The missionary group left Port Royal for the Gold Coast on 8 February 1843, carrying seedlings of cacao, sugar cane, mango, breadfruit, coffee, avocado, orange and arrowroot to diversify the output of the agricultural stations that they planned to establish. In addition to agriculturalists, it included persons familiar with the arts of carpentry and masonry with a view to introducing the indigenous population to improved building construction. The group arrived in the Gold Coast the following Easter.  
The marriage of Catherine and George produced two offspring: George Junior, born in 1844, and Rosine, born in 1846. However, George Senior ran into professional difficulties with his German superiors and, after enduring their discriminatory racist attitudes towards him (Miller 1994, p. 131), was subsequently  
dismissed from the mission. In the meantime, his drunkenness and infidelity was placing a strain on the couple's domestic relations. By 1847, Catherine had had enough and they separated. The Church later countenanced a divorce.