TAMS Pioneer Crossings

Bradley, John, John, Mary Ann
Homer-Duncan Company in 1862. John was 44, Mary Ann was 41, 8 children including son John who was age 14.

Brenchley, Caroline
Age 26, Caroline was a single woman with the Dan Jones/John A Hunt Company in 1856]
Traveled with:
Wiseman, John (54), b. England, surgeon
Wiseman, Mary Ann (42), b. England
Wiseman, John Joseph (5), b. England, d. Oct. 9, 1856, near Ft. Laramie
Wiseman, Henry H. (2), b. England, died Aug. 30, 1856, at Florence, Nebraska
(Caroline Brenchley of Hunt Co. reportedly traveled with Wiseman family to help care for their “blind daughter.” This was more likely Ruth Billington of company.)
Billington, Ruth (64), b. England, was blind, possible connection to Wiseman family in Hunt Co., spinster, also traveling with Elizabeth Gaskell of Hunt Co.

Hawkey, Middleton, Hannah
33, Traveled with the Edward Martin Handcart Company (fifth and sixth company) in 1856. Stepson James, 14, died near Laramie, Wy. Also had two daughters, Margaret,3 and Hannah, 4.

Jensen, Hans, 45, Caroline, 14
Paradise book has them crossing with Captain Murdock’s Ox company in 1863. Came from Denmark on ship with 700 people and no bunks. Caroline was 14 (known as Karen in Denmark). Siblings got to ride on wagons, but she didn’t.

Obray, Thomas, Caroline (Thomas’ third wife and our direct line traveled with other company – see Brenchley)
Thomas, 32, married other wife Louisa enroute on 24 June 1854 (the same day she was baptized) with the James Brown Company. She died 4 days later (10 days after leaving Missouri) on the 28 of June. Sister puts death three weeks later. From measles/cholera.

Written by Louisa’s sister Eliza: . . . “when we got to St. Louis we bought our teams and wagons, cows, provisions and all our outfit for traveling on the plains, Charles and his family occupied one wagon and us girls and brother Albert the other, my sister Martha [Shelton], Louisa [Shelton Obray,] Emily [Shelton], and I were baptized at fort Leavenworth by Alonzo [Alondus D. Lafayette] Buckland on the 24th of June 1854 [4 June 1854] with some others, Louisa was married to Thomas Obray the same day, by the same man, Thomas was returning from a Mission from Malta coming to Utah, with his brother Sam[uel Obray] and family, we got the measles, all of our family except Charles & Sam, they were the only ones that had already had them[.] we suffered very much, Rebbecca [Shelton], (my brothers wife) had the Cholera morbus, suffered dreadfully till death came to her relief, my sister Louisa first had the measles. she was commencing to get better with them when she took a backset[.] Cholera set in and she worse off after being a bride just 3 weeks, Thomas [Obray] took this pretty hard, also my brother Charles was worn out with waiting on the sick and his children died one after another till 5 were layd away all but his oldest son Alfred, it is hard to imagine that mans feelings, I dont know how the poor man stood it, a great number of our company died, and us girls continued very weak and poorly[.] not much appetite and Diareah [diarrhea] all the way to the Valley, we traveled on under trials and difficulties till we arrived in Salt Lake City 29. Sep. 1854, pretty well worn out, and also our teams, nevertheless was much rejoiced to view a city after our long march full of hope for the future, for now we were to the end of our journey and among the saints of God,” (Keeler, Eliza Shelton, Autobiography and journal, [ca. 1886-1898], 10-12.)

Brother Charles, who also buried 5 children and his wife in that same period, writes that Thomas was sealed to Louisa’s sister Martha when they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.

Oldham, Maria, John, Maria (pronounced Ma-rye-ah )
John, 51, and Maria, 47, crossed the plains with the William S. Warren Company in 1864. Their daughter Maria, 19, was one of 7 children. Our Coombs ancestors were also in this company.

Son Samuel writes: Source of Trail Excerpt:
Oldham, Samuel, [Interview], in "Utah Pioneer Biographies," 44 vols., 22:5-6.

Read Trail Excerpt:
. . . .We then spent nine days and one night on a steamboat traveling up the Missouri River, arriving at a village called Wyoming, Missouri [Nebraska] in July 1864. After remaining there about three weeks, we started on our journey across the plains in Captain Warrens ox train.
We traveled for eleven weeks before arriving at Salt Lake City on October 4th 1864. It was a very arduous journey. My father [John Oldham] and mother [Maria Heap Oldham] were both sick for about three weeks before we arrived at our destination. The Indians were very hostile during the first part of our journey, and during the latter part, nutritious food was very scarce. As soon as we arrived in Salt Lake City, we all commenced to improve, until we were soon enjoying the best of health.

Olsen, Christopher
Chistopher Marinus, 17, traveled with the John E. Forsgren Company in 1853.

Phillips, Mary Jane, Henery, Jane, George
NY 1858, pittsburg for two years. Captain Horn company in 1860 or 1861. May have traveled with children Mary Jane and Martha (who encountered a snake on the banks of a river and had to be rescued).

Richman, John, Sarah, John
John, 34, and Sarah, 36 traveled with 3 children with the Henry W. Miller company in 1862. John William was 6 years old.

Sinfield, Samuel,
Samuel, 33, came with 2 daughters (9 and 11) in an unidentified company in 1853. Samuel was ordained a Seventy in Utah in March 1854, proving he had to have traveled to Utah in 1853. He married Hannah Middleton Hawkey who traveled with the Martin Handcart company after arriving in the valley.

Cross Referenced:
Stevenson (richman), Sarah (listed as Sarah Richman)
Tams, Elijah, Maria (Maria found with her Oldham family)
Williams, Mary Ann (listed as Mary Ann Bradley)