Episode 123: The Sail before the Trail—The 19th Century Latter-day Saint Gathering to America (Fred E. Woods)

Prior to their exodus west, nearly 90,000 converts journeyed across the seas to join the saints in America. In this episode Fred E. Woods, professor of Church history and doctrine, details the faith and immigration experiences of these saints as he discusses his recent publication Ports to Posts: Latter-day Saints Gathering in the Nineteenth Century. Professor Woods explores the port of Liverpool, England, the main point of embarkment for many converts, examines sailing conditions across the Atlantic for converts and non-converts alike, and details the arrival of these early pioneers into American harbors and the various posts they made contact with along the way. In addition to exploring how these converts gathered unto Zion, Professor Woods shares why so many members left their homelands to “be gathered in unto one place” (Doctrine & Covenants 29:7).  

Publications: 

• Ports to Posts: Latter-day Saint Gathering in the Nineteenth Century (University of Nebraska Press, 2025)  

• Saints by Sea—Latter-day Saint Immigration to America website 

• “The Saints of Las Vegas” (Y Religion, episode 82, 2023) 

• Bright Lights in the Desert: The Latter-day Saints of Las Vegas (University of Nevada Press, 2023) 

• The Latter-day Saint Image in the British Mind (Greg Kofford Books, 2022) 

• “The Ascension of Abraham: A Mortal Model for the Climb to Exaltation” (Religious Educator, 23.2, 2022) 

• “Conversions, Arrests, and Friendships: A Story of Two Icelandic Police Officers” (Religious Educator, 20.1, 2019) 

• Saints of Tonga: A Century of Island Faith (Religious Studies Center, 2019) 

• Kalaupapa: The Mormon Experience in an Exiled Community (Religious Studies Center, 2017) 

• Sacred and Historical Places Hawai’i: A Guide to LDS Historic Sites in Hawai’i with Mary Jane Woodger and Riley Moffat (Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, 2016) 

• “Launching Mormonism in the South Pacific: The Voyage of the Timoleon” in The Growth and Development of Mormon Missionary Work (Religious Studies Center, 2012) 

Click here to learn more about Fred E. Woods