Agnes R (Hancock) Campbell (1800 - 1846)

Born 6 Sep 1800 in Muhlenberg, Kentucky, United States

Wife of William Campbell — married 1822 in Kentucky, United States

Descendants

Died 20 Nov 1846 at age 46 in Santa Clara, CA

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Biography

Agnes (Hancock) Campbell was a California State Pioneer.

Agnes R Hancock was born 6 Sep 1800 in Muhlenberg, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Benjamin Hancock and Pricilla Franklin. She died 30 Nov 1846 in San Jose, California.^[1]

Agnes married William Campbell on 24 Sep 1822 in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.^[2] William was a local farmer, and the son of David Campbell and Margaret Mary Campbell. ^[3] William had been married previously, and had six children, four still living, from his first wife Sarah McNary. In addition, Agnes and William had the following children:

1. Sarah Mary Campbell was born about 1823 in Kentucky.^[3]
2. David William Campbell was born about 1825 in Kentucky.^[3]
3. Benjamin Campbell was born about 1826 in Kentucky.^[3]
4. William G Campbell was born about 1835 in Kentucky.
5. John Franklin Campbell was born about 1839 in Kentucky.
6. Elizabeth Margaret Campbell was born about 1841 in Kentucky.
7. Agnes Susan Campbell was born about 1843 in Kentucky.

For the next 17 years Agnes and William had a farm in Muhlenberg, Kentucky.^[4] In the winter of 1839, Agnes's husband traveled to Illinois and Missouri. William came home with a decision to move his family to Saline County, Missouri. In the spring of 1840, Agnes and her family moved. ^[5] Three year later, Agnes and William decided to move further west. ^[6] Prior to this time, very few people had traveled west overland. On April 1, 1846, 250 wagons gathered at Independence, Missouri to travel West. Some planned to travel Oregon, and others to California. It was a much larger group than expected, and it was decided to divide the teams up into groups or companies. Agnes' husband William was elected the Captain of their group, and they selected Kit Carson to be their guide to California. It was decided that each company would be independent, and responsible for their own safety, and for finding game along the trail. The plan was for the companies to travel close to one another, however after a short time, some companies wanted to hurry to California, while others decided to travel more slowly. Kit Carson hurried the Campbell party to California before the start of winter. Another group bound for California (the Donner Party), selected Lansford Hastings to be their guide. He was an incorrigible optimist and a natural born salesman and "hustler," and he moved the Donner Party slowly along a different route, which was longer and in worse condition. This group got caught in early snows in the Sierra Mountains, and a number of people in this party perished.

The Campbell party arrived successfully in San Jose in the Santa Clara Valley in California in October 1846. ^[6][7] At the time, San Jose was a small town of 900 people. ^[8] A few weeks after their arrival in San Jose, Agnes died of typhoid on 26 November 1846. By special permission of the Padre, Suarez del Real, she was buried on the grounds of the Santa Clara Mission in an unmarked grave.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Individual Records [database on-line], Ancestry.com, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=4725&h=1105917&ssrc=pt&tid=82703078&pid=46475987881&usePUB=true
2. ↑ "Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWYP-TXP : 23 February 2021), Agnes Hancock in entry for William Campbell, 1822.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV5-BRKR : 1 June 2020), William M. Campbell, 1885; Burial, , Vandalia Cemetery; citing record ID 25517127, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPG-W49 : 20 February 2021), William Campbell, Muhlenberg, Kentucky, United States; citing 96, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 40; FHL microfilm 7,819.
5. ↑ On 6 January 1839, he wrote a letter to his sister Jane Campbell (wife of James McCord Campbell) where he talks about his decision relocate to Missouri. He wrote "I am well pleased with that country but I think that the Illinois is the best and if I was able I would prefer the Illinois; but in my situation I will go to the Missouri. I can get as good land as there is in the state at the government price, in as beautiful prairie as you ever saw in the Illinois 180 miles from the Missouri River on Blackwater, a good navigable stream for decongested navigation. I expect to move in the Spring." A transcription of the letter can be found at https://philnorf.tripod.com/newpage5.htm
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} From the "Biographical Sketch Of William Campbell (1793-1885) Of Santa Clara, California" by Phil Norfleet. Online at https://philnorf.tripod.com/william.htm
7. ↑ From the book "History of the Santa Clara Valley, California" by Eugene Sawyer, published in 1922. Biography of William Lovell, related to, and traveled with William Campbell, pages 624-627
8. ↑ Wikipedia, article "San Jose, California" online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose,_California

• Campbell Researcher, Phil Norfleet and family records