Typed transcript of memoirs of John and Mark Manlove written 55 years after their trip. John's memoir covers only their trip to California whereas Mark's covers their time in California and their trip home by boat. They both tell of the buffalo they saw and killed, the rivers they crossed, the difficulties they encountered with their packs and mules and how they were seperated from the remainder of their party. They also discuss the different Indian tribes they encounter, their stop at Salt Lake City and passing the place where the Donner party had spent the winter three years before. John calls the Black Hills "the most beautiful place in America" and he is impressed by the geysers they saw. Sacramento was a town of tents when they arrived and they worked on the first frame building built there and helped to dig the first well in the city. They spent two years in California, panning gold and various other jobs, before Mark became sick and they returned home by boat to New Orleans and then to Illinois. Includes short family history written by Oliver H. Kelly.
