1861-06-19-Monarch of the Sea

A Compilation of General Voyage Notes

BMR, Book #1047, pp. 46-84 (FHL #025,691); SMR,1861 (FHL #025,696) pp. 87-103; Customs (FHL #175,568)

... On June 19th the 'Monarch of the Sea' arrived in New York, where the company was met by Elder Jones and Williams and lodged at Castle Garden. Apostle Erastus Snow, who also happened to be in New York at the time, spoke to the Scandinavains in the Danish language. From New York the company traveled by rail and steamboat (part of the way in two divisions) to Florence, Nebraska, the first division arriving at Florence July 1st, and the second July 2nd. ...

Autobiography of William Henry Solomon

Solomon, William Henry, Autobiography, pp. 16-18, 19, [Ms 3249], (HDA).

... (The first news that we heard from the pilot was that Stephen A. Douglas was dead. He had been a nominee for the presidency of the United States of America, thus fulfilling a prophecy of Joseph Smith that he would aspire to the presidency, but would fail if he said or done anything against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) We arrived in New York about the middle of June and stopped about two or three days at a place called the Castle Garden. While there we saw a thousand of soldiers marching off to the last of war, which had commenced between the North and the South. Lincoln was president of the United States and Jefferson Davis of the Southern Confederacy. ...

Autobiography of William Probert, Jr.

Probert, William, Jr., [Autobiography], IN Biography of William Riley and Hussler Ann Probert Stevens, comp. and ed. by Orvilla Allred Stevens (privately printed, 1981) pp. 56- 57. (CHL)

... We landed in Castle Garden on June 3, 1861 and the first thing I saw was the Military parading the streets of New York, and drumming up for volunteers to go and fight the south which had rebelled against the north. All work was stopped to make men enlist, and as I had no money, it looked rather blue for me, but I had faith and hoped that I could get as far as St. Joseph, Missouri. I had just spent my last and only cent for one suite of clothes and one blanket tied up in a large handkerchief." [p.56]

After we left New York State, we were often stopped to see if we had any arms on board, or any rebels. ...

History of Barbara Sophia Haberli Staheli

Walker, Elizabeth Staheli. History of Barbara Sophia Haberli Staheli. (Ms. 8691, reel 3), pp. 1-3; Acc. # 35501.

... We were all very thankful when we reached New York City. Mother and the younger children stayed at a hotel, father and the older ones stayed at Castle Garden, (the wharf). We rested a few days then started for Florence, Nebraska. It was during the Civil War, and we could hear the boom of canons and firing of guns as we rode along. Shutters were up at the window and the people on the trains were asked to be very quiet. ...

Journal of Alma Elizabeth Mineer Felt

Felt, Alma Elizabeth Mineer, Journal, An Enduring Legacy, vol. 7 (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1984) pp. 196-198, 200. (CHL)

... We finally landed in New York, all safe and sound, and went to a place called Castle Garden, where all the emigrants landed, and where all the freight unloaded for the vessels was brought for storage temporarily. Castle Garden was located at the Battery, just across from the Goddess of Liberty. It was right on the waterfront.

Castle Garden was the dumping ground for all kinds of cargo and it was also crowded with emigrants. The floor was greasy and dirty. Here we had to make our beds on the floor, as did all the other emigrants. Mother spread out the quilts and bedding and we all lay down in a row, the children and Mother and Father. There were sacks of brown sugar at our heads. My little brother was sleeping next to me and in the night he awoke and whispered, "Alma, there is a hole in the corner of this sack and I am going to have some of the brown sugar." We had not had any sugar or candy all the way over, so we got a spoon out of the box and had all the brown sugar we could eat. In the morning we were so sick! We got up, went to the bay and threw it all up and did not care for brown sugar after that. [p.197]

From New York City, we traveled by boat up the Hudson and took the trains at Albany to travel to Omaha ...

Journal of Peter Nielsen

Nielsen, Peter. Journal (Ms 8221), pp. 354-57. (CHL)

June 19 - At two o'clock in the afternoon we arrived in New York. Erastus Snow of the Twelve spoke to us in the evening and it seemed to me that all were happy.

June 20 - We left from here to New Jersey by boat. We left by train from here at five thirty p.m.

The Life of John and Barbara Staheli

Staheli, John. The life of John and Barbara Staheli, (Ms 7832), pp. 1-3; Acc. #19761. (CHL)

When the vessels reached the New York harbor all of the emigrants repaired to the old wharf house known as Castle Gardens. I remember distinctly the picture of those many emigrants, the people from each country gathering in groups on the main floor of the building, with their [p.1] luggage heaped about them. It was such a sight, and I was particularly impressed with Castle Gardens. I went back to see it on my way to the Swiss Mission in 1887, and again in 1895 when I returned from a second Mission. The building was still standing then and looked just like it did when we first landed.

This band of some five or six hundred emigrants took train from New York to Florence, Nebraska, and this was a stirring part of the journey. At that time, the Civil War being under way, the windows of the cars were shuttered as the train sped along the costal states where battles were in progress. I remember how the trainmasters warned us to be very quiet going through those States, so we would not be attacked. It was quite a problem to preserve quiet with so many little children on board. However, that stretch of the journey was made in entire safety.