Hannah’s family wanted to come to America. They did not have passage money for the whole family so they decided to send her sister Mary first. Mary arrived in Utah and went to Richfield and later married a man named Hans Peter Nielsen. Hans was a Miller and had a flour mill on the west side of town.
There was a family going to America that wanted Hannah to go with them, but she did not want to leave her invalid mother. She let her two brothers, James and Christian, go in her place as they both could go for what it would take for her passage. The brothers arrived in Utah in the spring of 1877. The older brother worked in the wheat fields and the younger tended his sisters small children.
There was a wealthy widower who tried to persuade Hannah to marry him instead of going to America. She declined because she could not bear the thought of her mother going all the way to Utah, in her condition, without someone to help her.
In the fall of 1877, Hannah, her father, and her mother sailed for America. (History of Scandinavian Mission pg. 230.)
The Second Company of the Season’s Latter‑day Saints emigrating from Scandinavia sailed from Copenhagen, 13 Sep 1877, on the steamship “Argo” with 211 Saints. Elder Hamilton G. Park was appointed leader of the Company.
The embarkation took place in good order and without any disturbance. At 5:00 P.M. the “Argo” sailed from the wharf with the Saints on board singing farewell hymns and cheering as the ship left the harbor. The leave‑taking of the emigrating Saints, from their friends and relatives who were left behind, was indeed most impressive with tears of both joy and sadness flowing freely.
After a successful voyage over the north sea, the “Argo” arrived safely in Hull, England, Monday, 17 Sep. 1877. The journey was continued the same day to Liverpool, where the Scandinavian Emigrants, together with 260 British Saints, and 10 returning missionaries, boarded the Steamship “Wisconsin.” The “Wisconsin” sailed from Liverpool on 19 Sep. 1877 and arrived in New York City 30 Sep. 1877.
They were on the ocean for two weeks. Hannah’s mother was confined to her wheel chair. They had only one cot, and her father occupied it. Hannah only had a chest to sit on. She did not go to bed, but sat on the chest and slept, so she could be on hand when her mother needed her help. It was very hard on Hannah to sit up all the time with her legs hanging down. She never complained. About the last two days of the voyage a lady noticed that Hannah’s legs were swollen. The lady drew their attention to the condition and Hannah was put to bed so the swelling would go down.
From New York City, the journey was continued the same day (30 Sep.),by rail.
They crossed rivers and mountains. At one point it was raining so hard that the river started to rise. It rose so high that they could not cross and their train had to wait three days for the river to go down so they could continue on their way. The Saints arrived in Ogden and Salt Lake City, Saturday, 6 Oct. 1877.
While in Salt Lake City, they visited the grave of Brigham Young who had died earlier that same year.