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???