Who were the Donner Party members?

Answer 1

George, 60, brought his third wife, Tamsen, 45, their three children, Frances, 6, Georgia, 4 and Eliza, 3, and George's two daughters from a previous marriage, Elitha Cumi, 14, and Leanna, 12.

Jacob Donner, 56, and his wife Elizabeth, 45, brought their five children, George, 9, Mary, 7, Isaac, 5, Samuel, 4 and Lewis, 3, and Mrs. Donner's two children from a previous marriage, Solomon Hook, 14, and William Hook, 12.

The Reed family consisted of James Frazier Reed, 46, his wife Margaret W. Reed, 32, and their three children, Martha (called Patty), 8, James Jr., 5, and Thomas, 3. Also part of the family was Mrs. Reed's daughter from a previous marriage Virginia Backenstoe Reed, 13, and Mrs. Reed's mother Sarah Keyes, 75. Accompanying the family were five employees: a servant, Eliza Williams, 25, her half-brother Baylis Williams, 24, and three teamsters: Milford (Milt) Elliott, 28, Walter Herron, 25 and James Smith, 25. Hiram Miller also travelled with the Reeds as an employee.

The Breen family consisted of Patrick Breen, 51, his wife Margaret (Peggy), 40, and their seven children: John, 14, Edward, 13, Patrick, Jr., 11, Simon, 9, Peter, 7, James, 5, and Isabella

William Eddy, 28, was a carriage maker from Belleville, Illinois. With him was his wife Eleanor, 25, and their two children James, 3, and Margaret, 5. The Eddys had one wagon.

Lavinia Jackson Murphy, 50, widow of Jeremiah Burns Murphy of North Carolina, travelled with her seven children. Five were young: Landrum, 15, Mary, 13, Lemuel, 12, William, 11 and Simon, 10. The two eldest were married with children of their own: Sarah, 23, and her husband William Foster, 28, had a son George, 4. Harriet, 21, and her husband Willam Pike, 25, had two children, Naomi, 3, and Catherine, 1. The Murphys had two wagons.

Lewis (or Louis) Keseberg, 32, and his wife, Philippine, 23, left their Ohio home with a daughter, Juliane (called "Ada"), 3. Their son, Lewis, Jr., was born on the Trail.

A man named Wolfinger, about 26, and his wife Doriss, 19, had one wagon. Perhaps travelling with the Wolfingers, or perhaps travelling in their own wagon, at least for part of the journey, were two partners Augustus Spitzer and Joseph Reinhardt, about 30.

William McCutchen, 30, from Jackson County, Missouri, was travelling with his wife Amanda, 30, and their daughter Harriet, 1

Franklin Graves, 57, from Sparland, Illinois, and his wife Elizabeth, 47, travelled with their nine children. The eldest daughter, Sarah, 22, was with her husband Jay Fosdick, 23. The other children were Mary, 20, William, 18, Eleanor, 15, Lovina, 13, Nancy, 9, Jonathan, 7, Franklin, Jr., 5, and Elizabeth, 1. The Graves had three wagons, one driven by their teamster John Snyder, 25

Charles Stanton, 35, was born in Pompey

Luke Halloran, about 25, was a merchant from Missouri. Halloran was suffering from consumption, and had been put out by his former companions. He approached the Donners at the Little Sandy River in Wyoming, and rode in their wagons.

Somewhere along the trail Antonio, about 23, a shepherd from New Mexico, joined the Donners.

At Fort Bridger, the Donners hired Jean Baptiste Trudeau, 18, as an additional hand

Answer 2

Lansford W. Hastings recommended a shortcut to California. The Donner Party took it and ran into many difficulties that made them too late to cross the mountains before winter.