From the Diary of Samuel Openshaw

July 2 – We started on the Western Railway at twenty minutes to twelve and passed through a large extensive woodland country a distance at 200 miles, when the train stopped at one o’clock a.m. at a place called Greenbush, near the Albany River.

From the Journal of Joseph Beecroft

July 2nd Wed. We awoke and got up about 3 and attended to packing, and before six we got breakfast and packing finished. I then got our things out and then guarded for a brother while he got his things out. About 8 o’clock I was on my way to station, on a van loaded with our luggage and set on tins to keep them on. When arrived we got our things weighed and kept an eye on them till my wife and John came that we could go into our carriage, which was a cattle van. Our luggage had to be box for seats, and at night our beds. I felt highly delighted as we passed along in seeing the various streets and houses. A little past eleven we were steaming away from Boston towards Iowa City. I had some delightful reflections as we beheld the splendid buildings and beautiful landscapes that spread out before our eyes as we rapidly passed along. We passed Malbro [LOCATION UNKNOWN] and a many interesting villages with their chapels and spires. At six we were at Springfield, a large city and stopped a while and while there we were asked many questions about our passage, the numbers on board, deaths & the places from whence we started and where we were going. One apostate tried to dissuade us from going further, some laughed and turned up their noses with scorn. We had got 100 miles from Boston, and had got to Albany, which place we reached about 12 at midnight. Our carriages were luggage vans vans [SIC], and our seats were our luggage which was in our way. We were uncomfortable in some some [SIC] things, but comfortable in mind. We were cramped with being confined, some slept in the [p.34] carriages and some laid down on the ground and some walked about till we had orders to pack up and go a quarter of a mile to a camping ground near the ferry called Offman on a broad part of Hudson. We crossed the ferry and had near a mile to carry our provisions to station, which we found in the middle of a street unfenced off. We were soon on our journey which was rendered very pleasant with being in good carriages and having good Saints about us. We passed Utica a large city and arrived at Rochester early in the morning.