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Lewis Keseberg is born
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Lewis Keseburg gets married
Lewis' wife is who he would have two kids with. They would have one before the Donner Party incidents, and one along their journey west. However, they would both die on the trail. -
Lewis Keseberg moves to America
When Lewis came to America, he was expecting an easier life, but he got the opposite. He was struggling to get by, and when he heard about the Donners moving west, he decided to join their party. -
The Donner Party begin their journey west
This is the day the Donenr Party left Springfield. Keseberg was also with the Donners, as well as his pregnant wife and his daughter. He would remain with the party the entire duration of the move west. -
Keseberg kicks Belgian Hardkoop out of their wagon
Belgian Hardkoop was an old man who Lewis Kesebeg kicked out of their wagon. Hardkoop was 60 years old, so he did not walk very far until he sat down and died alongside the trail. This made people very mad at Keseberg, since everyone knew Be;gian Hardkoop would die without a wagon. -
Keseberg is rescued
A rescue party of Rhodes, Foster, and J. Foster. They found Keseberg with bones and kettles of human blood where he described how Mrs. Donner had died, and he had eaten her fat and flesh. It is this where Keseberg recieved the label of being a cannibalistic monster, where he described how he got 4 pounds of fat off her body and exclaimed how it was the best flesh he ever tasted. -
Keseberg sues for slander
Shortly after being rescued, he sued the surviving members of the Donner Party for spreading false information about him. The trial is rarely talked about, but it was actually won by Keseberg. However, he was only paid one dollar and had to pay the court expenses, so he ended up losing money in the end. -
Philippine Keseberg passes away
When Lewis Keseberg's wife died, it left him alone to raise his two remaining special needs daughters. This put Keseberg in even more grief than he was already in, and made him very stressed. -
Interviewed by C.F. McGlashan
C.F. McGlashan interviewed Keseberg for his book History of the Donner Party. This book highlighted the events of the Donner Party, and includes interviews from several survivors. This book was one of the first times Lewis Keseberg got a chance to clear his name, but it did not work. -
Lewis Keseberg dies
When Keseberg came to America, he had high hopes of being wealthy and comfortable. By the time of his death, he had the complete opposite. Keseberg died as a poor, depressed man. Everyone knew what he was and what he did, so everyone avoided and ridiculed him. His children also died along or shortly after the trail. -
Diary of Patrick Breen Published
This diary is by Patrick Breen, one of the Donner Party members. It is his personal account of all of his experiences during this time. However, it is heavily biased and labels Keseberg as a monster.
