Thomas Baxter Banks and his wife, Susannah Rose Jarvis died on the Oregon Trail in Oregon when they were traveling by wagon train to Oregon. They were buried where they died in unmarked graves. Thomas and Susannah had 11 children: Lydia Banks, Verlinda A. Banks-Kincanon, Simon Peter Banks, Elizabeth Rose Banks-Doggett, Samuel Austin Banks, Tirzah C. Banks, Hilkiah Thomas Banks, Jabez Baxter Banks, Rhoda Ann Banks, Lebbeus Irwin Banks. Elizabeth Rose and Samuel Austin were twins, born September 20th, 1818. Thomas and Susannah were accompanied to Oregon on the covered wagon trip by two of their sons, Hilikiah Thomas and Lebbeus Irwin. These two sons survived the trip and went on to live productive lives, dying in old age at 80 and 73 respectively.

...... Notes written by a Banks family member:
Naomi Banks was born in Arkansas 7 November 1851 and started west on April 6th 1852 with her father and mother, a half brother, half sister and her paternal grandparents (Thomas Baxter Banks and Susannah Rose Jarvis Banks). There were 104 wagons in the caravan that was headed for the Oregon Country. Like many of the wagon trains that trekked across the hills and plains, some gave out by the wayside, some rushed ahead rapidly, some turned south to California and some plodded on through to the promised land. Naomi Banks parents eventually pulled into Oregon City, November 1852. The trip had its dark side even though they had no trouble with Indians, for they buried Grandmother Banks (Susannah Rose Jarvis Banks) at Burnt River and buried Grandfather Banks (Thomas Baxter Banks) at Umatilla River, four miles from the present Indian Reservation. In after years, an effort was made to find his last resting place, but the stockade of saplings that had been placed around the grave had disappeared and sand had drifted over the probable spot. While the Indians were pointing out the burial ground, a man hurried over and told of the assassination of President Garfield.