WITH DANIEL BOONE THRU THE WILDERNESS (1926)
Historical Context: Print Video Online The Life and Legend of Daniel Boone [1] The legend of Daniel Boone was so glorified and manipulated throughout the 18th and 19th centuries that it is somewhat difficult to identify where the facts end and the myths begin. Boone's story was discovered and totally rewritten by the numerous "autobiographies" supposedly written and endorsed by Boone himself. In fact, Daniel Boone never wrote an autobiography. He was barely literate and was infuriated by the manipulation of the facts of his life by these hagiographers. Boone actually wanted to sue his own nephew for publishing one of these hagiographies. Through much belabored and careful research, historians have been able to separate fact from fancy and deduce the events that most probably composed the life of Daniel Boone. [2] Daniel Boone was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1735, though the actual date and year is often disputed. He was the son of an English immigrant, Squire Boone, and lived in a frontier settlement in Pennsylvania until age 18, at which point he and his family moved to the Yadkin River Valley in North Carolina. It was here that Boone married Rebecca Bryant and started a family. In 1769 Boone and a few companions set out to explore the Kentucky frontier. During this excursion, Boone was twice captured by the Indians, with whom the settlers were in constant conflict. He escaped both times but did not return home yet. He eventually met up with his brother, Squire Boone, Jr. who was later killed by Indians, and they explored the Kentucky wilderness until 1771. A couple years later he returned with his entire family to live, Rebecca being one of the first white women to live in Kentucky | |
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