William Seward (1801-1872) is best known for "Seward's Folly." In 1867, he negotiated with Russia to purchase Alaska for US$7.2 million (over $122 million in 2018); this came out to about 2 cents per acre (34 cents in 2018). [At the time, Seward's opponents in Washington DC thought this was a foolish purchase.]
John Bidwell traveled with Samuel J. Hensley, not Lt Bob Hastings. Both Bidwell and Hensley courted Mary Helen Crosby; Helen married Hensley on 7 Apr 1851.
John Bidwell (1819-1900) was one of the first emigrants to California on the California Trail in 1841. He became a major during the Mexican-American war (1846-1848), and was elected to California Senate in 1849. He was appointed Brigadier General in the California Militia in 1863.