Some Donner Party members died accidentally, a few from illness and others from exposure. Most died of starvation and, in a few cases, some of their flesh was eaten as the only way others could survive.
Those who perished are listed in the approximate order of their death. The number following each entry indicates circumstances surrounding the death:
- 1 died enroute to winter camps
- 2 died in Donner’s Alder Creek camp
- 3 died with snowshoe party enroute to Sacramento
- 4 died with first relief party
- 5 died with second relief party
- All others died at the lake camp
List of Donner Wagon Train Deaths
Sarah Keyes (Mrs. Reed’s mother), age unknown, 1; Luke Halloran (invalid traveling with the Donners), 25, 1; John Snyder (teamster for Graves; killed by Reed), 25, 1; _(?)_ Hardcoop (traveling with Keseberg), 60, 1; _(?)_ Wolfinger (member of party), age unknown, 1; William Pike (Mrs. Murphy’s son-in-law), 25, 1, accidently killed by William Foster.
Baylis Williams (hired hand for Reeds), 24; Jacob Donner (he and brother George led the group), 65, 2; Samuel Shoemaker (teamster for Donners), 25, 2; Joseph Rheinhart (Spitzer’s partner), 30, 2; James Smith (teamster for Reed), 25, 2; Charles Stanton (no family), 35, 3; F. W. Graves “Uncle Billy”, head of Graves family, 57, 3; Antoine (hired hand), 23, 3; Patrick Dolan (member of party), 40, 3; Lemuel Murphy (son of Mrs. Murphy), 12, 3; Jay Fosdick (Graves’ son-in-law), 23, 3.
Lewis _(?)_ and “Salvador”, Indian guides, ages unknown, who were both killed by William Foster; Karl Berger (“Dutch Charley”, teamster for Keseberg), 30; Lewis Keseberg Jr. (son of Lewis Keseberg), age 1; John Landrum Murphy (son of Mrs. Murphy), 15; Margaret Eddy, (daughter of Eddys), age 1; Harriet McCutchen (daughter of McCutchens), age 1; Augustus Spitzer (partner of Rheinhart), 30; Eleanor Eddy (wife of William Eddy), 25; Milton Elliot (teamster for Reed), 28; Catherine Pike (daughter of Pikes, granddaughter of Mrs. Murphy), age 1.
Ada Keseberg (daughter of Keseberg), 3, 4; John Denton (traveling with George Donner), 28, 4; William Hook (Elizabeth Donner’s son by a former marriage), 12; Elizabeth Graves (wife of F. W. Graves), 47, 5; Isaac Donner (son of Jacob Donner), age 5, 5; F. W. Graves Jr. (son of Graves), age 5, 5; Lewis Donner (son of Jacob Donner), 3?, 5; Elizabeth Donner (wife of Jacob Donner), 45, 2; Samuel Donner (son of Jacob Donner), 4?, 2; George Foster (son of Fosters), age 4; James Eddy (son of Eddys), age 3; Lavina Murphy (widowed matriarch of Murphy clan), 50; George Donner (wagon train master), 62, 2; and, Tamsen Donner (wife of George Donner), 45.
(A companion article lists those who survived.)
SOURCE: The Orange County, California, Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 26, No.2 (June, 1989). Its sources included “Donner Memorial State Park: Teacher’s Handbook” (Government Publication).
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