Ann, From the reading I've done on this whole migration thing, I believe your funnel effect is called "channelization" and is a result of terrain features/geomorphology on transportation patterns. Primary transportation/migration routes tended to be the easiest means into a given area and in the 1700's that would mean river transportation for the most part with land access being determined by (but not neccessarily confined to) trails established through gaps in any natural barriers. In our case, down the Ohio River and up through the Cumberland Gap area seemed to be the most commonly used "channels" into Old Kaintuckee, both routes being the easiest available into the desired area. This would tend to make southwestern PA and northwestern NC/western VA natural gathering points or "staging areas" for those preparing to make the next leg of the journey - much like St. Louis was to become 60-70 years later with respect to that westward migration. I'm interested in hearing/reading more on this so if you have any literature selections please let me know. Thanks George ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Kurtz" <kthq@yahoo.com> To: <KYSHELBY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, December 18, 1999 8:09 PM Subject: [KYSHELBY] Re: [kybullitt] Migration Patterns/funnels > Ann, > I hope you don't mind, but I am forwarding your E-Mail to > Shelby County and Floyd County IN > > Keith > > >No Anthony, I haven't forgotten :) > > > >Tis the season for too many interruptions but I hope to work on migrations > >over Christmas break and will be asking people lots of questions because I > >want to confirm a number of things I have collected and the ever present fear > >of leading someone astray looms large. > > > >I am curious about the "funnels" to Bullitt County. I use that term for lack > >of better vocuabulary - there may be a technical term for it that I don't > >know about. The two most common funnels for early Kentucky were SW PA (and > >that area just below in old Ohio Co. VA) where everyone went to park while > >waiting for "Kaintuckee" to open up or to wait for other kinfolk to join > >them to get there... and the other down through North Carolina and sometimes > >dropping into S. Carolina. > > > > > >Bullitt County seems to also have had a funnel through the Louisa Co. VA > >area... where families from surrounding counties came together and arrived > >here. Does anyone know why? What was the gathering point? And did they > >come straight from there? I ask that because most of the Frederick > >Co./Culpeper Co./Stafford Co./Hampshire Co. folk do the stopover in SW PA > >area on their way .. and a few dropped south for a few years. Did this > >Louisa Co. grouping stop anywhere that anyone knows of for a brief time? > >Same goes for the Marylanders - did the MAGRUDERS and others do the stopover > >and if so which one? > > > >One of the best ways I have found to site the stopovers in SW PA/NW VA is > >from a wonderful petition that was signed and republished in Leckey's Ten > >Mile Country. Folks had come from Maryland, New Jersey, further east in PA > >and the Northern Neck of Virginia and wanted on to the frontier right around > >the time of the Revolution. They were tired of the boundary dispute between > >VA & PA and tired of being put on hold so they petitioned the government for > >a new territory which they proposed they call "Westsylvania" and thousands of > >men signed it. It catches an amazing proportion of early Kentuckians to > >central Kentucky. I want to study it carefully for the migration project and > >if anyone has any requests for me to look up let me know. Unlike much of > >what I have it is indexed and I can probably answer in some sort of timely > >fashion. It is not so much help for the most common names, of course, but > >since fathers and sons often signed it you can frequently tell if it is your > >family grouping. > > > >There is a strong migration of Southern Virginians/northern N. Carolina folk > >who come to the Shelby Co. area in the early 1800s. Are there Bullitt > >families who took this path that anyone can report for us? > > > >Anne > > > > > >Anne Livingston > >livings1@aol.com > > > > > > > ><adforce.imgis.com/?adlink|2.0|2|94694|5971|1|ADFORCE;loc=300;> > > > >>lick Here > > > All original messages from me, may be freely distributed, unless > otherwise indicated, for NON-COMERCIAL use. All Sources must be > included. > > Keith Kurtz > > List owner: FloydCountyIN@onelist.com or kthq@yahoo.com