Tamsen donner biography of williams

The ill-fated Donner Party was part of that migration. She later shared copies of letters with me written by Tamsen to her sister, Elizabeth, long before she moved to Illinois and met George Donner. A half dozen of these letters had never been seen by historians or scholars until I donated them to the Huntington Library in Los Angeles County.

Tamsen donner biography of williams: Early life​​ Donner was born Tamsen

The story that follows is based on those letters. Tamsen Donner lost her life years ago in the harsh Sierra winter of She was the wife of George Donner, the principle organizer of a California-bound wagon train from Illinois. Poor decisions and lack of leadership, bad advice and an early winter trapped the Donner-led group before they could cross the Sierra and reach the safety of California.

Thirty-six members of the party died that winter, including Tamsen and George. More than once she refused an opportunity to escape with rescuers, but instead chose to stay behind with her husband who was seriously ill and could not travel. She enjoyed a happy childhood and her love of books was evidence of a curious mind and foreshadowed a lifelong passion for education.

Later she was offered a position as an instructor in an academy in Elizabeth City, N. Tamsen was not making enough money to survive economically in Maine, so she took the job.