We know there were wagon trains. As was illustrated in the
tracing of Kelsey Grammer’s Who Do You Think You Are? episode (Season 5), extended
families packed their belongings, and carried their personal wealth overland to
reach the newly opened west lands. Sometimes, families were left behind, as the
pioneer travelled with a wagon train. This
westward migration wasn't just for those
panning for gold. There were the
Mormon's escaping persecution, the future vintner wanting rich soil, and those
who made a living in transport.
4 Research Tips / Hints
 |
| Manuscripts |
Not every family researcher will find Great-Grandpa's
passage recorded in diaries, or even his name.
But, by narrowing his year, and month of travel, you may find his
experience recorded through the eyes of his neighbors and friends:
- Analyze diaries from his hometown.
- Follow the path and his final settlement to determine his passage.
- Track Military Forts' activities along the route. The military controlled the trails, and would detain small groups travel for safety. This may have delayed your pioneers trip.
Remember others traveled by water. The trip from Louisiana
up the Mississippi River was still arduous, but may have been your ancestor’s
best option if they were not travelling with a large wagon train through
hostile territories. Newspaper accounts are a great resource of those who
arrived west.
Resources and Database
A key resource to begin your ancestor’s westward migration
is the State Historical Society of Missouri, Manuscript
Collection. a3Genealogy
researchers proved that a religious "group," Bethel Community,
occupied settlements in both Missouri and Oregon by locating the letters that
leader, William Kiel, wrote to his congregation back home in Missouri from
1855-1870. He even threatened to
excommunicate ("bar
them from the Bethel Community") a few
Missourians for raising the Union flag, and endangering the community.
Interestingly enough, he was writing from his new Bethel Community in
Oregon. The letters were filled with
historical data, names of members and religious practices.[1]
9 Helpful links:
- One of our favorite
websites: Oregon - California Trails Association
holds over 48 thousand pioneers in their database.
- The Oregon Genealogical
Society and Idaho Genealogical Society have a listing of names in their
Pioneer Certificate programs.
- For FAQs, visit the Bureau
of Land Management Website
- For a list of Oregon Trail
Historic Sites visit Legends of America http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-oregontrail.html
- The Oregon
Territory and Its Pioneers
- Oregon
Trail Histories
- Oregon State Archives. This can be most helpful when looking for land records.
- The ancestry.com California, Pioneer and Immigrant Files, 1790-1950 database holds 10,000 records with biographical information about pioneers who arrived in California before 1860.
- Find A Grave, Along The Oregon Trail Cemetery Tombstone project.
African Americans
Headed West
The overland journeys were before the Civil War. Free-coloreds, as many as 3000 by 1850, found their way to
California from the onset of the gold rush, but rarely settled in the unwelcoming
Oregon. Review the Black
Laws of Oregon 1844-1857
Even though some slaves were carried by their masters, many
found the westward journey as an integral step to their escape plan. If you
need to refresh your history of the role African Americans played during this
westward movement, you may wish to read Blacks
in Gold Rush California, by Rudolph M. Lapp.
Another great resource is the Negro Trail Blazers of California by Delilah
L. Beasley; original 1818; reprinted 1969.
[1] Kiel, Wm., Letters
1855-1870; Bethel Community to Oregon 24 Jun 1855; microfilm, Western
Historical Manuscript Collection, UMKC
Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy.com
Accurate, accessible answers
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