Title: A trip across the plains in the year 1849, with notes of a voyage to California, by way of Panama
Description: The part of this book on the overland trail is actually the journal of Jesse Morgan from Holmes County, Ohio. Martha claimed to have married him somehwere on this journey, escaping a polygamous Mormon marriage. As far as I know there are no extant copies of her biographical book on this escape from polygamy. Supposedly she printed the later book, with some poems, Jesse Morgan's 1849 land journey and the voyage through Panama, in California and sold, door-to-door, perhaps one hundred copies.  It is not known (1) if she was really married to J. Morgan, who was killed in August 1850 in the "Squatters' Riot" in Sacramento, (2) if she actually made the Panama trip herself, or (3) to what degree she edited J. Morgan's journal. (She is mentioned nowhere in it.) I have, I believe,  one of the last three copies of this text as reprinted by Ye Gallion Press in 1983. I don't plan to sell this. Jesse Morgan was my thrice-great grandfather. He had a wife in Ohio and family letters indicate she knew nothing about the California "wife" Martha. The book includes some "inspirational poems" (writers of all but one [attributed to Mrs. M. M. Morgan] are not indicated) and a coroner's notice on the burial of Jesse. I would be happy to learn more about the story of Jessie and Martha from anyone. Paul Kaser
Subjects: Description and travel, History, Overland journeys to the Pacific, Voyages to the Pacific coast
Places: West (U.S.)
People: Martha M. Morgan
Time periods: 1848-1860