Russell King Homer Family

When it comes to my pioneer ancestors, I expect that none of them cross the plains as many times as Russell King Homer. Russell King Homer first came across the plains with the SAMUEL GULLY/ORSON SPENCER COMPANY (1849) with his brother Benjamin Thomas Homer, but not exactly as members of this company, but rather as employees driving freight for the non-Mormon merchants Livingstone-Kincaid company. Russell King Homer later led a pioneer company in 1858 and another group of Scandinavian emigrants in 1859 about which very little is known.

Records suggest that there were 60 people in the Russell King Homer Company of 1858, but lists only show 33 known individuals. The major event associated with their travels was a lightning storm in which several people were injured, a couple severely. Here is a snippet from the narrative:

"About August 10, as the emigrants camped just above the Grand Island of the Platte, a violent storm burst upon them, with thunder, lightning, and pouring rain. More than a dozen people crowded into the cook tent, seeking shelter. Suddenly, lightening struck the tent. Everyone inside it was stunned (one boy did not recover until the next day), but the most severely injured was Captain Homer's wife, whose shoes were torn off and whose feet, legs, and clothing were burned."

Accounts of the Samuel Gulley / Orson Spencer Company of 1849
Thomas Atkin
Margaret Jane McIntire Burgess
Elizabeth Hyde
Ruben Miller

Accounts of the Russell King Homer Company of 1858
Lyman Littlefield
Christopher Olsen Folkman
William H. Homer, son of Russell King Homer.

Additional Links:
Biography of Russell King Homer
Biography of Eliza Williamson Homer