PETE: owner of the Springfield Gazette Newspaper.  Age 50 GEORGE DONNER: Leader of the  doomed wagon train EDWIN BRYANT: friend of the Reeds and Donners.  Age 50 Doubles as JAMES BRIDGER JAMES REED:  Age  50 MARGARET REED: age 35--his wife VIRGINIA REED: their daughter, age 14 PATTY REED: Young daughter of James and Margaret, age 10 MARY TODD LINCOLN--age 30-40 TAMSEN DONNER: George's wife, 40   can double as MRS. CURTIS LANSFORD W. HASTINGS:  Charlatan, Lawyer, book writer, claims to have discovered the infamous Shortcut. TRAPPER CLYMAN: age 60, doubles as UNCLE BILLY GRAVES LUKE HALLORAN: dies of TB, age 25  possibly can double as  JOTHAM CURTIS C.T. STANTON: age 35, smokes pipe JAMES BRIDGER: age 50-60 OLD BILL WILLIAMS:  walks with a limp mountain man, 45-70 WILLIAM McCUTCHEN: big man, over 6  feet, likes to drink, age 50 LEANNA DONNER: Virginia's friend, age 14 JOHN SYNDER: Drover for the Reeds. age 25, he dies, doubles as WILLIAM EDDY ELLIOT:  another drover, age 25 ABE LINCOLN: Age 30ish CAPTAIN SUTTER: age 50, doubles  as Aquilla  Glover JOTHAM CURTIS: snow-bound, age 25 MRS  CURTIS: His wife, age 25 UNCLE BILLY GRAVES: age 60, part of  FORLORN HOPE team MARY GRAVES:  his niece, age 25 Part   of FORLORN HOPE WILLIAM EDDY: age 30, part of the   FORLORN HOPE PATRICK DOLAN: age 30-40 part of the  FORLORN HOPE team AQUILLA GLOVER: age 50ish, rescue  party LIEUTENANT BARTLETT: Solider in Sacramento, comes  to Reed's aid.