I ran across this in a book by one of our local residents, William Monks, "A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas". The migrant was his father, James Monks, who was born in Tennessee and as a young man moved to northern Alabama and married there. He joined the Army and fought in the "Seminole war" in the state of Florida. When his term expired, he returned home, sold his farm with the intention of moving to Florida [which makes some of the following a little confusing to me]. He had a flatboat built and placed in the Tennessee River near Gunters Landing. They went down the river by Decatur and were piloted through the Mussell Shoals. On reaching Southern Illinois, eight miles from Paducah, he looked over the country and came to the conclusion that that country was good enough, and located in what was then Pope County, later became Massack County. He lived there for nine years, sold out and started out for Texas. They crossed the Mississippi at Green's old ferry, went by way of Jackson, Missouri, and traveled the old military road which was made by government troops in removing the Cherokee Indians from the state of Alabama - it was the only road leading west. He heard that it was very dangerous to enter Texas on account of the Indians, so crossed White Water [river?] near what was known as Bullinger's old mill. They arrived in Fulton County, Arkansas, on Bennett's river, about July of 1844, and that is where they stayed for several years before moving across the state line into Missouri. The author was then about 15 years old. Fulton County is on the state line. I hope this will be useful to someone. Sara