My ancestors migrated from Maury county, TN to Holly Springs, MS (northern MS) in 1835, then on to Shelby county, TX in 1838. Long before MS became a state the Cherokee tribe had regular migration routes, usually north and south according to an early day map I have. While in MS my ancestors operated a "house of entertainment" which was a stage stop and an over night hostel for travelers on the toll pike from Nashville to Memphis. At the time large numbers of Tennesseans were migrating to Texas, David Crockett seems to have led the migration. Coming to TX from TN must have been an unbelievable undertaking, many rivers to cross along with unbelievable swamps to boot. In one of my gggggrandpaws writings he mentioned "landing in TX". Although I have been unable to substanciate it, I believe many traveled by water to the gulf and then up the navigable rivers to landing points such as Jefferson and Shelbyville. Others came by way of the El Camino Real from Natchitoches. How they arrived in Natchitoches is another question. Clyde Edmonds