The
Life & Death of Edward Boone
By Rochelle Evans Cochran, 5th great grand
daughter of Neddie and Martha Boone.
(copyright May 2004)
Contact rochelle@cablelynx.com for more
information.
(Sources are indicated on the chronology following this
narrative.)
Edward
Boone was born in Pennsylvania November 30, 1740 and was killed by Indians in Kentucky
October 6, 1780, while he was on a hunting trip with his brother Daniel.
Edward and
Daniel married sisters, Martha and Rebecca Bryan, whose father, Joseph Bryan, was one of
the founders and defenders of Bryan Station near Lexington, Kentucky. Edward spent most of his life in what is today
Wilkes County, North Carolina where he was a community leader and family man. He served on juries, was a road surveyor, a tax
collector, a constable. Although the Boones
had for many years been Quakers, he was baptized in the Baptist Church and loved to sing. He was called Ned or Neddie by his family and
friends. He
was "A peace man." (Draper Manuscript 23C17-4)
"E. Boone migrated at the same time with his Brother and the Scholls - he was Clerk
& Deacon of the Baptist Church in NC - every boddy Called him Unkle Neddy. He
was Never in any encounters that I heard of - he was a peace man; his widow Dyed at her
oldest sons George Boone's at the Mouth of Boon's Creek Clark Co., KY. Sarah Hunter
was Living Not Long Since." EB Scholl to LCD 1861.
In a letter to
Dr. Lymon Draper, Ned’s daughter, Sarah, said that her father did not accompany his
famous brother Daniel on his many expeditions. Ned
stayed with his family and served their community – that is, until October of 1779
when he made that fateful decision to move his family to Kentucky with Daniel who was
leading a large party of family members there for the promise of free land. Only one month before, Edward had taken out a land
entry in Wilkes County. Then, only one year
later, Edward was killed by Indians in Kentucky.
Daniel and Ned
were returning from a trip to the Blue Licks to make salt and to do a little hunting. They stopped along a stream in Bourbon County to
rest and let their horses drink. Edward sat
down by the stream near an old Buckeye tree and was cracking nuts, while Daniel went off
into the woods in pursuit of game. Indians
lurking nearby shot and killed Edward but Daniel managed to escape. He ran all the way on foot to Boone Station where
they were all living at the time with about fifteen other families near present-day
Athens. The next morning Daniel and a party
of men in the area went in search of Edward’s killers.
They did not find the Indians, but found and buried Edward near that old Buckeye
tree. Ned’s daughter Sarah in a letter
to Draper said her father had been horribly cut by the Indian’s knives. Today in that very spot stands an old Buckeye
tree. The creek was afterward named Boone
Creek in honor of Edward’s death there. Edward
was survived by his widow, Martha Bryan Boone, and six children: Charity, Jane, Mary, George, Joseph and Sarah. Although still a young woman, Martha never
remarried and remained in Kentucky until her death. Her
will was written July 23, 1793, and is recorded in Clark County.
Draper manuscripts indicate that “about 1827, the bones of Edward Boone became
exposed to view where they were buried, in the road, by washing of water, near the bank of
the creek, and close to the spring, and the Rev. Richard Thomas had them removed and
re-interred a mile off in the Rockbridge Baptist Church yard.”
In the
summer of 1997 Dell Boone Ariola, husband Ken, and grandson Bryan almost literally
stumbled upon Edward’s gravestone that was erected in Bourbon County by the Paris,
Kentucky, CAR/DAR in the 1920’s. The
stone was on its side, almost completely covered by mud.
Dell contacted Rochelle E. Cochran and Russell Lain Ready whom she knew to be
direct descendants of Edward Boone, and they formed the Edward Boone Memorial Committee of
the Boone Society.
The Edward Boone
Memorial Committee met property owners, Ron and Phyllis Isaac (870 See Road), and
discussed the committee ideas about restoring, protecting, and marking this historic
grave. The Isaacs were not only supportive
but also were very excited about the project and provided land for visitor parking; cut
grass and underbrush. Bourbon County Judge
Donnie Foley provided grading for parking. To
protect the grave, Master Stonemason Stanley Matherly donated his time and specialized
talent to build a stone precision-laid rock wall of the type that was built in the mid
1800’s (using no cement and local native flat rocks).
Isaac installed an iron gate to protect the original marker. There was a lot of local interest in the project
and many neighbors donated time and equipment to prepare the site. This historic site is visited by school students
in the area and descendants and tourists from all across the country.
In May 1998 the Edward Boone Death Site was designated a Kentucky Landmark by the
Kentucky Heritage Council. Then in 2001 a
Kentucky Historical Highway Marker was installed and dedicated at the corner of KY Highway
537 & See Road, about a mile east of Little Rock.
The Boone Society, Inc., paid for the historical marker completely through
donations to the project. No state funds or
tax dollars were used, although the Kentucky State Historical Society and the State
Highway Cabinet approved and installed the marker (#2059).
Chronology - Edward Boone
(Prepared
& copyright July 2003 by Rochelle Evans Cochran, 5th great granddaughter of
Edward & Martha Bryan Boone)
Nov
19, 1740 Date of birth – Oley Township, Philadelphia County, PA.(today’s
Berks County) (a)(b)
1750
At age 10, Edward moved with his family to the Yadkin District of NC (Anson County at that
time) (c)(d)
1753 Rowan formed from Anson
Abt.
1759 Married Martha Bryan, (probably
Rowan County) (e)(f)
1759 Listed on Rowan County Tax rolls
October 4, 1760 daughter
Charity born, Rowan County (f)
Sept
18, 1762 daughter, Jane, was born, Rowan County (f)(g)
Oct.
13, 1764 Rowan Co. Court paid Edward & Daniel for one wolf each & Joseph Bryan
(their father-in-law) for one cat. (h)
December
5, 1764 daughter Mary was born, Rowan
County (f)
Jan.
2, 1765 his father, Squire Boone died; buried Joppa Cemetery, Mocksville Davie Co., NC
(i)
April
28 1767 son George was born, Rowan County
(f)
Abt.
1768 son Joseph was born, Rowan County
(f)
1770
Surry was formed from Rowan County
1771
listed on Surry Co., Tax Rolls
Mar
6, 1771 daughter Sarah was born, Surry
County (j) (p)
Oct
2, 1773 “there is a warrant dated October 2, 1773, for a land survey for a
600-acre tract for him ‘on both sides of Sugar Creek joining Evan Ellis.’(k)
Jan.
22, 1774 Baptized in the Mulberry Field Baptist Church, a branch of Dutchman’s
Creek (Eaton’s) Baptist Church. (l)
1777
Death of his mother, Sarah Morgan Boone (Joppa Cemetery, Mocksville)
1777
Wilkes County was formed from Surry
June
1778 Listed on Wilkes County tax rolls
June
3, 1778 Wilkes Co., appointed Assessor,
Captain Foster’s District. (m)
June
4, 1778, Wilkes Co., called as Juror for September 1778 court. (m)
June
1779, Wilkes Co., paid 2.00 for assessor in 1778. (m)
June
1779, Wilkes Co., Edward Boone was appointed to view way around Isbell Plantation to
see if a convenient way could be found for a “publick” road to be built. (m)
Sept
9, 1779 Wilkes Co., NC Land entry for 200 acres on Beaver Creek (n)
Oct.
1779 Edward took his family and joined brother Daniel and others on their move to
Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap. (o)
December
1779 Arrived in Kentucky & settled family at Boone Station. (p)
May
1, 1780 Signed petition #12 for Division of Kentucky Co., VA, into 3 counties: Fayette, Jefferson & Lincoln. (q)
Oct
6, 1780 Killed by Indians in Bourbon Co, KY, while with brother Daniel, near
present-day community of Little Rock. Edward
was buried beneath an old Buckeye Tree where he was shot.
The address of the grave today is 870 See Road, ½ mile north of the junction of KY
Hwy. 537 & See Road. The nearby creek
thereafter was named Boone Creek in honor of Edward’s death there. He left his widow, Martha Bryan Boone, and six
children: Charity, Jane, Mary, George,
Joseph, Sarah. (r) (s) (t) (u)
Abt
1930 the Children of the American Revolution, a branch of the Jemima Johnson Chapter
of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Paris, Kentucky, erected a tombstone
at the death/burial site of Edward Boone in Bourbon County, KY. (v) (w)
May
20, 1998 the Bourbon County death/burial site was recognized a Kentucky Landmark by
the Kentucky Heritage Council. (x)
April
23, 2001 Honoring the memory of Edward Boone, Kentucky Highway Historical Marker No.
2059 was dedicated by the Boone Society, Kentucky Historical Society, and the Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet. Marker is located at
junction of KY Hwy. 537 & See Road. The
text of the marker reads: #2059, Edward Boone (1740-80) Death site of Edward Boone, a brother of renowned
Kentucky pioneer Daniel Boone. Edward was
killed by Indians here Oct. 1780 at age 40 while hunting with Daniel. Boone Creek named for Edward. Daniel and Edward wed sisters, Rebecca and Martha
Bryan, whose family built and settled Bryan Station near Lexington. Presented by The Boone
Society, Inc.” (y) |
|
The Edward Boone
burial site is located 1/2 mile from the marker up See Road on the right side, in front of
the house at 870 See Road
Rochelle
Evans Cochran and Dell Boone Ariola April 2001, Kentucky Historical Marker No. 2059,
corner of KY Highway 537 & See Road, Bourbon County.
Marker provided by The Boone Society, Inc.
Click
Image to Enlarge |
MAPS TO THE EDWARD BOONE
DEATH/BURIAL SITE
(Click Image to Enlarge)
Source References:
(a)The Boone Family
by Hazel Atterbury Spraker, p. 38 – her source:
Exeter Meeting Records.
(b) The Boone Family,
Spraker, p. 33, “Squire and his family settled on a farm in Oley Township,
Philadelphia County (now Exeter Township, Berks County) not far from the homestead of his
father, George Boone III, both being only a few miles from present city of Reading. This property Squire Boone bought from Ralph
Asheton of the City of Philadelphia the 20th day of November 1730. Nine of their children were born on this farm, the
first three having been born previous to the purchase of this property.”
(c) The Boone Family,
Spraker, p. 36, “April 11, 1750, Squire and Sarah conveyed their farm of 158 acres in
Exeter Township to William Maugridge, 14 days before they set out for North
Carolina.” Spraker’s source: “Family record among some old papers
deposited with Berks County Historical Society by Mortimer I. Montgomery.”
(d) LAND ENTRY, October 4,
1750, Anson County, NC, a warrant “to admeasure and lay out unto Squire Boone a
plantation containing 640 acres of land lying in Anson County upon Grant’s Creek,
alias Lichon Creek (today known as Elisha Creek) by James Child and Francis Corbin, Esqrs.
Agents and Commissioners of the Right Honourable the Earl Granville, &c.” (NC Archives S.108.270, records of Granville
Proprietary Land Office Entries & Warrants 1748-1763.
In Sec. of State Granville Deeds & Plats (Film SS.I.G.112 G, the related plat
& issuance of the land is found. The land
was surveyed Jan 18th, 1750/51. Squire Boon is named as “Chainer”
indicating he was there walking the land in 1850/51.
The land was not issued until 13 Apr 1753.
(e) The Boone Family,
Spraker, p. 70
(f) Edward Boone
(1740-1780) by Gerald E. Collins, p. 6, and also p. ii, Collins reports
Charity’s, Jane’s, and Mary’s birthdates were found in a notebook compiled
by Peter Scholl (b.1809-d.1872), filed as Mss. 400 in Oregon Historical Society Library,
1230 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205.
(g) Old Morgan Bible records
published in “Be It Known & Remembered, Bible Records” Vol. One, 1960.
Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society, P. 152.
(h) Rowan County, NC,
Minutes of Court of Coommon Pleas & Quarter Sessions, 176301774, Vol II, p. 552.
(i) Tombstone, Joppa
Cemetery, Mocksville, NC
(j) Original old tombstone,
Dry Valley Presbyterian Cemetery, Putnam, TN
(k) The pamphlet, “The
Squire, Daniel & John Boone Families in Davie County, NC” compiled by James W.
Wall, Flossie Martin and Howell Boone. (Today Sugar Creek is in Wilkes County, but it may
have been Surry County at that time.) The
pamphlet also states, “There is no record of Edward’s having owned land in Davie
County.”
(l) Copy of church minutes
received from Davie County Public Library, Mocksville, NC:
“Dutchman Creek Baptist Church records of 1772-1778. Original records microfilmed for NC State
Archives. Baptist Church records have been
collected and are stored in the library of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem.” According to Davie County librarian,
“Mulberry Fields Road is in the lower edge of Yadkin County near the Davie County
border, and Mulberry Fields community is in Wilkes County.”
(m) Wilkes County, NC, Court
Minutes, 1778-1785.
(n) Wilkes County, NC, Land
Entry Book N. p. 393
(o) Edward Boone
(1740-1780) by Gerald E. Collins, p. 7
(p) Letter from Sarah Boone
Hunter to Lyman Draper, October 6, 1855, Draper Mss 22C54-55.
(q) Petition submitted to
General Assembly of Virginia May 1, 1780
(r) Letter to Lyman Draper
from John Scholl, grandson of Edward and son of Peter Scholl and Mary Boone, daughter of
Edward. Draper Mss. 22S269 & 270.
(s) Nathan Boone, son of
Daniel, reported on Edward’s death to Draper, Mss. 31C100-101.
(t) Daniel Bryan, son of
William Bryan and Mary Boone, Draper Mss.31C101-102.
(u) Joshua Pennington, son
of Edward’sister Hannah, 1854 Draper Mss. 23C43
(v) The Kentuckian
Citizen, Paris, KY, December 12, 1958, pp 12-13, “Circumstances Surrounding Death
and Burial of Edward Boone, Brother of Famed Frontier Explorer.”
(w) Records of Jemima
Johnson Chapter of DAR, reported in The Fayette County (Kentucky) Genealogical Society
Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 4, Winter 1997.
(x) Letter and certificate
from Davie I. Morgan, Director of Kentucky Heritage Council, May 20, 1998. Certificate signed by Honorable Paul E. Patton,
Governor the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
(y) April 23, 2001, Program
from dedication of Kentucky Highway Historical Marker No. 2059 |
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