Anders Persson Groberg and Catharina Andersdotter

Groberg/Neeley/Cornwall

Anders and Catharina Groberg

Anders Persson and Catharina Andersdotter joined the church four months after their son John, (who was the subject of  last week' post). John had joined in September 1869. Catharina was baptized on January 13, 1870 and Anders was baptized on February 24, 1870. She was 62 years old and he was 65. Two years later they immigrated to Zion. Here is the story of that journey from their son John’s journal.

" I immigrated to North America and Utah in 1872. My father and mother and myself left Farnebo and Byurfors the 22 May 1872 and went to Stockholm and gathered there with the rest of the brothers and sisters. On June 13th we went from Stockholm to Copenhagen and on our way we stopped in the following cities: Westernck, Ockarsham, Cellmar, Carlskrona, Carlsham, Alus, Lontsberg and Malmo. We reached Copenhagen June 17 at 10 a.m. Left there on the 21st of June on the steamboat Atto Hull. We had beautiful weather on the north sea and reached Hull June 25th at 10 p.m. We realized the big event of our lives as we got on the S. S. Nevada on the 26th at 1 p.m.

 The machines were started and we began our trip on the Atlantic Ocean. There was a hard wind blowing against us for several days. Sunday the 30th the storm and wind slowed down more and more. The 8th of July it was still and calm and we saw many kinds of fish and ocean life on the clear surface of the water. On the 9th we saw land and the boat went into the harbor of New York. On the 10th we went to the railroad station and continued our journey, reached Pittsburgh, then on the 13th to Omaha over Missouri and Mississippi rivers. The 14th from Omaha over Platt River. The 15th we started for the West. On the 16th we reached the Rocky Mountains. On the 17th we reached Utah and Ogden July 1872. My parents and I stayed with Per Mattsens for two months, then we built a house on Ogden bench and lived there until the middle of February 1873."