Question about Swift and Boone

[Ken S.]

Why does everyone relate Swift traveling Boones Cumberland Trail , when in reality Swift was traveling into Ky. in the 60's and the Cumberland Trail wasn't blazed until mid to late 70's

 

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[KY Hiker]

Cumberland trail? Or do you mean Wilderness road? Some versions of the journal relate back to the same campaign Boone was a wagon driver on during the French Indian war. Being that there were only a few gaps to pass into the Ky region from, and there were established Indian Traces to travel on, one could deduce they took similar routes? There are only a few years in the late 1760s that they both claim to be in the area. Some believe Boone or his companions 'created' the Swift legend to sell land and draw people to the region. Some think Filson did this as some journals have a similar writing style to his. Its odd to me that there is a telling by those with Boone that they would read from Gulliver's Travels at night for entertainment, the book was written by one Jonathan Swift...they even named a creek near the Indian Old Fields from a place in the book...Lulbegrud or something like that.

http://jeffrenner.net/genealogy/boones_stationcamp.htm <----a known true historical person but not much known 'facts'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulliver's_Travels

http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2015/05/yeahoh-yahoo-or-bigfoot.html <----related information to Swift's Gulliver's Travels

http://libjournal.uncg.edu/index.php/jbc/article/viewFile/376/193

https://www.kyatlas.com/ky-eskippathiki.html

https://www.visitlex.com/idea-guide/heritage-tours/

 

[Curtis]

I read someplace that Boone went to KY looking for Swifts mines because they were both living in the Yadkin river area and word had reached Boone about Swift's successes. Kind of doubting they spent much time reading anything other than the Bible....every ounce you carried mattered! As we that have hiked very far appreciate.

 

[franklin]

Daniel Boone met with one of Swift's partners near what is today Castlewood, Virginia. Daniel Boone once stayed there for the Winter when one of his sons was killed near there taking care of the cattle following up the rear of the caravan. Anyway the miner that was with Swift met with Boone near there and they had an argument or disagreement. Guest went on his way through Moccasin Gap or the mountain gap that is near there and Boone continued on through the Cumberland Gap. I always wondered if Guest invited Boone to join them. This was before Cumberland Gap was used by travelers. So evidently Boone knew where Cumberland Gap was located before the trail was blazed for wagons.

 

[KY Hiker]

Daniel Boone met with one of Swift's partners near what is today Castlewood, Virginia. Daniel Boone once stayed there for the Winter when one of his sons was killed near there taking care of the cattle following up the rear of the caravan. Anyway the miner that was with Swift met with Boone near there and they had an argument or disagreement. Guest went on his way through Moccasin Gap or the mountain gap that is near there and Boone continued on through the Cumberland Gap. I always wondered if Guest invited Boone to join them. This was before Cumberland Gap was used by travelers. So evidently Boone knew where Cumberland Gap was located before the trail was blazed for wagons.

I am not so sure that adds up. As I recall, Boon's son was skinned alive just North of Cumberland Gap before they get to what is now Pineville, KY at the Cumberland River ford. Looking at a map, why would someone travel from the Yadkin Valley in NC and go North to Castlewood, VA as they were going to Cumberland Gap? That is out of the way, Martin's Cabin/station would make more sense. I don't recall ever hearing of Boon in Cassleman's either?

 

[Ken S.]

There is a lotof the history of Swift and his men that makes me ask questions. Sometimes they end up on here. There is a lot that just don't add up for me somehow.

 

[KY Hiker]

Much of what Boon did is questioned and everyone accepts him as a real historical person. Imagine how much more difficult it is to find evidence of a person's actions when its almost impossible to prove he existed at all.... that is why they call it a legend I guess.

 

[franklin]

Much of what Boon did is questioned and everyone accepts him as a real historical person. Imagine how much more difficult it is to find evidence of a person's actions when its almost impossible to prove he existed at all.... that is why they call it a legend I guess.

Well this came from Daniel Boone's autobiography. So i guess D. Boone didn't know what he was talking about?

 

[KY Hiker]

Autobiography ? Many have questionable sources. I believe Filson wrote the only Autobiography as Boone spoke to him, while many have written biographies.

Books and Articles

http://booneassociation.com/timeline.html

http://booneassociation.com/researchpapers.html

 

[hucklburry]

Autobiography ? Many have questionable sources. I believe Filson wrote the only Autobiography as Boone spoke to him, while many have written biographies.

Books and Articles

Time Line

Research Papers

You can go see his autograph in the archives in St. Charles county, MO. I have, I live about 7 miles from where he died. I've traced my property back to 1820, rumor is he slept in my house, but I have no way to prove that, I am sure there is a lot of story telling, but you really doubt he existed?

 

[franklin]

Autobiography ? Many have questionable sources. I believe Filson wrote the only Autobiography as Boone spoke to him, while many have written biographies.

Books and Articles

Time Line

Research Papers

Yes and Filson wrote the autobiography of Jonathan Swift of which I have been unable to find a copy.

 

[KY Hiker]

You can go see his autograph in the archives in St. Charles county, MO. I have, I live about 7 miles from where he died. I've traced my property back to 1820, rumor is he slept in my house, but I have no way to prove that, I am sure there is a lot of story telling, but you really doubt he existed?

No, I think you missed the context of the comment. We are comparing Jonathan Swift and a legend of a lost silver mine to a contemporary of his, Daniel Boone. Many stories surrounding Boone are untrue or debated back and forth because of a lack of evidence due to the times and places they went ...

 

[KY Hiker]

Yes and Filson wrote the autobiography of Jonathan Swift of which I have been unable to find a copy.

Again, since you have brought this up before in another thread, I have never heard of an autobiography of Jonathan Swift by Filson. There is conjecture that he may have authored the legend by means of the 'journal' to further the expansion and sale of properties in the KY region. The Filson Society in Louisville is the authority on much of the history of the settlement of KY and the establishment of Louisville, and would be a place to research the existence of a biography of Swift written by Filson. Their library is impressive, but there is no written material on Swift authored by Filson there to my knowledge. The only document known to connect Filson to Swift is the land entry claim.

 

[franklin]

I made a copy of the webpage long before Windows 2000, it is still in my computer though it has collapsed a couple of times. It was a long article about Filson and the Cincinnati Company, Filson's life and death and his books and maps. At the end it had autobiographer of Daniel Boone and Jonathan Swift. No explanation for his reasoning or where his information came from? I only took it as the truth and set out searching for it, but I could never find it.

 

[KY Hiker]

I am reluctant anymore to read something online and assign it as fact. That is my biggest problem with wikipedia, it is user defined. In other words anyone can add or remove anything at anytime. If someone web published an article in the 1990s about Filson, be careful in assuming that everything it contained was fact. It could have been someone's theory that they put online. If there is something out there that was published about Filson, it would be at the Filson Club's library in Louisville. The web is full of information, a good portion of it is false information. An autobiography or biography of Jonathan Swift would be a huge seller over the years, look how well his hand-me-down journals have done for 230 years. If it was out there it would be much easier to find, and I think Henson would have mentioned it too.

 

[Ken S.]

I think there is a lot of history that was taught in our school systems years ago that is as questionable as some of the stuff that's on the www. Do they bother teaching history in school anymore ?? I like to see factual evidence, which is hard to come by anymore.

 

[franklin]

You got that right. The facts has to be found by research. School books only tell what parents and the governments want you to know. Hardly any facts at all.