The Journey Begins

"The party boarded the steamer ARCTIC, at Pittsburg on April 1st, 1853 and 'started the 2' according to the diary kept by Hellen Stewart in a little leathercovered book, printed in London and given to her by her "Aunt Simpson". It has a silver clasp.

Agnes Stewart also kept a diary on the trip west, and both diaries show plainly what delightful girls these Stewart sisters were. Hellen became attached to newly-met fellow travelers on the ARCTIC and hated to leave them when, at St. Louis, the party transferred to the HONDURAS for the trip up the Missouri river to St. Joseph, one of the outfitting points for the westward bound emigrants. Hellen comments that the scenery on the Missouri reminded her of "some old ruined castle I have read about."

On the 20th of April, they had arrived at St. Joseph, but the women and children stayed on board the steamer all night. By the 29th of April, some of their company had started on the road to Oregon, but John Stewart and family still lingered at St. Joseph and on May 2nd, Elizabeth
Young Stewart married Frederick Warner there. Record of their marriage in St. Joseph's court house states that the parties were "bound for Oregon."

Notes: Steamboat picture is just an example of a steamboat that would have been like the one on which the Stewarts & Warners traveled.

Pine Township is now apart of Pittsburgh, PA.

Part 2: Life in Pennsylvania and "Oregon Fever"

Taken from "The John Stewart Family, Oregon Pioneers
of 1853" by Leah C. Menefee. It was printed in the "Lane County Historian" Vol. IX - No. 2 Eugene, Oregon, August 1964.

"John Stewart & his family settled in western Pennsylvania where they lived for several decades. Here John Stewart built a stone house for his growing family and lived near some relatives, who had also come to America from Scotland.

In Pennsylvania, other Stewart daughters were born, Allison in 1829, Agnes in 1832 and Hellen in 1835. In 1833 Annie Stewart the eldest daughter, married a man named James Stewart--no relation. In 1845 Mary Stewart (Michael's 4th Great Grandmother) married John Warner (Michael's 4th Great Grandfather), and in 1847 Allison Stewart married Alexander McGowan. She came to Oregon in 1859, after his death.

Here in Allegheny City, which is now part of Pittsburg, the Stewarts were exposed to the "Oregon Fever" sweeping over the eastern United States, following the successful early emigrations to that far off land, which had begun in 1843.

Like thousands of others, the Stewarts began their journey to Oregon in 1853 accompanied not only by their unmarried daughters, Elizabeth, Agnes and Hellen, but by the married ones, Mary and John Warner and their three young children [Janet (Michael's 3rd Great Grandmother who was 6 when this journey began), Fredrick age 4, and John age 2] and by Annie and James Stewart, with their ten who ranged in age from a boy of almost twenty to a baby born January first 1853.

Also known to have been in the Stewart party from the Pittsburg area were the Loves, Mrs. Margaret and her three sons James, John and David. David was later to marry Hellen Stewart, In Oregon. Also with the Stewarts were two unmarried brothers of John Warner, Frederick and Thomas, both of whom were to marry Stewart girls, one in St. Joseph and one in Oregon."

Note: Items in Italics were added by Marie Arnold.

Next Week: The Journey Begins