Comments on: Guest Post: April 6th, at Sea

By: Polly Aird

Polly Aird — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:02:10 +0000

Fun post. My great grandparents–William McAuslan and Mary Muir–were one of the couples married that day. And also my great great aunt Jane McAuslan, who married a William Evans the same day.

Since crew members were not on the roster, it’s hard to trace whether some indeed did come to Utah. The only names we have besides the captain come from that song!

By: Alison

Alison — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:05:48 +0000

Fantastic post, Mark, sounds like a fantastic celebration to have been at despite the slow progress of their ship. Thanks, Anne, for the background info – I’m a sucker for any Scottish LDS stuff, as you know! (I already have Peter’s blog in my feedreader)

By: Anne (U.K)

Anne (U.K) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:22:59 +0000

George Sims’ handwriting is legendary, I think? I’ve seen reference to it before. Thinks….. aha! Found it- the entertaining story of Sims’ Glaswegian wife:

http://www.genealogy.com/users/r/o/l/Melinda-E-Roles-jacquie/FILE/0003text.txt

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:43:30 +0000

Anyone else who is a sucker for British connections: Do yourself a huge favor and add Peter’s blog “Discovering LDS Britain” (link in Keepa’s sidebar) to your regular reading.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:39:41 +0000

Some prominent names appear in this song. Because clerks don’t often get their due, I’ll tip my hat especially to George Sims, who was a long-time clerk for Brigham Young and who had perhaps the clearest, most legible handwriting I’ve ever seen, God bless him. While returning from a later mission, George drowned crossing one of the western rivers.

By: peter Fagg

peter Fagg — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:36:06 +0000

I love singing hymns, but I always have a little stamina problem when the verses exceed four! And this little ditty had 10 verses PLUS the chorus each time. I think the Victorians, without the fast paced tech we enjoy, were more prone to enjoy a nice lengthy song or poem. As i enter the fifth verse little red lights go on shouting “you must endure” “keep going” “just round this corner” “we’re nearly there” “don’t make me come back there and separate you two” “refreshments anyone.. last verse approaching”.
Having said that, I think the use of the word ‘niggers’ in a song today would certainly keep everyone focused & ready for the fallout.
p.s. thanks for the post. I’m a sucker for ‘any’ British connection. Love it.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:18:40 +0000

The Saints who sailed on the International spent longer than many others who sailed on other vessels. Some were on board as early as February 21, the ship left the dock on February 25, and they landed in New Orleans on April 23. That's 61 days on board ship for those who embarked on the 21st, and 57 days at sea (if the three days in the Mersey can be considered "at sea"--they weren't tied up to the dock, and couldn't go ashore). The captain estimated during the first week of April that they were only 10 days sail from Liverpool--but shortly after April 6 the winds turned and they made good time the rest of the voyage. I don't know whether a seasick and homesick British Saint would have felt better knowing it, but the International was a fine-looking vessel!

By: Maurine

Maurine — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:34:00 +0000

I cannot imagine being on a ship as long as our ancestors were, but it looks like they knew how to party and celebrate, much like the overland pioneers did at the end of each day. I enjoyed this post, Mark.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:17:42 +0000

You can probably look them up at Mormon Migration, kevinf. I've seen a number of missionaries listed among the travelers. Thanks for the explanation of "cute," Mark B. Does anyone whether the claim that I've read somewhere that most of the crew ended up joining the church is true? Did any of the crew stay with the church and travel to Utah?

By: kevinf

kevinf — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:16:39 +0000

Great story. I found myself trying out the lyrics to the tune in my head, which was fun. The shipboard marriages put me in mind of my great grand parents who met on a ship coming over from Great Britain in about 1863, IIRC. He was a returning missionary, and she the single daughter of recent converts. They didn’t marry at sea, but the courtship continued, and they were married in Utah later that year.