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| Thomas Wasden |
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| Mary Coucum |
This typewritten copy was sent to Dave Carlsen by Dalene Butts on 5 February 1999
[Note from Dave Carlsen: If anyone reading this knows who has the original of this record, please send me a note.]
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Came by railroad from Woodhouse Junction to Liverpool and sailed on the 26th of April 1855, on the ship Wm. Stetson and a prosperous journey. And three deaths, children. Landed on the 8th of May 1855 in N. Y.
And came by rails and river up to Cincinnati, Ohio, U. S. on the 5th of June, 1855 and had a great deal of sickness with the death of Willard and Sarah Ann Wasden. W. 3. & S.A. 1 and left Cincinnati on the 19th of April on the [ ? ] train and arrived at St. Louis on the 26th of April 1859. And left St. Louis on the 28th and arrived in Florence on the 9th of May by the boat Carrier and to our surprise we found the houses deserted. Where we found a comfortable house and brought a fine yoke of cattle and paid $80.00 dollars, also bought another yoke and wagon and paid $125.00 dollars. The wagon been in use before, and left for the plains on the 19th of June.
Before moving on I shot a fine deer and gave a piece to each in the camp. Arrived Ganoe on the 4th of July without any accidents and left on the 5th of July and arrived at Woods River on the tenth of July, each being 140 miles apart, 11th of July camped three miles from the bridge.
We are in the buffalo country and are hunting today. 12th of July, pleasant day traveled 8 miles. In the evening we had a thunder and lightning storm which tore up the tents and we were almost drowned while getting into the wagon at 2 A.M.
13 of July traveled about 20 Miles, pleasant day and plenty of buffalo. (Ft. Kearney is across the river.) [Original copy is so faded this may not be correct.]
14th of July was very hot and no breeze. 2 buffalo killed, one by Capt. Stevensen and one by Brother Roggers. Old man Roggers has been lost since morning on the hunt. Camped at Elm Creek, Brother Lee's axle broke. Traveled between 10 and 15 miles and very busy this evening cutting up the buffalo.
15th of July camped at Elm Creek. Very pleasant day. Death of a child of Brother Lee, four days old. About 20 minutes before 10 o'clock this evening as I was getting in bed I heard the calling and yelling as of a herd of buffalos or Indians on the cattle herd, but to my surprise it was the welcome cheers of our lost brother Roggers.
[Pages lost] and a few drops of rain, all well. Camped at Skunk Creek a train of [ ? -- could not make out the name] came up late this evening with 10 wagons.
20th of July traveled 10 miles and camped at Little Mud Creek and a very Pleasant day and all sand hills. We passed a tribe of Sioux Indians camped at the Panney Springs, quite friendly.
21st of July was a very pleasant day. We traveled 14 miles, camped on the Muddy Creek.
22nd was a pleasant day with a great deal of sand hills, traveled about 15 miles. A little rain in the evening. Nesflins Train is ten miles ahead. We have many lame cattle in the camp now.
23rd a wet morning. It rained while at dinner, started at 12 A.M. Traveled 9 miles. Brother Hastings cow left behind.
24th was a beautiful morning with the death of two oxen, one of Brother Teners and one of Brother Chamberlains. A young girl died, daughter of Brother Allen---Elizabeth Allen, aged 15 years. She and her mother and brother came to this country on the Ganoe, the same train and ship as we did, and are still camped this evening by the Platt, three miles west of the Bluff Creek.
25th of July a wet day, traveled 10 miles with very bad roads through sand hills. There are plenty of flies and mosquitoes.
26th of July traveled 10 miles. Beautiful day and in the evening Brothers Eldridge, Young and Coward came in the camp with three wagons. Brother Stainpour's ox dead.
27th traveled 12 miles, very pleasant day. There are a great many lame cattle.
29th A very heavey sand hill 1/2 mile long. We had to double teams, it took til dinner time. Traveled about 7 miles. Was a thunder storm in the evening. There are a great many Indians about warring with the Panners.
29th. Pleasant day with the death of Sister Hoppley, wife of Brother Hoppley, died of cold, been exposed to hardships which she could not endure and buried at Castle Creek. A train of some 10 or a dozen wagons returning from Utah and Ogden City; traveled about 12 miles. Sister Gumbar Con left on mistake. Brother Silver is strained a little in the arms and breast, in going through a san bar the cattle turned around and stood on him, very nearly upsetting the wagon. Camped about nine o'clock in the evening. Many Indians around. Camped by the Platt.
30th Pleasant day. One ox died of Sister Gumbar. Traveled about miles.
1st of August traveled 11 miles. A great deal of sand. Pleasant day.
2nd. Fixed up the wagons till dinner time. Pleasant day and in sight of Chimney Rock twenty miles ahead. Traveled 10 miles with a little rain in the evening with the death of Brother Griffith's child, five months old, died of diarreah. 3rd. Pleasant day. Traveled 18 miles with a very heavy thunder storm in the evening we passed a train of wagons from Salt Lake-------- and camped five miles the other side of Chimney Rock.
4th. Pleasant day. 18 miles and we have camped.
[Remaining pages in journal are lost.]
Source: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rhutch/famhistory/twasden/thomas_wasden_journal.html
