In a message dated 5/28/06 7:58:35 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > > Speaking of which, do any history buffs out there know why a young man in > > his early 20s would leave the Bedford county &/or Roanoke area to go over > > 200 miles over to Kanawha circa 1845? > > > My great-grandfather's four brothers left Floyd County, VA for then "west" Virginia about that time, 3 brothers to Fayette county and one to Kanawha County.I read somewhere that the New River (in Kanawha County) had been cleared of snags and boulders and was opened for major river travel southward (past Fayette County), continuing into southwestern Virginia near where they formerly lived. Also coal and salt mining had become major sources of employment. If you come to some conclusion, please let me know. The brothers lived there for about 2-3 years then returned to Floyd County, VA.. J.H. Wright [email protected]