...The ship "Falcon", weight 900 tons, sailed for New Orleans under captain A. T. Wade, Mar 28, 1853, with 324 passengers: 229 adults, 76 children, 16 infants, 3 cooks and stewards. Elder Cornelius Bagnall was president of the company of saints who the ship was commissioned for. James Bishop had ticket number 18. He was listed as a fitter by trade (probably meaning pipe fitter or steam fitter), age 21, address 16 canal bldg., Shrewsbury. George Martin, thread mfgr. age 19, also on ticket number 18, was listed next, with the same address as James. James arrived in new Orleans may 18, 1853 according to Aunt Sinah. If it really took so long, 7 weeks, it must have been a sailship. Steamships then only needed 2 to 4 weeks to cross. James then took river boats up to Iowa and crossed the plains with the Appleton Harmon company, arriving that October in Salt Lake City. James did not pay in advance for his fare to America. It was paid by the perpetual immigration fund started by Brigham Young to help saints come over. Those who had such help were then expected to pay back into the fund later to help others immigrate.
James had soon saved enough money to send for his girl friend in Shrewsbury, but he got married to someone else there instead, which was quite a disappointment for James. In 1855 he married another friend from Shrewsbury: Sinah Pugh. They lived a few years in draper, Salt lake county. during that period James did military service at the worrisome time when Johnston's army came to Utah.
In 1861 they moved to Paradise near Logan in Cache county they had many burdens and made many sacrifices their furniture was hand made and they had dirt floors until they built a better house. They suffered hard times from diphtheria and other illnesses. seven of their nine children died young, three at less than 1 year of age and others at ages 2,3,4 & 20. David James also moved to paradise.
James worked hard at farming, and he built chimneys for many homes including those for six welsh families and also six families from Shrewsbury, England one of these was the family of Mary Price his sister, sho moved to Paradise from Provo about 1863. James also worked for the railroad and helped finish it to promontory point where he took part in the golden spike ceremony. He engineered the building of a major canal through Cache valley. He fought in the Bear River Indian wars 1862-4.
Their daughter Sinah Pugh Bishop remembered many experiences with the Indians there. James served as one of the seven presidents of seventy in that area. a skilled mechanic he was responsible for putting the steam lines and plumbing in e Logan Temple and also the Salt Lake Tabernacle. James' wife Sinah encouraged him to enter polygamy, and in 1864 he was sealed to Rachel Sykes from Leicester, England. her only child died at birth and left her crippled for life. Tthey lived in harmony and the rest of the family cared for her lovingly the remaining 40 years before she died, the children always called her auntie....
Source: Marvin James Bishop Family Research Newsletter #1, June 1975 -- Jay L. Bishop, Editor