Census of Overland Emigrant Documents

COED (Census of Overland Emigrant Documents) is one of the Oregon-California Trails Association's major efforts to further the association's objectives of preserving our knowledge of the emigrants who traveled overland in the second half of the 19th century.

The COED database is a research tool for historians, genealogists, and trail buffs. The goal of COED is to survey and record in a database essential information from all known documents written by emigrants during their overland journey west.

OCTA began the all-volunteer COED project in 1986, with the eventual goal of creating, managing and making available to researchers a computer database based on surveys of original emigrant writings of the overland trails experience.

Surveys are based on journals, diaries, letters, reminiscences, and newspaper accounts listed in major published bibliographies of Overland Trail documents. Many original diaries and other materials have been found and surveyed in addition to those listed in the bibliographies. COED has surveyed over 3,000 documents and identified 1,000 more.

COED covers documents from the 19th Century, written by travelers along the main corridor through South Pass to Oregon, Utah and California. Travel documents from southern trails to California and to the mining areas of Montana are also surveyed.

Surveys contain five major elements:

1. Names of the emigrants and members of their parties (including births, deaths and marriages that occurred on the trail);
2. Document titles and their location;
3. Routes traveled by the emigrants;
4. Locations mentioned by the emigrants; and
5. Indian encounters.

Travel surveys begin at one of several "jumping off" locations on the Missouri River and end at one of the arrival locations in Oregon, Utah, California, Washington and Montana.

Obtaining Information from the COED Database
COED offers two ways to obtain information from these emigrant surveys:

Emigrant Names CD
The Emigrant Names CD (EN disc) is available for purchase through the OCTA Store. The EN disc contains all names (often the last name only) taken from all surveys completed at this time, and the location of the original document if it is in a public repository. Emigrant Names also contains actual scans of each survey. A survey scan contains a view of each page of the COED survey, showing vital information taken from the original document. These page scans (survey copies) provide a more in-depth review of names referenced on the EN disc, including wagon trains, geographic locations, time periods and routes. Individuals having problems with the Emigrant Names CD should contact OCTA.

Paper Trail
NEW! Available March 2008. Subscription access to Emigrant Names data online may be found at www.paper-trail.org. The site will be updated periodically, as new documents are located and surveyed.

Database Search Requests
To order a custom search of the entire COED database for information beyond a name search, a full database search can be ordered through OCTA. OCTA Headquarters will arrange for a check or credit card payment for the search. A fee will be quoted by e-mail based on the scope and feasibility of the request. The COED Committee will contact you with a report and a general explanation of the information found in the COED database.

How To Order Research Materials
To purchase the Emigrant Names CD with the Survey CD visit the OCTA Store. To request a full database search, contact OCTA Headquarters at (816) 252-2276.

Prepare for a COED Search
The COED database contains surveys of overland emigrant documents. Unless the individual you are planning to search for traveled an overland trail, the name cannot be found in the database. In order to locate a person mentioned in one of the documents, assemble as much information as possible to help with the search. Having the following information available will facilitate the request:

• Emigrant name, gender, whether born or died on the trail.
• Emigrant home state, county and city, year the emigrant traveled west, and emigrant destination (state or territory).
• How do you know that the person you are looking for participated in the overland emigration? (Diary, reminiscence, letter, newspaper account, family Bible, family oral history?)
• Do you have any documentation of the person's travels, written by them or another person?

Be sure to include your name, address, telephone and e-mail (if available) when ordering.

Before you get started, review a quick overview of the process.

Become a COED Volunteer
There are a number of items located in various libraries around the country that have not been surveyed. The committee anticipates that previously unknown emigrant documents will come to light as volunteers canvas local sources for relevant materials. Individuals are encouraged to seek out diaries and journals that might be in private hands or located in manuscript collections in libraries around the U.S. The committee is seeking individuals willing to train as surveyors in order to keep the COED database growing.