William Hook, Donner Party

Perished. Young William Hook was taken out by the First Relief and reached camp in Bear Valley safely. Tormented by hunger, he sneaked out at night, gorged on the supplies, and became extremely ill.

b. abt 1834 in Sangamon Co., IL d. Mar 1847 at Bear Valley, CA

    Young William Hook was taken out by the First Relief and reached camp in Bear Valley safely. Tormented by hunger, he sneaked out at night, gorged on the supplies, and became extremely ill. In the morning he was left behind with William G. Murphy, whose feet were badly frostbitten, and another person. Murphy later told C. F. McGlashan,

William Hook went out on the snow and rested on his knees and elbows. The camp-keeper called to him to come in. He then told me to make him come into camp. I went and put my hand on him, speaking his name, and he fell over, being already dead. He did not die in great agony, as is usually alleged. No groan, nor signs of dying, were manifested to us. The camp-keeper and myself took the biscuits and jerked beef from his pockets, and buried him just barely under the ground, near a tree which had been fired, and from around which the snow had melted.
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