Preface
Researching for Voices has been one of the greatest learning experiences in my life. I had no idea the unimaginable hardships our ancestors live through in order to settle this country of ours. In Voices we cover the period of time when the U.S. was expanding west and becoming a great nation. As soon as the Pilgrims were established in the first settlements, in the early 1600’s, pioneers begin moving inland, looking for the ideal location in which to settle. Daniel Boone first ventures into Kentucky 1767. Although he spends a great deal of time in Kentucky, it is not until 1775 that he brings his family to Kentucky.
Although there were settlements inland, the westward movement didn’t begin in earnest until the end of the Revolutionary war in 1783. Ex-soldiers, with land bounty as payment for service to their country, turned west as their only recourse. The country, as well as its citizens, was without money. All had been expended on the war.
A great many of the first Pioneers were totally broke, without a cent to their name. They had little choice other than to look for a better place; the only direction to go was west. Many of the Pioneers were accompanied by their entire family. The vast majority of the pioneers, having no livestock or wagons, were forced to walk. All their worldly positions were carried in a bag. Of course, this severely limited what equipment and provisions they carried. For many the only clothing they carried was what was on their backs. They carried no food, what they ate was determined by what they were able to forage. As they were traveling they were ever on the watch for whatever edible plants they may come across. If they were extremely lucky they may happen upon and kill some type of wild game. At the end of the day they would look for a likely camping spot, stop and build a fire. Usually the only shelter they had were overhanging branches and if lucky a quilt or blanket to lie upon.
For many, if they had started on their journey with shoes, these soon wore out. If they were lucky they had an animal skin and were able to make a pair of moccasins.
Many of these Pioneers succumbed to disease or injures while traveling, many never made it to their destination. In addition to everything else they had to be concerned with was the very real danger posed by the marauding bands of Indians. Many were killed or taken captive by the Indians.
Upon arriving at their destination their first priority was food. If it happened to be winter then they truly had a hard time ahead of them. They mostly lived off of any game they could kill. Hopefully they would arrive at their new home site in the early summer. If possible they had to get some type crop in the ground. Usually this would be a small patch of corn and pumpkins. They foraged in the forest for edible plants, nuts and berries, they could put up for the winter. Next they would turn their attention to shelter. Many times this was some type of brush lean too. Once they had a crop in the ground and some type temporary shelter, then they could set their attention to curing meat for the winter, gathering wild edible plants and building a better shelter.
One note I would like to make
There are many graphic accounts of the Indians torturing and massacring the Whites. While reading these accounts you must realize that these people were being forced from their homes. In many cases they were thought of as less than animals. Some of the cruelest treatments of the Indians were by many the Missionaries that were sent out to “civilize” these “savages.”
On the other hand, there are many accounts of many atrocities perpetrated upon the Indians by the Whites. Remember this was war. There are accounts of the Whites also massacring entire Indian villages. The Whites purposely introduced small pox to the Indians and annihilated entire tribes of people. The Whites purposely wiped out the buffalo so the Indians would have no food.
In stark contrast to this there are also many instances where the Whites befriended the Indians and the Indians befriended the Whites. There are many accounts where the Pioneers would have, in all likelihood, perished from starvation if not for the Indians bringing them food. Many of the skills, that allowed the Pioneers to survive, were taught to them by the Indians. Many of the pioneers were trades people, knew little of hunting, fishing, tanning hides, using wild plants nor did they know how to navigate the forest. The Indians taught them how to hunt, fish, and survive in the woods.
The White man, on the other hand, bought many improvements to the Indians. There were metal knives, metal pots, firearms, medicines, and the horse.
In researching for the Voices books we have gone through literally hundreds of books, journals, dairies, and newspapers from the early 1600, 1700 and 1800’s. We were searching for material that would not only be instructive but also interesting to read. These excerpts are actual events. You will find that the woman carried just as heavy a burden and in some cases a much heavier burden than did the men. You will see that the Pioneers were hard working, loyal, high moral, caring and religious people.
These accounts begin in the early 1600’s and progress through the 1800’s. My goal in this is to show the progress made by the different generations. These stories are about men, women and children. You will see that each generation had it a little easier than their parents.
I feel there are many long-term survival lessons to be learned from the Pioneers. After all, they were the original long-term survivalist. Just think how much better their life would have been with a few supplies and equipment from our times. Just the simple things we take for granted. What would a Bic lighter have meant to these people? How about a good pair of boots, a down filled jacket, a sleeping bag, wire, nails and so on and so on. Then of course a modern rifle would have been a God send. Just think what they would have given for something like a roll of duct tape, a tarp, or a roll of plastic sheeting.