John, Here is a transcription from "Pioneer Life In Kentucky" by Daniel Drake. I will skip a bit at first to gather some of the parties on the trip. pg 5: "My father, Isaac, was the youngest son of Nathaniel Drake & Dorothy Retan (Rattan). My mother, Elizabeth, always called Betsey, was the daughter of (Benjamin) Shotwell and (Elizabeth) Bonney. They were born within three or four miles of each other,". pg 6: "After the marriage of my parents, about the year 1783, they went to housekeeping near my grandfather Drake's, on his land where the town of Plainfield, (New Jersey), now is". pg 8: "The decision extended to five families: - the three brothers, Mr. David Morris (at times spelled by him, Morriss), older than either of them, who was married to my mother's cousin, and Mr. John Shotwell, rather younger, who was the brother of Mrs. Morris". "The time fixed on for their departure was the latter part of the spring of 1788. Their first point (was) Red Stone Old Fort where Brownsville, (Pennsylvania), now stands. Their mode of travelling was in two horse wagons. The family of my father consisted, after himself and my mother, of myself, about 2 years & 7 months old, my sister Elizabeth, afterwards Mrs. Glenn, an infant at the breast, and my mother's unmarried sister, Lydia, who chose to accompany her into the wilderness, rather than submit to the caprices of a step mother for a longer time". "Behold, then, the departure! these five persons, three of whom were adults, with all their earthly goods crowded into one "Jersey Wagon," to be hauled over the yet steep & rugged Allegheny mountains, and throughout an overland journey of nearly 400 miles by two horses. their travel was by Corryell's Ferry, on the Delaware, and Harris' Ferry, now Harrisburg, (Pa.), which you have visited, on the Susquehanna." "I know not the length of time we were in reaching Red Stone Old Fort, nor how long a preparation for the voyage to the "Point" or "Limestone" now Maysville, (Ky), detained us. When I was at or just leaving Mayslick nearly 3 years since, Mr Jasper Morris told me that his father had kept a diary of the journey, which was in his possession, and which I long very much to see. How many families were crowded into one boat, I do not know. The first and last landing (before reaching Limestone) was at Fort Pitt, now Pittsburg. The danger of being attacked by the Indians was too great to justify a landing (between that point and Limestone). The flotilla, I presume, consisted of several boats, for the Rev. Mr. Gano, with a numerous family, including the present Mrs. Gen. Gano and her brother, Dr. Wm. Goforth, afterwards my preceptor, belonged to the river community. One of Mr. Gano's boats got stoved, but no lives were lost. That which my parents were in met with no accident; and on the 10th of June, 1788, just 64 days after the first settlement of Ohio at Marietta, we landed at Limestone, KY, which then consisted of a few log cabins only, though Washington, 4 miles off, was something of a village...". The book by Daniel Drake is in the form of letters written to his children over the years. The above was in a letter to his daughter, Harriet Echo (Mrs. James Parker Campbell). Also, my husband and I recently bought an moved into a house built in 1888 in the village of Gano, laid out by a grandson (or great, I don't know yet) of the original Rev. Gano of NJ. There were obviously other families on this trek, but Daniel concentrated on his immediate family group. > -----Original Message----- > From: Discussions of the history of the Dye, Dey and Duyts families > [mailto:THEDYESOCIETY@LISTSERV.UH.EDU]On Behalf Of John Butler > Sent: Monday, July 26, 1999 6:55 PM > To: THEDYESOCIETY@LISTSERV.UH.EDU > Subject: Two Items > > > I want to do something on the migration of William, John and Kenneth Dye > (sons of William and Margaret Dye/Dey) from Middlesex County to Mason > County, Ohio. In the Mills volume it states the William moved about > 1790/92 (probably with John and Kenneth?) to Mason County along with the > Shotwell, Morris, Stout, Drake, Arms, and Cahill families. I have no > record of these families and am uncertain as to their migration path. I > would assume that they went to somewhere around Pittsburgh (the Jersey > Settlement?) and took the Ohio River. IF John Ely Dey and his father > accompanied William, then the took a boat down the Ohio. If > anyone has any > information about this migration please share it. > > > I a couple of weeks I will be driving from Prince William County to > Cumberland. This may be the path taken by the PWC Dyes (John, Samuel, > John) from near Manassas to PA on their way to Ohio. If anyone has any > suggestions as to things to look for and at along the way I would like the > benefits of your ideas. > > cheers > > > John Butler is lost and out looking for himself. In case he > returns before > he gets back please leave a message. > > > John C. Butler > Professor of Geosciences > Associate Dean, Natural Sciences and Mathematics > Director of Special Projects > email : jbutler@uh.edu > voice mail : 713-743-3411 > snail mail : 314 Science Research - 5503 > Geosciences > University of Houston > Houston, Texas 77204 > http://www.uh.edu/academics/nsm/geosc/butler.html On pg. x of preface is mentioned: "Miss Elizabeth Mitchell of Mayslick, KY, a descendant of one of the pioneers, Mr. John Shotwell, has furnished important information". The 1st edition of this book was published in 1870. > Just went through my data and find a John, Nathan and Charlotte Wells > Shotwell who married children of Kenneth and Jane Vanderbeck Dye. Could > this be the John Shotwell who is mentioned on page 8 of the book? > I believe the 3 brothers were the 3 Drake brothers: Isaac, Abraham & Cornelius. This is just their immediate party. There were apparently several other groups that left at the same time. > > > pg 8: "The decision extended to five families: - the three brothers, Mr. > David Morris (at times spelled by him, Morriss), older than > either of them, > who was married to my mother's cousin, and Mr. John Shotwell, rather > younger, who was the brother of Mrs. Morris". > Here is the previous paragraph pertaining to the note below. "My father and his brothers were not contented with their position, and thought of emigrating. At that time, your native state was the habitation of Indians only, and KY was but 9 years older than myself...The brothers at first thought of moving (to Virginia); but when two of them, including my father, made a visit there, they hesitated...The Rev. William Wood, (a Baptist minister) who a few years before had emigrated...to Kentucky, came back...and gave such a glowing account of Ky that old Virginia was soon forgotten. The Rev. Mr. Gano, of New York, another Baptist minister, or some of his sons, had visited Ky and his breath of praise still further fanned the flames - till at length the iron ties of affection for home and friends were melted, and a departure was determined upon. The decision extended....". Page 2 of the book is titled "The Setting". In it it states: "There were a number of motives which accounted for this spectacular migration to the West. Land was relatively cheap and an inhabitant of one of the Atlantic states could sell his hundred acres there and acquire, in Kentucky, over a thousand far more fertile ones and have a substantial sum remaining. The desire for adventure or for acquisition of riches in a newly developing territory doubtless played a part. Some there were, probably, who wished to escape prosecution either for debt or crime. Taxes were high in the Seaboard states after the Revolution, and they could be avoided by emigration". Daniel Drake doesn't mention the Dye's as being part of their emigration party in this book, however it is written my family history that the Dye's were among the Drake, Morris and Shotwell party. On pg. 208 he (Daniel)calls him (William Dye) "one of our Jersey neighbours". I think from that we may assume (?) the Dye's were neighbors in Plainfield, of at least the grandfather Nathaniel Drake. Kathy S. >