Heritage Gateways

Pioneer 1848-1868 Companies

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1864: Scandinavian Immigration (350 Mostly Sweden and Norway)

On April 10th, 1864, at 5 p.m. the Swedish steamer L. L Bager sailed from Copenhagen, carrying 350 emigrants from Sweden and Norway and some from the Fredericia Conference, Denmark, in charge of Johan P. R. Johansen. This company of Saints went by steamer to Lubeck, thence by rail to Hamburg, thence by steamer to Hull, in England, and thence by rail to Liverpool, where the emigrants joined another company of emigrating Saints which sailed from Copenhagen three days later.

On April 13, 1864, the English steamer Sultana sailed from Copenhagen, Denmark, with 353 emigrants from the different conferences in Denmark, excepting a few from Fredericia, who, on account of the war, went directly to Hamburg. This company was in charge of President Jesse N. Smith, a returning missionary. Elder John Smith, who because of poor health had labored in the mission office in Copenhagen, and Christoffer Holberg, who had labored in Sweden, also sailed on the Sultana, returning to their homes in Zion. The following elders were among the emigrants: Niels C. Edlefsen, Peter C. Geertsen, Peter C. Carstensen, Nels C. Flygare, Anders Swedlund, Jens Hansen, Lars Nilsson, Anders Pontus Soderborg and Jens C. Olsen. A number of traveling elders also emigrated with this company, which, like the preceding one, went by way of Lubeck, Hamburg and Grimsby to Liverpool, where they were joined by the company that sailed from Copenhagen, April 10th.

On Tuesday, April 26th, the ship Monarch of the Sea cleared for sailing, and on Thursday, April 28th, sailed from Liverpool, England, with 973 souls on board. Patriarch John Smith was chosen president of the company with Elders John D. Chase, Johan P. R. Johansen and Parley P. Pratt, Jun., as his counselors. Elders were also appointed to take charge of the different divisions of the company. During the voyage there was considerable sickness and some deaths, mostly children. In the morning of June 3rd the Monarch of the Sea arrived at New York where the landing of the emigrants at Castle Garden at once took place. In the evening they boarded a steamer for Albany, N.Y., and from there they traveled by train to St. Joseph, Missouri; thence by steamer up the Missouri River to Wyoming, Nebraska, from which place most of the Scandinavian Saints were taken to the Valley by Church teams, of which 170 were sent out by the Church that season. Thus about four hundred emigrating Scandinavian Saints crossed the plains in Captain William P. Preston's company of about fifty Church teams, that left Wyoming, Nebraska, in the beginning of June, and arrived in Salt Lake City, September 15, 1864.

Source: Our Pioneer Heritage © Carter, Kate B., ed. 20 vols. Salt Lake City: International Society, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1958-1977. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Documents and images are exerpted by permission from the LDS Family History Suite CDROM from Ancestry.