The Who’s Who Voyage of the Church

The 1863 voyage of the emigrant ship Amazon is noted for the most people emigrating to the Salt Lake Valley that would go on to fame. Before the ship left England for America, what famous British citizen visited the ship?

a.      King George

b.      Sir Winston Churchill’s father

c.       Queen Victoria

d.      Charles Dickens

Yesterday’s answer:

D)   The voyage with the most baptisms

Joseph and Ann Harvey Day and their family departed from England in February 1853 with 419 Latter-day Saints on the ship International, bound for New Orleans. The voyage is considered one of the most notable in the history of LDS emigration. During the crossing there were seven deaths, seven births, five marriages, and forty-eight baptisms.

   John Lyon, a member of the company presidency, records:

   February 21, 1853. . . . Slept on board. 22, A Female child born [Joseph and Ann Harvey Day’s infant, Jane Day]. . . . [March] 4. . . . Porpoises were seen. . . . 6. Fine weather: this day there were three meetings, the sacrament administered in the afternoon on deck. Captain, mates, and crew were present, all seemed to go on first-rate. . . . 12. Remarkable dream of Capt. Brown that himself, mates, and crew were all baptized in the Mormon faith, and when he awoke he found himself at prayer. . . . 17. Testimony meeting in the evening, tongues and interpretation expressive of our blessing from God. . . . April 1. Three baptized, amongst whom was the carpenter of the ship. . . . 2. A testimony meeting in the evening, much of the spirit of God made manifest by tongues and interpretations; a ship passed in the distance; a whale seen. . . . 4. Captain’s cook baptized.

     On 6 April the emigrants gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Church. The celebration began with the firing of six musket rounds followed by talks, scripture readings, singing, partaking of the sacrament, dancing, and four marriages. The company presidency wore sashes with white rosettes on their chests. Twelve young women and twelve young men, also wearing sashes, seated themselves with the presidency.

     Lyon continues his journal entries:

     [April] 13, Ship rolled much overnight; calm by 11 o’clock; a ship seen in the horizon; some flying fish seen; no land as yet seen; still on the look-out for it. Six o’clock p.m. Land in sight; great rejoicing. . . . First mate baptized; dancing on the main deck and singing on the forecastle. . . . A child of Joseph and Ann Day (from Bethnal Green) died [at nearly two years of age]. . . . 15. A shark seen; Cuba lighthouse glimmered in the distance about 11 o’clock p.m. . . .  17. Excessive heat, 110 degrees; crossing the gulf stream. . . . 20. Half past 4 a.m. Captain David Brown baptized. . . . During the day a dolphin caught; in the evening the Captain and two others were confirmed , after which the Captain and ship’s carpenter were ordained to the office of an Elder. . . . 23, Arrived in New Orleans Port at 5 p.m. Doctor came on board to examine us.

     Soon the passengers on the International were transferred to two Mississippi riverboats that took them to Keokuk, the outfitting station for the trek across the plains.

Holzapfel, Richard Neitzel, Their Faces Toward Zion (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996), 82.