The wagon road through Cumberland Gap was opened about 1780 allowing people to travel by wagon to Ky. Daniel Boone, working for Judge Henderson, hired axmen to chop a road part of the way in 1775 but when Henderson brought settlers from NC he had to leave the wagons in Powell Valley because it was impassable. Before the road through Cumberland Gap was completed settlers used pack horses and shafts of poles pulled by the horses. In most cases everyone who was able walked beside the wagons so they could haul more of their belongings. It was not an easy journey from Virginia to Kentucky..G.L.Hearl Judy Smith Wrote: >>>>Also, does anyone know of how the people traveled to Kentucky about 1790? I understand about the Prairie Schooners, or covered wagons, but wouldn't that have been impossible in that area? Is there anything written I may look up on traveling from 1780 to newly opened areas? Thank You for any help and/or answers. Judy Smith/Colorado <<<<<<< G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va.

Searching for the marriage of Hugh Smith and Mary Hutton, daughter of James Hutton, possibly Washington County, VA about 1780. Parents of Hugh Smith are unknown at this time. There may have been two or three children born to this marriage: James H. {Jamie}, Hugh Jr and Margaret {Peggy} in Virginia, before they migrated to Kentucky. Also, does anyone know of how the people traveled to Kentucky about 1790? I understand about the Prairie Schooners, or covered wagons, but wouldn't that have been impossible in that area? Is there anything written I may look up on traveling from 1780 to newly opened areas? Thank You for any help and/or answers. Judy Smith/Colorado

Peggy: Hannah Rife?? I have been looking everywhere for a Hannah Fife. Could it be possible I have the wrong spelling?? SHe would have been born about 1800 in Virginia and married a John Rife??Fife?? The family moved to Pike County, Kentucky and married into the Hayton Family. Could it be possible?? Kathy Hayton Cramer

looking for info on my Speer/Spears family that settled VA and some in NC my ggggg grandfather, Samuel Speer/Spears born 1750s/60s, lived in PA ca. 1780, lived in Augusta County, VA 1780s/90s, moved to Green (now Taylor) County, KY in 1803 his brother, John born 1750s/60s, married Margaret Cloyd 1780s was suppose to have been in the VA Cavalry in the Amer Rev, moved to Morganton, NC 1780s/90s where he died winter 1811 believe they would have passed through SW VA looking for any help out there, especially finding Samuel and John's parents I have more on my line @ http://hometown.aol.com/easpears Thanks so much, Eric A. Spears

I hope someone on the list will have some information to help me. Spencer Osborne, s/o Ruel and Syndesta Breeding Osborne, was married first to Hannah Rife and then to Sabra Blizzard. Spencer and Sabra had at least 3 daughters, Caroline, Tilda (Matilda?) and Tennessee. I would like to contact relatives of these girls, and anyone with information on this family. my personal email is: muff@netscope.net Thanks Peggy C Fuller Keen Vice President Buchanan County Historical Society http://www.bcplnet.org/ Old Bones Website http://www.geocities.com\Heartland\Valley\5049 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.391 / Virus Database: 222 - Release Date: 9/19/02

I am looking for parents/siblings of Berryman McDaniel who was born in VA in 1788 and raised in KY. His father may have married a Berryman. He appears in AL in 1817 and marries. I have all the facts after that but nothing before. Berryman was also known as "Benjamin"

Joe, It's all a mystery. Many of these Brummetts may be descendants of a James Brummett who appears in the Virgnia land records. I believe that the Comfort name was from another line of Brummetts, a Daniel Brummett who m. Susannah Davis Comfort. Haven't seen the Cavender, Hartwell, Mulkey or Hawkins name. The first Banner Pearson and Reese Brummitt appears to have been been children of James Brummett (Jr) & Sarah Riece. James, Jr is s/o James (Sr) and Agnes. The first Langston Brummett appears to have been b. 1806, s/o George Brummett & Mary French. George appears to be a sibling of James, Jr. and s/o James, Sr. & Agnes. The first Renna (another unique name) appears to have been b. 1770 s/o James, Sr. and Agnes. The first Peyton appears to have been b. 1799 s/o William C. Brummett & Rebecca Simpson. The name Pleasant appears in two branches in 1800, but that was a fairly common name at the time. It is said that the family is French, which seems to be supported by the large number of Williams. This is a common French name (Guillame). Phil Jlbrumit@aol.com wrote: > Families with surnames BANNER/BONER, CAVENDER, COMFORT, HARTWELL, HAWKINS, > LANGSTON, MULKY/MULKEY, PEARSON/PERSON, PEYTON, PLEASANT, REECE/REECE/REES, > SPENCER appear in early records (prior 1850), all of which, from time to > time, have been utilized by early BRUMIT (All Spelling Variants) as given > names for children. This suggests possible relationships yet to be > identified. Seeking any information that might assist in establishing such > relationships. > Joe Brumit > > ==== SW_VA Mailing List ==== > #9 As of 3/22/2000 we have 550 members. Traffic can get heavy so check your > mailbox often. We should regulate traffic so it don't get out of hand. > There is an average of ten members coming and going each week. > -sysop

Families with surnames BANNER/BONER, CAVENDER, COMFORT, HARTWELL, HAWKINS, LANGSTON, MULKY/MULKEY, PEARSON/PERSON, PEYTON, PLEASANT, REECE/REECE/REES, SPENCER appear in early records (prior 1850), all of which, from time to time, have been utilized by early BRUMIT (All Spelling Variants) as given names for children. This suggests possible relationships yet to be identified. Seeking any information that might assist in establishing such relationships. Joe Brumit

I don't normally send off topic subjects to these lists but I thought this was a unique symbol and worthy of notice. Billy "The AOL September 11 Memorial invites members across the country to stand together in remembering and honoring those who died, those who survived and those who are healing. You can participate by lighting a candle in tribute." <A HREF="aol://1722:september11memorial">Go to the AOL Memorial</A> If the above hyperlink doesn't work, use this: http://memorial.web.aol.com/memorial.adp

Looking for Ryburn Widener b1824 or 1830 WCV, son of Michael R Widener Looking for his 1st WIFE !! 2nd Wife was Ann Allison 3rd Wife was Lindy Price WHO WAS WIFE # 1 ??? Thanks : C.H.

Looking for Ryburn Widener b1824 or 1830 WCV, son of Michael R Widener Looking for his 1st WIFE !! 2nd Wife was Ann Allison 3rd Wife was Lindy Price WHO WAS WIFE # 1 ??? Thanks : C.H.

I'm posting to this list to see if anyone can help me with these brick walls that I just can't break out of. Although most of the information I've found have been in Floyd and Montgomery County, I'm hoping someone in neighboring Southwest Virginia counties can help me out!! Seeking information on Annie Aker's parents. Her name may have been Anna. She married Spencer Duncan. His name may have been spelled Spensor. His parents are Blanch Duncan, Sr., and Nancy Reed. Spensor's grandparents are John Duncan and Elizabeth Ann Holtzclaw. Based on the 1850 Census, Annie was born approximately in 1810 in or around Montgomery County, Virginia. In the 1870 Census, they are living in Floyd County. Her husband, Spensor, was born approximately 1818. Here they are in a few censuses: 1850: 41st District, Montgomery Co, Virginia Page - 50, Family # 673 Spencer Duncan.................m..32...VA Ann Duncan........................f...40...VA James (s/b Jane?) Duncan...f...13...VA Ellendor Duncan..................f...11...VA Sampson Duncan...............m...9...VA Major Duncan.....................m...7...VA Nancy Duncan....................f.. .3...VA 1860: Christianburg P.O., Montgomery Co. VA Census Page - 616 Spencer Duncan......m...45...VA...farmer Annie Duncan..........f....45...VA Jane Duncan...........f....20...VA Ellender Duncan......f...18....VA Sampson Duncan...m...15...VA Major Duncan........m...13...VA Nancy Duncan........f....11...VA Frances Duncan.....f.....7...VA 1870: Alum Ridge Twp, Floyd Co, Virginia Page - 4-5 Spencer Duncan...60...VA...farmer Anna Duncan.........57...VA...keeping house Nancy Duncan.......22...VA...without occupation Francis Duncan.....16....VA...at home Mary Duncan..........4....VA 1880: Census Place: Alum Ridge, Floyd, Virginia Source: FHL Film 1255365 National Archives Film T9-1365 Page 272B Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace Spensor DUNCAN Self M M W 60 VA Occ: Farmer Fa: VA Mo: VA Anna DUNCAN Wife F M W 65 VA Occ: Keeping House Fa: VA Mo: VA William H. DUNCAN GSon M S W 10 VA Fa: VA Mo: VA Further, Spensor and Annie's daughter, Nancy Duncan, had two children, Mary Ann Duncan and Judge Duncan, before she married in 1877 to Edward David Kennett. In 1879, Mary and Edward David Kennett had their own son, Spensor Kennett. They also had a nephew living with them in 1880. Here is some information on this family. Families of Floyd Co, Virginia / marriages - http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~barbr/Cont.htm .......groom........................bride..............year...register...page Kennette, Edward D....Duncan, Nancy.....1877.......3..........54 1880: Census Place: Alum Ridge, Floyd, Virginia Source: FHL Film 1255365 National Archives Film T9-1365 Page 272A Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace David KENNETT Self M M W 21 VA Occ: Farm Laborer Fa: VA Mo: VA Nancy KENNETT Wife F M W 33 VA Occ: Keeping House Fa: VA Mo: VA Mary A. DUNCAN Dau F S W 17 VA Occ: At Home Fa: VA Mo: VA Judge DUNCAN Son M S W 5 VA Fa: VA Mo: VA Spensor KENNETT Son M S W 1 VA Fa: VA Mo: VA Thomas A. SANNER Nephew M S W 3 VA Fa: VA Mo: VA Any information on this family would be appreciated, especially in regards to Annie (Anna) Aker's parents. Also, any information on her husband's mother, Nancy Reed who married Blanch Duncan, Sr., would be appreciated too.

ANYONE HAVE A PICTURE OF IRA LEE DOCKERY SON OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH LAWSON DOCKERY. ALSO NEED A PICTURE OF HASTEN DOCKERY THE FATHER OF ABRAHAM DOCKERY. JNSBABB@CHARTERTN.NET.

Pardon the cross-posting. I'm just very excited about the project that my cousin is releasing this fall, and I want everyone with ancestors in SW VA to have an opportunity to get one of these! This is of interest not just to Barrett family members, but members of many allied families of SW VA. I am very excited about this book. My cousin Bruce Barrett has put together a book about the Barrett's and allied families of SW Virginia. I've previewed an early release, and it's packed with information about lineage, documents, letters, stories, pictures, census info, etc. The list of family and allied family names are impressive, and I've included a few below. This is just a sampling, there are too many to list. Partial listing of the families are: Altizer, Arrington, Asbury, Ascue/Askew, Ball, Barrett, Beavers, Blevins, Brown, Calloway, Castle, Caudle, Cecil, Clark, Compton, Conley, Dailey, Dawson, Deskins, Dye, Elswick, Ferguson, Fletcher, Gillespie, Graybeal, Greenup, Hale, Hubbard, Hankins, Harmon, Harrison, Helton, Honaker, Howard, Hurt, Jackson, Johnson, Knox, Lester, Linkous, Lockhart, Low/Lowe, Martin, McIntosh, Miller, Mitchell, Nipper, Oney, Pack, Plaster, Proffitt, Reed, Richardson, Robertson, Sargent, Sizemore, Smith, Steel, Stephenson, Taylor, Thompson, Tollett, Vencill/Vincell, Webb, Wells, White, Whited, Whitt, Williams, Yates, Yost. There are handwritten letters from Barrett sons to their mother from the front while serving in the Civil War. There are recipes from an old family cookbook, the tale of the family on the Oregon Trail, letters to Mary Martishia Barrett from many known family names in SW VA, and family bible records. Contents: Pictures, deeds, wills, census records, original letters with transcripts dating to 1852, Cynthia Hurt's handwritten cookbook, ballads by William H Barrett, family stories, memories by family members, military contributions (Civil to Current), Table of Contents and an extensive index of all of the descendants of Thomas E. Barrett Sr. that we are aware of. Statistics: 500+ pages. 3500+ Thomas E. Barrett Sr. descendants. 800+ Surnames. Specifications: Printed on 50# 8 ½ x 11-inch paper. Laminated cover with Barrett Crest. Binding is similar to a pocket book. CHECKS NEED TO BE MAILED TO BRUCE BARRETT BY SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2002 FOR GUARANTEED DELIVERY Cost: $45.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. Availability: October - November. How to Order Please provide the following: Full Name & Mailing Address Telephone Number E-mail Address if available. Number copies desired Send to: Bruce P. Barrett 535 Kensington Drive Heath, OH 43056 740-522-6993 Email: mailto:brucepbarrett@alltel.net --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.384 / Virus Database: 216 - Release Date: 8/21/2002

Am still looking for the parents of William Drury HAYNES, b. Feb 1866 in VA. He married Lizzie Myrtle PAYNE of Giles Co., VA abt 1896. Children were: Pauline M., 1897-1997; Genevieve E., 1899-1995, wife of Morton Lewis CRUMBY; Virginia Isabell, 1901-1999, wife of Alderman Clifton STAFFORD; Louisa Lala, b. 1903; Alma Payne, 1905-1971; Wm. Drury Jr., 1907-1959, md. Agnes Florine SMITH; Mary Jane, 1909-1967; and three other unnamed children. Any help appreciated. Renee __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com

I have access to the Draper Manuscripts on microfilm at the Marshall University Library in Huntington, WV. I am almost certain that I remember that there is a book that accompanies the microfilmed collection that is helpful in finding what one needs. Also the microfilmed collection is available through your local LDS FHL. I just checked on their website and found that the information that is put forth to help one order the right films is quite helpful. Give it a try. Marsha in WV

The Inidans became agressive about 1775 possibly due to the English prodding them to act against the settlers.. The fort mentioned in the dispatch below was Fort Watauga at Scyamore Shoals.. They were under seige by the Indians for several days before help was sent to relieve them.. The militia was quite stretched to protect the settlements in Va at the time as well as trying to relieve the forts in Ky.. It was a very trying time! The Reverend Charles Cummings picked up his rifle and joined in the relief of Ft. Watauga one time.. Times were so bad that men brought their rifles to church on Sunday and kept them handy in case of Indian attack.. G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va.

Only 1 week left to get the early registration discount! The Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society and the Kentucky Library at Western Kentucky University present SKYGEN 2002 Saturday, 5 October 2002, 8:30AM-4:00PM at the Downing University Center, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kenucky The speakers will be Pamela Boyer Porter, CGRS, CGL; J. Mark Lowe, CG; and Gail Miller, CG. Topical sessions include the following: What's at the Courthouse? Using Kentucky Lists in Your Research Some Real Research Sites on the Internet Land Barons or Dirt Farmers: Finding Land Transactions Getting to Know You: Getting to Know MORE About You Beginning Land Platting More Rogues and Rascals Here Comes the Bride, and There She Goes!!! The cost for the conference will be $26, if registration is postmarked by 1 September 2002; $36 thereafter. To obtain a registration form or if you have any questions, contact me by email or access the website at <A HREF="http://www.kytnresearch.com/skygen/">http://www.kytnresearch.com/skygen/</A>. Chad Reagan Vice-President and Publicity Chairman Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society

I found this on a microfilm of the Williamsburg Virginia Gazette, dated August 17, 1776, The film is located in the Kansas City, MO Central Library. "WILLIAMSBURG, August 17 By an express from Col. Russel of Fincastle, we learn, that on his approaching the Watauga fort with the men under his command, the Indians retired precipitately; however, not without losing one man, and having two wounded, by a party that pursued them. The fort was thus fortunately relieved after a fortnight's close siege, during the greater part of which time our people lived on parched corn. There were supposed to be 500 women and children in this little fort, who fled there for shelter on hearing that the Indians were marching into that part of the country. We lost not a man in this long affair, except four or five who ventured out to drive in some cows; they wre found scalped. The number of Indians concerned in the different ravages lately committed in Fincastle amount to 6 or 700, some say 800; and yet, sudden as their attack was, they murdered in all their butchering parties but [18?] persons, and wounded 6, whilst our men killed in the skirmishes with them 26 on the spot (as many were carried off dead) took one prisoner, and wounded at least as many as they killed. As the Cherokees have been so completely checked in their career, and we understand from fort Pitt that the northern Indians are not disposed to attack us in that quarter, and have only engaged not to suffer us to march through their country against Detroit, we may hope that there is not much to be dreaded from the terrible combinations of Indians we have been threatened with by our enemies." TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: There is an inkspot by the number of persons killed, so while I am sure it is an 8, the first digit somewhat looks like a 1 but I am not certain, it could be a 2 or only a part of the ink spot. Questions: What fort was this and were was it? Does anyone know the names of the non-Indians killed? Best of wishes, Billy

Eddie, I think the KCMO library has the complete microfilm collection as I recall seeing many rolls yesterday while rummaging through their holdings. I may try to slip down there again this weekend or maybe next and look through. While there, I can copy the page/pages relevent to FLEENORS (and specifically Michael), transcribe them or just mail them to you. Best of wishes, Billy