What Train Was My Ancestor On?
by Stephenie Flora
oregonpioneers.com
I. The Emigrants:
Almost the first question I am asked is "Do you know what wagon train my ancestor came on?". It was the first question I asked many years ago when I started researching my family. One of the biggest misconceptions is that great-grandpa led or joined a train of 100 wagons. Large trains were hard to manage and tended to break into smaller groups almost immediately. Although, in later years, there were so many wagons on the trail that it seemed like one long wagon train, the reality was, that it consisted of smaller groups of family and friends that may have moved back and forth between several other small groups. The mileage made by one group as opposed to another group was dictated by a number of events and circumstances. Even within a train that started together, there were instances where a member fell back for a period of time or moved ahead. That means that one almost needs to look at all the diaries they can find on their emigration year just to make sure there is no passing mention of the family from another train that they may have had contact with. (The Oregon California Trail Association has compiled an index of names mentioned in the various diaries and journals. It is available on CD or you can request a specific surname search for a small fee.)
A good example of the typical emigration is 1843. In 1843, 100+ wagons headed out for Oregon. The emigration of that year was a blueprint for years to follow and they learned very quickly that traveling with a company that large was almost impossible. One of the first things they did was to divide into two companies to compensate for those who needed to travel slower due to herds of cattle they were bringing with them. But as soon as danger of Indian attack was thought to be over, the train divided into even smaller groups of immediate family and friends. John Charles Fremont, who was on an expedition that year remarked on his surprise at running across a large family "traveling alone in the wilderness". (The rest of the train was ahead and behind them.) By the end of the journey there was two weeks difference between the first wagons arriving and the last wagons arriving. This "dividing up" was to be repeated throughout the following emigration years.
Members of a wagon train moved forward and fell back due to a number of circumstances. Some pulled off for births and deaths; some wanted to respect the Sabbath and some did not; some made it across a river crossing just before a rain storm brought its level to an impassable height, leaving others still waiting to cross. These temporary floods could last for several days. Those who had made the crossing might wait or they might move on. And finally, the hardship of the trail tended to bring out the best and the worst of those dealing with it. Disputes caused some to fall out of one train and join another. It took individuals with strong personalities to take on the danger of a journey of this kind. Sometimes the stress and strain erupted into "situations".
There were several references to this during the 1843 emigration and, once again, it also held true for following emigrations:
May 22,
1843
Peter Burnett: "Our long journey thus began in sunshine and song, in anecdote and laughter; but these all vanished before we reached its termination.... A trip to Oregon with ox teams was at that time a new experiment, and was exceedingly severe upon the temper and endurance of people. It was one of the most conclusive tests of character, and the very best school in which to study human nature. Before the trip terminated, people acted upon their genuine principles, and threw off all disguises. It was not that the trip was beset with very great perils, for we had no war with the Indians, and no stock stolen by them. But there were ten thousand little vexations continually recurring, which could not be foreseen before they occurred, nor fully remembered when past, but were keenly felt while passing. At one time an ox would be missing, at another time a mule, and then a struggle for the best encampment, and for a supply of wood and water; and, in these struggles, the worst traits of human nature were displayed, and there was no remedy but patient endurance. At the beginning of the journey there were several fisticuff fights in camp; but the emigrants soon abandoned that practice, and thereafter confined themselves to abuse in words only. The man with a black eye and battered face could not well hunt up his cattle or drive his team."
July 22, 1843
James W. Nesmith: “The company discontented, and strong symptoms of mutiny. Some anxious to travel faster, some slower, some want to cross the river here, some want to go ahead, and others want to go any way but the right way. This will always be the difficulty with masses of emigrants crossing these plains. While every man's will is his law, and lets him act or do as he pleases, he will always find friends to support him. In order to obviate this difficulty and maintain good order in large companies, the presence of military force, and a declaration of martial law is highly necessary. Then emigrants will travel in peace, harmony and good order. They have the elements of their own destruction within themselves."
II. The Trail:
The final issue that created separations was the option of "shortcuts". Many of the years became known for tragedy due to cutoffs that some of the family members elected to take, while others in the train chose the traditional trail. Most noted of these are the 1845 Meek Cutoff, the 1846 Applegate/Southern Route and the Lost Wagon Train of 1853.
To understand the trail, its routes, and its cutoffs I suggest the following publications:
"The Oregon Trail Revisited" by
Gregory M. Franzwa
"Maps of the Oregon Trail"
by Gregory M. Franzwa
"The Plains Across" by John D. Unruh Jr.
"The
Great Platte River Road" by Merrill Mattes
III. Your Family:
To research the members of a wagon train start with the immediate family members. Then look for the names of aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws who may have made the emigration. Most trains were made up of family and friends with an occasional unrelated hired man enlisted to help drive wagons or cattle.
Resources for trail information:
1. COED:
a compilation of names in overland journals researched and put on a CD by OCTA
(check their web site for more information)
2. Overland Passages: published
by Oregon Historical Society, it is an index of names
in manuscripts and journals held in their collection.
3. Land Records:
provides information on land purchases by surname and location
4. Oregon State Archives Online Database
provides a list of records available by surname
5. Newspapers:
Heritage
Trail Press for fee website offering early Oregon,
Idaho, Utah newspapers
University
of Oregon Newspaper Project lists newspapers available in Oregon for
the various communities
National
Newspaper Archives for fee website that features early newspapers nationally
Letters to home talking about emigration
are often published in hometown papers
Local
newspapers sometimes mentioned new arrivals.
Obituaries sometimes mention year of emigration and others who
traveled in the same train
6. Published Biographies are often a good source of information.
Oregon
WPA Life Histories
Oregon Biographical Index: In 1976 Oregon
State University published an index of 47 historical volumes containing biographies.
I have a copy that I use frequently. This publication was usually
only found in research centers but I recently inquired and they are going to
make it available online at the Oregon State University website.
7.
Local historical society indexes
8. Oregon State Library: The
genealogical room houses numerous publications for the various counties as well
as other states
9. Oregon Historical Society
houses manuscripts and trail journals as well as individual family information
10.
Genealogical Forum of Oregon
is a genealogical library situated in Portland that has genealogical information
for all states
11. Oregon GenWeb
12. Ancestry.com a
"for fee" site
III."Firsts" and Family Legends
I have many people
telling me that according to family legend their ancestor was the "first"
whatever. Research these legends carefully. Anyone who came to Oregon
territory after the mid 1840s may not be a "first". Often they
tell me their ancestor was the first minister to the Oregon Territory or the first white child born in the
Oregon Territory.
The first minister to Oregon came in 1834. And, depending on your
viewpoint, the first white child may have been the "red-headed" Chinook
Indian reported by Lewis and Clark in 1804 (apparently the result of a visiting
sailor to the area), the child of Marie Dorion born in 1811 during the Wilson
Price Hunt expedition or the children of the missionaries in the 1830s. Perhaps your
ancestor was the first
white child in a specific region or the first minister in a new area of settlement.
Determine what their status was before sharing it in published form. I, personally, have one family legend
that I cannot make "go away". It was started many years ago and just
about the time I think it has died, it crops up again. Once a story takes root
it's hard to get rid of it.
A Final Word
I encourage you to not accept, "as the gospel", information from ANY web site or source until you research a variety of sources and confirm it for yourself. For instance, my website is only a tool. I am working with many names and many sources of information and as a result there are the inevitable errors. When I discover them I make corrections immediately but it is an ongoing problem. That is true of every source out there. No matter how hard one tries there will be typos and misinformation. The only way to minimize these errors is "Research, Research, Research"!