cleanliness of his district, and the health and
welfare of the same. Thus the whole company are well
provided for, and peace reigns supreme. On the
following morning Sept. 2nd we were taken out of the
dock. A tug was made fast to us to take us down the
Mersey. The company nearly all of whom are on deck
are singing. The gallant ship is under way and
followed by other stirring hymns, after being towed a
few miles, we set sail, with a stiff and fair breeze.
I should think there was never a more happy company
pass out from the docks of Liverpool. On our third
day out, we had cleared the coast of Ireland. Many of
the passengers are [p.11] now suffering from
seasickness, but with this exception all the others
are happy and enjoying themselves. Our captain
appears to be a good man. He is vigilant, careful,
sympathetic with the sick and kind to all. He has
already killed three pigs and a number of chickens for
the benefit of the sick. Thus we continue our voyage
some days with a fair breeze, at other times becalmed,
but at no time is there any grumbling or complaint.
We have a good violinist and accordion player on
board, and also a number of good singers, and every
night before or after prayers, we have a very
enjoyable time. The evening after we had passed the
equinoctial line. The captain in order to keep the
ship upright on an even keel, to have a good dance,
ran her about fifty miles off her course. The
enjoyment derived there from being well worth the
time. Sailors and passengers having a most enjoyable
time. During the voyage there were only three causes
for sorrow, or fear. Two of which were caused by the
death of two babies who were sick when they came on
board, and the third case was a storm in the Gulf of
Mexico, by which we lost our mizzen top mast. On the
evening of Oct. 20th we discover a long distance away
what appears to be smoke, and everyone is looking out
to find the cause. It is not long however before we
discover. She is a tugboat, coming towards us and
soon our tow line is out and made fast to her, and we
are towed over the Bar of the southwest pass, and cast
anchor in the Mississippi River. How pleasant it is
to be where we can see land, surrounding us,
especially where we have the prospect of again being
soon privileged to kick up our heels on terra firma.
Our tugboat which brought us over the bar to this
place, has gone out to sea again for another ship, as
we have about a hundred miles to go up the river to
New Orleans. It is the [p.12] intention of taking
both ships together. It is now midnight very few
persons have gone to bed. The tugboat has just
arrived with the other ship, we are then made fast to
one on each side of the tug and away we start up the
river. As soon as daylight appears, the passengers
may most of them be found on the quarter deck or along
the sides of the ship, their countenance beaming with
joy, as they look over the bulwarks at the beautiful
plantations and orange groves, which are situated on
each side of the river. Early on the morning of the
22nd we arrived and are made fast to the levee of the
3rd district of New Orleans. [p.13]
. . .
We can see the city two or three miles away, at first
sight, it seemed to me like a graveyard, the houses
being all small and of a light color, they are built
of unburnt brick called adobes. As we at first come
into the city, I feel somewhat disappointed. This was
probably because I had not considered the fact, that
only four years ago, this was a desolate [p.53] late
wilderness. And a thousand miles from any
civilization. This is the 29th day of September 1851
a very memorable one for me. . . . [p.54]
BIB: Gardner,
Frederic, A Mormon Rebel: The Life and Travels of
Frederick Gardiner, ed. And introduced by Hugh Garner
(Salt Lake City: University of Utah Library, 1993) pp.
10-13,53-54. (HDL)
Reminiscences
and Diary of Robert Knell
. . .
I went to Liverpool and embarked on the ship James
Pennell for New Orleans Sep 1st 1849, and left the
docks the next morning. There were on the ship 236
passengers and after a fine passage we arrived in New
Orleans 21 Oct, 1849. There were 3 deaths on the sea.
On the
25th I went on board the “Uncle Tom” for St. Louis,
Missouri.
I
arrived in St. Louis Nov. 2. I lived in St. Louis
about 5 months. I worked in a pork house about 4
weeks and was barkeeper at the Broadway Hotel the rest
of the time.
On the
5th of April 1850 I left St. Louis on the “Tuscumbia”
for St. Joseph. [p.5] At Oregon, Missouri I met with
Brother Lorenzo D. Young and made arrangements to
cross the plains with him. I herded sheep on the
Little Tarkio for him until about the middle of May,
when we started for the Salt Lake Valley. On the
first of June we crossed the Missouri River at old
Fort Kearney.
I
drove a herd of about 400 sheep across the plains on
foot and arrived in Salt Lake City 2nd September 1850.
. . . [p.6]
BIB: Knell,
Robert. Reminiscences and diary (Ms 1
