I suppose few if any groups had more experience than the Mormons with shepherding groups of immigrants across the Atlantic and, in our case, on to the West. The Millennial Star of the 19th century is peppered with instructions to immigrants: Dates of sailings, instructions for arrival at Liverpool from where most emigrants left, whether leaving the British Isles or transferring from Scandinavian or Continental legs of the journey, what possessions to take with them and, just as important, what was a waste of shipping to take with them, how to pack, how to label their boxes, what items to be used in transit would be provided by the Church through bulk purchase.
There are letters mailed back to Liverpool from North American ports (New York, Montreal, Philadelphia, New Orleans) describing the voyage, and the emigrants’ treatment by ship officials, and storms, and the wards organized aboard ship to manage cooking and sleeping and worship arrangements. Less often we find letters written in Salt Lake, detailing train travel across the continent and emigrants’ arrival in the West.
No matter how often the actual details of travel changed through the decades, there was at least one constant: Someone – usually a returning missionary with both leadership and travel experience – was appointed as president of the company, with instructions for organizing the company and shepherding it safely to Zion. Probably those instructions were generally given orally – but by the early 20th century, if not earlier, those instructions were reduced to writing. Eventually, they were so routine that they could be printed as a form letter, with blanks to be filled in with specific dates and places.
Below is the set of instructions given to emigrant and missionary company leaders in 1912:
The European Mission
of the
Church of Jesus Christ
of
Latter-day Saints.
295, Edge Lane, Liverpool.
LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS
Dear Brother:
As you have been made president of the company sailing from here today by the ss [ship]. We hand you herewith five dollars of which two dollars and one half are to be given to the Chief Steward. The balance is to be used for any other expenses that may be incurred for the company.
The Second Cabin chief steward should be consulted immediately after the company goes aboard by the person in charge for table assignments that our people may be kept together. One of the duplicate lists could be handed to the chief steward for this purpose which would greatly assist in making the proper distribution of seats.
Should any member of the company be refused admittance into the United States, do not turn his or her requisition for a ticket over to the rail-road company, but deliver it to the passenger who is detained, and instruct him or her to hold on to it until he or she is allowed to pass the immigration officials, or is returned to England. Baggage belonging to detained persons should not be sent on, but most remain and go with the passenger. If allowed to continue his journey, he should deliver the order to the Canadian Pacific Railway agent, and he will instruct him in regard to his journey Westward. Passengers returned to England should retain their requisitions until they arrive in Liverpool, and then hand them to the Secretary of the Mission. If any of the emigrants are detained by the immigration officials, no Elder should be left in charge of them, as he can be of no service whatever; but the elder in charge of the company should send a night message to William C. Spence, 67 East, South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, giving the name of the party, or parties, detained, and the names of their relatives, or friends, in Utah to whom they are going and their address, and state in brief why they are detained. A message of fifty words can be sent at night for what a message of ten words would cost in the daytime. Send it C.O.D. If there is not time for the elder to attend to this important matter, he should arrange with the rail-road agent to forward the telegram.
Clearly instruct the members of the company to be discreet and wise in crossing the ocean, particularly in passing immigration officials. Please remember that our party are not all the Second Class passengers who are traveling on the ship, therefore caution our members to refrain from saying anything that will give offence or make our views and opinions obnoxious to other people on the ship. Endeavor to impress all with the fact that they are Latter-day Saints and will be judged by others in that light, and their conduct be viewed according.
No meetings of a religious character, or involving religious questions, should be held during the ocean voyage. Discussions, arguments or conversations on the doctrines, or teachings, of our church are strictly forbidden. The singing of Latter-dy Saint hymns is also objectionable and therefore must not be indulged in. Under no circumstances should tracts, or church literature, be distributed to any of the passengers, or officers, or crew aboard ship, nor should any such literature be left in any of the rooms occupied by our people, or in any part of the ship.
I hand you herewith orders for FIRST CLASS rail-road tickets for the entire party from __________ to Chicago. The orders are drawn on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and should be delivered to the members of the company before you arrive at __________, as the immigration officials desire to examine them. They can be gathered up and presented to the Canadian Pacific Railway Agent for rail tickets. The letter to the City Ticket Agent, Chicago & Great Western Railway Company, should be handed to him at 103 Adams Street, Chicago, with the list of passengers and missionaries. You can then exchange them with the agent for a party ticket westward. When you receive the rail-road tickets form the agent at __________, deliver to each member of the company his or her ticket before leaving for Chicago.
EVERY ELDER SHOULD HAVE READY HIS MINISTERIAL CERTIFICATE TO SHOW TO THE RAIL-ROAD AGENT AT CHICAGO.
Care should be taken on leaving steamer to see that all trunks, boxes and packages are secured and none left on the boat. Be sure to see that all such baggage is properly checked by the rail-road company at port of landing, through to Chicago, and re-checked at Chicago to its final destination, and that each of the company is given proper checks. The name of the owner should be written upon the check and the duplicate in every instance.
When you arrive at __________ telegraph William C. Spence ((William C. Spence was a secretary in the office of the First Presidency, whose full-time job was dealing with travel arrangements for missionaries and Church leaders, both emigrating and simply traveling for ministerial purposes.)), 67 East, South Temple Street, Salt Lake City of your departure. On the enclosed letter-heads, write to Bishop Charles W. Nibley,40,North Main Street, Salt Lake City, from __________, telling him of the arrival of the company, and, when you reach Salt Lake City, give him, or his agent, who will meet you at the station, a full account of the journey. Also write to this office from __________ telling of your arrival and the kind of treatment you received on the way.
In passing the customs and immigration officials, be courteous and polite, and you will find it much easier to get the company through without any hindrance, than by abrupt and hasty manners. Answer promptly all questions, and give any information asked for to the best of your knowledge, but do not volunteer anything further.
You have been handed four(4) lists of the passengers going in your party: One is to be left with the Canadian Pacific Ticket Agent at __________; two with the Chicago & Great Western Agent at Chicago, and one will be retained by yourself. If for good and sufficient reasons any of our people leave the company before reaching Chicago their names should be marked off the lists without fail.
Praying God to bless you and wishing you a pleasant and safe journey, I remain,
Your Brother,
RUDGER CLAWSON
President of the European Mission of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Fascinating. 67 E South Temple isn’t an address I recognize — would that be the old First Presidency office in between the Lion House and the Beehive House?
I think so. That would be the right side of the street and the right end of the block (the Administration Building is 47).
That’s quite a change from the sea voyages 50 or 60 years earlier, when the Mormon migrants held worship services on board ship, and in some instances members of the crew were baptized by the time they reached their destination.
And “night letters!” The mysterious language of the world of telegraphy!
Remember when telephone rates changed at night, Mark?
I really wonder how long the “no services” practice held. 1912 is immediately after the “Mormons are kidnapping young girls” scare was at its worst, so I wonder if that had anything to do with it.
By the way, Mike R., I was walking on South Tempke past the Brigham Young buildings this afternoon, and noted that 67 *was* the number of the office between the two homes.
The lists of emmigrant companies that the Church provides stops in the 1890s, so I had assumed that the emmigration after that point was not organized by the Church. Does anyone know of lists of post-1890 emmigration companies?
I think you should add Boston to your list of ports where emmigrants arrived, at least upto the Civil War. My memory of looking at the list of emmigration companies I saw has all emmigration companies coming through New York after about 1865.
Sure, Boston should be there. I’m probably forgetting others at the moment, too — there was something in the South besides New Orleans.
I searched the Mormon migration database for other possible southern ports – Mobile, Charleston, Savannah, Newport News, and Norfolk – but found no entries for voyages to those ports. It’s not surprising since there were not any good rail connections from those ports to the west.
Another question raised by the letter is whether it was intended solely for companies sailing to Montreal. It would be surprising if passage on American railroads was arranged for through Canadian Pacific.
Travel arrangements for each leg of the journey were negotiated from Salt Lake — even this late, Mormon travel was a big enough prize that there was competition for it, and the route changed from time to time if one railroad company or another offered lower rates or treated the travelers better. That’s one reason for the instruction in this letter to write to both Bishop Nibley and the European Mission iffice about the travelers’ treatment along the way — that information affected negotiations in future years, and I’ve seen correspondence between Salt Lake and steam or rail lines immediately after a voyage concerning especially good or poor treatment .
I suppose what I’m suggesting is that by the date of this letter, all that apparatus was well in place. All Mormon travel would have followed the same routes — everybody coming through Montreal, and everybody using the same rail lines. There may have been some adjustment in routes every few years, but within a single travel season, everyone would have followed the same negotiated route.