At 09:21 PM 4/2/98 -0700, Jerry R Richards wrote: > >Were any members of the Donner party members of the LDS church? > >Jerry R. > > Okay all, I found the answer. On the Family History Suite cd is this: "Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 20, p.455 Thomas Rhoades (Rhoads) and others left Iowa as an exploring group with permission of Mormon authorities. Traveled with Donner-Reed party from Missouri to Hastings Cut-off. Rhoades, wife, 14 children arrived Sacramento Valley Oct. 1846, first Mormon family to come overland. Settled near Cosumnes River. Two sons, John and Daniel, were in 1st Donner rescue group. Wife, Elizabeth died 1847, buried near Benicia. Thomas, 4 children returned to Utah 1849. Family contributed greatly to western U.S. history. About 200 descendants and friends buried here. Deeded to Daughters of Utah Pioneers by Percy Westerberg." This passage lists the four families that comprised the Donner-Reed company.. "B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.79, p.209-210 The Donner-Reed party numbered 87 persons; 36 being men, 21 women, 30 children, five of the latter being infants; 49 of the whole number belonged to four families, Donner, Graves, Breen, and Murphy. How many wagons were in camp is nowhere stated, so far as I can learn; but since the party, in the main, was made up of well-to-do people, and therefore "well enough provided with the necessary outfit;" and especially was it so with George Donner--from whom the party takes its name--who "was a man of some wealth, and was carrying a stock of merchandize to California for sale"--it is probable, I say, from these circumstances, that the camp had even more than the usual number of wagons with which such companies traveled. From twenty to thirty wagons would certainly be a conservative estimate for a company having in it thirty-six men, with fifty-one women and children, and carrying a stock of goods to California for sale." And here is the final results (there was a lot more, but these were the points) "B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.79, p.210-211 53. Bancroft's History of California, vol. v, p. 543. "There was nothing remarkable in the composition of the [Donner] company." says Bancroft, "which included rich and poor; American, Irish and German; Protestant, Catholic and Mormon (History of California, vol. v, p. 531). The "Mormons" were represented by the family of a Mrs. Lovenia Murphy, a widow with three sons and two daughters, one of whom, Harriet, was married to Wm. M. Pike. "Mrs. Murphy had lived at Nauvoo and later at Warsaw," according to Bancroft she accepted "an engagement to cook and wash for the emigrants with a view to reach with her children the ultimate destination of the saints." (History of California, vol. v, p. 531, note). She was among those who perished in the mountains. Sergeant Tyler of the Mormon Battalion saw one of the daughters of Mrs. Murphy--Mary--who had meantime married a Mr. Johnson, in California--and from her learned the story condensed by Bancroft. Tyler credits "Sister Murphy" with good motives, but thinks she made a mistake in leaving the saints to go with this party. (Tyler's Mormon Battalion, p. 312. Tyler gives Mrs. Murphy's name as Murry. Wilford Woodruff, who baptized Mrs. Murphy, while on his mission in Tennessee, says she apostatized and joined the mob. See Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 1847, entry for 10th July), by which he means no more, perhaps, than that she lived among those who were mobbing the saints in Illinois. Terri her Terri X Jensen mark jensenet@vii.com ***************************************** * * * BAD SPELLERS OF THE WORLD - UNTIE!! * * * *****************************************