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Day in the Life

May 20, 1841

Journal Entry

May 20, 1841 ~ Thursday
20th Warm plesent weather we commenced early
in the morning getting our baggage on deck
passengers went to washing & cleaning up it was
a vary busy time, their was a fight between
the carpenter & second mate which was ended
by the first mate who brused the carpenters
Head badly by striking him with a junk bottle.
Two quarentene lighters came along side of the
Rochester & took off all the passengers & baggage &
took us all to the Custom House here we had to
unload all the baggage which were examined by
the Custom House officer & out of 300 passengers
we were not charged duty for the first article. We
had to load evry thing again on board of the lighters
who took us to New York City, & when we arived
at the docks we found them coverd with horses
& drays & about 50 drayman who stood ready to
leap on board & devour all our baggage & bcause
we were not willing to have our things stolen
from us & be defrauded out of our rights
but felt disposed to do our own busines without
being forced to measures by carman, they cursed
& swore at a dreadful rate & appeared more like
cannibals than civilized men, but after much
trouble & difficulty we got our goods out of the
lighters & loaded them on to drays & constantly
had to keep a guard over them to keep them from
being stolen we were untill 10 oclock at night gett
ing of[f] the docks to an Inn, whare we spent the

night. I was the nearest tired to death by fatigue
& labour that I ever was in my life for I was
continually loading & unloading boxes chests,
barrels & trunks from sunrise untill 10 o-clock
at night, without eating or drinking. I took
a hearty supper about midnight & lay down in
a room whare their was two children expected
to die hourly. I did not sleep a moment arose
in the morning & again commenced carting
baggage. I truly felt to rejoice to once more
step upon our native shore I thank God for
sparing my life & giving me such a blessing
we spent the night at the Battery Pavilion
Distance from Liverpool to Yew York is 3,500 miles

Places

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Liverpool, Lancashire, England
New York
New York City, New York County, New York

Related Documents

Browse other documents with this same date. These could include pages from Wilford Woodruff's autobiographies, daybooks, letters, histories, and personal papers. Click on the document titles to view the full document.

Autobiography 1858 Deseret News

arrived in New York . I went to Scarborough, Maine, after my wife, and also my son, Wilford, who was born

Autobiography 1865 Millennial Star

New York (To be continued.)

Autobiography 1857 Draft 1

ship Rochester on the arived in New York . I went to Scarboro Maine got my wife and also my son Wilford whom I had not before

Autobiography 1857 Draft 2

— arrived in New York ,. I went to Scarborough, Maine, got ^after^ my wife, and also ^also^ my son, Wilford, whom I had not before seen, he was born

Autobiography 1883 Tullidge's Quarterly Magazine

On the we landed in [[New York|New

Autobiography 1892 Deseret News Notes

NY. .

Autobiography Volume 1 circa 1842-1865

ship we landed in New York on the 20th of May

Events

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May 20, 1841