Individual

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Jakob Losser

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Deseret News

Names of Immigrants

"Names of Immigrants", Deseret News, September 24, 1862, Page 2.

Transcript for "Names of Immigrants," Deseret News, 24 September 1862, 98

Deseret News.

History of the Zollinger family, including Jacob and Rosetta, reel 14, box 19, fd. 10, item 10, 3

History of the Zollinger family, including Jacob and Rosetta, reel 14, box 19, fd. 10, item 10, 3.

They broke camp on the 9th of August, rather into in the season and were the last company to go west that year. The day before Brother Wintch had died and was buried there. All who were able to, walked while the sick remained in the wagons.



At first everything went quite well but as they proceeded, and were well on their way, feed got scarcer, the roads more dusty, in places, the dust was 8 to 10 inches deep and the cattle began to lose flesh. One day as they were traveling along the dusty road, the team being driven by an Englishman just behind the Zollinger outfit, which was loaded quite heavy with merchandise; his wife was sitting on a box with her feet out over the front end gate, she fell asleep and fell out in front of the wagon which ran over her killing her, the team stopped and they buried her and went on.



On the 7th of Sept. the mother of Brother Wintch who had died the day before leaving camp, also passed onto a better world. A few days later, a child [Surge Louie Jakobs] of Nichlaus Jakobs died and on the 28th of Sept. a son of Jakob Neser [Sigmund Neeser] and on Oct. 1st, a man from England passed away. At on time as they were driving along the Platte River and passing through a grove of cottonwood trees, Ferdinand Zollinger and another man went to see what they could find. They saw something up in a tree wrapped in a Buffalo robe and tied together with ropes. Ferdinand climbed the tree to see what was inside; when he noticed the ropes, he discovered a dea[d] Indian. He quickly descended the tree. The stench made him sick and the next morning he was ill and had to remain in bed. He never walked a step until he got to Salt Lake Valley.



This made 5 sick persons to care for; Ferdinand and wife Louisa, Mother, Doretha, and Elizabeth all down with the mountain fever and the responsibility was upon my Father Jakob [Jacob Zollinger]. When evening would come, they would drive their teams in a circle so as to keep the cattle inside and also for better protection from Indians. After unhitching the teams and taking care of them, he would pitch camp; get the bedding out; go to a neighbors for help to carry the sick from the wagon to the tent. This he had to do all the way to the valley. They hired a German woman to cook for them. Grandfather was old but he walked and drove the two cows all the way across the plains. He was 63 years old. In the morning after breakfast, he would hitch up the 4 yoke of oxen, then get the neighbors to help him carry the sick back into the wagon, and so it went day after day. When they arrived in the mountains, it snowed and got cold, so cold in fact, that some froze their feet and one man had to have his toes amputated. It was bad traveling and they could not make many miles per day. On the 5th of October, a man named [Jakob] Looser [Losser] died and a day or two later, a baby was born but died the same day. It belonged to a family named Bachofen. They got to Green River and the snow was gone. On the night of October 27th, my Father failed to unyoke one pair of oxen, the next morning they were gone and could not be found. Some thief had got away with them. This left them with 3 yoke of oxen for the remainder of the journey.



On the 30th of October, they arrived at the mouth of Emigration Canyon and many people came to see if their relatives were in the company.

Transcript for History of the Zollinger family, including Jacob and Rosetta, reel 14, box 19, fd. 10, item 10, 3

Zollinger, Jacob, Reminiscences, 13-14, in Ruth Zollinger, comp., Jacob Zollinger family genealogy

Zollinger, Jacob, Reminiscences, 13-14, in Ruth Zollinger, comp., Jacob Zollinger family genealogy.

August 8, 1862
Our company consisted of sixty teams and wagons. We were among the six outfits independently owned and we traveled together. We were the last company to go west. At first all went well, then the roads became dusty with eight to ten inches of dust in some places. Progress became slow, feed scarce and the cattle began to lose flesh. Some of the people became sick and had to remain in their wagons. A wagon following our wagon was driven by and Englishman and his wife. She fell asleep and fell under the wheels of the heavy wagon killing her instantly. They stopped and buried her and then went on. 
On the 7th of September, Sister [Anna Willemann] Wintch [Wintsch] died. A few days later a child of Michlaus [Niklaus] Jakobs died, and a son of Jacob Neaser, and October 1st, a man from England passed away.
THE INCIDENT OF THE DEAD INDIAN at FORT LARAMIE
While passing through a grove of cottonwood trees along the Platte River, Ferdie [Ferdinand Johannes Zollinger] and his chum, Henry Mathes, noticed something tied in a buffalo robe hanging in a tree. Out of curiosity, Ferdie climbed up to investigate. To his astonishment he found a dead Indian. The stench made him sick.
Following the incident of the dead Indian, my brother Ferdie joined the rest of the family my mother, my two sisters and his wife, Louisa [Meyer Zollinger], with what was then called the Mountain Fever. He never walked another step until we arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. My father, sixty three, drove the two cows and gathered wood for the fires each morning and evening as he walked along, so you may guess that most of the work was left to me. I hired a German woman to cook for us and care for the sick. I got a youngster about my age, 17, to help me with the oxen each morning and evening. Each evening a circle was made with the wagons, the oxen unyoked and kept confined to the inside perimeter, giving better protection against the Indians. I had to put up the tent, set up the stove and make the fire in addition to milking the cows and go after the water which was usually some distance away. With the assistance of a neighbor, the sick had to be carried back into the wagon and so it was day after day.
Approaching the mountain terrain and on to the south pass, having an elevation of 7550 feet, we moved through snow and experienced very cold temperatures. Many froze their feet. One man, upon reaching the Salt Lake Valley, had to have his toes amputated and on the 5th of October a man named [Jakob] Looser [Losser] died. A day or so later, the Bachofen baby died at birth.
Our travels took us across the Sweet[water] River several times. We had to carry some of the people across this river on our backs.. There was five inches of snow on the ground so you might guess the water was very cold. When we reached the Green River the snow was gone. We came down Echo Canyon and camped a number of miles south of what is now Coalville, on October 27th. I forgot to unyoke one pair of oxen and the next morning they were gone. Someone had stolen them, but we managed to keep going and on the 30th of October we arrived at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. Many people came to see if any of their relations were in our company. One man came all the way from St. George, Utah. 
On the 31st, we drove into the city and we camped in Emigration Square. The cattle were turned out to graze in the church pasture but being so late in the year the feed was about gone. Thirty five people had lost their lives in our company.

Transcript for Zollinger, Jacob, Reminiscences, 13-14, in Ruth Zollinger, comp., Jacob Zollinger family genealogy

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