1885-05-27-Wisconsin
Biographical Sketch of Percy Groom
Groom, Percy. Biographical Sketch (Ms 10631), pp. 3-5.
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The immigrant passengers on the ship Wisconsin crowded the deck, everyone pushing to the rail jostling one another to get their first glimpse of America. Mother lifted their small children to a better vantage point. The Statue of Liberty lifted her torch to the new residents entering New York Harbor. Each member of the family read the inscription on the base of the giant lady which reads, in part: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore, send these the homeless, tempest tossed, to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
Percy and his mother were soon to find out, however, that the American government would tempest toss the Groom's just once more before sending them on their way to the Salt Lake Valley. This came through the agents of the U.S. custom service. At Ellis Island all the passengers were medically gone over. Each took his turn being given the very painful small pox shots, then Uncle Sam stuck his nose in Emma's business looking for taxable items. Percy remembers about that experience: "My mother never thought that Uncle Sam was so keen nosed to search through her baggage. They spied the sets of china, the Dresden plate and other brick-a-brack and immediately put the usual tariff charges against it. This placed her in a position to either leave her precious goods in the hands of the government or pay the charges; she chose the latter. However, this almost cleaned her out of our passage money to buy food from New York to Salt Lake [p.4] City. After shelling out to Uncle Sam, she had in American money the sum of $1.96 to keep herself and two boys in food from the American metropolis to Zion.
Customs completed, we made our way to Grand Central Station in New York to board the train for the four day trip to Utah. �
Letter from N. M. Hodges - May 27, 1885
Hodges, Nathaniel M., et. al., [Letter] Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 47:24, (June 15, 1885) pp. 380-81.
Our company arrived here at eight o'clock this morning, after what is generally considered a pleasant voyage.
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Owing to two ships, containing a large number of emigrants, having arrived here just prior to ours, we will be detained here till tomorrow afternoon.
President Hart came on board soon after our arrival and met us with a cordial greeting, and has, ever since, been laboring very energetically in the interest of the company.
After a hard days' work, we have our people located in one part of Castle Gardens, as comfortably as circumstances will permit."
