James Frazier Reed (November 14, 1800 â€" July 24, 1874) was an Irish
businessman and soldier and a pioneer in the American West, notable
for being an organizing member of the ill-fated Donner Party
emigration to California in 1846.Born in County Armagh, Ireland (now
Northern Ireland), Reed claimed to be of noble Polish stock.[citation
needed] After the death of his father, he emigrated with his mother to
the United States. Once there, his mother sent him to live with a
family member in Virginia, where he worked as a clerk in the family
store. In about 1825, Reed moved to Illinois, where he took an
interest in mining. While living there, Reed ran several businesses
and took part in the Black Hawk War of 1832, serving with Abraham
Lincoln.In 1835, he married Margret Keyes Backenstoe, a widow with one
daughter, Virginia Elizabeth Backenstoe, whom Reed did not adopt but
who nonetheless went by the name Virginia Reed. The couple married and
had four more children in Springfield: Martha Jane (called Patty);
James F., Jr.; Thomas Keyes; and Gershom Francis, who died as an
infant.In 1845, Reed decided to head west to California and organized
a small group, which left the Springfield area in the spring of 1846.
The other members were George Donner, his brother Jacob, and their
families and hired hands. Each head of household had three wagons. In
addition to two supply wagons, Reed had a particularly comfortable one
made for his family to ride in, which has since become legendary. The
Reeds and Donners left Springfield on April 14 and joined a large
wagon train led by William H. Russell on May 19. James F. Reed Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter