George had five sisters, Mary Marguerite, Nancy, Elizabeth, Victoire and Henriette. Victoire was not with them on the journey to America. There were also four other children, all of whom died in infancy before the family left Jersey.
George's story
“Four sisters, myself, and parents came to Utah in 1855, leaving on the 3rd of March. We took the Sir Francis Drake steamer for England leaving at four o'clock in the afternoon. We arrived at Plymouth at 6.30 next morning.
On arriving there we found out we could not get as cheap rates on the railroad as on a steamer so were detained all day at Plymouth and next day took another steamer for Dublin, Ireland, arriving there next morning at five o'clock.
We stayed there all day taking a steamer for Liverpool in the evening. The sea was very rough that evening. Boxes were found and a sail put over to keep the women and children dry. I climbed up on some of the boxes and they slipped. If it had not been for one of the sailors I would have fallen overboard and been drowned.
We stayed at Liverpool two weeks. We visited all the places of interest and prepared ourselves for the voyage on the sea. We left on the ship Chimborazo. There were 500 on board. We had a very comfortable voyage most of the way, except about three days and then the ship came nearly going down. One little baby, her brother was taking her up and as he did so the ship gave a lurch and she fell out of his arms and was killed and buried at sea.
The morning of the eleventh day we started on our journey again. One young man from England who was driving one team became sleepy and fell off his wagon and was run over and killed. The captain called for someone to stay with him and guard his body while they prepared a wagon to haul him in. I volunteered to stay and sat by him and guarded his body, with the Indians all around, until help came.
Fever
When I arrived at camp again there was no water at camp and I lay down on the wagon burning up with fever. But I watched the motions of the cattle and told one of the brothers to go ahead of the cattle and he would find water, and he did and found water which was all that saved my life. After drinking the water I wrapped up in some bedding and sweat until I sweat all the fever and auger out.
I was unable to drive my team any farther but everything went on all right until we arrived at Green River. One morning Captain Allred announced to the camp that he had telegraphed to President Brigham Young for supplies but did not know when they would come. And he told us that all we had left that morning was one pint of rice. We did not get any supplies until we arrived in Echo Canyon.
None of my relatives were with me at all. I arrived in Salt lake City about 1 November 1855. When we arrived I found out my parents had moved to Ogden. I found a way to ride to Ogden with one of the brethren. Ten years after he arrived in America George married Mary Charlotte Olson, who had emigrated with her parents from Sweden. They had 12 children.
Family tree
