Mr. Thomas Howard, his wife and family being members of the Wooburn Green Branch and about to emigrate to Council Bluffs, the then gathering place of the Saints; preparatory to their journey to the Salt Lake Valley, they proposed for us to ho with them, and knowing my inability to do so, they proposed to take us as a family, they we should live as they did and he, Thomas Howard, would bear all the expenses. Accordingly we all went together by the train to Liverpool and took our passage across the Atlantic to New Orleans on board the ship Olympus, which sailed from Liverpool on the 4th of March, 1851. Captain Wilson was in charge of the ship, Olympus.

About the time of sailing Brother Howard signified to me that he had done all he could form, and we must not expect anything more from him.

We arrived in New Orleans in the month of April, 1851, after about six weeks voyage.

William. Howell, Thomas. Smith, Thomas. Bradshaw and William. Henshaw; these four elders were the Presidential Committee of the Saints.

Mr. Howard has no claim upon my for any of the expense incurred; what he did for us was of his won proposal. I never made any memorandum of the expenses; it might probably amount to near upon $200.00 two hundred dollars. He has never made any claim upon me for the same, yet if I had the ability, it would be a satisfaction to me to repay him, and if any of my family should be disposed to do so in full or in part, to him or any of his children, it would have my approval.

Our family arrived by steam in St Louis about the 9th of May, 1851.

After the death of my wife, Mary Cruse, I was married to Ann Newman, of South Witham, Lincolnshire, England. She is the daughter of Allen and Sarah Newman of the same place. We were married by Elder William. Gibson, then the President of the St. Louis Branch, Oct. 10th, 1852.

We, with the family of my first wife, Lary Cruse, left St. Louis for Utah in the summer of 1853, in an ox train provided for us by Bro. Thomas Carter, who was from the Newbury Branch, in company with Henry George, David Wiggins, Sister George and Sister Westall, who remained in Council Bluffs with her daughter the wife of George. Canning from Newbury.

BIB: Howell, William and Nowers, Wilson G. Church Emigration Book, Volume 2.