Lineage Certificates

First Families Through the Cumberland Gap

The Genealogy Division of the Bell County Historical Society recently commemorated the inspiring spirit of Kentucky pioneering ancestors, and honored those early pioneers who traveled through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky either before Kentucky was admitted to the Union on July 1, 1792 or in the following decade.

Certificates were presented to several descendants who had documented their ancestral line to those resilient pioneers, thereby qualifying them for membership into one, or both, of two prestigious societies established by the Genealogy Division of Bell County Historical Society:

First Families Through the Cumberland Gap
and
Descendants of Kentucky Pioneers
_____________

So, Who Was in Kentucky Before 1792 and that first decade after statehood?

Could your ancestors have been here then? Let us know your story.

Botetourt Co. VA 1770

Before the Commonwealth of Kentucky the area was Kentucky County, Virginia, a part of a larger area stretching all the way to the Mississippi River which, as late as 1770, was Botetourt County Virginia. Then the area was divided and divided again and again and renamed with each division. The area now Kentucky was Kentucky County Virginia from 1776 until 1780 when it was divided into Lincoln, Fayette and Jefferson. All three remained western counties of Virginia.

Dr. Thomas Walker led the first expedition through Cumberland Gap in 1750. He was an agent for the Loyal Land Company of Virginia and was exploring Virginia's western wilderness seeking land for settlement.

At first there were camps of hunters who in groups of five or ten ventured into the wilderness. As families came from the eastward, the little communities randomly took form. By common consent some competent pioneers were recognized as chief---Boone at Boonesborough, Logan at St. Asaph, Harrod at Harrodstown

Daniel Boone first entered Kentucky in 1769 and wrote about being on the Red River where John Finley had formerly been trading with the Indians. In 1775 Daniel Boone and 30 other woodsmen were hired to improve the trails between the Carolinas and the west. The resulting route reached into the heart of Kentucky and became known as the "Wilderness Road." That same year Boone built a fort and village called Boonesborough in Kentucky, and moved his family over the Wilderness Trail to their new home. There were as many as seven families within the fort at Boonesborough in 1775. Virginia 1788

The first legislative body west of the Alleghany Mountains consisted of a group of 17 pioneers who met at Boonesborough in 1775. Along with Boone came John Floyd, Harrod, George Rogers Clark, Parson Lythe, an adventurous preacher. The name of William Poague, who first made noggins and buckets, has been preserved, coupled with that of his ingenious daughter, who discovered that a fiber for weaving could be beaten from nettles and woven in the loom which her father made.

Three young ladies were mentioned in 1776. Betsey and Frances, daughters of Colonel Richard Callaway, the other was Jemima, daughter of Boone.
The first wedding ever solemnized on Kentucky soil was that of Samuel Henderson and Betsey Callaway. That year Frances Callaway became the wife of Captain John Holder. Joseph Bryant, was a brother-in-law of Daniel Boone.

But, that was just the Beginning, just sixteen years later, by 1792, more than one hundred thousand people had passed through the Cumberland Gap. Many were on their way farther west, but huge numbers remained to make their home in the mountains, valleys and fertile lands of Kentucky. With the sheer mountain barrier between Kentucky County Virginia and the seat of government located on the other side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, government was very cumbersome and legal decisions slow in coming. The sizeable population petitioned for self-government and on June 1, 1792 Kentucky became the first land beyond the Allegany Mountains to become part of the Union of States.

Although many of those early adventurers left no record of their travel through the Cumberland Gap or of their journey into or through Kentucky, even before statehood people were here and may have either purposefully or inadvertently left testimony to their presence.

Many of the ancestors of the recipients of First Families Through the Cumberland Gap certificates settled in land just beyond the Cumberland Gap. Others went on north and west to the fertile grassland. Much of the needed documentation for certificates was found within the records of our counties right here in southeast Kentucky. Documentation was found in deeds of land purchase, of records of marriage and of arguments over property lines that ended up in court. Some found records in family Bibles, in newspapers from that time and in letters mailed back here to family. One proof was provided by showing deeds of land sales in North Carolina, then a couple of years later, land ownership in Nebraska. Obviously, their route would have passed through the Cumberland Gap. Another showed ancestry to an Indian Chief who spent time in both the Kentucky area and in North Carolina.

As a brief background most of Kentucky was part of Virginia in the 1700s. Fincastle County came from Botetourt County. Kentucky County was formed from part of Fincastle County. In 1880 Kentucky County, Virginia was divided into three counties, Fayette, Lincoln and Jefferson , thus dissolving Kentucky County. When Kentucky became a commonwealth in 1792, those original three counties had been again divided by the Virginia legislature to form an additional six counties. In 1792 the Virginia counties of Lincoln, Fayette, Jefferson, Nelson, Bourbon, Madison, Mercer, Mason and Woodford became the commonwealth of Kentucky. Records created before 1792 may also be located in Virginia.

INFORMATION

Bell County Historical Society - Genealogy Division
One of the earliest designs of the Great Seal of Kentucky.
Middlesborough, Kentucky

Application information for

DESCENDANTS OF KENTUCKY PIONEERS

and for

First Families Through the Cumberland Gap

______________________________

The objective of the Bell County Genealogy Society has long been the preservation of the history and culture of the people who contributed to the rich heritage found among the people of our area. The Genealogy Division of BCHS, is initiating this commemorative event to honor and remember those early pioneers, and to preserve a portion of their lives. It is hoped that as individuals research family as they traveled into or through Kentucky, on their way further west, their ancestors will become memorable to each family and that the relationship between past generations and present will be realized.

Anyone directly descended from a Kentucky inhabitant of before June 1, 1792 or during the next decade is eligible to apply for membership in the DESCENDANTS OF KENTUCKY PIONEERS. Those who can show that their ancestor passed through the Cumberland Gap prior to that time or during the next decade are eligible to apply for membership in First Families Through the Cumberland Gap. Descent must be in a direct line from generation to generation. These memberships will become a treasured commemorative record of their family history for future generations.

Of course, proof of qualification for membership in First Families Through the Cumberland Gap, automatically qualifies for Descendants of Kentucky Pioneers. Such descendants may join either one, or both.

Applications for Charter Membership must be mailed by December 31, 2012

  ·         PROOF:

o   Each generation, from the applicant to the pioneer ancestor, must include, as complete as possible, names, dates and places of each, birth, marriage and death. Information submitted must be proven and when possible, should be in the form of official records, which may include the following:

§ Birth, marriage and death records

§ Census records

§ Land records – deeds – Tax lists

§ Probate records

§ Military records – from any era

§ Church records – baptismal, etc

§ Cemetery and mortuary records, Court records, probate, lawsuits, jury duty

§ Bible records, photo copies including Title Page

§ Other material, including County history books, published family genealogies, private journals, old letters, newspaper articles including births, death, and weddings may be considered and evaluated with regard to source referenced, and/or documented age of material

Ø RECORDS SUBMITTED:

o   Records will not be returned; no original records should be submitted, please photocopy personal records for submission. Data submitted for proof will become a permanent part of the genealogical reference material of the Bell County Historical Society. In compliance with privacy laws, that data referencing events of the past 75 years will be separated from other relevant genealogical data and kept in a secure, private area until that material reaches 75+ years.

Photocopy original documents, do not send originals, Certified copies are not required.
For each membership, in each category, include a processing and membership fee in the amount of $35.00 Those memberships sent prior to Dec. 31, 2012 are eligible for charter membership certificates and a $5.00 discount

____________________________________________________

.Bell County Historical Society
Genealogy Division
P.O. Box 1344
Middlesboro, KY 40965

Send mail to museumweb@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2010 Bell County Historical Society & Museum

Send mail to museumweb@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2010 Bell County Historical Society & Museum