Thomas Jefferson Farnham (1804–1848) was an explorer and author of the American West in the first half of the 19th century. His travels included interaction with missionary

Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to: Entertainment *Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder *Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor * Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...

, and he later led a wagon train on the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...

. While in Oregon Country he wrote a petition to federal authorities that requested federal protection of the region from the United States government, which was signed by many of the local settlers who had come from the United States.

Early/Middle life

In 1804 Thomas Farnham was born in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

, in either

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

or what later became the state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

.Corning, Howard M. (1989). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 83. He then received an education at

Phillips Academy, Andover ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

and moved to Peoria, Illinois, where he became a lawyer. Farnham was married in 1836 to Eliza Woodson Burhams, and they had three children. In 1839 he heard a lecture by Jason Lee on

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

where Lee had set up a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

to preach to the Native Americans in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the eas ...

. At the time Lee was recruiting more people for the mission. After this lecture Farnham joined the Peoria Party that was headed for Oregon and became the captain of the group of 19. The Peoria men called themselves the Oregon Dragoons and carried with them a flag, a gift from Mrs. Farnham, emblazoned with their motto "OREGON or the GRAVE".

Travels

Captain Farnham and the Oregon Dragoons traveled the Oregon Trail and arrived at

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of th ...

along the Columbia River with only five people of the 19 that began the journey. The other members of the party deserted the group along the way. Farnham wrote a petition for the American settlers while in the region. This document was signed by many of the U.S. pioneers, and called on the federal government to extend its jurisdiction over the area in order to protect Americans and their interests. At the time, the region was uncontrolled by any country, though both the British and Americans had economic interests and citizens in the region. Thomas Farnham then left the settlements of the

and sailed for the

Sandwich Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Ku ...

. Returning to the mainland, he landed at

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

, capital of Alta California. While there, Farnham helped to secure the release (in 1841) of a group of Americans, British and

Californios Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there sinc ...

, arrested in Alta California in 1840 and sent by ship to San Blas, then overland to a prison in

Tepic Tepic () is the capital and largest city of the western Mexican state of Nayarit, as well as the seat of the Tepic Municipality. Located in the central part of the state, it stands at an altitude of above sea level, on the banks of the Rí ...

. Governor Juan Alvarado, assisted by military commander

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Don (honorific), Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (4 July 1807 – 18 January 1890) was a Californios, Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of ...

,Thwaites, Reuben Gold. 1906. ''Early western travels, 1748-1846''. Cleveland, Ohio: A.H. Clark Co. Vol. XXVIII, p 13-14. accused the men, involved in what became known as the Graham Affair, of plotting a revolt against the Mexican government.Charles B. Churchill, Thomas Jefferson Farnham: An Exponent of American Empire in Mexican California. ''The Pacific Historical Review'', Vol. 60, No. 4 (Nov., 1991), pp. 517-537. During the Graham Affair, Farnham traveled to San Blas, arriving on May 16, 1840, then went on to Tepic to meet with the prisoners. Following the prisoners' release, Farnham continued across Mexico to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. In 1841, he moved on to New York City, then to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

for a brief time. Farnham later moved to

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...

, before moving back to California in 1846. He died in San Francisco, California on September 13, 1848. Farnham's widow Eliza moved to

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

and went on to become a leading abolitionist, novelist and early feminist.

Works

Travels in the Californias, and scenes in the Pacific Ocean

* ''Travels in Oregon Territory'' (1842)
''Travels in the Great Western Prairies''
(1843) * ''Travels in the Californias and Scenes in the Pacific'' (1844) * ''A Memoir of the Northwest Boundary-Line'' (1845) * ''Mexico, its Geography, People, and Institutions'' (1846)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnham, Thomas J. American explorers California pioneers Oregon pioneers American non-fiction outdoors writers American male non-fiction writers Writers from California 1804 births 1848 deaths American emigrants to Mexico Foreign residents of Mexican California Oregon Country People from Santa Cruz, California

Early/Middle life

Travels

Works

Further reading

References

External links