I have Peytons who came by the southern route, coming by wagon train from Denton Co., TX to San Pedro, CA and Collins who came by ship first to Avala bay and then up the Sacramento to Tulare Co. I have Wyrucks who came by wagon train or horseback from Missouri, so I assume they took the northern route. as far as I could find while I was in California, the only mention I could find of any of their migration was a cursory mention in "Early Days at Mission San Juan Batista", which talks about the trip Francis Lee Collins made but doesn't mention his name. I wonder if early newspapers (1851, 1854 and 1866, respectively, all give or take a year) might at least mention their arrivals. of Francis Lee Collins my grandmother writes; ....They made their way from the Port of New Orleans to the Isthmus of Panama, going overland to the Pacific. There they took passage on a freighter bound for San Francisco. Unknown to the passengers the ship had been condemned as being unseaworthy and they learned later to their sorrow that the Captain was not a licensed navigator. They soon ran into bad weather and the ship was badly damaged. The Captain lost his direction and for seventy-two days they drifted on the Pacific Ocean, lost and no help in sight. They ran out of food and many were ill, especially the children, and some of them died from diarrhea. The need was so great for food and the feelings were running so high against the Captain, that if it came to the worst, he would be the first one to go. A tramp steamer, noting their flag of distress came to their rescue, and did what they could to relieve their distress. They towed them to Avala Bay, which is now known as Morro Bay. (Morro bay no longer exists, if I recall, filled in with silt washed down from the river) When the ship landed and the condition of the passenger's was known to this little Spanish settlement, a kindly priest took charge of the passengers and with good food and medicine, they were able to go on their way to new homes and friends. Among the passengers were Dr. Matthews, his wife and their two little girls. This family formed a warm affection for Grandfather; he was like an older brother to the little girls and he must have taken the place of a son to the doctor and his wife; so when they decided to go to San Juan, a Fort near the present city of Hollister, they invited him to go with them. Dr. Matthews practiced medicine in this area for many years and was known throughout the area as the "Good Doctor". the migration of the children of Jonathan Peyton and Elizabeth Higgins is not well known, but it is said that my great, great grandmother, Mary Jane, came to San Pedro by wagon train. how she managed from there to Tulare Co. isn't said, but since San Pedro is a port city, I assume she took a ship up the coast. of Francis John Wyruck's migration little is known. he was a Jayhawker in Missouri who removed to Kansas for a few years, then went on to California, settling first in Stanislaus Co., and then in Kings Co.. he was still there when Tulare Co. was made from part of Kings. Cornelia