Lee: I guess I knew that about the James. My ancestor and his neighbors floated their tobacco and other goods to the Coast then walked back every year. My head just isn't working today. In North Alabama (my native land!)there was a thriving trade about 1800 on the Tennessee River in goods that were picked up by ne'er-do-wells after folks rafts broke up at Muscle Shoals. Mickey -----Original Message----- From: glh [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2003 5:04 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Ferries on the James River Mickey wrote: >>>> While we are discussing migration routes and ferries, we should not forget the waterways themselves. Some folks just made a raft and floated down the river! Mickey<<< Remember, early settlement occurred from the East coast westward and James River flows East, therefore, it was not practical to float down this river and move west. Much westward migration did occurr on rafts and flat boats floating down the rivers west of the Blue Ridge Mountain. James Harrod came to Ky. by boat down the Ohio River. The Austin family moved from Wythe co., Va. to Missouri by boats after hauling their goods by wagon across the mountains into West Virginia. G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va. ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== USGenWeb Archives Digital Maps Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/ ============================== 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