Josiah Gregg
Josiah Gregg was born in 1806 in Overton County, Tennessee, and grew up in a family that moved to Missouri in search of better opportunities. His early life was marked by a traumatic experience during a Native American raid on Fort Cooper, which left a lasting impression on him. A skilled mathematician and surveyor, Gregg opened a school at the age of eighteen and developed a broad knowledge base, including Spanish and basic medicine. In 1831, seeking to improve his health due to tuberculosis, he joined a wagon train to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he became a successful trader.
Over the next nine years, Gregg undertook numerous expeditions to Mexico, meticulously documenting his experiences. His renowned work, "Commerce of the Prairies," published in 1844, is celebrated for its comprehensive insights into the Santa Fe trade, local culture, and the Native American populations. In addition to his literary contributions, he served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War and later moved to California. Tragically, he died in 1850 during an exploration journey. Josiah Gregg is remembered as a significant figure in the history of the American frontier and as a pioneer historian of the Southwest.
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Josiah Gregg
Trader
- Born: July 19, 1806
- Birthplace: Overton County, Tennessee
- Died: February 25, 1850
- Place of death: California
Biography
Josiah Gregg, a descendant of William Gregg, an Ulster Quaker who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1682, was born in 1806 in Overton County, Tennessee. He was the son of Susannah Schmelzer Gregg and Harmon Gregg, a wheelwright who became a farmer when he moved from Tennessee to Illinois. After living for three years in Illinois, the family set out for Fort Cooper, Missouri, in 1812 to join other family members. In December, 1814, a group of Native Americans raided Fort Cooper; Gregg, who was eight years old, survived the massacre, but he would always recall his Uncle William being killed and his cousin, Patsy Gregg, being carried off by the raiders. Soon after, the family moved to Independence, Missouri.
As a youth, Gregg studied surveying. He also had a strong inclination toward mathematics, and when he was eighteen he opened a school and taught for a year. He also learned Spanish and gained enough practical knowledge of medicine to be called a doctor, although he never had a medical practice.
Gregg suffered from tuberculosis, and his poor health prompted him to move to a dryer climate. In 1831, he joined a wagon train traveling from Independence to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he regained his health and became a trader. During a period of more than nine years he made frequent expeditions to Mexico, particularly to Chihuahua, while taking detailed notes that were later to provide material for a journal.
Gregg’s two-volume journal, Commerce of the Prairies: Or, The Journal of a Santa Fe Trader, During Eight Expeditions Across the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico (1844), became immediately popular and established him as a significant writer. A second edition of the book was published the in 1845; by 1850, six editions of the book had been printed and it also was translated into German. The book covers such diverse topics as the origin and development of the Santa Fe trade, the history of Santa Fe, the mines of New Mexico, domestic animals, arts and sciences in New Mexico, styles of dress and customs, religious superstitions and ceremonies, and the Native Americans of New Mexico.
In 1846, Gregg rode 1,200 miles to San Antonio, Texas, where he joined the U.S. Army. In 1849, he left New Mexico for California, settling near the Trinity River mines in Northern California. While there, he led an exploration party of seven men who crossed the Coast Range to the Pacific Ocean. They suffered severely and Gregg died in 1850 when, weak from hunger, he fell off his horse. Gregg was greatly admired as a person and a trader. He is recognized as a significant historian of the Santa Fe trade and his book, Commerce of the Prairies, is renowned as a frontier classic.