A member of the Donner/Reed Party.
Mr. Hardcoop was an elderly Belgian emigrant, possibly a teamster for the Keseberg family. He was approx. 60 years of age at the time of his death. There are no records of his given name.
Quinn Thornton described records these facts, "He was from Antwerp, in Belgium - was a cutler by trade, and had a son and daughter in his native city. He had come to the United States for the purpose of seeing the country. He owned a farm near Cincinnati, Ohio, and intended, after visiting California, to go back to Ohio, sell his farm, and return to Antwerp, for the purpose of spending with his children the evening of his days."
In October 1846, the Donner Party was crossing through the Nevada desert. The draft animals were exhausted so to spare them, everyone who could walk was forced to. Mr. Keseberg put Mr. Hardcoop out of his wagon, but Mr. Hardcoop was unable to keep up with the company. He was last seen sitting under a large sage bush, exhausted and completely worn out. His feet were badly swollen. When the company stopped to camp that evening, they built a large fire on the side of the hill to help guide Hardcoop into camp. When morning came, he had still not rejoined the group. The emigrants who still had saddle horses were unwilling to go back for him, so he was left behind to die.∼He was lost while traveling on the California Trail.
Mr. Hardcoop was an elderly Belgian emigrant, possibly a teamster for the Keseberg family. He was approx. 60 years of age at the time of his death. There are no records of his given name.
Quinn Thornton described records these facts, "He was from Antwerp, in Belgium - was a cutler by trade, and had a son and daughter in his native city. He had come to the United States for the purpose of seeing the country. He owned a farm near Cincinnati, Ohio, and intended, after visiting California, to go back to Ohio, sell his farm, and return to Antwerp, for the purpose of spending with his children the evening of his days."
In October 1846, the Donner Party was crossing through the Nevada desert. The draft animals were exhausted so to spare them, everyone who could walk was forced to. Mr. Keseberg put Mr. Hardcoop out of his wagon, but Mr. Hardcoop was unable to keep up with the company. He was last seen sitting under a large sage bush, exhausted and completely worn out. His feet were badly swollen. When the company stopped to camp that evening, they built a large fire on the side of the hill to help guide Hardcoop into camp. When morning came, he had still not rejoined the group. The emigrants who still had saddle horses were unwilling to go back for him, so he was left behind to die.∼He was lost while traveling on the California Trail.
A member of the Donner/Reed Party.
Mr. Hardcoop was an elderly Belgian emigrant, possibly a teamster for the Keseberg family. He was approx. 60 years of age at the time of his death. There are no records of his given name.
Quinn Thornton described records these facts, "He was from Antwerp, in Belgium - was a cutler by trade, and had a son and daughter in his native city. He had come to the United States for the purpose of seeing the country. He owned a farm near Cincinnati, Ohio, and intended, after visiting California, to go back to Ohio, sell his farm, and return to Antwerp, for the purpose of spending with his children the evening of his days."
In October 1846, the Donner Party was crossing through the Nevada desert. The draft animals were exhausted so to spare them, everyone who could walk was forced to. Mr. Keseberg put Mr. Hardcoop out of his wagon, but Mr. Hardcoop was unable to keep up with the company. He was last seen sitting under a large sage bush, exhausted and completely worn out. His feet were badly swollen. When the company stopped to camp that evening, they built a large fire on the side of the hill to help guide Hardcoop into camp. When morning came, he had still not rejoined the group. The emigrants who still had saddle horses were unwilling to go back for him, so he was left behind to die.∼He was lost while traveling on the California Trail.
Mr. Hardcoop was an elderly Belgian emigrant, possibly a teamster for the Keseberg family. He was approx. 60 years of age at the time of his death. There are no records of his given name.
Quinn Thornton described records these facts, "He was from Antwerp, in Belgium - was a cutler by trade, and had a son and daughter in his native city. He had come to the United States for the purpose of seeing the country. He owned a farm near Cincinnati, Ohio, and intended, after visiting California, to go back to Ohio, sell his farm, and return to Antwerp, for the purpose of spending with his children the evening of his days."
In October 1846, the Donner Party was crossing through the Nevada desert. The draft animals were exhausted so to spare them, everyone who could walk was forced to. Mr. Keseberg put Mr. Hardcoop out of his wagon, but Mr. Hardcoop was unable to keep up with the company. He was last seen sitting under a large sage bush, exhausted and completely worn out. His feet were badly swollen. When the company stopped to camp that evening, they built a large fire on the side of the hill to help guide Hardcoop into camp. When morning came, he had still not rejoined the group. The emigrants who still had saddle horses were unwilling to go back for him, so he was left behind to die.∼He was lost while traveling on the California Trail.
