Crabtree'i
RE: CRABTREE, ISAAC & JACOB
ROYALE R. CRABTREE
1221 Arlington Place
Winter Park, FL 32789
Dear Yr Crabtree:
HOWELL BCONE
Boone Farm Road
Route 1 Box 365A
biocksville,NC 27028
TEL: (7o4) 492-5307
27 JULY 1983
Thank you for your note and the chart including "pioneer"
Crabtrees. I enclose the Thwaites version of a Roadcutters
Roster, which gives Crabtree the rank of Captain, but no first
name=
It is unfortunate that Thwaites describes Rockcastle as the
place where Captain William Twitty and Felix Walker were wounded
and Captain Twitty's negro man was killed. Actually, of course,
the Indian attack occurred many miles from Rockcastle while the
roadcutters were camped. at Taylor's Fork of Silver Creek - this
site is now identified as "Twitty's Fort", with a Kentucky State
highway Marker along the .road. This is a scant 15 miles from the
site of Fort Boonesborough.
Is there any Crabtree family tradition about this highly
adventurous trail -blazing experience?
Our. "Boones in Davie" booklet, with its documented Granville
Land Grants and citations of Court Minutes and church records con-
centrates only on the years Daniel Boone spent in the "Forks of
the Yadkin" - a period often totally neglected by his biographers.
I am not descended from Daniel Boone; I am descended from
John Boone, his first cousin. The major thrust of my research
is this John Boone and his descendants, but I do enjoy the his-
toric Daniel Boone and his many recorded adventures, which may
be less spectacular than the adventures of maiV early I:entucky
settlers, including your Crabtrees.
?n'ith all good wishes,
Davie County Public Library
Mockswlle, MC
. r V ` i_ BRARY
Davie County Public Library
Dear Sirs:
Inclosed is my check # 2223, dated
15 July 83, in the amount of $3.00
for one copy of The Squire,
Daniel, & John Boone Families, in
Davie Co, NC"
Isaac Crabtree, # 3, survivor when
Boone's son killed by Indians,
names son Squire after Squire
Boone. Isaac reblazed the wilderness
road to Ky , Jacob Crabtree one — b,10
of the axmen when Boone carved out
the road, Wm, uncle of Isaac,
a long hunter with D. Boone.
Yours
R R Cra e
ROYALE R. CRABTREEPC,
1221 ARLINGTON PACE
WINTER PARK
FLORIbA
32789
s ''
/ Davie County Public Library
Mocksville, NC
cvABTAzr, Royale R. 12"21 Arlingtan place, tarter Carie, ria 32799, C47 €9485
Stumar.esY I " interested in anti wil,l--ffixc-11An1e_infO an, P+stA9f ra€uadeel,
A HOTT, John# sr. 4i'XNGLFP, 'K.;argsxet raolik of 9PAtlf.LERe Wme DAA Riillie b A )LOtt's
Rtationt Jefferson CC), icy• 20 Mar 1700, John 6 Mare7aregt's parants7
2)
CPA TALL, John* b 28 Apr 1732, KtiAlt. Coe "it sn 1'Yt".eWCWVRt R'OAU& t cMOVO9 tea W44Vs
Uann►an'a parents? Johne r 24d time, COCK# Jaminat Chloe their Lau? 'Proof?
Parents of Semina?
3)
CkAjP,Tj4ju, wo or, VIKet gArys gait Co, Md 17 Feb 172,di, Gpdan. Isaac CRAB'!RET! a FIEF
7 net given name? Parents? relationship to Par?? Official
4)
C&AL'4`RtLe Isaac: t?, h 4 t".sy 1$abr Wayne Co, Ky# 61 4 Dec 1076, t:nion Co, T11, u„
tsAT 4X11, Anne Overton Cot Tenn, 1.815, Ann's Parents? Details? 1ROCOfe3s?
5)
DR&xEg 2l.izaLaath, b ca 1&02t Va, m 'i'HMGMORTOG A wro 4 taf 1550t Llis in Vnian
cot Ill, 1450 census, can b Tenn, `fYeF.C+WWRYUH5 4iven name? PArcrts? detsila?
6)
?LivLre Isaac, b ca 170:4. Pz wen/lrodell Car, nC? d 15 Oct 1435, Clark Coh Xy Parer'
7)
BROUGHTON# sfie, b Ga 1735• Va, d x/12/1718, Hardy Coe wVae m kiannah 7 Parents of
both?
83 )
Cii6tTNi°YCaJi:, Samuel b ca 1745 Vat a 19 APr 1323, %our!A= Coe r -yo L, Aacbel ? 'Ivr
parents? Saw's Father Cornelius• wife and parent of troth?
9) r_ Va 7 :a 1ti4. :3cilwort: Co r- 14 Nov
LVdPY.x, �`laeaLez, b .4 Feb 177:x, LatrAoun s, , • • '
1796, Frederick Coe Nd, WtCHOLd, Mary, raroftts Of both? Fere John h 23 Silpt
1771,Alexander b 177440 Samuel bras of Bleazer? Was xother of Mary sa Spencer?
10)
SHITU, ThovAs dau Fvalyn m EVANS# 13e*sl € PteC 1925, Belmont Cot Ot Thoer,RA 5
wife's parents?
11)
Ro,wre Joseph h, 1790 NC* ir PLYMAI«w, lli&AbVth* 1st white 4ettlCV6 In trio Twp,
1,4%ox Co, Ill, Details? Parents of bath? xerv,41 in Flack Hawk War.
12)
F,xC31NPAUGh,# Goorq* k4rater b 12 Bret 1743, sa ca 1761 TULLIS CAtheri:sa• Prot
i3erkley Co, Va. was her father Fuses TUL.LIS of Borkley Co, 7 O.fficrel Pecords?
13)
ACs.°46.4'6, Johap da u bstnia M F"MP,1.F:, ANthony, 11 Jap 1744+, cilas ,Cot VA0 .Ichu 4
wife's parenta? Records?
14)
RIDE.NOUX, 3arbra w PY.CKINDAUGUe Oscsrge Peter jre ca 174350 Pa/va? Hor Pararts?
10
H%;RLEY, Roiss+Rrt a.. Abigal ? son iiu;ie b 20 Dec MI. t,4,oneouth Coe NJ Iarsnts Of Lott
16)
ALIX#J14, Rej of 'Raw "df0reAt W, sil ? Dau Fli,aabotb NAn o+ 17 May 1'8130 IIJ iseni
6 wife's parents?
17)
Vt:X?P_hzc54 WM b sig star 1752, W = Eleanor rXi+ONS? L 25 MAr 16492 ftralxts?
1t)
hRRICjS0.., .John m ?'1Miee 7 L [i.7 29 e)et JS22, Elsie & Joi-jr,'s wife's parents?
19) 2
wALLhCti, Charles N b Gr ontezred US, Ib5jf, liv0d Cleveland Ce %ut$0P Cyst t 3,
auy infon-ation?
20)
SxF;M,Tts, rMAI faa4 Gsrt e"tared US 1e64 , arty detail*? PftWi1y7
21)
WUITAKKR,John, i Cath eriae d 1717 r.altir4ory C'o, vt't, from S honce7r Pare to?
Davie County Public Library
MocksV.ille, NC
Hunting Creek @ Boone Farm Road 02 March 1984
Route 1 Box 365A9Mocksville9NC 27028
Dear Lou: - - .- -
I've finally had a chance to re -read your scripts to me it
is fascinating since it pivots on the Shawnee murder of the "rear
party" (Daniel's phrase per Filson) on 10 October 1773.
Still haven't heard from Mr Emory Hamilton] I'll write him
after.ttle letter to you. In the meantime. I've located a. Crabtree . .
descendant... THE Qrabtree who escaped death at the hands of those
marauding Shawnees. Family tradition states that this Crabtree was
an Indianthater for the rest oft -,his life. There is an incident
where this Crabtree struck dead an unsuspecting Indian as he stood
in a frontier town,/village. Crabtree was chastised, but went un-
punished and remained unrepentant.
It is the entire 1773 route that intrigues me When Daniel
finally got under way in the Fall of 1773 - divesting himself of
all he "owned" in the Yadkin River Valley - he was even over-anxious
to get going to Kaintucke = which he knew was by then sprinkled
with hunters" camp sites. The hunters came to Kentucky from the
North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania frontiers. There were
also several surveyors teams in Kentucky for the rul!.ng clique at
Williamsburg. Daniel was in a sweat to get what he wanted of Ken-
tucky. He and the other men with him seem never to have taken the
precautions yt known they should have taken, but what experience
had they had?
A Simon Kenton should have headed the group that were sent back
to Campbell for more supplies• Savy Simon was to appear in Daniel's
life some years later.
As for the 1773 route,, I agree with you• with one caveato it
was the shortest route KNOWN TO DANIEL. When Dan & Obert Boone and
I retraced the National Park Service "approved route", we were then
aware that the 19301s roads we used were up out of the flood plain
(where Dan'1 trod) and some of the recently improved roads are the
new -style "cut into the hills and fill the valleys" roads* Most im-
portantly in,Daniel's day there were all those trees. And there
were all those thicketse brambles and cane breaks • none of which
elk, deer, wolves, bears or panthers penetraed as they "created"
the paths and trails the Indians followed. n
I have described Daniel as "in a sweat" to get to Kentucky
before it was all gonel he used the trails and paths that then
existed. When in 1775, with the financial backing of Henderson's
Transylvania Company) Dax], set out again for Kentuckyg he
assembled a band of road cutters, and he =tiblazed the now famous
Wilderness Road - a lesson learned from his 1773 experience. For
me the 1773 attempt was a wild gamble with no thought of the risks=
Daniel was an eternal optimist in spite of a life littered with
failures.
Where was James Exyan during this first attempt. I do not
now know# but in a quiet moment several weeks agog a took a copy
of the Davie County Land Grant Map and edged in red the several
Boone properties in Davie County$ then I edged the Bryan grants
in green and the few other prerevolutionary grants in blue.
The granted land in Davie County came to no more than one-fifth
of the total areas Most of Davie County was empty lands or land
occupied by squatters. Arany of the "farmers" were unwilling to
commit, themselves to.a piece of land by purchase. Soil was often
depleted -ruined ( it was then called "old fields" . hence Mock's
Old Field) in a half dozen years of primitive cultivation. Arany
farmers" worked land till it was exhausted, and then moved on -
to the Brushy Noustain area of North Carolina# and then prompted
by Daniel e. to Kentucky and beyond.
The records of Wilkes County start in 17?? when this county
was created by the rebel North Carolina State Legislature. By then
Daniel and his family had moved to Boonesborough. Still his brothers
George and Edward do appear in the 1?77 Land Entry Book for Wilkes
County. Years ago, when I checked these records I did not have
the knowledge to check also for Bryanst Howards and others. That
must be done the next time I get to North Wilkesboro* At this
time I don't know where James Bryan and his brood of motherless
children were.
Right nowe I am studying Rowan County Deed Books in -an effort
to determine where William and Bury [Boone] Bryan were living when
her mother Sarah [Morgan] Boone died in 1777. Somewhere in present
Davie. County Public Library
Mockswiile, NC
I
3
day Davie County - perhaps on Bryan's Creek in the Farmington
area which was in those days the Bryan Settlement. There is also
that proyertY on the Shallow Ford which is now in present-oday
Yadkin County. More research is needed (as always)•
To return to your scripts the frequent visits .of Shawnee Big
Jim make my flesh crawl (which you intended). These scenes feel
right to me. A reverse situation must also have obtained# some of
the long hunter whites showed up at Indian villages/encampments
and put all the Indians on edge. .Cf course, them as now some
Indians ( born linguists?) spoke an unaccented idiomatic English
certainly Big Jim was one of those. My hunch is that Rebecca and
her brood were also frequently visited by members of her large
family and (of course, As we know) by members of Daniel'." family.
There seems to have been a good deal of visiting back and forth -
corn shuoking, hog slaughtering and so forth, plus slumber parties
for the girls.
Still$ you rightly stress Rebecca's isolation and her loneli-
ness with Daniel forever ( so it seems) romping over distant hills
and dales.
As for young James Boone ( was he ever called Jim • Little
White Jim killed by Big Red Jim) I like the self confidence and
the pride you gave him. History makes scant mention of himl I
have read nothing on his complexion, hair color, height or muscu-
lature w he's just a shadow that was murdered by Big Jim• He was,
I'm certain, always alive in the memory of both Rebecca and Daniel.
After Jamie is murdered you have Daniel and Rebecca confront.
"out loud" her infidelity. Draper & Vlliott notwithstanding, I
feel it is possible that this couple never confronted this headon.
In my mind it is possible that Daniel was informed by Mart.
[Bryan]. Aone »P sister of Rebecca and wife of charming Edw4rd.
Wouldn't that be an interesting scene to write? Neither Daniel
nor Rebecca ever hint about it to each other. Yet according to
what Elliott tells use what I'm writing is fiction • a "reconcil..
i ation with out words" a scene Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
could do to perfection.
I'm looking forward to the three -segment George Washington
4,vi4 County Public Library
hotilfA, NC
"story" on TV - to be aired here( -in Apri+. This might set anew
trend dor TV - we may yet have programs on Alexander Hamilton,
James Madison and Rebecca Boone nee Bryan? I was delighted with
the Adams series of several years agog and feel strongly that TV
is the way to enliven history and in particular American History.
Our schools are becoming ( again?) so job -skill and life -skill
oriented that history and poetry are demoted for driver education
and sex education (I, .approve of bot)1k.. but....) Davie County Schools.
are going to observe our minimal Daniel Boone ceremonies from afar.
Those students that read•the newspapers may note what mention is
made of the events. So how many New Yorkers have been to the Statue
of Liberty?
I•ve discussed a pageant/play with some members of the now
defunct local drama group - they are pessimistic about anything
coming off l the Arts Alive Fair group is doggo right now# as is
the Crafts Fair bunch. The Boys Scouts WILL participate in the
Old Timey Turkey Shoot as Marshals# and they will have an over-
night (cold?) encampment on Ferebee property near The Barney
castle Ball Park where the match will take place. IRS has ALL
the Piedmont Committee papers, and will decide when they decide.
In the meantime, we have "set" the very inclusive wording for the
plaque to be erected at Joppa Cemetery (our formal written re-
quest is yet to be made). We will also petition the Davie County
Board of Commissioners for a Daniel Boone Day on October 22*1984.
And I'm organised to initiate a campaign for a Daniel Boone U S
postage stamp, and also a commemorative 500 piece (lots of luck?)
Enclosed are some items from North Carolina newspapers about
our Boone thing this fall - the newspapers are helpful# but then
they have all those inches of non -advertising space to fill with
something.....
. We are looking forward to you joining we happy few in the
Boone Octoberfest in the Forks of the Yadkin.
Hest wishes#