Virginia's physical grography is similar to North Carolina's with Coastal Plain, Piedmont and Mountains, but the mountains run much farther to the east through Virginia and so the piedmont is much narrower. The Blue Ridge Mountains (the easternmost range) run virtually continously through Virginia, beginning from a point between Hagerstown and Frederick in Maryland and continuing in a southwest direction all through Virginia, through Ashville, North Carolina and into Georgia. From Frederick or Hagestown, Maryland, people travelled down through Harper's Ferry (now in West Virginia) and into the valley west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In northern Virginia the valley is split in two by the Shenandoah Mountains which run parallel to the Blue Ridge in the northern part of the state, the valleys on both sides of the Shenandoah are easily travelled, through the rest of Virginia the valley broadens out and more substantial towns were altimately established. According to my National Geographic Map of the Tidewater and Environs, in 1747 "ferry service began at Harper's Ferry" in 1736 "William Beverly was granted a tract of land near present-day Staunton" in 1749 "Staunton was founded" in 1749 "Washington and Lee University was established as Augusta Academa near present-day Lexington" According to some maps of the southward migration, some travelers went east of the Mountains and travelled through central Virginia, and the Moravians supposedly passed through the area where Danville is today on their was to establish their communities of Betabra, Bethania and Salem in 1753. Having driven both routes to Rowan County from my home in Maryland, The western route would have been an easier trip with a wagon and team, as the valley is not particularly hilly, and the eastern route through central Virginia traverses substantial hills (more like mountains to me and my car). Interstate 81 travels through the Valley, and US 29 travels through the eastern (central route). I don't know where they crossed back through the mountains ... the Roanoke RIver is one river that crosses back through ... and maybe the Smith River ... (I do not have a real good physical map to show me the possibilities), but both the Roanoke and Smith Rivers look like you might be able to get to Danville and then through the Wachovia lands (where the Moravians settled around present-day WInston-Salem, North Carolina) and then on to Salisbury. The North Carolina piedmont is a much milder terrain, and so it is easy to see how settlements and travel could be more spread out in North Carolina. I hope that this helps. Ginny In a message dated 12/21/2002 9:06:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, mthiesse@swbell.net writes: > Subj: Re: [NCRowan] Ozarks and Piedmont > Date: 12/21/2002 9:06:55 PM Eastern Standard Time > From: <A HREF="mailto:mthiesse@swbell.net">mthiesse@swbell.net</A> > Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:NCROWAN-L@rootsweb.com">NCROWAN-L@rootsweb.com</A> > To: <A HREF="mailto:NCROWAN-L@rootsweb.com">NCROWAN-L@rootsweb.com</A> > Sent from the Internet > > > > This is an excellent report. Thank you for taking the time to post it. > Can you tell us where the Valley of Virginia is ? > > I had ancestors who migrated from Sussex, New Kent, Fluvanna > and Fauquier counties in VA and I've been curious about their route(s). > > Thanks again.....~malinda > > > The physical geography of North Carolina is thus > the easternmost part of the state is part of the Atlantic Coastal > Plain,this > area is characterized by sandy soil and tidal waters. As a child I also > learned the term "tidewater" - I am not certain if this is the same as > coastal plain or if is is an extention of the land around waters of the > coastal plain until they reach the fall line. > > The central part of the state is the Piedmont. It has generally more > fertile soil and is easily managed land, this area continues to the foot of > the > mountains mountains. There may also be rolling hills in the piedmont area. > > The mountains in North Carolina are the Blue Ridge, Appalacian, and Great > Smoky Mountains. (pretty much in that order from east to west. > > North Carolina is a very wide state, something like 500 miles from the > easternmost point to the western boundry, but the mountains are far into > the western part of the state. > > Rowan County is in central North Carolina (although I always think of it as > western North Carolina). People in North Carolina consider Western North > Carolina to be West of the Catawba River and in the Mountains. > > When Rowan County was settled in the 1750s. Travel through the mountains > was difficult. However there was some travel through the mountains, by > trappers > and traders, and by people moving down through the valley of Virginia from > Maryland and Pennsylvania. > > There is a definite shadow of these immigration patterns (for example - in > the number of old Lutheran Churches in the valley of Virginia). The history > and record books of the early settlement of the middle colonies records > little about these settlers, but I think that it was a situation of the > English keeping the records, and the Germans and Scots-Irish staying > "under the radar". > > Ginny Atwell > > <snip> > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, > go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >