Daniel Beales Travel Diaries
Diary of journey from Ohio to North Carolina and back taken by Daniel Beales [also Beals], a Quaker. The Beales were later among the early inhabitants of Hamilton County, Indiana. This transcription follows the original punctuation and spelling.
Diary One
[Diary begins on page 3; Page 1 was lost and page 2 illegible]
Diary begins in 4th month [April] 1802
The 15 [April 15, 1802] we went on up the river and saw a Carlen [?] calf that had been killed by wolves and A B broke his gun at the brich [breach] and we stoped at Leonard morises and got some corn and bread and then up the river 15 miles and encamped in a bottom near a creek
The 16 we crossed the kankoway [Kanawha River?] at hanfords ferry and so over the little golle [Gauley] mountain and killed a fezent and encamped near a creek 22 miles [distance traveled that day]
The 17 and them we crossed golle [Gauley] river and golle mountain 18 miles
18 we went on over several high mountains to patersons on sewel [Sewell] 25 miles
the 19 we went on through swomp and over hills and got to wilsons on muddy creek 26 miles
the 20 we went on across the greenbrier river and up woolf creek to johnson's about 12 miles
the 21 we layby and pailed in my two graves
the 22 we went on our way and I had to look over the ground where the remains of the desolations of my family lies with a pitiful eye and a heart full of greaf and it seemed as if it was the last farewell to that place and I felt as if I had done my duty and am easy to leav it so and we traveled about 20 miles and encamped near the foot of peters mountain and there was frost plenty the next morning
the 23 we crossed several mountains and valies 35 miles and lay in a grove of pines and the 24 we traviled on and we crossed little river and we got to tobias Phillips 35 miles
the 25 we got to the fruit hill meeting [Friends meeting] 8 miles where we saw sum of our friends to satisfaction and we staid the 26th
the 27 we went to westfield [Surry County, NC] and lodged at sister margarets
the 28 we got to Westfield meeting [the Westfield Meeting was established in 1786. [In 1801 several Westfield families began migrating to Ohio, the Beales family apparently among them] and saw several of our relations and friends to our satisfaction
the 29 I went to sum of my brothers and sisters
the 30 I went to several of my relatives
the 1 of the fifth month [May 1, 1802] I went to sum of my relations and the 2 I was at Westfield meeting and then to the holers and saw charity simmons lye sick and aged at brewsters summers 9 miles and the 3 I went up the goodspur [creek?] to jehew hiatts who was sick and to nathan ballards 18 miles
the 4 I went to abner hunts 12miles
5 I went to the marriage of Christopher hiatt and jemima hunt 10 miles there and back and then 13 miles to pine creek
the 6 I went to thomas jessops [?] where I found sister mary very unwell
the 7 I went to several of my friends
the 8 I went to ephaims and settled some of my accounts
the 9 I went to fruithill meeting and that day took leave of some of my friends and 10 I sat out for home and several of my friends came to see me and I went to see jahew hiatt who was sick and went 17 miles
the 11 I went over polar camp and new river and got 27 miles and had several hard rains on me and 12 I went up cripple creek and on the head of the holson [Holston River] to martins 42 miles and had several heavy rains that day and the 13 I went down the holson all these days was lonsome and tedious and crossing the south and middle forks of the river and lodged at an inn and got 41 miles and the 14 went on and crossed shoats ford and along witanger [?] to abraham smiths 39 miles and the 15 went to haworths 11 miles and got my horse shod and the 16 went to jacksons meeting 5 miles
the 17 I went on for lost creek and got to john cannadays near the panter [Panther Springs, Jefferson County, Tennessee] springs abought 35 miles and the 18 went on to lost creek and to Isaac Williams and found them all well and got 20 miles and on the 19 went to the lost creek [Jefferson County, Tennessee, est. 1797] preparative meeting where I saw some of our friends and there was a summons for a comitee of women to search for a child that was supposed to be live born and put in a hole and covered which was an awful sight and the mother of it taken and committed to gaol [jail] and kept under guard and the 20 I went to some of my cousons and to see the crimenel which was a sorrowful sight and not to be forgot and stayed the night at the three springs and the young woman and her sister went off and the guard lying asleep and the 21 I went over the river holson to trogdens ford and over the mountain at powder springs gap and to clinch river at the mouth of siccamore and lodged there 25 miles and the 22 I crossed clinch and went on my way over powels mountain and over powels river [Tennessee] and through the valleys and over the Cumberland mountain and cross yallow creek and got 35 miles I accompanied james edens [,] robert each & their families and the 23 I went over the Cumberland river and through the turnpike and on over the hills and swomps and to thomases 34 miles and on the 24 I went on my way fro the crab orchards and got 40 miles and lodged at howrds tavern about 9 miles from the crab orcherd and on the 25 I went on for lexenton [Lexington] through the orcherd and across dicks river at walter tailors and on to hickson on the cantuckey and ferried it and loged [lodged] at hogins 40 miles
the 26 I went on to lexenton and saw that town and went for burbin [Bourbon] these two day I feasted my eyes with the fine buildings of the towns lancaster and Lexington and burbin and saw some of our friends geogi [Georgia?] by the name of mote that was going to wainsville [Waynesville, Ohio?] and this day saw some people that had the small pox by anoculation [inoculation] and got[?] miles to neals and the 27 I went to milersberg [Millersberg, Kentucky] settled with tomson smith and stayed and nested that day I went 6 miles that day and saw a company of men [miltia?] gather and perad [parade] and then make a sham fight and the 28 I went on for limestone and went over the hinston [?] and through Washington [Kentucky] and over the ohio at the mouth of the limestone 39 miles and the 29 I went for the falls and got to sunfish [creek] 45 miles and the 30 I went on for home [Ross, now Highland County [?] Ohio] and arrived there about the middle of the day and found all well which was satisfaction and that was first day of the week
Diary Two
ohio state ross county newmarket township 3 day of 8 month [August] 1803
set out on my journey for north Carolina and got about 12 miles-the 4 went on through newmarket about 23 miles-the 5 went on through swomps and over hills to limbstone [Limestone?] on the ohio and across about 25 miles-the 6 we got our horses shod and went on to Washington and had a hard rain and went 6 miles-the 7 we went on through mays lick and so through the blue licks and got 20 miles-8 we went on though milers town [Millersburg] and on to burbin [Bourbon] and on for Lexington and encamped having gone 28 miles-and the 9 went on and I was unwell we went through Lexington and got 18 miles-the 10 we crossed kantucky river and on for mattison [Madison] and through it and got 19 miles-the 11 went on for lauck ford near the wilderness and loged in the woods 20 miles
the 12 we went on for rockcastle [creek] which was abought fourteen miles on our way and crossed it and encamped about 18 miles
the 13 went on over the hills and rock and crossed little lord [?] about 16 miles
the 14 went over the little lord and on for the river and got 19 miles
the 15 went on forward over hils and swomps by the flat lick and over the Cumberland river and through the turnpike and got 18 miles
the 16 went on over hills to Cumberland mountain and over it through powels valley and powels river and encamped having gone about 16 miles
the 17 went on over gravily hills to tazwell town [Tazewell, Tennessee] and there got my mare shod and went on and got 17 miles and encamped on the bank of the clinch [river]-the 18 went on over the river and mountains for lost creek and got about 20 miles-the 19 went on over the holston to lost creek-10 miles-and the 20 staid to [attend] monthly meeting {Lost Creek Meeting, Jefferson County, Tennessee, est. 1797] the 21 staid at the meeting
the 22 went five miles on our way to johns mills and the 23 went on our way and got 18 miles
the 24 went on our way through buls gap [Bulls Gap, Tennessee] and over lick creek and to john jacksons about 18 miles
the 25 stayed thereabouts
the 26 went to bab mills [Babbs Mills, Greene County, Tennessee] and took in some powder and went over to William smiths and got 16 miles
the 27 went on over both the watauga and holston about 25 miles
the 28 went on up the river and got near the forks about 24 miles and the 29 went on over the middle fork and up the south fork on our way for blew springs and got 23 miles
the 30 we went on over hills and stony flats and along by the blew springs and got 24 miles
the 31 went on for the led [lead] mines and crossed the river and to the poplar camp and got 22 miles-
the 1 of 9 month [September 1] 1803
went on to [?] and got to bets about 4 miles
the 2 went on for big reed ila [Big Reed Island, Virginia?] and got to thomas jessops about 14 miles-the 3 stayed that day and the 4 stayed that day-the 5 went over burks fork to thomas jessops 6 miles the 6 went on down bells spur and got to Benjamin carrs 26 miles the 7 stayed there [Diary ends]