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   Cotham-Gibbs Ancestry ~ Maps to Kagay Migrations

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                           US Land Maps ~  1700's

 When Henry and Barbara Stoner Kagy picked up their family (six children to this point) and all their worldly belongings, and moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 1768, which way did they go and how did they transport everything? Through wilderness, on flat boats down rivers, in Conestoga wagons down lightly trodden Indian paths? Some combination of all? 

 

No, as this 1755 map attests, they went up to Lancaster from nearby Conestoga Township in their wagons (Conestogas, of course) and "hung a left"! So much for the romance of the unknown. As this continuing detail from the same map shows, "The Great Wagon Road to Philadelphia" goes directly from Lancaster, Pennsylvania all the way to the Shenandoah Valley near Smith's Creek. A 1700's era "turnpike".  Indeed, a modern turnpike follows the same route. I never would have imagined that it would have been so simple. Not to under-emphasize the perils of travel at that time even with a well-beaten path, but there might be an argument for "path of least resistance" contributing heavily to the new land purchase decisions.

 

The next family move in 1833 to Bremen, Ohio, was likely similar to this one in that the "new" National Road (ca. 1811) passed through Frederick,Virginia, north of New Market, and continued west through Columbus,Ohio, passing close to Bremen. 

 

Interestingly enough, the National Road was completed all the way to Columbus, Ohio the very same year that Christian and Barbara Stoner Kagay reached Bremen, Ohio with their family from New Market, Virginia, in 1933. 

 

(still looking for good early maps of the National Road if anyone can suggest the location of same)

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

1755 Shenandoah Valley, Virginia detail, Kagy land on 

Smith's Creek next to Philadelphia Road.

 

1755 Lancaster, Pennsylvania detail, Kagy land on Conestoga Creek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title detail from the 1755 Thomas Jeffery map. Quite a few of these early maps were adorned with this elaborate art work, and as in this case, usually a depiction of life in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought that distance tables were a relatively "modern" addition to travel maps! Here is another detail of the Pre-Revolutionary War Thomas Jeffery map showing distances between the major cities and forts of the area. Colonial "roadmaps" are not nearly as rustic as expected. 

 

 

 

 

 

Before the National Road was completed to Ohio (1818) and points west, pioneers might have followed these predominantly Indian paths to Fort Necessity (approx mid-point of blue path, just west of the Pennsylvania border, Colonel George Washington and French and Indian War fame) and beyond, till reaching navigable rivers. (Fort Necessity National Battlefield is located in the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania, about 11 miles east of Uniontown.)

 

 

 

 

 

The National Road 

(From http://www.nps.gov/fone/natlroad.htm)

The National Road, today called U.S. Route 40, was the first highway built entirely with federal funds. The road was authorized by Congress in 1806 during the Jefferson Administration. Construction began in Cumberland, Maryland in 1811. The route closely paralleled the military road opened by George Washington and General Braddock in 1754-55. By 1818 the road had been completed to the Ohio River at Wheeling, which was then in Virginia. Eventually the road was pushed through central Ohio and Indiana reaching Vandalia, Illinois in the 1830's where construction ceased due to a lack of funds. The National Road opened the Ohio River Valley and the Midwest for settlement and commerce. Traveling The opening of the road saw thousands of travelers heading west over the Allegheny Mountains to settle the rich land of the Ohio River Valley. Small towns along the National Road's path began to grow and prosper with the increase in population. Towns such as Cumberland, Uniontown, Brownsville, Washington and Wheeling evolved into commercial centers of business and industry. Uniontown was the headquarters for three major stagecoach lines which carried passengers over the National Road. Brownsville, on the Monongahela River, was a center for steamboat building and river freight hauling. Many small towns and villages along the road contained taverns, blacksmith shops, and livery stables. Taverns were probably the most important and numerous business found on the National Road. It is estimated there was about one tavern every mile on the National Road. There were two different classes of taverns on the road. The stagecoach tavern was one type. It was the more expensive accommodation, designed for the affluent traveler. Mount Washington Tavern was a stagecoach tavern. The other class of tavern was the wagon stand, which would have been more affordable for most travelers. A wagon stand would have been similar to a modern "truck stop." All taverns regardless of class offered three basic things; food, drink, and lodging. Traffic During the heyday of the National Road, traffic was heavy throughout the day and into the early evening. Almost every kind of vehicle could be seen on the road. The two most common vehicles were the stagecoach and the Conestoga wagon. Stagecoach travel was designed with speed in mind. Stages would average 60 to 70 miles in one day. The Conestoga wagon was the "tractor-trailer" of the 19th Century. Conestogas were designed to carry heavy freight both east and west over the Allegheny Mountains. These wagons were brightly painted with red running gears, Prussian blue bodies and white canvas coverings. A Conestoga wagon, pulled by a team of six draft horses, averaged 15 miles a day. Decline By the early 1850's technology was changing the way people traveled. The steam locomotive was being perfected and soon railroads would cross the Allegheny Mountains. The people of Southwestern Pennsylvania fought strongly to keep the railroad out of the area, knowing the impact it would have on the National Road. In 1852, the Pennsylvania Railroad was completed to Pittsburgh and shortly after, the B & O Railroad reached Wheeling. This spelled doom for the National Road. As the traffic quickly declined, many taverns went out of business. An article in Harper's Magazine in November 1879 declared, "The national turnpike that led over the Alleghenies from the East to the West is a glory departed...Octogenarians who participated in the traffic will tell an enquirer that never before were there such landlords, such taverns, such dinners, such whiskey...or such an endless calvacades of coaches and wagons." A poet lamented "We hear no more the clanging hoof and the stagecoach rattling by, for the steam king rules the traveled world, and the Old Pike is left to die."

 

Contact jeffcotham@grandecom.net for comments/questions/corrections. Your input is welcomed!

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