4 July 2008 Trip to Wilkes County North Carolina

Given Adoniram Allen, his parents and younger brother came to North Carolina via the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road and settled in Wilkes County, a trip to Wilkes County was in order. For those of you who have not visited Wilkes County, it is God's Own Country; I feel very satisfied to have an ancestor who built a sawmill there. Although I tried to locate the sawmill, which was supposedly built at the fork of Elk Creek and the Yadkin River, I could not get close enough to locate it. Given it was built out of wood, most likely it is not standing today. The road I traveled down was a one lane gravel road named Tom Dula Road, in honor of the legendary "Tom Dooley."

Wilkes County is blessed with beautiful vistas. I was traveling on a two lane road, looking down on level farmland, to the river, and then up to tree covered, conical mountain tops, as if someone had sawed off the top of the Great Smoky Mountains and set just the mountain tops down across the river. Beautiful country. I felt at peace knowing my ancestors settled there and enjoyed the setting. Most likely Wilkes County resembled the New England scenery they left behind.

Deer 540-Lumley Road

My son hit a deer late last night, coming home from soccer. Thank heaven he's safe; that's all that matters. For today, count your blessings.

New Hampshire to North Carolina

1 Jan 2008 a relative sent me genealogy information. The oldest date was for a gggggrandfather, Adoniram Allen, born in 1734, New Hampshire colony near the Vermont border. His family came to North Carolina and built and iron furnace and sawmill. Adoniram, his father, and younger brother fought in the Battle of Moore's Creek and later in the Battle of King's Mountain. Adoniram traveled on to Georgia, then to Alabama. He lived, with the permission of the chiefs, on the edge of the Chickasaw Indian nation. Adoniram returned to Surry County, North Carolina, and from there claimed his pension grant: 5K acres in Clay County, Kentucky. At the age of 76, he moved his family to Kentucky, built another water mill and house, and lived to be 104.

Let's see if this publishes