Charles Rampton's Family History: Christmas 2011, Henry Rampton and the Steamboat Arabia

(note: I'm writing this blog wearing my new Captain America pajamas Dave gave me.)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good day. I had a great time celebrating Christmas Eve in the Linnebach tradition with David, Kevin and Melissa last night. Grandma Lois would have been extremely proud in one respect: the dinner David cooked. Wow, honey baked ham, scalloped potatoes and jello/cottage cheese salad. Dave definitely has a talent. On the other hand, we kept expecting Grandma's hand to reach across the veil and smack Kevin in the back of the head as the read "The Cremation of Sam MaGee." A fun time was had by all as we watched "Home Alone."

For the 3rd year, David gave pajama bottoms for everyone to wear. Each one was unique and had a note attached.

David' Card on the box of PJs

Dave's PJs were PacMan themed

Melissa's PJs were Minnie Mouse themed

Kevin's PJs were Ninja Turtle themed

Mine were Captain America themed

David carving the Ham

Melissa, Kevin and Dave in their Christmas PJs

Kevin in his Ninja Turtle PJs

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it gives us the opportunity to reflect on our own births and blessings, and those who came before us that made what we have today possible. There is a Henry Rampton connection to the Christmas of 1854. It was on Christmas Day of 1854 that he married Francis Dinwoodey, a fellow immigrant from England, after his wife, Caroline had died four months earlier. Church members in St. Louis celebrated their nuptials with a tea in their honor. About a year later, their oldest son, Henry James Rampton was born in St. Louis.

Portrait of the Steamboat Arabia

Then, on 2nd June 1856 the Henry Rampton family, along with 200 other Latter-day Saints boarded the Steamboat Arabia in St. Louis to travel up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Florence, Nebraska. There were two classes of passengers on the Arabia, cabin-class and deck-class. Henry Rampton and most of the other Mormons were deck-class, meaning they slept on the deck for the twelve day journey along with 30 wagons and other cargo. Many of the Saints from St. Louis had been able to save enough to purchase wagons and oxen. Henry Rampton was one of those fortunate enough to have a wagon. Others on board would travel to the Salt Lake Valley by handcart. Not all of them would make it, including members of the ill-fated Martin and Willey handcart companies who were also on board.

Just as the Saints who had traveled from England on sailing ships organized themselves, so did the Saints on the Arabia for their journey to Florence. John Banks was appointed company president while William Morrison was appointed to preside over the Saints on the lower part of the Arabia.. His journal says they held "fellowship meetings" morning and evening. The Saints also formed a brass band which played every night from the hurricane deck.

On the 8th of June the Arabia landed in Kansas City for a brief stop. The Kansas City Enterprise sarcastically commented that the Arabia "carried heavy freight for Council Bluffs, consisting chiefly of Mormons destined for the land where sorrow and affliction never enters - nothing but adoration for Brigham Young."

Henry and the rest of the Saints on the Arabia arrived in Florence on the 14th of June 1856. Their oxen, which were being driven overland, did not arrive for another week.

After arriving in Florence, the Arabia would only make two or three more trips up the rivers. On 5th September 1856, near Parkville, Missouri (present-day Kansas City) the Arabia struck a submerged log which punctured the hull. By nightfall, all that was left above water was the upper decks and smokestacks. The boat continued to sink in the soft mud until the next day when it completely submerged. Fortunately, no one was hurt except one donkey which could not make it to shore. The 130 passengers were all able to get to shore. But the 220 tons of goods destined for stores up river were lost. The Arabia sank with enough supplies to stock an entire town - 5,000 pairs of leather boots, thousands of pieces of china, hats, dolls, clothing, nails, scales, axes, adzes, needles and thread, silk, beads, pots, pans, eyeglasses, buttons, shoes, medicine, guns, food, jewelry and 400 barrels of Kentucky Bourbon.

Although a tragedy in and of itself, the sinking of the Arabia was just one of dozens of boats lost on the rivers. But, the story of the Arabia does not end here.

Over the years, the course of the Missouri River shifted a half mile to the east from its position in 1856. For decades rumors persisted of a treasure buried in the mud in a farm near Kansas City. Finally, in 1987 a man by the name of Greg Hawley with his two sons, armed with old maps and a proton magnetometer, located the remains of the Arabia in a field about a mile from the river. They obtained permission from the farm owner to begin excavation. The Arabia and all its contents were located about 45 feet from the surface, preserved in an underground lake that needed to be drained. Interestingly, mud and cold water are great preservers. The vast majority of the contents of the Arabia were salvaged in tact, including the straw used to pack much of the goods in barrels that were headed for stores upriver. Today, those items, which give us a picture of what life was like in 1856 can be seen in the Arabia Museum in Kansas City. see www.1856.com. It gives us a snapshot of what life would have been like for Henry Rampton and his fellow travelers.