Emigrant Narratives and Biographies
If you would like to suggest additions or corrections to this page, drop us a line at info@endoftheoregontrail.org. Family historians are welcome to nominate their emigrant ancestors as a potential Pioneer Family of the Month, as well. The artifacts, photographs, and biographical records included in the Pioneer Family of the Month exhibits at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center come from the descendants of the overlanders themselves. The images included in the online versions of our Pioneer Family of the Month exhibits appear courtesy of the families involved, with the exception of the Richard and America Bogle family, for which credit belongs to the Oregon Historical Society.
Pioneer Families of the Month
Biographical Sketches of Black Pioneers
and Settlers of the Pacific Northwest
The Reminiscence of Henry Garrison, Emigrant of 1846
I feel my incompetency to undertake to write these reminiscences, and should never have done so, but for the solicitations of some parties who thinks they may be of some value in the make up of the history of Oregon.
- Abraham Henry Garrison
Almost sixty years after he came over the Oregon Trail at the age of 14, A. Henry Garrison wrote down the story of his family's journey across the continent. The spelling, punctuation, and choice of words is entirely that of Henry Garrison, though we have taken the liberties of dividing it into paragraphs, as the original manuscript was not so divided, and inserting marginal notes where they seemed most appropriate to the main text. Our thanks to Dr. Jim Tompkins for providing us with this resource, which he received from Maryjane Rea, a direct descendant of Henry Garrison. The complete text of the Garrison reminiscence -- this version is abridged, ending with the family's first years in Oregon -- is available through the Oregon Historical Society archives.
It is a hard matter for me to write on account of rheumatism.
- marginal note, January 15, 1903
The Narrative of Samuel Hancock
Written in 1860, this reminiscence was apparently unknown until being discovered by a New York publisher 70 years later. Sam Hancock was a footloose Virginian who sought his fortune in the West in 1845. He never struck it rich, but at least he lived to tell this tale...
Chapters 1 - 5: life on the Oregon Trail and in early Oregon
Chapters 6 - 9: on Puget Sound and the California Gold Rush
Chapters 10 & 11: further explorations in the Puget Sound area
The Diary of Philemon D. Morriss, Emigrant of 1852
The Oregon Trail diary kept by Philemon Morriss is somewhat more expressive than is typical for diaries kept by men, many of which (such as the journal of William Lieuallen) are rather terse records of mileage and conditions encountered on the road and at the evening's chosen camp site. It is apparent, for instance, that Philemon appreciated the scenery he encountered and was able to have a little fun once or twice along the way. The colloquial spelling in the original Morriss diary has been preserved, such as "know" for "now" and a curious tendency to misspell "miles" as "milds" for much of the journey. Where Philemon's spelling becomes too opaque, parenthetical translations have been provided. Our thanks to the Miller family of Oregon City -- descendants of Philemon Morriss -- for providing this resource.
The Reminiscence of Sarah Bird Sprenger, Emigrant of 1852
When family patriarch Nicholas Sprenger got word from his eldest son, Abraham, of conditions in Oregon, he sold his millworks and set the family on the Oregon Trail. Only ten years old when the family emigrated to Oregon, Sarah Sprenger recalled the journey for the family annals in 1925, almost seventy five years later.
Other Diaries & Reminiscences
There are a number of emigrant diaries and journals available online, most of them relating to the Oregon and California Trails.
"Murray's People" - [www.tpl.lib.wa.us]
Stephanie Flora's links - [www.oregonpioneers.com]
Overland Trails diary links - [www.over-land.com]
Oregon Pioneer Biographies - [www.rootsweb.com/~orgenweb]
The Ragen Family Histories - [www.theragens.com]
And yet a few more diaries - [www.isu.edu/~trinmich]
Genealogical Information
The End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center does not maintain genealogical archives of overland emigrants, but we know who does. If you're looking for an ancestor who crossed the continent on the Oregon Trail, try the following links...
Genealogical Forum of Oregon - [www.gfo.org]
Oregon Genealogical Society - [www.rootsweb.com/~genepool]
Oregon State Archives - [arcweb.sos.state.or.us]
Stephanie Flora's emigrant rosters - [www.oregonpioneers.com]
Mike Ransom's 1843 emigrant roster - [www.peak.org/~mransom]
Suggestions for additional genealogical links relating to the Oregon or California Trail are always welcome.
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