George Donner
Encyclopedia
George Donner was the leader of the Donner Party
, a group of California-bound American settlers who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846–1847. Nearly half of the party starved to death, and some of the emigrants resorted to cannibalism
.
. He was the third child and eldest son of George Donner (c1752-1844) and Mary Huff (c1755-1842). George had three sisters and three brothers, one of whom, Jacob (c1789-1846), accompanied him to California.
He married Tamsen Donner who was his third wife. Tamsen was a widow, her previous husband, Mike Hawk, had been killed by a mob.
. On April 14, 1846, he, his brother Jacob, and James F. Reed
, along with their families and hired hands, set out for California
in covered wagons. Three months later, at the Little Sandy River
in Wyoming George was chosen to lead the group, now known as the Donner Party
. The Donner Party took the Hastings Cutoff
through the Wasatch Mountains in Utah
and they crossed the Great Salt Lake Desert
, rejoining the California Trail
west of Elko, Nevada
. They arrived at the Sierra Nevada mountains late in the season and were trapped by snow on the eastern side of Truckee, Nevada.
was organized and when they arrived Jacob Donner was dead and George Donner's arm had become gangrenous
. The rescuers took George's daughters Elitha and Leanna, leaving George behind. The second and third rescue parties found George too weak to travel. When the fourth and last relief party arrived on April 17, 1846 they found George Donner dead in his bed.
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
, a group of California-bound American settlers who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846–1847. Nearly half of the party starved to death, and some of the emigrants resorted to cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
.
Biography
He was born around 1784 near Salem, North CarolinaOld Salem
Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It features a living history museum that interprets the restored Moravian community. The non-profit organization began its work in 1950, although some private residents had restored buildings earlier...
. He was the third child and eldest son of George Donner (c1752-1844) and Mary Huff (c1755-1842). George had three sisters and three brothers, one of whom, Jacob (c1789-1846), accompanied him to California.
He married Tamsen Donner who was his third wife. Tamsen was a widow, her previous husband, Mike Hawk, had been killed by a mob.
Donner Party
He lived just outside Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
. On April 14, 1846, he, his brother Jacob, and James F. Reed
James F. Reed
James Frazier Reed was a businessman, soldier and, most notably, an organizing member of the ill-fated 1846 Donner Party emigration to California.-Early life:...
, along with their families and hired hands, set out for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in covered wagons. Three months later, at the Little Sandy River
Little Sandy River
Little Sandy River may refer to:*Little Sandy River *Little Sandy River *Little Sandy River *Little Sandy River...
in Wyoming George was chosen to lead the group, now known as the Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
. The Donner Party took the Hastings Cutoff
Hastings Cutoff
The Hastings Cutoff was an alternate route for emigrants to travel to California, as proposed by Lansford Hastings.In 1845, Hastings published a guide entitled The Emigrant's Guide to Oregon and California...
through the Wasatch Mountains in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and they crossed the Great Salt Lake Desert
Great Salt Lake Desert
The Great Salt Lake Desert is a large dry lake in northern Utah between the Great Salt Lake and the Nevada border which is noted for white sand from evaporite Lake Bonneville salt deposits...
, rejoining the California Trail
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
west of Elko, Nevada
Elko, Nevada
Elko is a city in Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 18,297 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Elko County. The city straddles the Humboldt River....
. They arrived at the Sierra Nevada mountains late in the season and were trapped by snow on the eastern side of Truckee, Nevada.
Death
A rescue partyRescue Party
"Rescue Party" is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in Astounding Science Fiction in May 1946. It was his first story that he sold, though not the first actually published. It was republished in Sir Arthur’s second collection, Reach for Tomorrow and also appears in The Collected...
was organized and when they arrived Jacob Donner was dead and George Donner's arm had become gangrenous
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
. The rescuers took George's daughters Elitha and Leanna, leaving George behind. The second and third rescue parties found George too weak to travel. When the fourth and last relief party arrived on April 17, 1846 they found George Donner dead in his bed.
Children
The children of George Donner's first marriage stayed behind in Illinois, but the children of his second and third marriages accompanied him to California. All five of them survived. The children of his second marriage were Elitha and Leanna; of his third marriage were born Frances, Georgia, and Eliza.- Elitha Cumi Donner (1831-1923) married Perry McCoon a few months after her rescue at age 15. After his death she married Benjamin Wilder, with whom she had seven children. She lived most of her life on a ranch near Elk Grove, CaliforniaElk Grove, CaliforniaElk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 153,015...
, where she died in 1923. - Leanna Charity Donner (c1840-1930) lived with Elitha until her own marriage to John App in 1852. They had three children. Leanna lived out her life in Jamestown, California. She died there in 1930.
- Frances Eustis Donner (c1840-1921) made her home with the James F. ReedJames F. ReedJames Frazier Reed was a businessman, soldier and, most notably, an organizing member of the ill-fated 1846 Donner Party emigration to California.-Early life:...
family in San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, for several years, then went to live with her older half-sister, Elitha. She married Elitha's brother-in-law, William Wilder. They had seven children. The Wilders lived in Byron, CaliforniaByron, CaliforniaByron is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. Frances died at her home there in 1921. - Georgia Ann Donner and Eliza Poor Donner were taken in by Christian and Maria Brunner (or Bruner) at Sutter's FortSutter's FortSutter's Fort State Historic Park is a state-protected park in Sacramento, California which includes Sutter's Fort and the California State Indian Museum. Begun in 1839 and originally called "New Helvetia" by its builder, John Sutter, the fort was a 19th century agricultural and trade colony in...
, then moved with them to Sonoma, CaliforniaSonoma, CaliforniaSonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
in late 1847. Eliza described their years with the Brunners in her book The Expedition of the Donner Party (Chicago: McClurg, 1911). They went to live with Elitha and Benjamin Wilder in 1854. - Georgia Donner (c1840-1911) married Washington Babcock in 1863. They lived at Mountain View, CaliforniaMountain View, California-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
then moved to Washington State. Georgia died in 1911.
- Eliza Donner (c1840-1922) married Sherman O. Houghton in 1861. They had seven children and lived in San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, except for four years where they lived in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, while Sherman served in Congress. They moved to Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
around 1885. Eliza died in 1922.
External links
- New Light on the Donner Party by Kristin Johnson, a recognized authority on the ill-fated wagon train; features accurate biographical information, a chronology, primary documents, and much more.
- The Donner Party Dan Rosen's website features a comprehensive chronology of the disaster and much additional material.