Mormons in New York City

Today, LDS congregations in New York City experience a lot of turnover. People move in and out of LDS congregations frequently, driven by education and economic considerations. And we may not imagine that Mormon congregations in the area experienced the same kind of change over 150 years ago.

An 1856 newspaper story about the Hornerstown, New Jersey congregation gives an impression of a group in similar flux, although one that is slowly declining instead of increasing as most Mormon congregations in the area today.

The article, from the New York Independent, reports that the congregation  consisted of about 50 members, down from 70 or 80, “some twenty or thirty having emigrated a few months since to Salt Lake City.¹” And for most of the 19th century such migration to Utah must have been a constant fact, something local leaders needed to adjust for.

The congregation had long been lead by “Elder Curtis”—James L. Curtis², a tailor who had moved to Nauvoo after his conversion and had then returned to Hornerstown following the destruction of Nauvoo. However, unlike many in his congregation, Curtis never made it to Utah; the Independent reports that he died suddenly in November 1855³.

Following Curtis’ death, the congregation was lead by an English immigrant, Richard Treseder, who had arrived at Philadelphia in 1855 with his wife and eight children, but was apparently not able to continue west at that time. Instead the Treseder’s sent their three oldest sons, Charles, Richard, Jr. and George, on to Utah in 1855 and sought work to pay the way for the rest of the family. They finally emigrated in 1862.

In late September 1856 Charles Treseder wrote to his parents in Hornerstown New Jersey and reported on the excitement in Utah over the new system for emigration introduced that summer:

The first two hand-cart companies arrived in the city last Friday evening, 26th. Since we received the news of their starting, they have been the universal topic of conversation; while at work or in leisure. I wonder where the hand-carts are? was on the end of every one’s tongue⁴.

The two companies Charles talks about were the Ellsworth and McArthur companies, they were followed by three additional companies of hand-carts, the Bunker, Willie and Martin companies. Charles goes on to describe the excitement when the handcarts eventually arrived:

… I shall never forget the feeling that ran through my whole system as I caught the first sight of them. The first hand-cart was drawn by a man and his wife, they had a little flag on it, on which were the words: “Our President—may the unity of the Saints ever show the wisdom of his counsels.”

The next hand-cart was drawn by three young women. I did not take particular notice of the others, some were drawn by women some by men, in all amounting, I believe, to 50 hand-carts, and near 500 souls. I believe some 7 or 8 persons died on the road. The tears rolled down the cheek of many a man who you would have thought would not, could not, shed a tear; but the scene was exciting in the extreme and most everybody felt sympathetic and joyous. I could scare refrain from tears. Richard cried like a child, and amongst the women the crying was pretty near universal.

…⁵

Then, later in his letter, Charles reports something that today gives us chills:

… I believe some of the Jersey Saints are coming out with some hand-carts; I say God speed and give them strength. …⁶

The Independent did report that “some twenty or thirty having emigrated a few months since to Salt Lake City.” Perhaps those saints were the New Jersey Saints that Charles spoke of.

What happened to them? Unfortunately I can’t say. I haven’t yet found any documents that give the names of the Hornerstown New Jersey Saints of the 1850s, nor do the documents I have available online indicate where the members of the Bunker, Willie and Martin companies came from, other than broad categories like “United States.” The Hornerstown group could have been split up among several companies. They may have had to wait in the states somewhere until the following year before coming to Utah. Or, they may have been part of the ill-fated Willie and Martin companies.

I hope to find out soon.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 8:00 am and is filed under Historical Notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.