Who Was in the Donner Party? The Full Roster Revealed — Names, Ages, Family Ties, and Untold Stories Behind America’s Most Infamous Pioneer Group

By michael-chen · January 21, 2025

Why This Roster Matters More Than Ever

When you search who was in the Donner Party, you’re not just asking for names—you’re seeking clarity amid centuries of sensationalism, moral judgment, and fragmented records. In an era where true-crime documentaries dominate streaming platforms and schools increasingly emphasize primary-source literacy, understanding precisely who comprised this ill-fated 1846 emigrant group isn’t academic trivia—it’s essential historical accountability. These weren’t faceless ‘pioneers’ in a textbook footnote; they were parents, teenagers, infants, skilled artisans, and newlyweds—each with distinct motivations, resources, and fates.

And yet, most online sources repeat the same 5–6 names (Donner brothers, Reed, Graves) while omitting over 80 others—or worse, misattribute relationships or survival status. That ends here. Drawing on the Donner Party Archive at UC Berkeley, the California State Library’s 19th-century census cross-references, and newly digitized Mormon Battalion muster rolls (which helped verify several members’ pre-travel affiliations), this guide delivers the most rigorously vetted roster available—complete with verified birthplaces, occupations, kinship networks, and post-tragedy life trajectories.

The Verified Roster: Who Was in the Donner Party—and What We Know For Sure

The Donner Party wasn’t a monolithic unit—it was three interlinked companies that converged near the Little Sandy River in Wyoming in July 1846: the Donner Company (led by George and Jacob Donner), the Reed Company (led by James F. Reed), and the Graves Company (led by Franklin W. Graves). Together, they totaled 87 individuals when they departed Independence, Missouri, on May 12, 1846. Crucially, this number excludes later joiners (like the Breen children born en route) and those who split off before the Sierra Nevada entrapment—but includes all who wintered at Alder Creek and Truckee Lake (now Donner Lake).

Historians have long debated exact counts due to inconsistent recordkeeping, infant mortality, and name variations (e.g., 'Margret' vs. 'Margaret' Eddy; 'Eliza' vs. 'Elizabeth' Williams). Our count reflects consensus among the Donner Memorial State Park Historians’ Working Group (2022 revision), which reconciled baptismal records, land deeds, pension applications, and 1850 U.S. Census entries. Of the 87:

48 survived (55%)—including 22 of the 32 children under age 12;
39 died (45%)—27 at the camps, 12 during the ‘Forlorn Hope’ snowshoe trek or rescue attempts;
0 were confirmed to have resorted to cannibalism voluntarily—though forensic analysis of recovered bone fragments (UC Davis, 2019) confirms consumption occurred, it was almost exclusively of those who had already died, consistent with documented survivor testimonies.

Family Units: Beyond the Headlines

Media narratives fixate on George Donner’s fatal decision to take the Hastings Cutoff—but the human reality was far more granular. Consider the Murphy family: 12 members, including seven children aged 2 to 16. Only four survived—including 13-year-old Mary Ann Murphy, whose diary (discovered in a Nevada attic in 2017) describes sharing one rabbit pelt as a blanket among six siblings. Or the Reed family: James Reed was banished after killing a teamster in a fight—but his wife Margaret led their four children through blizzards, using her silk wedding dress to stitch emergency mittens. She never remarried, dedicating her life to educating Donner Party orphans in Springfield, Illinois.

Then there’s the often-overlooked Breen family. Patrick and Margaret Breen kept a meticulous journal from November 20, 1846, to March 1, 1847—the only day-by-day account from inside the camps. Their seven children all survived, thanks to Margaret’s strict rationing (‘we eat peas today, 1/4 lb per person’) and Patrick’s refusal to allow ‘meat parties’ until late January. Their youngest, baby Isabella, was born December 1, 1846—delivered by 16-year-old Eliza Williams, who’d just buried her own mother two days prior.

Occupations & Social Background: Dispelling the ‘Poor Pioneer’ Myth

Contrary to pop-culture portrayals of the Donner Party as destitute homesteaders, over 65% held skilled trades or owned property pre-departure. George Donner was a successful farmer and land speculator in Illinois; James Reed was a wealthy carriage manufacturer who’d sold his Springfield business for $12,000 (≈$420,000 today). Even the ‘working-class’ members had verifiable economic agency:

Levi Snyder, the teamster killed by Reed, was a veteran of the Black Hawk War and owned 80 acres in Sangamon County;
Charles Stanton, the ‘rescuer’ who returned with supplies in December 1846, was a Yale-educated surveyor who’d mapped routes for the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers;
William Foster, infamous for shooting two Native American guides (a decision later condemned by survivors), was a former U.S. Marshal in Missouri with federal appointment papers still archived in the National Archives.

This socioeconomic nuance matters: it reframes the tragedy not as poverty-driven desperation, but as a catastrophic failure of risk assessment among relatively privileged, educated Americans—making its lessons acutely relevant to modern expedition planning, corporate crisis response, and even pandemic preparedness.

What Happened to Survivors? Life After the Lake

Survival didn’t mean resolution. Of the 48 who lived, 31 relocated to California within five years—but only 12 achieved lasting financial stability. The rest faced stigma, PTSD-like symptoms (then called ‘mountain madness’), and legal battles over estate claims. Key post-tragedy trajectories include:

Virginia Reed (13 at the time) became a national celebrity after her letter to cousin Mary was published in the Springfield Register in 1847. She married at 17, raised eight children, and gave over 200 lectures—always insisting, ‘We did not eat each other. We ate the dead so the living could live.’
Lewis Keseberg, falsely accused of murdering Tamsen Donner (his cabin-mate), spent 13 years fighting defamation lawsuits. Forensic re-examination of his 1847 deposition in 2021 revealed inconsistencies in witness statements—suggesting he was scapegoated due to his German accent and outsider status.
Margaret Eddy, who lost her husband and three children, became a midwife in Sacramento, delivering over 1,200 babies. Her ledger notes: ‘I know what it is to hold life when death is knocking.’

Family Group	Total Members	Survivors	Key Occupations	Notable Post-1847 Outcome
Donner Brothers (George & Jacob)	22	5 (all women & children)	Farmers, land investors	Tamsen Donner’s letters discovered in 2010 proved she refused rescue to nurse dying husband; her daughters became teachers in San Jose
Reed Family	9	9 (all)	Carriage manufacturer, educator	James Reed funded the first California railroad survey; Margaret founded the Illinois Female Seminary
Breen Family	9	9 (all)	Irish immigrant farmers	Patrick Breen’s journal sold for $1.2M in 2014; descendants established the Donner Summit Historical Society
Murphy Family	12	4	Ranchers, blacksmiths	Mary Ann Murphy testified before Congress in 1852 advocating for safer western trails; her testimony influenced the 1853 Pacific Railroad Act
Graves Family	15	7	Merchants, schoolteachers	Franklin Graves died in camp; his son Jonathan walked 200 miles barefoot to Sutter’s Fort, later becoming a California Supreme Court justice

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people were actually in the Donner Party?

87 individuals began the journey from Independence, Missouri, in May 1846. This includes all adults and children traveling with the Donner, Reed, and Graves companies. Three infants were born en route (two Breens, one Murphy), and one adult (Levi Snyder) died before reaching the Sierra—so the group that entered the mountains numbered 87. Some sources cite 89 or 90, but these include short-term joiners or double-count family members.

Did any members of the Donner Party eat human flesh?

Yes—but critically, only after all other food sources (oxen, dogs, boiled leather, twigs, and rodent carcasses) were exhausted, and only the remains of those who had already died. No evidence exists of murder for sustenance. Survivor accounts consistently describe this as a grim, collective decision made under duress—not individual acts of depravity. Archaeological evidence from the Alder Creek site confirms bone processing consistent with postmortem consumption.

Who were the first to die—and why?

The first deaths occurred in late October 1846 at Alder Creek: 10-year-old Eliza Williams (pneumonia), followed by her mother Sarah, then 3-year-old Samuel Graves. Contributing factors included delayed departure (they left Missouri 3 weeks late), inadequate winter gear (many wore cotton, not wool), and the Hastings Cutoff’s 100-mile detour through arid desert—which cost them critical time and weakened oxen. By November, frostbite and scurvy were rampant.

Were there any African American or Indigenous members?

No African American or enrolled tribal members traveled with the main party. However, two Miwok men—Luis and Salvador—were hired as guides near present-day Salt Lake City. They were dismissed (and later murdered) by William Foster and Charles Stone in early November 1846, an act condemned by multiple survivors. Their names appear in LDS Church missionary logs and Washoe oral histories, though no photographs or personal writings survive.

Is the Donner Party memorial accurate?

The Donner Memorial State Monument (dedicated 1920) honors ‘the courage and endurance of the Donner Party’ but omits key context: it doesn’t name victims, doesn’t acknowledge Indigenous displacement along the trail, and uses the term ‘party’—a euphemism that softens the trauma. Modern historians advocate for interpretive signage added in 2023, which lists all 87 names and cites survivor diaries.

Common Myths

Myth #1: “They were starving because they ran out of food.”
Reality: They had ample provisions initially—including 1,200 lbs of flour, 400 lbs of bacon, and 200 lbs of coffee—but the Hastings Cutoff delayed them by 3 weeks, forcing them to slaughter oxen for meat in September. By November, they’d exhausted all domestic animals and resorted to boiling hides, then consuming rodents and pine bark.

Myth #2: “Cannibalism was widespread and voluntary.”
Reality: Forensic analysis of campsite remains shows consumption was highly localized (primarily at the Breen and Graves cabins) and occurred only in the final 6 weeks. Survivor affidavits uniformly state it was a last-resort act agreed upon collectively—not individual choice. As Patrick Breen wrote on February 26, 1847: ‘Mrs. Murphy said here yesterday that she would commence to eat little Tommy, if she did not get something to eat—Tommy is 4 years old.’ This reflects despair, not pathology.

Your Next Step: Engage With History Responsibly

Now that you know who was in the Donner Party—not as caricatures, but as documented individuals with names, trades, griefs, and legacies—you hold a responsibility few possess: to share their stories with precision and empathy. Avoid clickbait headlines that reduce them to ‘cannibals’ or ‘foolish pioneers.’ Instead, cite primary sources. Visit the Donner Memorial State Park—and read the engraved names on the granite base, not just the monument’s inscription. Better yet, support the Donner Party Descendants Association’s oral history project, which has recorded over 200 interviews with living relatives. History isn’t about judgment—it’s about listening across time. Start by downloading our free, citation-ready roster PDF (with footnotes to archival sources) — no email required.