Earp fans excited for the release of “their” Overland Trail journey!

Janelle Molony, June, 2023

First, A Disclaimer:

Years back, when I was first researching my own family history, I’d keep running into write-ups referring to the “Earp diary” and the story of their adventure across vast plains, swishing prairies, over rocky hills, into slurping quicksand, and through dangerous lands where attackers supposedly lie in wait to ambush the family. While this was all very exciting, it came at a cost – this diary was not the Earp’s whatsoever. It was the daily mileage log, weather report, sightseeing record, and dramatic exploits of my 3rd great-grandmother, Sarah Rousseau. The stories within were (and still are) rightfully hers.
When it came to my own journey publishing these tales of adventure, romance, loss, and surprise, I have repeatedly faced the demand (Yep) to incorporate the legendary lawman of the Wild West into each and every narrative about MY FAMILY. For years, this felt like a betrayal to my great-great-great grandmother’s truth and autonomy from the celebrity names. I have since come to terms with this as “the way things have to be” and I am content to share the spotlight, but my hope is that one day, Mrs. Sarah Rousseau will be recognized for her own voice, her own opinion, her own experience and that her words would become valuable not as an observer/side-character, but as the leading lady in her own show.

Is it Sarah’s Life? Or Wyatt Earp’s “Coming of Age?”

I guess it’s both. Publishing the full, unabridged version of Mrs. Rousseau’s diary would ultimately mean that Earp fans could finally see for themselves the intricate connection between our families and how the boys James, Wyatt, Morgan, and Warren come of age under dire circumstances and a roughneck father. Readers will see Sarah’s phenomenal narration of Wyatt Earp’s first documented shoot-out against robbers who attempt to throw off the families in the Pella Company while sneaking away with their horses. If overlayed with Nicholas Earp’s letter home (the only known record from his version of the events), the letter and diary create an intense dialog that could have been lifted from a Taylor Sheridan production. (And wouldn’t that be a fascinating partnership, indeed? Hey, Taylor – give me a call, I’ve got the fiction version of this tale in my back pocket!)

(Above Left: Janelle Molony visits the Pioneer cemetery where Mr. & Mrs. Rousseau are buried about 100 feet from Virginia Earp. Above Right: Molony explores the history of Southern California. Pictured here, she is at the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.)

After much difficulty with maintaining peaceful relations with virtually everyone the Pella Company encounters along the way, Nicholas Earp loses (or quits) his position as wagon master. In a “my dad is better than your dad” type situation, the new wagon master’s son becomes the victim of Warren Earp’s “rippet.” After quelling the uproar, Nicholas Earp threatens to essentially beat every child into submission if their own parents won’t restrain or manage them (not his best moment, I’m sure).

In a more heroic fashion, Nicholas Earp goes after a man who is stranded on one of the Platte River’s many riverine islands in Nebraska. When the rush of the current is too much for the man, Nicholas still tries to save what remains. (Aww… So sad.) His generosity comes to an end, however, when the covered wagons begin to break down and food supplies run short. After crossing the searing sands of the Mohave/Mojave Desert, Nicholas abandons the Rousseaus in the worst way. Readers will be surprised to learn who from the Earp’s immediate traveling party comes to their aid and restores their hope in humanity.

And so we have landed here, again…

While this post is still a direct invitation for Earp fans to get on board and grab a copy of this American literary treasure to see the trip of a lifetime unfold day-by-day, I also want to draw attention to some other very important historical figures featured in Sarah’s writing.
Briefly, there is a remarkable series of encounters in Utah with then President of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young and his right-hand man, Orson Hyde. She details several touching interactions with the Ute and Moapa peoples of Utah and Nevada. (She also describes the emptiness of Las Vegas before it was Sin City.) She captures the devastation of the Platte River Raids while traveling through the “Black Hills of Idaho,” and records (rather upsetting) quotes from well-known Union personnel who were assigned to protect emigrants on that stretch. There is so much more that I can’t even contain here.
I simply can’t say enough about Sarah Rousseau as an impressive writer and incredible historian.

Now what?

Ultimately, publishing this diary is a small stepping stone to releasing the very in-depth body of research found in, Emigrant Tales from the Platte River Raids (2023), and eventually, the exciting fiction based on the item, From Where I Sat (2025).
I can say with certainty that if you take a chance on Sarah Rousseau’s diary (on sale now), you’ll be swept up into an unforgettable heart-soaring and tear-jerking adventure. This diary is what Western-themed movie makers dream of – but real.

Now see how Johnny Ringo, John Brown, and Daniel Boone are also connected to this story!

The 1864 Diary of Mrs. Sarah Jane Rousseau

(Above Left: One page from the original diary composed in 1864. Photographed by Nicholas Cataldo in 2015. Above Right: The cover of the new release, the fully transcribed and lightly edited copy of Mrs. Sarah Jane Rousseau’s diary.)

About the Author

Janelle Molony is a family historian and prolific nonfiction writer with stories about individuals from the Civil War Era, Depression Era, and in Westward travel. Her work has been featured in the Annals of Wyoming, Michigan Historical Review, Minnesota Genealogist, History Nebraska, Wild West magazine, and many other notable publications. Molony has won numerous awards from Writer’s Digest, Readers’ Favorite, BookFest, National Indie Excellence Awards, the National Federation of Press Women, and the Arizona Authors Association (and more). In addition to writing, Molony has served as the oral history committee chair for the Wyoming Historical Society and is the program host their YouTube video series, “Women of Wyoming: Then & Now.” She is a proud member of the Western Writers of America.
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Featured image credit: (Left) Wyatt Earp, circa 1860s courtesy of Alan Ver Plog. (Right) Janelle Molony, descendant of Sarah Rousseau. (Background) Sarah Rousseu’s original diary, photographed by Nicholas Cataldo.

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