Hi Diana, I think I have one of the guys you mention below: W. C. RANDOLPH. But it may take some doing to get his account:-). Editor Dale Morgan in "The Overland Diary of James A PRITCHARD from KY to CA in 1849" lists various known diarists across South Pass in 1849. Randolph is NOT one of them. But Dale Morgan does in Note 1 say that: " 1. "The Ithaca Company reached California by a remarkable route, taking the Santa Fe Trail to Pueblo....;thence going via the Cache la Poudre[my old trout fishing stream:-)], Laramie Plains, Browns Hole, and Fort Uintah to Utah Valley, from which they took the Southern road to Los Angeles. See Charles V. STUART to H.H, BANCROFT, August 4, 1872, in Bancroft Library Mss.(C-E 65, No.30). STUART gives the names of many of his fellow travelers..... FOR OTHER accounts of travel by this route, see the dictations in the Bancroft Library.......W.C.RANDOLPH (C-D 143)......" Maybe two W.C. Randolphs, but this is sure worth a shot.You gotta talk to someone else about getting stuff from Bancroft Liberry though. Please let me know how this comes out - also, it I can further help. Have a nice day, Bob ]In a message Donna wrote: >My 3rd great-grandfather, Rev. Thomas THOMPSON, came to California from >Paris,>MO, in 1849. In his company was his third wife, the twice widowed Mildred >Bell>(CAVE) WESTERFIELD LAINE THOMPSON, and their children by their previous >marriages. northern California. > Sadly, we have no family account (no journal or diary) recording their >overlandjourney. >But surely someone in that 1849 wagon train kept a journal. My aunt has >checked the "California Wagon Trains" book, and our THOMPSONs are not in it. >What I have found is a copy of:>Allen, Walter C. 1948. The Society of California Pioneers: Centennial>Roster, >Commemorative Edition. (No publisher given, but presumed to be the society >itself.) >>In the index, it gives the date that each member arrived in California, and >while Thomas THOMPSON is not listed as a member of the society, his step-son >Thomas Henry LAINE is (though his name is misspelled LANE). > I have gone through this book and copied down the names of every member who >gives their arrival date in California as 20 Sept 1849. I'm hoping against >hope that one of them was in the same wagon train as our THOMPSON's and >LAINE's >and that somewhere out there is a journal of their trip. <snip> > >RANDOLPH, W.C. >Diana > >