Why leave Monore county ? I am reminded of what Will Rogers once said about the pioneers: "You know, we're always talking about pioneers and what great folks the old pioneers were. Well, I think if we just stopped and looked at history in the face, the pioneer wasn't a thing in the world but a guy that wanted something for nothing." In other words, many left "home" because the soil was dead, used up, and there was acres and acres of "free" land elsewhere. Later pioneers would leave Ohio and move west for the same reasons.

I think free is relative. While they may have moved west to land that didn't have a cost in dollars....... the act of leaving extended family and settled communities and moving into the unknown.... is a cost in and of itself. They weren't moving to an area that was ready to farm or had living accommodations...... there was a lot of WORK involved in establishing a home and a working farm that would support them. While the land may have been free...... the other costs were huge. Yes, they were looking for a better life, but aren't we still doing that today.... just in different ways. SueEd --- On Mon, 6/23/08, Charlie Hazlett <charlie@hazlett.net> wrote: > Well, I think if we just stopped and > looked at > history in the face, the pioneer wasn't a thing in the > world but a guy > that wanted something for nothing." >