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LDS Immigration Voyage - Benjamin Adams Passenger List Jan 1854;Gridley

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LDS Immigration Voyage- Liverpool to New Orleans - The Benjamin Adams


This file contains the passenger List for The Benjamin Adams Voyage - January 28, 1854 to March 22, 1854.

Under the command of Captain John Drummond the full-rigged Benjamin Adams sailed from Liverpool on 28 January 1854 with 384 Scandinavian Saints aboard. Most were Danish, but several were Norwegian. Also among the passengers were English, German and Irish emigrants. Elder Hans Peter Olsen, a missionary resuming from the island of Bornholm, presided over the emigrant company. These Mormons had sailed from Copenhagen on the steamship Eideren by way of Kiel, Gluckstadt, and Hull. On January 22, these and another group of emigrants went aboard the ship "Benjamin Adams" with Hans Peter Olsen in charge of the 384 Scandinavian Saints,together with a few German Saints. Under the command of Captain John Drummond the full-rigged Benjamin Adams sailed from Liverpool on 28 January 1854. There were also British, German and Irish Saints in the group. According to the day by day account of Rasmus Nielsen (which is recorded in Vol. 10 of the book, "Pioneer Heritage"), who was one of the Danish emigrants, describes the sea voyage as quite a pleasant one, with the exception of some sickness. The food was plentiful and good. Church meetings were held regularly to give courage to those who were weak in the faith and to stimulate the faithful ones. Although the fifty-three-day passage was described as "very pleasant and prosperous," there were eight deaths (two elderly adults and six children), two births, and nine marriages. Among the six children who died was Serena’s daughter Tomine Marie. The vessel arrived at New Orleans on 22 March. They were 53 days in crossing. On March 13, the "Benjamin Adams" neared the mouth of the great Mississippi River. They had a little difficulty in landing owing to fog and other conditions, but on March 22 they docked at New Orleans. The were amazed at all the strange sights, especially the selling of the Negro slaves, some for $25.00. Just before any LDS ship arrived in New Orleans, the passengers were always told to look out for thieves who would board the ship posing as friends of a passenger in order to gain access to the belongings that were still below decks. Four men would be stationed to guard each hatchway with instructions to let no one but passengers go below. They were kept busy, for there were always a number of thieves doing their best to get by the guards. Unfortunately, many of these faithful people were not permitted to reach Utah. From "Treasures of Pioneer History," (page 14) "of all the companies which crossed the plains in 1854, the Scandinavian Saints suffered the most with cholera; yet the mortality had been even greater among them while journeying up the rivers on the steamboats and while encamped near Westport, than after they got fairly well out on the open plains. Scores of emigrants succumbed to the disease, and many were buried by their surviving relatives and friends, without coffins. So great was the mortality among these saints from the North that of the 700 souls who had sailed from Copenhagen the previous winter, only 500 reached the place of their destination." On the 25th of March, the company continued the journey from New Orleans by the steamboat. "M. Kennet," and arrived in St. Louis, Mo., on the 3rd of April. During the passage up the river considerable sickness prevailed and fourteen more of the emigrants died. From St. Louis where many members of the Church resided at that time, the emigrants continued the journey up the river April 5th, to Kansas City, where they arrived April 10th. A Welsh Saint, Joseph Evans, recorded his impression of this trip up the river: "We stayed in New Orleans a few days to get ready to travel up the river again. About the last of March we started for St. Louis in a small steam boat and we was crouded. Now we are going, yes faster and faster. The steam boat a puffing and snorting and pushing hard against the stream. But oh, what a durty watter for us to use. We dip it up for to settle it, but it don't get much better. Never mind, we will do the best we can with it. I must drink it, anyhow, because I am very thirsty. And what a rackity noyes it made me shudder. The Captain a shouting and the watter a splashing and the band a playing and some of us singing and some of the sister a washing and the babs a crying And the sailors a talking and many of them a smoking and all of us trying to do something and the boat a tuging and snorting when traveling up the Missouri river also the Mississippi. Indeed it was a great site to us to see such forest of timber and land. What a wonderfull stream this is -- going in such a force, takeing down some very larg logs. They some times strike the boat with tremendous blows, but we got through all right. We got to St. Louis about the 10th of April 1854. And we was glad to get there. But what a durty looking place this is to be shure." A few days later they were joined there by the company which had crossed the Atlantic in the "Jesse Munn." Westport, now a part of Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, had been selected as the outfitting place for the Saints who crossed the Plains that year, and the Scandinavian emigrants made their encampment near Westport, situated a short distance south of the Missouri River. After the arrival of the "Jesse Munn" company from St. Louis, the two companies were amalgamated and organized for the journey across the Plains, May 9th. Hans Peter Olsen was chosen leader of the amalgamated company and Christian J. Larsen as chaplain, while Bent Nielsen was chosen wagon master, Jens Hansen camp captain and Peter P. Thomsen captain of the guard. The company, which consisted of sixty nine wagons, was divided into six smaller compares with ten or twelve wagons and a captain in each company. To each wagon were attached four oxen and two cows. There were also in the company a number of reserve oxen. From ten to twelve persons were assigned to each wagon. Elders Carl Capson, Anders Andersen, Peter Beckstrom, Jens Jorgensen Anders W. Winberg and Valentine Valentinsen were appointed captains of the six divisions. Oxen, wagons, tents and other traveling equipment which the emigrants bought in St. Louis and Kansas City or vicinity, cost more than had been expected, on account of which a number of the emigrants ran short of means all were unable to furnish a full outfit. The more well-to-do, however, among whom we might mention Bro. Bent Nielsen from Sjaelland and Peter P. Thomsen from Falster, contributed freely of their means, 80 that none were left in the States through lack of money. Toward the close of May, another camping place was chosen about eight miles west of Kansas City, from which place the emigrants commenced their long journey over the Plains on Thursday, June 15, 1854. There were only 69 wagons to haul the needed supplies for this large group of people; consequently most of them walked, and they could make just as good time as the slow oxen. "In St. Louis, where an organized branch of the Church existed, the immigrants joined the former company which had crossed the Atlantic in the 'Jessie Munn' and H.P. Olsen became the leader of all. Under him, the survivors of both companies continued the journey by steamboat to Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri, which had been selected as the outfitting place for the Saints who crossed the plains that year. The Scandinavian immigrants made their encampment near Westport." "Of all the immigrating Saints of 1854, this large company of Scandinavians suffered most from the cholera epidemic. So great was the mortality rate from the fever, which struck the children in England, the deaths on board en route, the cholera, and the deaths of the march across the plains, that of the 680 persons who left Copenhagen in December 1853, about five hundred reached their destination, Salt Lake City, 5 October 1854." This company of immigrants reached Salt Lake City on October 5th, 1854. President Brigham Young counseled them to go on farther South to Fort Ephraim to a climate more suitable to their own homeland left far behind. Moving onward to Ephraim “They arrived at Fort Ephraim on Sunday, October 24th, 1854. Joy filled their hearts to overflowing. Their first expression was to their Heavenly Father giving Him thanks and gratitude for His goodness to them and for bringing them safely to their destination. Remembering their many months of trial and hardships, though it was Sunday, they gave vent to their feelings of joy in song and dance.” A fulfillment to their cherished dreams had been accomplished. The Benjamin Adams was a large three-master, hailing from New York, was built with three decks, a square stem, and a billethead. Among her owners were the Drummonds, including the master, Gilbert C. Trufant, William Tapscott, and George B. Cornish- all prominent in the Yankee sea trade. After fourteen years of service the Benjamin Adams was lost at sea in 1866. XVI, pp.94, 256, 272, 297; Morgenstjernen, Vol. II, page 53)" Cont., 13:11 (Sep. 1892), pp.508-09

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