This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Earliest Settlers of the Walla Walla and Columbia Counties Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/5BC.2ACE/1017 Message Board Post: In April, 1862 a very large wagon train left Fremont, Mahaska co., Iowa. On it were several families headed for the Walla Walla, WA. region. The number of people and wagons ranges. By all accounts, it was a rather large party. The list includes such names as:(List is borrowed from other postings: ALGOODS, ARTHING, BAILEY, BOVEE, George (wife and three children). George was killed while hunting for food for the wagon train. HIs gun went off accidentally. Ballard Bowell Bowman Clark Collins Coons Creamer Culberson Cummins Cummire Cunningham Deitrich Delong Doke Dole Ellis, Sarah Farmer, her children and step children. Also the husbands, wives and children of these children. Espsy Files Forebush Gholson Goyer Hale or Hail Hall Henderson Hoover Howard Hunter James Little Kennedy, Captain John K., his wife, children. One daughter, Rhoda Ann, was married to Samuel Ellis, who later owned a sawmill at Walla Walla. McGuire McKay McClung (Kept a diary of the journal) McCormick, Madison Mard Meteker Miller Moore Neely or Neeley Newman (one of this family,Thomas, was killed near Fort Hall) Ocherman Orndorf Paul, Rev. Joesph Paul and family Thomas Paul and family (possibly many other Paul members, including Geo. Paul and family from Fremont, Iowa who came also in 1862, not sure if same train) Piper Rayburn Raley Redheffler Rounceville Russell Scott Slater Smales Smalley Stanfield Stoot Storey Taylor, Ephraim and family. Daughter Christina recorded the story of the attack Townsend, Vennerns, Young, (there is a story about the youngs) Zaring, Ezra or Eli, who was married to Susan Ellis. Eliza Jane Zaring who was married to Susan's brother, Ellis Ellis. It would be nice to see other people post to this site and help preserve this story for future generations. Much of Walla Walla's early roots are intertwined with this wagon train and the people who left their Iowa homes to put down roots there. To learn more about these families, try looking toward Fremont, Mahaska County Iowa or the surrounding areas. Many of them came there from neighboring states. My Paul family came there from Indiana. The Ellis family came from Virginia.