Ulrich Hirschi: Journey to America

Ulrich Hirschi Family 

Ulrich Hirschi was the first in his family to join the Church. Ulrich Hirschi
Birth: July, 25 1802. In Emmenmatt, Schangnau, Bern, Switzerland.
Baptism: July 27, 1858. At 56 years of age.
Arrived: In Salt Lake City with the Oscar O. Stoddard Company or the William Budge Company in 1860. At 58 years of age.
Death: October 10, 1886. At 84 years of age. In Salt Lake City
Married: Anna Amacher May 16, 1824. In Switzerland. Ulrich was 21 years and Anna was 18 years of age,
 Anna Amacher: Birth: July 28, 1805. In Wilderswil, Bern, Switzerland Death: June 19, 1853. At 47 years of age. In Wilderswil, Bern, Switzerland. Ulrich Hirschi and Anna Amacher had the following children: We have a record that five of Ulrich Hirschi and Anna Amacher’s ten children came to Utah. Ulrich Hirschi: Birth: February 13, 1825. In Schangnau, Bern, Switzerland Baptism: October 21, 1858. At 33 years of age. Death: August 10, 1892. At 67 years of age. In Switzerland Katharina Hirschi: Birth: April 16, 1826. In Schangnau, Bern, Switzerland Death: December 23, 1827. At 1 year of age. In Switzerland Samuel Hirschi: Birth: September 28, 1828. In Schangnau, Bern, Switzerland Death: February 16, 1852. At 23 years of age. In Switzerland

Ulrich Hirschi Journey to America: 

On the 25th of April 1860 Ulrich Hirschi, Johann Hirschi, Judith Hirschi, Marianne (Mary Ann) Rupp, later to become Ulrich's daughter in law; Heinrich Henry Reiser, Susanna Rupp Reiser, Marianne Rupp's sister; Johann Heinrich Reiser, Anna Mueller, and Sister Neof departed Switzerland on their journey to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. The first day they went to Basle where they were placed under the leadership of Johann Keller, emigration agent for J. Barbe and Co. From Basle they went to Mannheim Germany then to Rotterdam Netherlands and from there by boat for a day and a half to Hull, England. There they took the train for Liverpool. Mr. Hammerstein, a hotel keeper, was waiting for them at the railway station. They were taken care of fairly well but the company was too large so not all of them could be cared for. On 5th of May Brother Woodard and five more persons arrived. They made the trip over from France. On the 7th of May their trunks were taken to the Steamer called the Willam Tapscot. On the 8th they went on board the steamer which now became their “home” for several weeks. The big steamer was drawn down the river by a smaller boat but they did not go to sea until the 11th; after the government had investigated the boat. The "William Tapscott sailed from Liverpool, May 11, 1860. It was a fine ship and a splendid sailer, but, owing to contrary winds, the voyage consumed 35 days. Union and good order prevailed during the whole voyage. Prayer was held every morning and evening, and on Sundays religious services were held on the deck. Owing to cold and a change of diet, considerable sickness prevailed among. the emigrants, and ten deaths occurred, most of them among the Scandinavian Saints. Four children were born on board and nine couples married, among whom were Hans Christian Heiselt and Larsine Larsen from the Vendsyssel Conference, Denmark. On the 3rd of June, the smallpox showed itself among the emigrants, seven cases of this disease were reported, none of which, however, proved fatal. On Friday evening, June 15th, the ship arrived at the quarantine dock in New York harbor. The next day two doctors came on board and vaccinated, with but very few exceptions, all of the steerage passengers, a part of the cabin passengers, and the ship's crew. This was done to prevent a further outbreak of the disease, though all the sick had nearly recovered by this time. On the 20th, after being detained in quarantine five or six days, the passengers were landed at Castle Garden, New York. The smallpox cases had previously been taken ashore and placed in a hospital. On the 21st the emigrants left New York per steamboat "Isaac Newton" and sailed up the Hudson River to Albany, where they arrived on the 22nd. From Albany the journey was continued via Rochester to Niagara Falls, where the train stopped about seven hours in order to give the emigrants the pleasure of seeing the great waterfall and the grand suspension bridge. The journey was continued through Canada along the north shore of Lake Erie to Windsor, where the river was crossed to Detroit in Michigan. Thence to Chicago, which city was reached June 25th. From Chicago, the emigrants traveled by railroad to Quincy, Ill., whence they crossed the Mississippi River to Hannibal in Missouri, and thence traveled by railroad to St. Joseph, Mo. Here 13 persons were placed in a hospital, but upon close examination they were found to be well enough to join the company the following day on the trip up the Missouri River, to Florence, Neb., where the company arrived in the night between June 30th and July 1st. Elder George Q. Cannon, who this year acted as Church emigration agent, made splendid arrangements for the journey across the Plains. It was deemed wisdom to send the emigrants as far as possible by steam and avoid the toilsome and harassing part of the team journey from Iowa City to Florence, a distance of nearly 300 miles, which in former years had required from 15 to 20 days travel. It had been learned by experience that the distance between Iowa City and Florence, at the season of the year when the emigrants had to travel it, was, in point of toil and hardship, by far the worst part of the journey, owing to its being a low, wet country, which in the opening of the year was subject to heavy and continued rains. These storms, owing to the nature of the soil (being clay most of the distance), rendered the roads almost impassable. Arriving at Florence, the emigrants found shelter in a number of empty houses while they made the necessary preparations for crossing the Plains. A handcart company consisting of 126 souls, traveling with 22 handcarts and 6 wagons, left Florence on their westward journey July 6th, under the leadership of Capt. Oscar O. Stoddard. The company was divided into three parts under Elders D. Fischer, Anders Christensen and Carl J. E. Fjeld, respectively. After a journey of 81 days, the company arrived in Salt Lake City, Sept. 24, 1859, having suffered the ordinary hardships and difficulties incident to all handcart travel. Considerable sickness prevailed among the emigrants during the journey, and a number of animals died, which made the latter part of the journey particularly difficult. The last ox-train of the season, with which a number of the Scandinavian emigrants crossed the plains, left Florence soon after the handcart company and arrived in Salt Lake City, Oct. 5th. This company consisted of about 400 souls, traveling with 55 wagons, 215 oxen and 77 cows, all under the leadership of Elder William Budge, but the Scandinavian and Swiss contingent traveled under the immediate direction of Elder Carl Widerborg part of the way separate from the rest of the company. Four deaths and four births took place on the journey. A company of English and Scandinavian Saints, who had been temporarily located at different places in the United States, principally in Iowa and Nebraska, left Florence for the West July 3rd. This company, which consisted of 123 souls, was led by Elder John Taylor, assisted in the Scandinavian division by Elder Jens Peter Christensen, who had spent about five years in the States and presided for one year over a Danish branch of the Church at Alton, Ill. After a successful journey across the plains this company arrived in Salt Lake City, Sept. 17, 1860.