The Story of John and Evaline Robinson - as told by Evelyn Robinson Lyser

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Notes assembled by her friend Claudia Costa in 2002.

Additional notes [brackets] 2008 by Evelyn's son Chris. We have heard these stories all our lives. This may be the first time they have been collected in one place. - C.

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When I was 10 years old my paternal grandmother , Evaline Thomas Robinson (a widow), came to live with us for a while after my mother gave birth to her 4th daughter, Emma Louise (born 1/7/21). Emma Louise got pneumonia and barely recovered. Grandma, who had had her 91st birthday on 2/4/21, came to help. The help she gave was much against my mother protestations.

She was "hale and hearty", wore glasses for reading only, did not need a cane and was a cheerful, outgoing person who especially loved my father Chester Ellswod Robinson. [Claudia's spelling? ERL said Elwood or later, Ellswood.]

When she had finished her morning chores, she would sit down in a comfortable wicker rocking chair which faced a northern exposure and rocked gently. I would join her sitting on the floor and I would ask her "what do you see out there?" She would reply "It reminds me of my growing up on the prairie". She was born in Shelbyville, Indiana. She would tell how they had lived on a farm on land cleared for raising wheat and food for the family. They were pioneers, settlers on homestead land which they had cleared themselves for planting virgin crops. They raised almost everything they ate.

She said that she had been a "good little girl" but that she had done something for which she would have been severely punished if the family had know about it. When her family left for town and she was left alone, she would climb a ladder to the half-second floor (we would call it a mezzanine) and she would steal some white sugar which was only used for special occasions. They used brown sorghum syrup (I forget the name they used for it). I know they had sorghum from sugar case that they used in things like cornmeal pancakes and even in cakes. Grandmother said that she always felt guilty even as an old woman that she had done this thing as a girl, and her parents never seemed to know about it. She felt that the sugar was like candy for her.

She would go on to tell me that she moved to Albion, Iowa, though she said she did not remember this. Her parents had some friends named Fowler who gone to California. When they got there, they wrote glowing letters about the excellent land available, at practically no cost, as homestead . The land had never been plowed or cultivated before. In the 1850s there was much talk about gold having been discovered in California and that all kinds of people were being drawn there, dreaming of making a fortune. She said that her father scoffed at this, he was a farmer and it was the good land, new land, that intrigued him. Also the climate in Iowa, which was very harsh in winter, and the mental picture of a sunny land that appealed to him so strongly. So, in 1858 he decided to go west with his family to acquire land by "homestead". He was not going for gold, but for a new start in farming.

His father had moved with his family to land outside St Joseph, Missouri. There he had established a horse farm. My Grandfather wanted to go there early by about six months to plan and organize their move to California. He must have sold to another settler to pay for their provisions, horses and oxen, mules etc. and getting a spring wagon and outfitting the wagon with a frame to hold canvas to make it into a "covered wagon".

My Grandmother, Evaline (pronounced Eva-line) was pregnant and near delivery in the early Spring. Grandfather planned to wait for the birth near St Joseph, but get an early start for California so that they could arrive in California well before the Sierra winter storms and snows. The story of the Donner Party tragedy was widely known and offered a warning about crossing to near the winter.

I believe that my Grandfather was a good planner regarding food and supplies needed for the long journey (about 2000 miles I believe). He had spare parts for the wheels, harnesses, an iron stove etc. His father turned over the second flood of his brick home to John Shelly and his family for the six month preparation, and birth of the baby.

Some people moving west drove cattle beside them, but I have the impression that my Grandfather only had extra horses, oxen and a milking cow and her calf. I can imagine that the "covered wagon" was covered with pots and pans and water canvas bags tied to it.

The date of departure was April 1, 1859 when the baby girl Martha was 3 weeks old. If I remember correctly, they were accompanied by a young cousin of John's named Oscar Robinson who would help with chores and driving the oxen who pulled the wagon.

Grandmother said that it was very difficult to say goodby to her parents, she thought she would never see her relatives again. John's father went to St. Joseph with his sons family and together they were ferried, wagon and all, to the western side of the Missouri River which was teeming with people, wagons and livestock . They had to seek out and select a group with which they would set out on the long track. John chose twenty families with wagons and they formed a wagon train. John was elected the captain of the group.

John embraced his father who departed on the ferry returning to St. Joseph on the Eastern side of the Missouri River.

The wagon train moved out onto what was not a true road but only a path beaten by earlier pioneers. It was muddy from recent rain since they were traveling during a rainy period. This, of course, made travel hard on the animals. My imagination suggests considerable discomfort and a moody outlook. The Robinson's wagon was pulled by 4 oxen. The favorite was a plodding and patient animal (who tried hard to make progress) named Old Blue. The children became fond of him. The Robinson wagon was first in line since John Robinson was the elected captain. He rode a horse and overlooked the whole train, riding back and helping anyone who had a problem if he could. His wagon was driven by Oscar Robinson. My Grandmother sat beside him holding her infant Martha in her arms. The children were kept inside the wagon with the flaps of canvas pulled down to protect them from the cold and rainy weather. When the rainy season passed everyone felt relief and even joy at the genre, the warm sun and the many wild flowers that began to bloom along their path. Many left their wagons and walked along side enjoying the scenery and picking flowers.

After a time they came to the Platte River, which they had to cross. This was a dangerous and fearsome thing to cross as the river was running high from the long rain. My Grandmother put her baby inside the wagon and told Mary who was 7 or 8 years old at the time, to sit quietly and not "rock the boat". The men made some adjustments to the wagon to keep the water out from the inside of the wagon. Grandfather took over the driving reins. Oscar rode on one side and John on the other side of the wagon and they coaxed the oxen to swim across. The horses did not like this and they had to goad and whip them into the water to swim across the river. Grandma said that this was the most scary part in the whole trip. The calf and cow had to swim across the river as well as some horses in John's entourage. The water was swift and cold and if they tipped over, or the animals moved in a sideways direction instead of straight across, all would be washed down the river.

This was so strenuous that once they had crossed they encamped for a day to rest the animals and the settlers.

The Platte was a meandering river and they had to cross it several times. At one time the calf got separated from the cow and was washed down stream. The children cried as their animals were such a part of their life. The men walked along the river after the crossing hoping the calf would wash ashore, but they found no trace of her.

The people in the wagon train were pious and humble self respecting people who felt that God was on their side. Many prayers were said and they could express gratitude when their lives were good. None of the wagons were washed away on the several crossing of the Platte River.

Sunday was always a day of rest and prayers. Both people and animals needed their time of rest. Some groups would form a Bible reading group and have Church services. I don't know the religions of the members of the train, but I know that the Robinsons were Methodist and very pious.

John and others were concerned about the amount of energy expended on the muddy trail - even wondering if their stock would be able to endure the long trip ahead.

Grandma did not tell me a complete story, but chose memorable episodes. One was the time that Indians bore down on the encircled camp. Every day in the afternoon John would ride ahead and choose their resting place for the night. They made a circle and cooked dinner within the circle. The children were expected to pick up twigs and other wood as they walked along during the day. They often picked up pieces of hard buffalo dung chips which made a very hot fire. Several of the families would form a group for cooking and other maintenance was needed. They were still on the prairie and encamped one evening when a group of young Indian men in war paint came into camp. They had some guns and bows and arrows. Their leader came into the circle. My grandfather, as captain, stepped forward. They could only talk in sign language but Grandfather got the gist of what the Indian was saying. He wanted food, he said all of his people were starving because the travelers has killed all of their buffalo. The Indian wanted all of their stored provisions. Grandfather said that they could not have their provisions because his own people would starve.

Grandmother was making a big batch of dough for fried bread. An Indian entered the circle, pushed her aside, taking her big pan of dough. He lifted his leather "apron" in front of him and began to scrape the dough into it. Grandma could see that her husband was enraged by the treatment of his wife and she was afraid there would be violence. She tried to catch her husbands eyes and protested that she did not want the bread back. My father told the story with a laugh because the Indian was not wearing anything under his apron. I am sure, showing his anger, my Grandfather was thinking hard for an answer, when the Indian said it was meat that they needed most. Remembering that that morning the oxen " Old Blue" had been killed because it was to fragile and tired to go on. They thought of abandoning the ox but thought it was only decent to kill him rather that let him die of starvation. He made the Indian realize that there was a dead ox a few miles back of the trail that would serve them for food. The Indians whooped an rode off in a hurry. John had saved the day for the whole camp by his quick thinking and acting.

On another occasion, he was riding ahead and he saw a smoldering wagon and saw some graves nearby. He assumed that a group had been attacked by Indians and some people killed. That afternoon he took that train on a slightly different track so that would not see this.

At times, riding ahead, he would find graves with notices that people had died of cholera. At this sight, he would ride back and warn the settlers so that all of the children would be put in the wagon for their safety.

She remembered climbing rocks, a huge protuberance of sand stone, where adventurous settlers climbed high and carved their names. She said that John Robinson did this to leave his mark.

Finally they came to a fort run by US Soldiers and offering provisions for sale at unreasonably high prices. John did not need any since he had done such good planning. His family had all they needed. The 6 monthly provision was showing his good planning for the trip. He did not want to tarry there, as outside the fort there were many Indians in a sullen mood that stared at his group with considerable hostility. John and his animals moved on pushing their animals to hurry.

At this point, Mary had a birthday. I don't know which one it was. Her mother, Evaline, said she did not want her daughter to have no birthday celebration so she made her a cake - cornmeal and syrup and honey. She dug a deep round hole that would accommodate the round pan, then she put hot rock on the bottom, layered the top with hot rocks on top and them covered it with dirt. When she figured it was "baked" she dug the pan out and they invited the other children to the party.

I think Grandma as a young woman was self-assertive and "spunky". When they were crossing the Continental Divide in the high mountains, John became very concerned about the fatigue that the oxen were showing and told her that they would have to lighten the load on the wagons. She accepted this and under protest, allowed him to unload the maple chest her father had made for her as a wedding gift. Then she saw him put out the sad iron, which one heated on the top of the wood stove for ironing etc. That night after everyone was camped she trekked to the place where he had left it. She picked up the sad iron and brought it back and put it in the wagon. This was a time when the father was the patriarch of the family and she was not about to argue with him about it, but she said that she was not about to have her children wear un-ironed clothing in California. John made no response and the iron remained in the wagon.

She said they went through two deserts. I can only guess that this refers to the Humboldt Sink and the Salt Flats near the Salt Lake area. I think they came down from high mountains (the Continental Divide) and looked down on the bare arid place. Later they had to cross the Sierra Nevada. The area was bare alkali which stung their throats and there was no water in this area. They filled everything they could with water for themselves and the animals. The filled the wagon with every green thing they could find for food for the animals. The heat was very high and as they traveled along they saw many abandoned wagons and bleaching bones of horses, cows and oxen and shallow graves of travelers who had not made it through the desert alive. I am sure that they did a lot of praying as they toiled through this 3 day stretch. She said they traveled by night because of the heat and the wind was not so bad at night. During the day they slept under the wagon where there was some relief from the heat. This sounds very scary to me, but my Grandmother had great faith. She said that the Lord was with them and they would survive, and they did. [Note by her son Chris: As told to me, she said the sadirons were abandoned/recovered in Nevada's Forty Mile Desert at a time when the wagons kept breaking through the alkali crust and bogging down.]

I don't believe they ever saw the beautiful Lake Tahoe, she didn't mention it. The trail over the Sierra used two different passes and she did not specify which they used. I think one would be Tahoe Lake and then by Donner Lake, and one was over the Carson Pass South of the Tahoe area. I think that is the one they took, but I can't be sure. [When we were children, Mom showed us rocks at the summit of Carson Pass where immigrants had written their names, and told us her grandfather may have written his name there. -C.]

It was a great relief to be ascending the Sierra since that meant they were close to California. That meant no more rocks, only trails that could accommodate horses and wagons alike. In places they had to break a trail. At one point a huge bolder had fallen down onto the trail. They tried to dislodge it but it was too large. They had to unhook the oxen and horses that had been pulling the wagon. Then, using ropes to raise the wagon over the bolder and let it down on the other side. This sounds dangerous and unwieldy to me, and they had to camp there afterward because the men were so tired. The animals also felt uneasy about this problem. As Grandmother told me about this, I realized how stout hearted and courageous these pioneers were!

She also told me about the time that the trail was so narrow, a rear wheel of the wagon slipped off the trail and it was in danger of falling down the side of the mountain. Grandma had been riding on the seat at the front of the wagon holding Martha in her arms. She jumped down, holding the baby tightly. She and the baby rolled down the embankment over small rocks and brush until a tree stopped her. Her husband rushed down after her, fearing for her and the baby. Martha was unscratched and unhurt since she had been tightly wrapped and held close to her mother. Grandma was only scratched and bruised with no broken bones. In the meantime, a crowd of men held the frightened oxen from panicking and then pulling the wagon to get the wheel back on track. Grandma got back on the spring seat and they rode on.

I remember asking her at that point if that was the worst time, when she felt most afraid. She said that although they felt very upset, it was not the worst. The worst was when they crossed the Platte river several times and she had to take over the reins - sitting high on the spring wagon seat and entrust Mary to Martha for protection. She said that to tip over at that point would have been life threatening when the river was running high and deep during the rains. She said she practically held her breath because of fear for her children. The men were in the river on horseback guiding the oxen and the wagons across the river. It was not so bad because the river was not very wide at that point and the experience passed quickly. I remember I thought about this when I went to bed, and was very thankful that I had not had to experience this. I used to say my prayers at night but I never shared this with anyone else. I would pray to God for sparing my family. I realized that if they had not had a successful crossing, I would not be there in the present!

I am not sure if they landed in Sacramento. I am sure that when they reached the crest of the Sierra that they realized they had reached California. I'm sure they had a meeting of the whole camp to thank God for the great success of their crossing.

[Addition by her son Chris: Many times driving past Cordelia, Mom said she was told that the western terminus of her grandparents journey was the Fowlers home at Cordelia, and she thought an old house at the beginning of Jameson Canyon Rd (just off I-80 toward Napa, just northwest of the modern Red Top Dairy) may have been the actual house where The Fowlers lived. She thought her grandfather worked there for a season before establishing his own place.]

My Grandmother told me that her husband John, my paternal Grandfather, was especially happy that nobody had died along the way. Also they had left on April 1, 1859 and arrived in California on August 1, 1859. Four months was considered a very fast and fortunate time for the trip! I never knew this Grandfather as he had died, I believe on 1-1-1900. Grandmother talked about him and I felt that I knew him well. He was a tall men, over six feet and he had piercing blue eyes. Grandma said his word was a good as his bond. He was honest, hard working and very strict with his children. He was living in a time when people believed "spare the rod - spoil the child". I have not heard of any whippings he administered but I think that he ruled by keeping his sons and daughters from breaking any rules.

Grandmother was in and out of my home and life and I was growing up and I think that her personality was a strong influence on me growing up. She was friendly with me, out going. I always felt lucky that she and my mother had the same name. Grandmother spelled it Evaline as did my mother until she named me Evelyn and then she began to spell her name that way for documents and important papers. Most people who knew my mother called her Eva. Grandma never seemed angry at anything - she was serene and looked on the bright side of life.

I think my Grandmother was especially fond of my father. He was a great surprise as she was 45 when he was born and she believed she was beyond the age of giving birth. She had borne eleven children and raised seven of them. Grandmother was born 2/4/1830 in Shelbyville, Indiana. Her maiden name was Thomas. Her parents came from Wales. Her family settled in Kentucky, then moved on to Indiana. Her father was a cabinet maker. He made her a maple chest as a wedding gift.

My paternal grandfather was a farmer and very proud of it. The family was Methodist and very religious. Most of their social life was centered around the Church. My Grandfather wanted it known that he came to California because there was good land there available for homesteading. He did not want people to think he had come to California for gold. It was his practice to homestead at low cost, improve it and build a house and perhaps a barn, clear the land of trees and tree stumps and plant fruit and nut trees. Once he had accomplished this, he would turn the farm over to one of his sons and move on again to another homestead. The work was hard for both he and his wife. He felt happy he had sons to help him with the farm work, and daughters to help his wife with fruit picking, canning as well as the plentiful laundry.

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Notes by Chris: John and Evaline Robinson went on to homestead several places in California. Chester, Evelyn's father, was born in 1875 when they farmed at Lemoore near Hanford south of Fresno. They also farmed at Santa Fe Springs, east of Los Angeles, and at one time they lived in Los Angeles. Chester grew up in Lemoore and then attended high school in St Helena where his parents had moved by that time, about 1890.