Index

The following excerpt was taken from the book "The Hobson Family Lineage -- Descendants of George and Elizabeth Hobson", 1994, Compiled by Jay W. Hobson from The Hobson Family Data Exchange.

THE GEORGE HOBSON PARTY OF EMIGRANTS ASCENDING DONNER PASS

Aunt Sarah - or Aunt Sally - as she was affectionately known, wife of Uncle George Hobson, related to me the following incidents during their trips across the plains in 1847. She said, "Owing to the hardships encountered by the emigrants during their trip across the plains, of dust, heat, close unprivate association and various annoyances in general. The slow plodding monotony of the ox-drawn wagons, day after day. Most of the people in the caravan became more or less "cranky" and irritable and ready to fly into a passion at every small pretext.n I aunt Sally, said, a finer man never lived than my husband, George Hobson. His brother Hadley Hobson and wife and child were closely associated with us during the trip, all the way. I did the milking of the two cows we brought from Missouri."

One evening after an unusually trying day on the road, all tired and unusually irritated, in returning from milking the cows with a well filled pail on my arm, I passed by one of our party reclining full length on the ground. The others were busy at their various camp tasks. A little disgusted at the mans leisurely attitude, I said, "Why are you not busy at camp worker With an oath, the irate man jumped up kicking the bottom of the pail, splashing milk over my clothing and on the ground."

Arriving at Donner Lake, our party rested for several days in order that the work stock and people might be able to meet the Herculean task of ascending the mountain pass.. We camped near the spot where the ill-fated Donner Party had perished during the winter of 1846-47. Many of the abandoned cabins stood intact. Over the ground were strewn the remains of cattle, dogs and the skeletons of the people who had perished for want of food during the winter, when the snow was 22 feet deep on the level ground. I recall in particular seeing the skeleton of a young woman exposed on the ground, long black hair still clinging to her grinning skull.

After a few days rest on the flat by the lake, our cavalcade decided to brave the arduous ascent to the summit. Many yoke of oxen were fastened to a wagon which was laboriously drawn over the boulders of the roadless ascent and dragged to the top of the pass. The doubled-up yokes of oxen were then driven back down the mountain in order to bring up another emigrant wagon and so on until the last wagon had been landed at the summit. We had in the cavalcade of combined owner-ship 600 head of range cattle. The men were all busy at their arduous task of getting the rolling stock up the grade. The women helping as best they could, none were idle.

A young wife of 19 was assigned the task of working up the mountain in advance of the 600 head of loose cattle - a task equal to a half dozen able bodied men. The cattle, fresh after a few days rest, were "raring" to go. I fought them back, until over-come by exhaustion, I yelled to the Captain of our company to send relief, that I was no longer able to perform my duty. The Captain ordered a big husky man to my relief. Everyone's nerves were on edge, worn out by their arduous task. As the man passed me, in his haste to head the scrambling cattle, he gave me a "thundering back hand lick which sent me sprawling to earth." On went the man performing his duty, leaving me to help myself. Such was the temper of the frazzled people after the hardships of the plains.

THE DAUNTLESS COURAGE OF THE PIONEER WOMEN

George and Hadley Hobson, with their families, joined a train of emigrants at Lone Jack, Missouri in the spring of 1847, bound for California. The six-months trip across the plains was practically uneventful excepting for a few minor incidents. Plenty of grass and water for the stock was found along the route. After a hard days trip along the Platte River, late in the afternoon, the emigrants halted and prepared their camp for the night. Taking the usual precautions as did emigrants against possible attack by Indians. They arranged their wagons in a circle, forming a corral in which their work stock were driven at night in order to prevent the marauding Indians from driving off the animals at night. Many of the emigrants lost their herds by leaving them run free on the plains at night, by Indians creeping among the sleeping animals and frightening them, causing a stampede.

On this particular night the stock, herd of cattle, were permitted as usual to range on the prairie, outside the wagon stockade. During the night, Indians succeeded in stampeding and scattering the cattle. In the morning all men of the parties allied forth in search of the stolen cattle, leaving in camp with their women and children, one elderly man as protection. Tiring of the loitering in camp, the old man crossed the river alone. To his surprise, a lone Indian armed with bow and arrow appeared in a threatening manner from among the reeds along the river bank. The white man, being unarmed, sought shelter behind a nearby tree. Sarah, the young wife of George Hobson, seeing from the camp across the river the predicament of the old man, seized a rifle and waded neck-deep across the river to the rescue. Handing the man the rifle, he shot the Indian dead.

MRS. GEORGE HOBSON'S COW

Before leaving Missouri for California, Mrs. George Hobson's father, Mr. Spainhauer, presented his daughter with a fine "muley" or hornless heifer. The cow was driven over the plains with the other loose stock of the caravan. Owing to the plenteous grass and water along the route, the young animal got along in good condition until the 80 mile wide and barren desert of the Carson Sink, in Nevada was reached. When almost across the barren waste, footsore and hungry and famished for want of feed and water in the desert, late one afternoon, Aunt Sally Hobson's cherished heifer sank exhausted to the ground unable to proceed on its way. The cavalcade moved on for one mile to the point of encampment for the night. Here a small oasis in the desert with a meager supply of water and grass was available. At once, the young woman started back afoot, alone, laden with a bucket of water and an armful of grass to the relief of the stricken animal. After watering and feeding the heifer slowly revived sufficiently to gain its feet.

Then began the slow and lonely "treck" of the benefactoress and the yearling to the emigrant encampment, where they safely arrived after nightfall. Mrs. Hobson brought the animal to their home in Monterey. From the descendants of this cow, in time, the Hobson's accumulated a substantial herd of dairy cows. At first, Aunt Sally acted as "milkmaid" selling the milk at a goodly figure to the Mexican and Indian population of Monterey. Her bank for depositing the money derived from the sale of milk, was her lengthy stocking, which in time was filled with coin.

PIONEER WOMEN

On arriving in California in 1847, George Hobson with his wife located in Monterey. Leaving the family comfortably situated, Mr. Hobson went to the mines with a party of colleagues. Late one night, the lonely woman was awakened by a knock at the door. Asking who was there, a gruff voice demanded that the door be opened. Mrs. Hobson ordered the man away, to no effect. The man continued in an effort to force the door. Mrs. Hobson in defense, promptly fired her rifle through the door. The man fled in fright.

GEORGE HOBSON IN MONTEREY

George Hobson returned from the mines with $7,000.00 in gold nuggets. At that time banks were an almost unknown quantity. Miners were rather careless with their treasure. Mr. Hobson, always considered others as honest as himself, carelessly tossed his poke of gold on top of the kitchen cupboard, much to the chagrin of his wife, who insisted that he hide the treasure in a more secluded place. George procrastinated in leaving the nuggets where he had placed them. As such things persist in mysteriously doing, the hiding place of the treasure became generally known.

One evening, Mr. Hobson with a party of friends walked up-town, leaving his wife and child alone in the house. Presently a knock came at the door. The wife demanded to know who the caller was. The man replied, "Open the door quick or I will break it down." Mrs. Hobson being unarmed ran out of the house through the rear door screaming for help at the top of her voice. The marauder was frightened away.

GEORGE HOBSON IN THE MINES

While in the gold mines one afternoon in the summer of 1849, a friendly Indian appeared in the camp of George Hobson's party. He informed them that hostile Indians had planned to massacre the white men as was their custom, at dawn the following morning. Later in the day, the chief of the marauding tribe of Indians sent to the miners camp a spy in order to get the "lay of the land" to ascertain their strength, under the pretext of begging tobacco from the men. Realizing the mission of the savage, they seized and bound the spy whom they held captive as a hostage for the night. Promptly before dawn, the American heard the rustling of the approaching warriors in the nearby brush. The miners ordered their captive to inform his colleagues that unless they immediately withdrew their forces, they would shoot the prisoner. The terrorized Indian conveyed the message to his chieftain, who at once withdrew his hoard. The miners later freed their captive after feeding him and warning the Indians to keep the peace, which they respected.