Jonathan Boone bookletJ O N A T H A N B O O N E
(1730-c1808)
by
DAN G. BOONE
A biography of Jonathan Boone,
older brother of Daniel Boone
Compiled from family tradition, Quaker records, land grants and
deeds, court records and from many items in the Lyman C. Draper
collection, Madison, Wisconsin.
GEORGE D. BOONE OF PLEASANTON TEXAS PASSED AWAY FEB. 3,1985.
HE IS BURIED IN FLORESVILLE TEXAS BY THE SIDE OF HIS GRANDFATHER.
HIS WISH WAS TO BE THERE.
WRITTEN 1983-1984
DAN G. BOONE
717 Ormand Street
Pleasanton, Texas 78064
a direct descendant of
Jonathan Boone (1730-c1808)
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Table of Contents
Jonathan Boone's Ancestors ......................................................................................................................................3
Jonathan Boone in Pennsylvania ...............................................................................................................................3
Jonathan Boone's Early Years on the Yadkin ............................................................................................................4
Jonathan Boone, the Millwright ................................................................................................................................6
Jonathan Boone in Kentucky .....................................................................................................................................7
Jonathan Boone on the Little Wabash River..............................................................................................................9
PIONEER GRAVES ...............................................................................................................................................12
GEORGE DANIEL BOONE (1914-1985)..............................................................................................................14
Dr. Richmon P. Boone, Ancestors and Children .....................................................................................................15
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Jonathan Boone's Ancestors
The great Quaker, William Penn, secured from the King of England a grant of 26 million acres
of land in the American Colonies, which became known as Pennsylvania. He then advertised to
the Christian World that he had land for every family at a reasonable price, where they would be
free from religious persecution and have the benefits of a representative self-government.
From Devonshire England came George Boone, the father of Squire, and from Wales came
Edward Morgan, whose daughter Sarah became the wife of Squire Boone in 1720. These two
became the parents of eleven children, one of them being Jonathan Boone. All of their children,
including their son the famous Daniel Boone, settled for a number of years in the Forks of the
Yadkin River, now known as Davie County, North Carolina. It is here near the present site of
the town of Mocksville that Squire and Sarah Boone lived out their last years, and they are
buried nearby, in the old Joppa Cemetery.
Jonathan Boone in Pennsylvania
Squire Boone, the father of Jonathan, sold his land in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in March of
1730, and later that year bought land in Oley, located a few miles east of present-day Reading,
Pennsylvania. On this land Squire built a temporary cabin to house his family until he could
erect their permanent home. It was here in this rough cabin that the Boones lived at the time of
Jonathan's birth. (1)
Jonathan Boone was born December 6, 1730 (O1d Style) the fourth child and third son of Squire
and Sarah Morgan Boone. (2) He grew to manhood here in Oley, known as a Boone settlement,
under the watchful eye of his grandfather George Boone, and a number of his uncles. His father
was not only a farmer; he was also a blacksmith and a weaver. Therefore Jonathan was kept
busy working in the various family enterprises, and in time he grew into a large powerful man
with an unusually good mind. (3)
Local history reveals that by the late 1740's, Oley had become part of Exeter Township in Berks
County, Pennsylvania. Many settlers had moved into this area. The frontier was gone and
farmland had become expensive; it became evident that if Squire's children wanted to acquire
land of their own, they would have to look elsewhere since they were not financially able to
acquire land in the Berks County area. This problem confronted many families living in this
area.
In about 1747, a rumor circulated that there was plenty of good land and an abundance of wild
game in far off North Carolina in the area of the Yadkin River valley. The Indians living there
were described as few in number and friendly, and the price of land was reasonable. Some of
Squire's Quaker friends had moved to this area, and news filtered back that this information on
the Yadkin River area was reliable and true.
On December 31, 1747 at the Exeter Quaker Meeting, there was testimony against Squire's elder
son Israel Boone: he had "married out" - that is he had married a girl who was not a Quaker.
Squire would not apologize to the Meeting nor would he condemn his son, but sent Israel to
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North Carolina to examine the upper Yadkin River area as a future home for his family. (4)
There is reason to believe that Jonathan accompanied Israel, since Jonathan married a Miss Mary
Carter in the Yadkin River valley area long before Squire Boone moved his entire family to
North Caro1ina.(5)
(1) "Daniel Boone in Pennsylvania" by Paul A. W. Wallace, published by the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission.
(2) Records of the 1730 Monthly Meetings of the Exeter Friends Meeting House, Berks
County, Pennsylvania
(3) Information passed on by Richmond Pearson Boone, a grandson of Jonathan Boone
(4) Lyman C Draper Papers, statements by grandsons of Jesse Boone, son of Israel Boone
that Jesse Boone was born in October 1748 in the Yadkin River area of North Carolina
(5) Information on this marriage in the following section.
Jonathan Boone's Early Years on the Yadkin
The early North Carolina County Records of the Yadkin River region were destroyed by fire. (l)
Thus very little is known about the early settlers who came to the area before Rowan County was
formed in 1753. This is especially true in the matter of land "ownership" of the early settlers,
and this is also true of the early Boone Family arrivals. We do know, however, that Squire Boone
left Exeter Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania on May 1st, 1750 and stopped for a.time
near the present-day city of Winchester in Virginia. From here in the Fall of 1750, his 16 year
old son Daniel and Henry Miller (a great friend of Daniel's) drove some milk cows to the Yadkin
Valley of North Carolina.
Squire Boone moved his family to the Yadkin River area within a year, and lived for a short time
"about one mile and a quarter west of the Holman's (Alleman's) now called Boone's Ford” (3) on
land believed to have been owned by Jonathan Boone, and Squire's family lived there until the
permanent Squire Boone home on his Bear Creek property was finished.
Jonathan Boone was first mentioned in the Rowan County Court Records on January 30th, 1755.
On that date, James Carter and Jonathan Boone, Gentlemen of Rowan County, purchased from
John, the Earl of Granville, 766 acres of land on the north bank of the South Yadkin River
between Hunting and Bear Creeks, in present-day Davie County, North Carolina. And it was on
Bear Creek that they built a grist and saw mill.
There are three James Carter entries in the Rowan County Court Records of July 1756, and with
the help of these and later court record entries some of the early 1ife of Jonathan Boone on the
Yadkin is revealed.
The first Carter entry in the court records was a Bill of Sale, stating that James Carter sold to
Jonathan Boone two Negro slaves for 90 pounds. (4) On this Bill of Sale, Jonathan Boone is
called a joyner, meaning a skilled carpenter. Jonathan Boone must have been a recognized
builder, for on October 25th, 1757 the Rowan County Court commissioned him, along with
Thomas Foster, to make the final inspection of the work done on the new County Courthouse.
The second Carter entry was a Gift Deed to his loving daughter Mrs. Mary Boone, the wife of
Jonathan Boone. In this deed James Carter gives to Mary, his home called “Bristol Hall”
including the furnishings. The location of the house was not indicated. (5)
The third Carter entry was a gift of 350 acres of land to his granddaughter, Abigale Boone - the
4
daughter of Jonathan and Mary [Carter] Boone. This land was described only as being in Rowan
County, and the deed made reference to the previous deed which gave Mary [Carter] Boone her
father’s home. (6) Therefore this 350 acres must be part of James Carter’s homeplace called
“Bristol Hall”.
In 1765, George Reed, Gentleman, sold 320 acres of land near Potts Creek, and Abigale [Boone]
Reed signed the deed as his wife. (7)
James Carter was not only Jonathan Boone’s father-in-law, but also a great influence on
Jonathan’s life. Carter had come to the Yadkin River area in 1747 as a surveyor for the land
agents of John, Earl of Granville, who was the Lord Proprietor of all the lands in this region.
And in time this James Carter (who signed himself Jas. Carter) would become a very important
person in the affairs of early Rowan County. James Carter was born in Bucks County,
Pennsylvania and was living there during the period that Squire Boone also lived there.
However, whether they knew each other at that time is not known. James Carter moved to
Virginia before moving to North Carolina, and at different times referred to himself as a
surveyor, a carpenter and a millwright, and these are the same trades which his son-in-law
Jonathan Boone followed in his lifetime.
When Jonathan and his brother Israel Boone arrived in the Yadkin area, they went directly to
James Carter. Of Israel very little is known, but we do know that he had a son born in the “Forks
of the Yadkin” during October 1748. This son was named “Jassie” (Jesse). The 17-year-old
Jonathan (18 in December of 1748) went to work for Jas. Carter as an apprentice, and two years
later he married Mary Carter, Jas. Carter’s favorite daughter. It is believed that their marriage
took place in May of 1750, and this seems to be correct since Abigale Boone, their oldest
daughter was married to George Reed in 1765 when Abigale was about 15 years of age.
There is a “local tradition” that Jonathan Boone owned 640 acres of land just west of Alleman’s
(now Boone’s) Ford on the North (Main) Yadkin River. The land was originally owned by Jas.
Carter to control the ford, but this land transaction was never recorded in the Rowan County
Deed Book. Jonathan and Mary [Carter] Boone later abandoned this property during the French
and Indian War. Whether Jonathan and his family ever lived on this land is not known. The
cabin site across the Yadkin River also cannot be positively connected to Jonathan Boone.
Jas. Carter was considered a wealthy man; however, in 1756, at the time he gave his homestead
to Mary and Abigale Boone, it became known that he owed large sums of money to several
individuals. The reason for this indebtedness is not established, and at this time he also
acknowledged that he had borrowed money from son-in-law Jonathan Boone. (8) This loan
might have helped Jas. Carter at that date, but in time the Rowan County Sheriff sold all of
Carter’s valuable property.
In January of 1759 the Sheriff sold even James Carter’s half share of the property held in
partnership with Jonathan Boone, which included all of the land on the South Yadkin River
between Hunting and Bear Creek with the grist and saw mill. (9) Jonathan Boone sold his half
share of the property to the same buyer for 60 pounds. (10) Certainly this seems a cheap price
for half of this valuable property, but there was a raging war with the Indians at this time, which
engulfed this whole region for the next three years.
It is recorded in the Rowan County Court Records that James Carter owned property on Potts
Creek, including a gristmill. This land is now within the borders of present-day Davidson
County, North Carolina. (11) There is no record of a Sheriff’s sale of this property, and for good
reason, since this was the James Carter homeplace he deeded in 1756 to Mary [Carter] Boone,
his daughter and to Abigale Boone, his granddaughter. There is little doubt that James Carter’s
“Bristol Hall” was located at this site, on the heights near the mouth of Potts Creek, overlooking
the beautiful Yadkin River Valley. It was here that Jonathan and Mary [Carter] Boone lived
after 1756 and until their daughter Abigale [Boone] Reed came of age. After the death of her
husband in 1788, Abigale passed on this property to one of her sons by a gift deed.
5
1. History reveals that the Yadkin River area was in Bladen County from 1734-1749; the
Bladen County Courthouse burned in 1765 and in 1893 – all old records were destroyed.
This area was then part of Anson County from 1749 to 1753; the Anson County
Courthouse burned in 1868. All Court and County records were destroyed.
2. Draper Mss. 20C-60
3. Draper Mss. 19C-120 thru 154, detailing family stories told by Square Boon (Jr.) to his
sons.
4. Rowan County Court Minutes II:139
5. Ibid & Rowan County Deed Book 3:367
6. Rowan County Court Minutes II:147
7. Rowan County Deed Book 6:56-57
8. Rowan County Court Minutes II:146
9. Rowan County Deed Book 4:90-91
10. Rowan County Deed Book 4:92-93
11. Rowan County Court Minutes II:180
12. Rowan County Deed Book 10:244
Jonathan Boone, the Millwright
During Jonathan Boone’s early years in Rowan County, North Carolina, he was regarded as a
skilled carpenter, and he spent some of his time in Salisbury, the County Seat. The Rowan
County Court records reveal that he served on County Juries a number of times. He also appears
as the Plaintiff in a few small claims suits, but after 1759 there is very little mention of him in
any extant records.
Jonathan Boone was present at the reading of his father-in-law James Carter’s Will in Salisbury
in 1765. (1) A traveling Moravian Preacher, by the name of George Soelle called on him at his
home in 1771. (2) A Baptist Preacher, Ebenezer Fairchild preached at Jonathan’s home in
October 1772. (3) During the American Revolution in August of 1778, Jonathan Boone was cited
along with 128 others for refusing or neglecting to appear before the Justice of the Court in their
respective district to take the Oath of Affirmation of Allegiance to the State of North Carolina.
(4) In 1784 he purchased 144 acres of land on Third Creek, “where he now lives”. (5) This land
was located southwest of the South Yadkin River in present-day Rowan County, North Carolina.
There is no record that Jonathan Boone was ever a farmer (planter) or a hunter (like his younger
brother Daniel Boone). For many years Jonathan Boone did not own any farmland, and he did
not join with his brothers in their move to Kentucky in the late 1770's. He was the last of Squire
Boone’s sons to move his family to Kentucky; the actual year is not established, but by the time
he moved he was a well-known frontier millwright. (6)
About 1767 a son was born to Jonathan and Mary [Carter] Boone, whom they named John.
They were living at that time on a mill site in Virginia (6) located, it is believed, on a tributary of
the Holston River. This is the first evidence that Jonathan was a Millwright, although there is
reason to believe that, with the help of James Carter, Jonathan Boone worked his way into this
profession after the Indian War ended in 1761.
6
As a Millwright, he designed mills powered by the water flow of a creek or river. Some of these
mills he designed were used to grind meal and flour – called gristmills; others he designed were
sawmills, making lumber. A Millwright such as Jonathan Boone was really a professional
engineer. He would calculate the power that the stream would produce, design and place the
dam and mill house so that they would withstand seasonal flooding and be operational for many
years. Such a millwright would also design and produce all the necessary hardware for the mill.
Jonathan Boone was a millwright a number of years before his ability became known on the
frontier, and it appears that during these early years he lived on the mill site and directed or did
most of the work himself. In time as his reputation grew, Jonathan Boone became exclusively an
architect-designer of mills. The hardware, which included all the moving parts in the mill, was
made at his Third Creek home. About 1790, this work was turned over to his son John Boone,
who in 1795 moved the workshop to Kentucky (6) the year that Jonathan Boone sold his
property on Third Creek in Rowan County, North Carolina to one Richmond Pearson, Sr. (7)
Designing and making mill parts and mill hardware became John Boone’s lifetime occupation.
By 1820 John Boone is describing himself as a manufacturer (8) and in time this business was
passed on to his son, Richmond Pearson Boone. (6)
1. Rowan County Will Book A, page 43, Rowan County, N. C.
2. “The Squire, Daniel and John Boone Families in Davie County, North Carolina” (1982)
by James W. Wall, Flossie Martin & Howell Boone.
3. McCubbins Papers, Rowan County Public Library, Salisbury, North Carolina
4. Minutes of the Rowan County Court of Pleas, Book 4, Page 169, Rowan County, North
Carolina
5. Rowan County Deed Book 9, Page 453, Rowan County, N. C.
6. Information passed on to descendants by Richmond Pearson Boone, a grandson of
Jonathan Boone.
7. Mercer County, Kentucky Deed Book 4(25) pages 462-464
8. 1820 United States Census, Warren County, Kentucky
Jonathan Boone in Kentucky
Lyman C. Draper of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, personally interviewed Squire
Boone Jr’s youngest son, Enoch M. Boone in 1858. Enoch at this time was over eighty years
old. In this interview he made this statement to Dr. Draper about Jonathan Boone, his uncle and
the brother of the famous Daniel Boone:
“Jonathan Boone came early to Kentucky, remember him at Squire Boone’s
station as early as 1783. Tended Squire Boone’s Mill. After a few years settled
on the Green River and after living there several years, settled at the big falls of
the Wabash near Mt. Carmal, (Wabash Co.) on Illinois side, not more than 15
miles, if that, above the mouth of the Wabash – where he built a mill. There he
died about 1808, don’t know where his wife died, nor how old he was. Left
several daughters, got mostly married on the Green River. Three sons, John,
Joseph and Daniel who settled in the lower country, except John who settled
somewhere in Kentucky. Jonathan never took part in Indian Wars in Kentucky.
Joseph settled at Elisheeo (now called Poland or Columbia) above the big Cypress
bend in Mississippi State and died there sometime before 1827. His brother
Daniel settled at St. Antoine in Texas, where the battle was fought, was killed
7
there by the Indians. Joseph left a family, don’t know about Daniel left any.” (1)
Basically, Enoch’s story is correct, although the date that he remembered Jonathan at Squire
Boone’s Station in Kentucky may not have been 1783, since Jonathan bought 144 acres of land,
“where he now lives” on Third Creek in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1784. (2) It is also
apparent that Mary and her younger children were not with Jonathan at Squire Boone Jr’s
Station, since Enoch did not remember their young son, Daniel who was only two years older
than Enoch. (3) Therefore, it is not known when Jonathan moved his family to Kentucky.
Jonathan Boone did appear before the County Court of Mercer County, Kentucky on September
21, 1795 and gave his “beloved son Joseph Boone” Power of Attorney in Rowan County, North
Carolina to collect money, or to sue anyone who owed him money, and to settle all claims
against Jonathan Boone. His son was also instructed to deed 144 acres on Third Creek to
Richmond Pearson, Sr. in payment of 70 Pounds owed Pearson by Jonathan Boone. (4) Jonathan
Boone was also listed on the 1795 Tax Roll of Mercer County, Kentucky. (5)
In 1796 Jonathan Boone settled in an area of Kentucky, known as “The Territory” – south of the
Green River, when it was then part of Logan County. In 1797 this area became Warren County,
which was then a vast wilderness. If we are to believe local tradition, the last white man killed
by Indians in Kentucky, was killed here in 1797.
And it was in 1797 that Jonathan Boone and his son Joseph built a grist and saw mill on the Bays
Fork of the Barron River, a tributary of the Green River. (6) A few miles east of their mill – on
Peters Creek, they received a military grant of 200 acres of land each, in an area set aside for
veterans of the Revolutionary War. (7)
When the Warren County Court met on Tuesday, July 4th 1797 in the home of Robert Moore,
Jonathan and Mary [Carter] Boone were present to start a suit for the return of land lost by her
father James Carter over 60 years before, in the State of Maryland.
“This Power of Attorney was acknowledged by Jonathan and Mary Boone, his
wife, to be their act and deed and ordered to be recorded.” W. C. CT. (8)
Suit recorded from Warren County, Kentucky Records:
“KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:
That we, Jonathan and Mary Boone, his wife, have nominated, constituted and
appointed and do by these presents nominate, constitute and appoint Philip Bush
of the County of Mercer and State of Kentucky, our lawful attorney for us in our
names and in the name of the said Mary, only heir at law of James Carter,
deceased father, of the County of Rowan and the State of North Carolina, to ask,
demand, sue for, recover and receive from any person who may be in possession
of, claim title to a tract of land lying and being in the County of Cecil and State of
Maryland for the conveyance of which said fifty acres of land a certain William
Rumsey, now deceased, executed a Bond to the said James Carter in his lifetime.”
(9)
In 1799 Barron County was formed, taking parts of both Warren and Green Counties. The land
that belonged to Jonathan and son Joseph along Peters Creek became part of Barron County.
Bays Fork of the Barron River became the boundary line between Warren and Barron counties –
right where the mill dam was located. Jonathan Boone and son Joseph lived on the mill side in
Warren County. Son John lived on the Barron County side. Present day Highway 234 crosses
over Bays Fork near the site of Jonathan Boone’s mill.
In 1802, Peter Boucher, Sr., a neighbor of Jonathan Boone, claimed “that Jonathan Boone stole
my hogs and killed them.” Boucher also stated that he would not pay a debt he owed to Jonathan
Boone, saying “the hogs Jonathan stole was worth more than the money I owe.” Jonathan Boone
filed a counter suit for slander stating, "He, Peter Boucher, injured my good name, fame, credit
8
9
and reputation” and asked for 2,000 Pounds damages (11)
This case was tried in the Warren County Court of Quarterly Sessions, starting in the May 1802
Session. The case was carried over to the Summer Session and was settled in November of the
Fall Session. Unfortunately, the records do not quote any testimony, or even the outcome of the
lawsuit. However it did give the names of the witnesses subpoenaed to testify, and two of these
witnesses were Jonathan Boone's sons, Joseph from Warren County, and John from Barron
County, both living in the neighborhood of the Boone Mill on Bays Fork.
On April 4,1803 Jonathan Boone again appeared before the Warren County Court submitting a
claim for 200 acres of land on the south side of Barron River adjoining Samuel Lessby's 450 acre
survey. (12) Whether the court allowed this motion is not known. However, there is no record of
Jonathan Boone ever owning this 200 acre property.
This 1803 court appearance is the last mention of Jonathan Boone in any official records in the
State of Kentucky. In 1811, his 200 acre Peters Creek property was sold by his son Joseph
Boone, three years after the reported death of Jonathan Boone in 1808, as remembered by Enoch
M. Boone in his statement to Dr. Lyman C. Draper. (13)
(1) Draper Mss. 19C153
(2) Deed Book 9, page 543: Rowan County, North Carolina
(3) Marriage Record of Daniel Boone, son of Jonathan and Mary Boone. St. Landy Catholic
Church Archives, Opelosca, Louisiana dated 23 November 1801.
(4) Deed Book 4 (25) pages 462-464 Mercer County, Kentucky
(5) 1795 Tax Roll: Mercer County, Kentucky
(6) Deed Book 4 page 48: Warren County, Kentucky
(7) Commissioner Certificate # 1640, Joseph Certificate # 1644, Records of Barron County,
Kentucky
(8) Order Book A, pages 10 & 11: Warren County, Kentucky
(9) Deed Book A, page 41: Warren County, Kentucky
(10) Deed Book 1, pages 346, 347, & 348. Also Deed Book 4, page 48: Warren County,
Kentucky
(11) Case Number 247, Court of Common Pleas, Warren County, Kentucky
(12) Order Book B- page 407, Common Lawsuits of Warren County, Kentucky
(13) Deed Book C page 163 & 323: Barron County, Kentucky
Jonathan Boone on the Little Wabash River
In the little village of New Haven, located on the Little Wabash River in Gallatin County,
Illinois, there is a Boon Mill Memorial Plaque, erected by the Illinois State Historical Society,
that reads:
“Jonathan Boone, an older brother of the famous pathfinder, Daniel Boone, built a
Mill on this site about 1800. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1730 and died about
1808. His son, Joseph continued to operate the Mill. In 1813, Joseph was named
to mark out a road from Burnt Prairie to Shawneetown by the way of his Mill. On
August 24, 1814, he purchased the Millsite from the Federal Land Office at
Shawneetown. The Mill was used as a landmark by the State Legislature in
describing the boundary line separating White from Gallatin County. Joseph sold
10
the land in 1818. He died in Mississippi in 1827.”
Jonathan Boone did not leave Warren County, Kentucky, until after April 1803, and according to
his nephew, Enoch Boone’s statement to Dr. Draper, he “settled by the big falls on the Wabash
near Mt. Carmal on the Illinois side, not more than 15 miles, if that, above the mouth of the
Wabash.” The Big Falls of the Wabash is over 50 miles from its mouth, where the Wabash
empties in the Ohio River. New Haven, Illinois is about 15 miles from the mouth of the Wabash,
and it was here that Jonathan built his Mill. The idea of using the Big Falls as a power source is
probably what led Jonathan to go to Illinois, but there is no evidence that Jonathan Boone ever
built a mill at the Big Falls.
The Boone Mill at New Haven on the Little Wabash was probably completed about 1805. A
stockade was built for protection against the Indians, and it became known as Boonsfort. Very
little of its history is known today, and it wasn’t until 1814 that a Federal Land Office was
opened in that area. After the territory became the State of Illinois, the name Boonsfort was
changed to New Haven.
Boonsfort and the Mill would have been forgotten long ago, if physical evidence were not
present. The base of the old Mill dam still ripples the River and can be seen when the river is
low. The old Mill has been made into living quarters; the log timbers are now covered. Rooms
have been added, making the old Mill into a house.
The settlement grew up along the banks of the Wabash River, on high ground that has never been
flooded by the rising waters of the Ohio and Wabash Rivers. The old main street is now called
Water Street; it runs parallel to the river. The Boone Mill was located at what is now the
junction of Water and Mill Streets. The Boone Stockade was located just north of the Boone
Mill between Water Street and the river. A metal building now stands on this site. The Boone
Cemetery is located on the banks of the river, about two blocks north of Boone Mill, near the
junction of Boone and Water Streets.
In Glen Miner’s book entitled: “Gallatin County, Illinois Cemeteries”, he describes the Boonsfort
Cemetery:
“Between the River and Water Street, there is a ridge in front of the Richardson
home. This is said to be the burial spot of many of the early settlers, including
some members of the Boone family. I have been told that there were two large
flat rocks, the length and width of a grave, as well as from four to ten of the early
thin type stones, plus a few sand stones at the head of the graves. Some of the
older people know this as the Boone Cemetery.”
This old Boonsfort Cemetery has a history all of its own. All but destroyed by the elements in
the passing years, it was forgotten by the local villagers. A house was built on the gravesites,
and the gravestones were used to make stepping stones. In time this house burned down, and a
mobile home was then placed in the middle of the old cemetery. The gravestones that were not
needed were tossed or rolled down the river bank into the Little Wabash River. One of the two
large flat rocks mentioned by Mr. Miner is now lying on the river bank.
The mobile home has been removed, and in October of 1982, the Boonsfort Cemetery site was
being used as a pen for some domestic animals.
It is not known whether Mary, the wife of Jonathan Boone, ever joined him on the Little Wabash
River, nor do we know the year of her death. However, we do know that their son, Joseph, sold
his and their property in Barron County, Kentucky in 1811.
In that year, Joseph Boone moved to the Boonsfort Mill on the Little Wabash River, when, it is
assumed, both of his parents were dead.
We like to believe that Mary is buried beside her husband Jonathan in this cemetery on the Little
Wabash River, even though as detailed, the cemetery has been obliterated in recent years. We
feel that the two large flat rocks described by historian Glen Miner were their grave markers.
And we hope that someday, in a more caring future time, that the old Boonsfort Cemetery will be
properly returned to those who sleep there still.
THIS LAND WAS OWNED BY JONATHAN AND HIS SON JOHN.
OUR GREAT GRAND FATHER RICHMOND P. BOONE
WAS BORN ON THIS LAND THE YEAR OF 1803.
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12
PIONEER GRAVES
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dan G. Boone, the finder of the graves, along with Obert
Boone, who in the early part of October, 1984, spent a good part of two days searching for the
graves of six young pioneers who got separated from their main party, and were tortured and
murdered by the Indians at daybreak, 10 October 1773, one of them being James Boone, a
sixteen year old son of Daniel Boone.
Mr. Howell Boone, a Boone family historian and President for the 250th anniversary of Daniel
Boone's birth, has asked me to write and give the details of our search for these graves.
I am a descendant of Jonathan Boone, one of Daniel Boone's older brothers. I am a researcher for
the Boone family history. I have done research in Kentucky and North Carolina, and have
traveled through the Cumberland Gap and last in Virginia on Hwy. 58 a number of times, and
since I am acquainted with the Highway there, was always looking for a road Historical Marker.
The only marker we could find was on Hwy. 58 close to the Lee County line, 35 miles east of the
graves.
A map was sent to me by Howell showing the town of Gibsongag, Ewing and Rosehill. This
map showed the Powell River and a creek called Walden Creek. There is no such creek in
Virginia. From this map, I traveled up and down Hwy. 58 asking questions about the creek. No
one knew. One person told us to go East on Hwy. 58 to a grocery store, said that the man that
owns the store is in his 80's and has lived here all his life. We found the man and showed him
the map. He said he had never heard of Walden Creek, but from the location on the map, Indian
Creek came to his mind. He told us to go back to Rosehill and to the supermarket there, owned
by Mr.. Fitzgerald Daggert, who lived there all his life, and that he was 85 years old. We found
Mr. Daggert and he said the same thing, the creek that comes to his mind is Indian Creek, but did
not know anymore. He called the Highway Dept. and talked to a man he knew. The man told
him there used to be a marker there, but had been destroyed a long time ago - that is all he knew.
It was getting late in the evening so we went to the U.S. National Forest to camp for the night. A
ranger at the camp told us the place was about 10 miles east and there was a school close to
where you turned off, but did not know the road. The next morning we went back east on Hwy.
58 and looked, found the school, talked to three or four people more and did not know of any
sign that was there and did not know where the place was. After a couple of hours, we went
back to the school. There was an elderly man raking leaves in front of his home. I asked him if
he knew. He said yes, told us to head east and we would see two turn-off’s, one was Road #684
– the other went up to a house. He said he would take us and show us the place on 684. About
1/4 mile, he stopped by a creek, and told us it was Indian Creek. He said this was the spot where
the murder took place and there was a wooden marker there at one time, but it has rotted away.
He then took us back to the Highway. We looked for a marker that was there a long time ago
and could find nothings. He left, I told Obert, let’s go back on 684.
We did and just a little way off 58 we saw a granite marker. We stopped and sure enough, it was
what we were looking for. I knew it had to be there some place because some friend of mine had
seen it some years back. He also said that the graves were on a hill back of the marker and there
was a large tree by the graves. On the granite marker was:
PIONEER GRAVES
THIS MARKS THE BURIAL PLACE OF A PART OF WHITE SETTLERS
WHO WERE SURPRISED IN CAMP AND SLAIN BY INDIANS AT
DAYBREAK OCTOBER 10, 1773. THOSE KILLED WERE JAMES BOONE,
SON OF DANIEL BOONE, HENRY RUSSELL, SON OF CAPT. WILLIAM
RUSSELL, ROBERT AND RICHARD MENDENHALL, BROTHERS, AND
ANOTHER UNNAMED WHITE MAN TWO ESCAPED – ISAAC
CRABTREE, A WHITE MAN AND ADAM, A NEGRO SLAVE OF RUSSELL
BOONE AND RUSSELL BURIED THEIR SONS AND OTHERS AT THE
SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY AND GAVE UP TEMPORARILY THE FIRST
EFFORTS OF WHITE MEN TO SETTLE KENTUCKY.
ERECTED JULY 10, 1951, BY M. WHEELER KISTERSON, A NATIVE OF
LEE COUNTY, VIRGINIA, AGE 59 YEARS AND A DESCENDANT OF
MARY RUSSELL.
So, this ended our search for James Boone’s grave.
DAN G. BOONE and OBERT A. BOONE.
1914-1985
THIS MARKER IS ON THE PROPERTY OF TOM WHEELER OF EWING, VIRGINIA.
THE WHEELERS ARE DESCENDANTS OF THE RUSSELS WHO HAVE HAD THE
PROPERTY SINCE JAMES BOONE AND HENRY RUSSEL AND OTHERS WERE SLAIN.
13
14
GEORGE DANIEL BOONE (1914-1985)
by Obert A. Boone
Dan was the historian of the Boone Family. We will feel our loss, even in the future, as Dan has
made it possible for the Boone history we have today. He had made six trips to the ‘Boone
Country’, as he called it. I, Obert, started going with Dan four years ago, and, by doing so, I
have learned a lot about Dan that I had not known. For one thing on four trips, lasting from three
weeks to four, I had seen Dan mad and upset, but he never used a curse word.
On my first trip, we visited the Library and Archives in Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina,
and spent as many as seven hours in some. On the first trip to North Carolina, he took me to the
Joppa Cemetery in Mocksville, where Squire and Sarah (Daniel’s mother and father) are buried,
and to the marker on the highway that shows the land on Bear Creek they owned. We also went
to the land and stood on the place where the house was. We went to the Boone Cave State Park
on the Yadkin River. This was the first trip Dan and I made there, but went back two more
times. We found the flat rock which extended across the River. This rock was used for the
crossing of the River as it made the water shallow.
We also had visited Jonathan’s land in Kentucky and New Haven, Illinois, where he built a dam
across the Little Wabash River for water power to his Mill, and also his grave close by. We then
went to Defiance, Missouri, where we visited Daniel Boone’s home. Dan took my picture in the
room where Daniel died in 1820. We have been through the Cumberland Gap four times. We
have also been to the Old Mulky Church in Southeast, Kentucky. Daniel’s sister, Hanna, is
buried there. On that same trip we visited the land owned by Jonathan and his son, John. It was
on this land that our great grandfather was born in 1803 and at the age of 17, he was at the home
of Daniel when he died.
We have visited Daniel’s grave in Missouri. We also have been to the Blue Lick Battlefield,
where Daniel’s son, Israel was killed. On these trips, on Hwy. 58, in Virginia, we tried three
times to find the place where Daniel’s son was murdered with six more settlers by the Indians on
October 10, 1773. On our last trip, Dan made up his mind that he was going to find it, as we had
the general location. We spent four hours one evenings three the next day at a U. S. Forest
Camp. The ranger told about where it was, but did not know the road that led to it, but told us it
was on Indian Creek. Dan kept asking people about it. We were told it was near a school house
on Hwy. 58. We stopped close to the school and an elderly man was raking leaves. We asked
him and he took us to the place where they were murdered. We even found a granite marker on
the side of Road #684 about one/quarter mile off Hwy. 58. We had been as close as a quarter of
a mile three times and if there had been a road marker, we would of course have found it on our
very first trip.
Dan was awfully good at find the historical places where the Boones had been, lived and died.
We should always be thankful to Dan for our history that we have today.
Dan passed away Sunday, the 3rd of February 1985. He is buried at Floresville, by the side of his
grandfather. It was his wish to be put there.
(We are dealing with the Historical Land Dept. of Virginia, to get a marker on the Highway.
Howell Boone of Mocksville, North Carolina, is head of this project.)
(Signed)
Obert A. Boone, the 5th nephew of Daniel’s.
15
Dr. Richmon P. Boone, Ancestors and Children
George Boone I (England) 1600
wife unknown
George Boone II (Eng.) ?
Sarah Uppey 1625 1706
George Boone III (Eng.) 1666 1740
Mary Maugridge 1669 1740
George 1690
Sarah 1692
Squire 1696
Mary 1669
John 1702
Joseph 1704
Benjamin 1707
James 1709
Samuel 1711
Squire Boone 1696 1765
Sarah Morgan 1700 1777
Sarah 1724
Israel 1726
Samuel 1728
Jonathan 1730
Elizabeth 1732
(Daniel Boone) 1734 1830
Mary 1736
George 1739
Edward 1740
Squire 1744
Hanna 1746
Jonathan Boone 1730 1808
Mary Carter ?
Abigale 1751
Hannah 1754
Susannah 1756
Squire 1760
Joseph 1763
Sarah 1765
John 1767
Daniel 1773
John Boone 1767
Henretta Stuart ?
Joseph 1791
Henritta 1793
Isaac 1795
Rebecca 1797
Richmon P. 1803
Kisiah 1806
Richmon P. Boone 1803 1887
#1 Jane Riley ?
John R. 1824
Zinah 1826
Jane 1827
Isaac 1829
Rita 1831
Richmon F. 1835
Marthe E. 1838
Mary J. 1841
E. Katheryne 1842
#2 Millie Brown 1806 1864
William C. 1844
Daniel Green 1846
Henritta 1851
#3 Sarah Castlebury ?
Margaret Ann 1869 1956
Daniel Green Boone 1846 1936
Darthula Clements 1845 1923
William 1869
Mary Belle 1870 1954
Joseph Euin 1873 1946
George O. 1876 1955
Isaac Edward 1878 1942
Oran Milton 1883 1958
Julia Pearl 1886 1964
16
Bricker Kin Starts Here
Alex Bricker
E. Kathryne Boone 1833
John D. 1867 1930
Robert L.
James A. 1879 1971
William H. 1872 1945
Mary Caroline 1875 1955
Mattie L. 1878 1946
(Richmon P. is the second nephew of Daniel Boone)