FootNote
The new kid on the block, FootNote is known for digitizing historical
documents... many of which are genealogical gems. With naturalizations,
city directories, war records, newspapers, town records, etc... this new
kid is quickly being recognized as an alternative to Ancestry.
Diligent inquiry has
failed to disclose the existence of an
authentic and comprehensive narrative of a
"pioneer" journey across the plains. With
the exception of some improbable yarns and
disconnected incidents relating to the
earlier experiences, the subject has been
treated mainly from the standpoint of people
who traveled westward at a time when the
real hardships and perils of the trip were
much less than those encountered in the
fifties.
A very large proportion of the people now
residing in the Far West are descendants of
emigrants who came by the precarious means
afforded by ox-team conveyances. For some
three-score years the younger generations
have heard from the lips of their ancestors
enough of that wonderful pilgrimage to
create among them a widespread demand for a
complete and typical narrative.
This story consists of facts, with the real
names of the actors in the drama. The
events, gay, grave and tragic, are according
to indelible recollections of eye-witnesses,
including those of THE AUTHOR.
Source: Crossing the Plains, Days of
'57 A Narrative of Early Emigrant Travel to
California by the Ox-team Method.
Written by Wm Audley Maxwell. Published
1915, Sunset Publishing House, San
Francisco, CA.
Online Publication: The manuscript was
scanned and then ocr'd. Minimal editing has
been done, and readers can and should expect
some errors in the textual output.
