The Donnors essays

The Donnors essays This report is not intended to offend you or to make you ponder The Donner Partys motives. It is, however, intended to inform you. So, you might be wondering who exactly was the Donner Party? When Lewis and Clark finished their expedition, the President gave American families the option of staying on the East Coast, or moving west and exploring new land and opportunities. Some things the settlers took west were clothing, rations, books, furniture, money, family, oxen, water, guns and ammunition, and personal items. Among the settlers were George Donner and his family, the Jacob Donner family, and the James Reed family. George Donner, 62, was a successful farmer from Springfield, Illinois. He was six feet tall with black eyes and hair to match. He was traveling with his third wife, Tasmen, 45, and their three children Francis, 6, Georgina, 4, and Eliza, 2. George had also brought along with them his two daughters from a previous marriage, Elitha, 14, and Leanna, 12. The G. Donner family brought along their friends Noah James, 20, Samuel Shoemaker, 25, and John Denton, 28. His teamster was Hiram Miller, 28. George also convinced his brother Jacob to come. Jacob Donner, 65, was traveling with his wife, Elizabeth, 45, and their five children: George, 9, Mary, 7, Isaac, 5, Samuel, 4, and Lewis, 3. Also with them were Elizabeths sons from a past marriage, William and Solomon Hook, 14 and 12 respectively. James Reed, 45, was born in Ireland. He came from a Protestant family with Polish roots. He was an avid hunter and had fought beside Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hawk War. Because he was extremely rich he hired three teamsters and two servants. Reed built the infamous Palace Car for the trip west. The Palace Car was not just any wagon. It required four yoke of oxen and had a built-in stove and looking glass. It had two floors and a lady parlor. He had a tendency to spoil his daughter Virginia, who had her own pony. The f...