John and list, My husband's ancestor Aaron Booram (JR) had arrived at Hamilton Co. (Cinti) OH by Nov. 1801, when he purchased land here. In 1800 he is listed as a tithable in Bedford Co., as well as his father Aaron Booram SR. (Bef. abt. 1790 they are in Loudoun Co. VA). I have often wondered how he traveled from Bedford across the mountains and ended up in OH. I am wondering now if he went across the mountains to what is now Mason Co. WV and the Kanawha River traveled from there via the OHIO River, stopping first to visit his borther John and sister Hannah. I just purchased a book by Edward L. Oldaker titled "The Oldacre/Oldaker Story". Aaron Sr.'s son John had married Tamar Oldaker and a daughter Hannah married Isaac Oldaker (Bedford Co. 1791). Pgs. 39-44 include an article by Mary Week Atkeson titled "The Oldaker Settlement on Eighteen Mile" that was printed in 'The West Virginian Review' March, 1932. The exact date of the settlement is unknown, family history says by 1800, the land being purchased by John Oldaker in 1796. I will briefly summarize the Oldaker's travels to this 'settlement'. "John Oldaker Sr. sent his son William Henry, and his son-in-law, Jacob Henry Harris, with a good team of horses and a wagon to look over the property. There was almost no road down the Kanawha, but they finially managed to get as far as the Pocataligo River, which was so high they could not cross it. So they left the wagon and turned the horses loose, and went on down the Kanawha in a canoe to Eighteen-Mile Creek, and then up to their tract of land." The story goes on to say when the 2 returned for their horses, they could not be found and had to walk home, not reaching 'home' until Christmas. The next season a party returned to 'clear some land and raise a crop' and it wasn't until the 3rd season that the Oldaker families, in-laws, cousins, about 50 altogether, gathered at Franklin Co. with wagons etc. to travel to their new home. According to the book, this land was about 2 miles above where Eighteen Mile Creek flows into the Great Kanawha River at Robertsburg. It doesn't say exactly where they crossed the mountains from Bedford, but there is a description of 'The Kanawha Trace" at www.cob-net.org/docs/brethrenlife_migrations.htm that is of interest. Is there anyone else who left Bedford 1800/01 and ended up in Hamilton Co. OH? Thanks, Linda Boorom JHaynesNC@aol.com wrote: > > Who out there has the information we need on these migration routes? > > 1. Who knows how they got from Bedford Co. across the Smokies (Cumberland > Gap?) > 2. If they travelled by the Ohio, how did they get to it? Forbe's Road to > Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh)? > 3. If by land, on the WIlderness Road? Where were the way-stations? > 4. Why did they all end up along the Ohio if they came by land? (My HAYNES > who left Bedford County, VA all ended up in Meade/Breckinridge Counties, on > the Ohio, or in Ohio/Daviess/Hardin Counties, again along the river.) > 5. Who is interested in swapping arrival/departure times to see who might > have travelled together? I find PATE, MOORMAN, ELLIS and other names > following HAYNES from VA to KY. > > John Haynes > John@Haynes.Net