Leaving Nauvoo

I gave my interest in the wagon shop for a barrel of flour at a certain price, the overplus coming to me. I left instructions to turn it over to the ferrymen to pay the ferry for some poor brother that had not the money to pay with. I crossed the river with my frail wagon and a pair of young bulls under the tongue. Their principal gift was in kicking which they could do without taking sight or a rest and could hit almost anything aimed at. If I had not an old pair of oxen in the lead that could not get away, or if they could they did not want to I could never have managed the bulls so well. I started for Sugar Creek. There was the first camping ground for the Saints.
While crossing over a ridge seven miles from Nauvoo we looked back and took a last sight of the Temple we ever expected to see. We were sad and sorrowful. The emotions of our mind at that time I cannot describe. The thoughts of it almost disqualify me for writing, although so many years have passed away since that time. We got to Sugar Creek after night and found plenty of Saints there for they were scattered all along like sheep without a shepherd. This tried our faith, to start on a journey with such a poor fit-out and part of my family left behind. Here now I must pay a tribute of praise to my better half. She never left anything unturned that would contribute to our comfort either in body or mind. She neither murmured nor scolded. She bore everything in patience like a Saint of God. She truly proved a help-meet to me.
We left Sugar Creek next morning intending to go as far as we could before we should break down. It being a very we Spring and a great quantity of mud, my wagon got better instead of worse. So we kept rolling till we came to the ferry on the Des Moines river. I was astonished to see the number of wagons and teams waiting in their turn to cross the river. Now it looked like my turn would not come for two or three days and it was dark and gloomy weather for camping out. I as by inspiration took up the river as far as I could that night and found reasonable camping ground. It was a desperate wet, rainy time but all the better for my wagon.
Next day we kept up the river. We overtook several wagons traveling up the river with the same spirit that we had. So we enjoyed ourselves the best kind, not knowing what we were going to come to and not making any particular calculations, trusting in the Lord to guide us; and not knowing whether we would ever find a boat or crossing above, the river being full. By this time we had about half a dozen in our company. It sometimes rained and sometimes the sun shone. In this kind of weather it seemed we took no thought for the morrow but felt to trust in the Lord for the result and was as joyful as spring birds. I had a fiddle along and we had a shindig as we called it, on the turf every once in awhile. The names of your company as far as I can remember were Jacob Hufines, Christian Houtz, Reading Allred, Thomas Hancock and myself and a lad that was with me. We had not traveling organization in particular among us. It seemed unnecessary as such a oneness existed among us. It seemed like we never enjoyed ourselves better although thus exposed.
We traveled one day in the rain and camped at a little place called Utica where there was but one house. In the morning it was still raining and I thought I would rather travel in the rain than lay by in the rain. So we started without breakfast in the morning, expecting the rest to follow as soon as breakfast was over, having to turn to the left to get back on the Des Moines river. The waters were on the rise very fast so we had to push ahead all day to cross a certain creek before it got too high. We came just in time to cross, for it soon became too high to cross. We camped in front of a big elm log close by the creek, placing our wagon some seven feet from the log and tried to keep a fire against the log. But it was hard work. It was raining and everything already wet. Now here was a trial of our faith; and did it falter? No not one particle. I never felt better in spirit in my life, and my wife was just as faithful as she could be; not a word of murmuring did I hear from her lips. In the morning how that stream did foam from bank to bank, and it was still raining. Everything did look discouraging.
I concluded that we would have to stay there till times changed some way. While meditating on our condition I saw a man come walking down to the creek, then speaking to me made some inquiries. We had quite a chat. He says, “Come, harness up and go up to my house; it is but a little ways. I have just moved out of a comfortable house and you can go into it and welcome.” Now surely the Lord was there and I did not know. It was not an hour until we were as comfortable as heart could wish. Now, says he, “I have plenty of everything; there is a crib of corn; feed your cattle all you wish and I will find you provisions as long as you stay.” He said this after he had learned the cause of our troubles. He also said, “If you will stop with me and go no further” he would give me half of his farm. His name was Purger. God bless the man. We stopped with him till everything indicated to march forward. He urged us to take all the corn and breadstuff and bacon that we could possibly take. The whole family believed the Gospel as I taught it and his son Peter wanted to go with us to the mountains.
I will now go back to Utica where we left the company the morning it rained; so to cross a certain creek before it got too high, the company instead of following me took another road which was considered nearer, but the creek was too high to cross when they came to it. They had to lay by, I think something like a week. This was a providence of God in my favor again, for if the company had been with us I should not have been blessed at Purger’s as I was. Finally the water assuaged, and the rain ceased, and they took up the line of march. They passed in sight where we could see the wagons, and we started out and all came together again.
But before I met with the company I saw a man who told me if I would stop and doctor his daughter with a cancer he would give me fifty dollars in cash; but it was no temptation whatever. We finally got to the Des Moines river when it turned into raining again, so we had to lay by at the river three of four days, some of the time on each side of the river, where we found an old ferry boat then idle in the river, that was not then in use. Being no road crossing the river at or near that place, here was Providence again in our favor. We could hear of no crossing above or below this old boat, this being the out-skirts of a new settled country. But we did cross in that old boat after so long a time without any accident.
Here we found ourselves without any road or trail. So when ready we struck out without square or compass into a country without any inhabitants except the spirit by which we were led. We took the divide between the Des Moines and Chariton. We traveled several days without any signs of humans or animals except some hogs. It was such a zig zag road we would scarcely be out of sight from where we camped before. Our members by this time had about doubled by others following our trail, after they had found it, who had put into the wilderness as we had done. Meeting with more company gave us fresh courage and more joy and we did rejoice greatly; it seemed we could not wish for a happier time, wood and water being plenty all along.
Having no record I do not know how long we were in the wilderness. Finally we came to a considerable stream that ran right across the divide and an ugly stream to cross besides. Here we had to pull our wagons across by hand which took two or three days. While we were working to get across I made a pair of shoes for George Dykes’ youngest wife. After everything was passed over without accident we struck the line of march. As usual nothing occurring past common except Dykes would give me groceries for shooting prairie chickens for him and his family.