I would be interested in anyone with knowledge of people who used the rivers to migrate from state to state, and people who sold or peddled their wares by river. Does anyone know about this type of travel, and trading? Since I'm the first one on this list/board guess I'll have to wait for a while to contact anyone.
Our ancestor John Adams b Va 1802 used the Ohio River to peddle wares in the 1840s(or before) to probably 1850s.He had lived in TN, KY and Saline/White Cos IL, died ca 1857.It was told that he would buy wares in the Cincinnati (spell) Ohio area, and go downstream selling till he got to Cairo IL or another Mississippi River port, sell his raft and go home either by foot or buy a horse and ride home. Is there any place that I could read about this type of occupation? So IL calls them "River Rats", must have been many who did this???
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Although I have nothing to help you, the other two options you might want to consider regarding migration in general are the canal systems, where people moved goods- -obviously prior to the railroads- -and ferries, i.e, how people crossed rivers, let's say in migrations westward, as well as commerce on the Great Lakes. Personally I find the whole migration topic and movement of populations (specifically the families I am studying) interesting. Families: SURINE/SIRRINE/SARINE, TUSING/TUSSING, SHEARHART
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I don't have any info to help you but I also am fascinated in topic. I know that my ancestors, per an 1869 obit, took some of the same route as you mention: VA, KY, MO, TN, AR, TX, MS and in locating some of the places I've noticed that most--for two families who married into one another--followed closely to the Mississippi River at first. Don't know what they did, other than one was in 1848 War with Mexico in TX, then in Civil War in MS/LA and that his sister married on MS River in Helena, AR. The trading is interesting!
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Our family "story" is that Thomas Hunt family of Blount County, Tennessee with some families of adult children made this migration trip by river in 1851: Built a houseboat (raft?) in neighboring county and carried family, possessions (including his still), and some livestock on trip down Tennessee River to Mississippi River to New Orleans where they sold the boat and traveled overland to Rusk County in East Texas. An earlier group of children's families (1847-48) reportedly came to Rusk County, TX overland by wagon, secured land, and sent word for the others to come on. My limited research inidicates that such a trip by those rivers would have been possible for a flat-bottom boat as a few steam boats had made it as far as Knoxville, TN by that time.
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Thanks to both of you for writing!
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You mention that your ancestor lived in White County, Illinois. In the 1850's and 1860's there was a riverboat landing on the Wabash River just above a small town called Maunie in White County. This landing was called Williams Landing, and it is located on the Wabash River close to what is now called Brown's Pond. I have the shipping ledgers for this landing and it was quite active at this period. The Civil War probably stopped much of the activity. Most of the goods brought into White County at this time probably came through here. The earliest settlers of White County in the 1820's and on came through a landing south of William's Landing at a small town called Rising Sun. Locally known as Dogtown. There was a research project about steamboat traffic on the Wabash several years ago that was out of the library at Southern Illinois University. They may still have the information they gathered at the library. There is in the White County History a description of how the early settlers traveled on the Wabash. Many early families in White County migrated from the Carolinas to Middle Tennessee up through middle Kentucky. Many left Muhlenberg County, Kentucky to purchase land at the Old Shawneetown land office in White County. They then moved up the river to settle in White County. I hope this helps.
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WOW Barry, thats alot of info, and it does kinda help. I know they were "River Rats" for a while(I hope thats the correct term?) I'm on my way to IL in a few days, will see what I can find....Thanks
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Would you know where your ancestor, John Adams (born 1802) hailed from in Virginia?
I am descended from one of the John Adams of Bedford County, VA and am attempting to piece together the several families of Adamses from that area. I was hoping I could associate your John with one of the families located there.
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Lee, thank you for replying, no I do not know location in Va, if I did I wouldn't have my nose pressed against this brick wall.
There were several Adams families in the Saline/White counties IL area, I sort of doubt they were related to mine.
John was in TN ca 1830 to about 1838-40 then in Ky, family has it that they were in Christian Co Ky, but I haven't been able to prove that. They hit Saline Co Il just after last child was born as she is 1/12 old in 16 Oct 1850, date census was taken.
Family lore is that John left home, was gone about 5 years and when he returned home the family had left. (Nobody seems to know where he left home from.) My great uncle said, that they lived in So and No Carolina either before or after John was born- lore is also that he hunted all over and never found the family. Two of his sons served in the CW, brought along their own horses, one son Stephen served to the end and died in Phillipstown White Co Il soon after ,1865. The other son Alexander left the service too soon, seems as tho he thought he was let go because of lung problems, well the Army was working on the release, but it hadn't reached him yet so, technically he deserted, and was caught up with near Vicksburg-I think. Don't know what happen to him. I know there were several Va families in Humpreys and Dickson Co TN, from Halifax Co VA Adamses, and in 1888 (?) there was an old John Adams from the Halifax bunch that came to Williamson Co Il (published b-day picnic)where my Adamses were and told of having 3 wives and think 27 children, and he had lived in TN for a while, this old guy was b ca 1790's too young to be my John's father. I pursued this for awhile, but didn't quite pan out. He died in Perry Co IL. I don't know where to go from here other than doing the census' and taxlists for TN & KY, and just keep looking for him. Any ideas?
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Oooohhhh! My heart beat faster when I read the part of your message that said..."Family lore is that John left home, was gone about 5 years and when he returned home the family had left. (Nobody seems to know where he left home from.)
And then as I continued to read on...."My great uncle said, that they lived in So and No Carolina either before or after John was born- lore is also that he hunted all over and never found the family."
I have heard that same story before. When researching my husband's fathers ancestry, I found he descended from a Joel Adams a Florida resident who had migrated from the Carolinas. I traced these Carolina Adamses back to Bedford County, VA. It seems they were originally part of my own grandmother's Adams family. But this particular clan had left Virginia for the Carolinas, then later generations migrated farther south into Florida.
I sure hope this tiny piece of "Adams Puzzel Info" helps you out in the search for your own John Adams. If you decide to investigate this further, I can offer what I have on them. Just let me know.
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