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By Trent Toone, Church News
Between 1840 and 1930, tens of thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints immigrated to America.
While there is a tendency to focus on the pioneers’ difficult trek across the plains, it was only part of the long journey.
A great number of Latter-day Saint pioneers also recorded inspiring experiences of their voyages across the ocean.
Priscilla Stains wrote the following words before setting out on her 1844 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the ship “Fanny.”
“I left the home of my birth to gather. … I was alone. ... The company with which I was to sail was all strangers to me. When I arrived at Liverpool and saw the ocean that would soon roll between me and all I loved, my heart almost failed me. There was no turning back. ... So I thus alone set out for the reward of everlasting life, trusting in God.”
For nearly three decades, Fred E. Woods, a BYU Church history professor, along with colleagues, students and missionaries, have sought to collect, document and preserve these pioneers’ seafaring experiences, according to news.byu.edu.
Collaborating with FamilySearch, the BYU Library, BYU Center for Family History and Genealogy, BYU–Idaho, and the Church History Library, an interactive database called “Saints by Sea” was created to provide rich information about these voyages, including passenger names and first-hand accounts (autobiographies, journals, diaries, reminiscences, images and letters). The database, currently less than 100,000 unique entries, enables descendants to trace their ancestry back to their original converts, helping millions of present-day individuals connect with their heritage.
These voyages were hardly a pleasure cruise. European immigrants endured weeks to months in cramped quarters on ships. Passengers faced turbulent waters, storms, seasickness and disease. More than 600 Latter-day Saint immigrants died while crossing the oceans to gather to Zion.
Despite these challenging conditions, Latter-day Saint passengers were distinguished by their joy and steadfast faith in God.
In 1857, Susan Melverton R. Witbeck wrote: “Never have I seen the time that I was sorry for what I had done, I have a stronger testimony to bear today than ever before.”
In 1864, Charles William Symons recorded: “At dusk, groups would gather and visit with each other, singing the songs of Zion and relating their history since becoming members of the Church. But oh! what a happy crowd, all bent on doing the will of the Lord and keeping his commandments.”
Latter-day Saints who read these accounts will come away uplifted and strengthened, said Joe Everett, senior librarian at the BYU Library Family History Center.
“What can I learn from their resilience — their faith to endure? How could I apply that in my life today? What things are hard for me to do?” he said. “If they could do those things, I can persevere and do the hard things that I face every day.”
Woods hopes database users will dig beyond learning their ancestors’ ship and seek to understand why their ancestors were willing to sacrifice everything to make the perilous journey.
The BYU professor is also working on another forthcoming database called “Saints by State,” which documents the history of the Church within each U.S. state. The project will include faith-inspiring stories, interviews, bibliographies and documentary films.
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