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From: Ross and Lorraine <>
Subject: Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey #2
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1999 16:49:30 -0800


Families in Transit I 1841 to 1850:

Women who made the journey in these early years had no idea what they were
getting into. They would likely be six or seven months on the road and would
face accidents, cholera, dysentery, measles, the problems of pregnancy and
childbirth and sometimes hostile Indians. (It is estimated that 20% of the
women were pregnant during that trek.) The challenges of the trip across
plains, deserts and mountains exhausted and depressed many. The passing of
graves along the route almost every day was a constant reminder of the
perils of the trip.

"One of the starkest stories among the overland diaries is that of Elizabeth
Smith GREER. She and her husband and their seven children came from Indiana
to Oregon Territory in 1847. There had been flute music and fiddling and
dancing in the early months of the summer, but by summer's end the wagon
party was in trouble. A diary entry dated September 15 signals some of the
stress that women felt:

This morning one company moved on except one family. The woman got mad and
would not budge, nor let the children go. He had his cattle hitched on for
three hours and coaxing her to go, but she would not stir. I told my husband
the circumstance, and he and Adam POLK and Mr.. KIMBALL went and took each
one a young one and crammed them in the wagon and her husband drove off and
left her sitting. She got up, took the back track and traveled out of
sight. Cut across overtook her husband. Meanwhile he sent his boy back to
camp after a horse that he had left and when she came up to
her husband, (he) says " Did you meet John?" "Yes" was the reply "and I
picked up a stone and knocked out his brains." Her husband wen back to
ascertain the truth, and while he was gone, she set one of his wagons on
fire, which was loaded with store goods. The cover burnt off and some
valuable articles. He saw flames and came running and put it out, and then
mustered spunk enough to give her a good flogging."

( Apparently even other women tolerated this kind of abuse. I'm sure that
her husband was exasperated, but from today's perspective, that is no
excuse! Life on the road was difficult for everyone)

Hope you like these vignettes of what our ancestors endured.

Lorraine

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