I stand corrected. Yes, the original agreement for land was with the Spanish government. From "Pioneer Families Of Missouri" by Bryan and Ross, published 1876, under the chapter on the life of Daniel Boone. pg 40 "...1795, when he removed to Missouri, or Upper Louisiana, as it was then called. His son Daniel M. Boone, had already settled in that country.......About the same time he received an invitation from the Spanish Lieutenant-Governor, Zenon Trudeau, to remove there, offering as an inducement a large grant of land.......For several years after Colonel Boone's removal, Upper Louisiana remained under Spanish rule, and the promise of the Lieutenant-Governor was faithfully fulfilled. On the 24th of January 1798, he received a concession of 1,000 arpents of land, situated in Femme Osage District. He afterward made an agreement with the Spanish authorities to bring one hundred families from Kentucky and Virginia to Upper Louisiana, for which he was to receive 10,000 aspents of land. The agreement was fulfilled on both sides; but in order to confirm his title to this grant, it was necessary to obtain the signature of the direct representative of the crown who resided in New Orleans. Colonel Boone neglected this requirement, and his title was declared invalid when the country came into the possession of the United States. His title to the first grant of 1,000 arpents was also declared invalid, but was subsequently confirmed by special act of Congress. Both the Spanish and American governments required actual settlement of lands granted in the ordinary way, to confirm the title; but in 1800 Boone received the appointment of Commandant of Femme Osage District, and was informed by Don Charles D. Delasus, who had succeeded Don Zenon Trudeau as Lieutenant-Governor, that as his duties as Commandant would require a considerable portion of his time, the Spanish Government would dispense with his actual settlement of the land in order to confirm the title. Relying upon this promise, he neglected to have the proper entries made upon the records, and when the United States government purchased Upper Louisiana there was nothing to show that Boone had fulfilled the requirements, and his claim was declared invalid. (More than half of the Spanish claims were declared invalid during that time period. Land claims in Missouri were ripe with fraud especially after the New Madrid earthquake when the New Madrid folks were given land in the Howard county area, with little regard for the current inhabitants.) He subsequently petitioned Congress to have his title confirmed and his petition was granted." (portions of the petition were printed here and can be found in the American State Papers, Vol. 2, page 10.) On pg. 43......Not withstanding this favorable report, and the justice of the petition, the Board of Land Commissioners reported adversely to the grant, and it was not until three years after (December 24, 1813,) that Boone was confirmed in his title to the 1,000 arpents of land conceded to him by the Spanish government." pg 47 "During the first few years of their residence in Upper Louisiana, Colonel Boone and his wife lived with their son, Daniel M., who had built a house on Darst's Bottom, adjoining the tract of 1,000 arpents of land granted to his father by the Spanish government. This entire tract, with the exception of 181 acres, was sold by Daniel M. Boone, who had charge of his father's business, to pay the old Colonels debts in Kentucky, of which he had left quite a number upon his removal to the Spanish dominions." "There is only one deed on the records in St. Charles signed by Daniel Boone, and that is for 181 acres of land (being a portion of the 1,000 arpents) sold to Wm. Coshow, August 6, 1815, for $315. I have no idea what his reputation was among the locals in the area of Virginia and Kentucky during his lifetime and afterward. I do know that the state of Kentucky thought highly enough of him to put up a fight to move the bodies of him and his wife to Kentucky, and after a struggle with the residents and politicians in Missouri, who didn't want to let them go because Boone has left specific instructions about his burial in Missouri, Kentucky finally won out and transported the bodies of both Daniel Boone and his wife, in brand new coffins to a burial ground in Kentucky. The state of Kentucky thought highly enough of him to have profited from his legend for a century and half now in tourist revenue, and continues to milk his legend to this very day. I suspect there are a few sites in Virginia that have done the same thing. I know he was and is revered in Missouri and has various monuments and towns named after him all over the state of Missouri. Pg 53 from the book quoted above. "At the time of Boone's death the Constitutional Convention of Missouri was in session at St. Louis, and upon receipt of the intelligence a resolution was offered by Hon. Benjamin Emmons, of St. Charles, that the members wear the usual badge of mourning for thirty days, in respect to the memory of the deceased, and adjourn for one day. The resolution was unanimously adopted." I won't quote it here because it would take too long, but basically the story of the sweet potato death was repeated here, as well. It took him three days to die from it. His wife died in 1813, and when he became old, he did what many old men did in that time. He sold his remaining land, and moved in with his daughter so she could care for him until his death. He was after all, 81 years of age in 1815. He was living with her, but visiting his son Nathan's home, when the dish of sweet potatoes was prepared for him. He died in Nathan's stone home in 1820, which was still standing at the time of the writing of the above quoted history book. Among the various county histories for Missouri, many of them, and nearly all that border the Missouri River, mention Boone as having been in the county hunting and trapping. He's a cherished part of Missouri's history. It's just sad to me, that the state that loved him, and where he wished to be buried, had to give his body up to a state where he was not apparently very well respected. Kathy B. ----- Original Message ----- From: "G. Lee Hearl" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 7:20 PM Subject: Re: [MoRandolph] MADISON COUNTY, KENTUCKY TO MISSOURI > Kathy Bowlin wrote: >>>I remember reading in a Biography years back of Daniel Boone, that the > government offered him a huge amount of Land in Missouri, if he would lead > a > wagon train of people from Kentucky to settle it. Since he had just lost > most of his land in Kentucky, he was eager to move westward. << > In a biography I read on Daniel Boone it stated that Daniel Boone was > offered land in Missouri by the Spanish government before the US bought > that area. It also stated that Boone failed to comply with the > requirements of building a cabin and clearing land and he did not get a > deed to it.. Congress later gave him some land which he promply sold and > so died with no land anywhere.. the biography also stated that Boone died > at the home of his son in law in Missouri from colic caused by eating too > many sweet potatoes! I don't know what is truth or fiction. I do know that > Daniel Boone didn't have a very good reputation here in southwest VA. or > KY.. > G. Lee Hearl > Authentic Appalachian Storyteller > Abingdon, Va. > > > ==== MORANDOL Mailing List ==== > Questions for the List Administrator? > Send them to Leslie at [email protected] > >