Location: Cumberland, Pennsylvania, United States

Surnames/tags: Nelson Neilson Nilson Sherman Valley, Cumberland Co, PA Bourbon Co KY
NELSON GROUP REPOSITORY home page https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:NELSON_GROUP_REPOSITORY
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Families to Bourbon Co., Kentucky 1778
NOTE:
This reseach is fundamental in trying to link Joseph Nilson (1730-) to the Nelson family in Scott Co KY.
The Joseph Nilson (1730-) MAY BE the same man as Joseph Nelson (-abt.1815). Nothing definative has been found to determine if these are two separate men or are the same man. ~MBN
From KS – 12/01/2019
In an email attachment in November, I sent information on some Sherman’s Valley, Cumberland Co., PA folks who were early settlers in Bourbon Co., KY. I’ve clipped in the info again here:
…, there was a large group of Sherman’s Valley families that went down to Bourbon Co, KY.
According to a McClintock Family genealogy, 18 families went as a group.
Third and fourth trips: "The first settlers in Millersburg Precinct, came from Pennsylvania. In 1778, eighteen men, all heads of families, set out from Sherman’s Valley, near Carlisle, in Pennsylvania, for Kentucky. They journeyed on foot through the wilderness, and so far as is known arrived at their destination without encountering any serious adventure. The names of these men could not all be obtained, but among them were Robert Pollock, William McClellan, William Steele, David Marshall, Henry Thompson, William McClintock, John, William, and Robert Miller, and John Patton.
It’s tricky sorting out the references to the early settlers from Cumberland Co. who went to KY. [And I’m no expert, for sure. I’ve just been trying to collect Cumberland Co. names.] The “third and fourth trips” above refer to the Miller Company. The first Miller Company trip was shortly after the first Hinkson Company trip and those two groups joined, according to Lewis Collins’ History of Kentucky. Hinkson was also from Cumberland Co.
...it appears that a company of fifteen men (in after years frequently called “the Hinkson’s Company”) – John Hinkson, John Haggin, John Martin, John Townsend, James Cooper, Daniel Callahan, Patrick Callahan, Matthew Fenton, George Gray, Wm. Hoskins, Wm. Shields, Thomas Shores, Silas Train, Samuel Wilson, (only 15 or 16 years old.) and John Woods—in March and April, 1775, came down the Ohio and up the Licking river, in search of lands to improve.
[Then further he goes on to say:] Miller’s Company.—A few days later in the spring of 1775, Wm. Miller, John Miller, Richard Clark, Wm. Flinn, Joseph Houston or Huston, Paddy Logan, Wm. McClintock, Wm. Nesbitt, Alex. Pollock, John Shear, Wm. Steel, Henry Thompson, and two others—14 in all—came in canoes down the Ohio, and up the Licking to the Lower Blue Licks, where they were joined by Hinkson’s company above-named.
Couple of sources:
http://www.frontierfolk.net/ramsha_research/Notes/hinkson.html
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=2301&p=localities.northam.usa.states.kentucky.counties.bourbon
A similar account of the “first” Miller and Hinkson companies appears in Johnson, A History of Kentucky and Kentuckians: The Leaders and Representative Men..., Vol 3:
In the spring of 1775 a party, known as Hinkson’s company, started out from Pennsylvania for Kentucky in search of lands to improve. This company consisted of John Hinkson, John Haggin, John Martin, John Townsend, James Cooper, Daniel Callahan, Patrick Callahan, Mathew Fenton, George Gray, William Haskins [Hoskins], William Sheilds, Thomas Shares [Shores], Silas Train, Samuel Wilson and John Wood [Woods].
Those study pioneers came down the Ohio river in boats and thence up the Licking river in canoes, landing at the mouth of Willow Creek, on the east side of Main Licking, four miles above the forks, where Falmouth now stands. On account of rainy weather and high water the party was forced to remain at the latter place for two nights and one day. They then proceeded up the Licking river to near the Lower Blue Licks.
A few days later in the spring of 1775, another company, known as the Miller Company—fourteen persons in all—came in canoes down the Ohio and up the Licking to Lower Blue Licks, where they joined the Hinkson colony…
In the fall of 1775 all of the Miller company and seven of the Hinkson party returned up the Ohio river to their old homes in Pennsylvania.
In the spring of 1776 nearly all of these pioneers returned to Kentucky and on the 3d of May, 1776, the Lyons company, consisting of ten persons, came from the old Keystone state to Hinkson’s station, where at the instance of Colonel Hinkson, William Haskins conducted them up to some rich lands which had not been taken up, the same being some miles east, probably in what is now Bourbon county.
Two sources provide names for a Hinkson Company trip in 1779, including William Lemmon, John Lemmon and Joseph Lemmon. (NOTE: the Lemon famly was in Westmoreland Co by this time)
A list of Captain John Hinkson's Company, circa 1779--
John Hinkson, Captain; John Sellers, Lieutenant; David Wilson, Ensign; Privates: John Hanna, James Clifford, Robert McInoe, George Finley, High Knose, Samuel Cunning, James McDonald, Robert McDonald, William Lemmon, John Lemmon, Joseph Lemmon, Edward Burns, Wilson Buck, John Callet, Samuel Sellers, Hugh Gibb, John McMillian, Alexander Barlantine, John Burns, James McClennachan, James Staut. (PA Archives 6th Series, Vol. II, pg. 272)
Before the Miller and Hinkson companies, there was a “Thompson Expedition” by William Thompson—Thompson was also from Cumberland Co.
THOMPSON EXPEDITION. The Thompson expedition was a 1773 survey of lands in Virginia (now Kentucky) near the Ohio River by Pennsylvania militia officers who had served in the French and Indian War. The intent was to locate lands promised them for their military service in the war. Designating Capt. William Thompson as their leader, the expedition of over sixty men departed Pittsburgh in either late June or early July. They traveled down the Ohio River by flatboat to the mouth of the Scioto River, where they camped on the Kentucky side and waited for the arrival of their horses and of Thomas Bullitt, an official Virginia surveyor (Thompson's party was not legally authorized to make surveys). By July 10 Thompson learned that Bullitt had left on his way downriver and would not be meeting them. A few days later he learned that the expedition's horses had been stolen by Indians.
Hoping they could later convince the Virginia authorities to accept their claims, the expedition continued down the Ohio in canoes to Cabin Creek, where Thompson divided the group into three parties. They surveyed the North Fork of the Licking River, Salt Lick Creek, and Upper Blue Licks. Fear of Indian attack prevented them from reaching the Kentucky River area. They surveyed approximately 200,000 acres and divided the land into claims. The entire expedition reassembled at Cabin Creek and departed for Pennsylvania, where a lottery was held to dispense the claims in August or September of 1773.
The expedition however, had no authority to make the surveys. Thompson had applied for a surveyor's license when he realized that Bullitt would not be joining them, but it was not validated until May 1774. Through their agent, Dr. John Morgan. the expedition formally applied in 1774 for permission to make land claims in Virginia. The application was approved and land warrants were issued by Lord Dunmore, governor of Virginia, but the claims made in 1773 were not validated. The Revolutionary War ended the matter until 1783. Two further attempts were made at validation, in 1783 and 1807, but both were denied. None of the expedition's members received title to Kentucky land on the basis of the Thompson surveys, but the publicity they received attracted settlers to the Kentucky area.
See R.S. Cotterill, "The Thompson Expedition of 1773," FCHQ 20 (July 1946): 179-84.
[Source: John E. Kleber (ed.), The Kentucky Encyclopedia (University Press of Kentucky, 1992) p. 882.]
My take-away from this: there was a whole lot of Cumberland Co. folks who went to KY, went back-and-forth from PA to KY, and probably went from PA to KY to VA and then back to PA – because Indian assaults on the fledgling settlements periodically forced retreats back to safer ground in VA. As I recall, that’s how some of the Harrodsburg settlers came to fight in the Battle of Point Pleasant, after the abandonment of their settlement. (NOTE: There was a John Nelson listed on the memorial for the Battle of Point Pleasant)
There are a number of Nelsons with Licking Creek/River records, whether they have overlaps with Cumberland Co., PA is yet to be seen.
14 Jan 1783 Edward Nelson enters 400 acres Stoner Fk., Licking Creek [then Fayette Co.], Original Survey No. 1381, orig. Book 2 pps 211-212, Grant Date 8 Feb 1785, Book 6 pps 235-236. Source: “Master Index Virginia Surveys and Grants, 1774-1791”, Ky Hist. Soc., F 450 .B76 1976.
1776 (Cert. issd for 1400 by Order of Court at Bryants) Edward Nelson this day claimed a settlement & preemption to a tract of land in the district of Kentucky lying on licking Creek Opposite to the Mouth of the Rocky Ford fork on the north side of Stoners Fork joining Wm Cradlebough on the North side by raising a Crop of Corn in the Country in the year 1776 & residing ever since satisfactory proof being made to the Court they are of Opinion that the said Nelson has a right to a settlement of 400 Acres of land including the above location & the premp’t of 1000 Acres adjoining Cert. not to issue untill the further order of this Court. Source: Certificate Book of the Virginia Land Commission 1779-1790, by Kentucky State Historical Society. F 454 .C4 1992 (NOTE: I don't think this man is of our Nelson line, as his grandson William said in the Draper Manuscripts Edward was born in Culpepper Co VA but was mostly raised in Rowan Co., NC. MBS)
2 Dec 1784 William Nelson enters 1500 acres, N. Fk. & Johnson Fk., Licking River, orig. survey No. 4961, orig. Book 6 p. 233, Grant 21 Nov 1786, Book 12 p. 188-189. Source: “Master Index Virginia Surveys and Grants, 1774-1791”, Ky Hist. Soc., F 450 .B76 1976.
8 January 1790: George Nelson enters 1000 acres N. Fk, Licking Cr. [then Mason Co.], Orig. Sur No. 7741, orig. Book 9 p. 370, Grant date 21 Mar 1791 orig Book 14 p. 342-343. Source: “Master Index Virginia Surveys and Grants, 1774-1791”, Ky Hist. Soc., F 450 .B76 1976.
8 Sept 1789 #65, Moses & Thomas Nelson sign petitions asking upper parts of Fayette and Bourbon Counties be struck off for the purpose of forming new County beginning at mouth of Boones Creek.. mouth of Bogg’s fork... Junction of Welch’s fork known by the name of Robinson’s fork of said Creek... direct line to strike Mason County line one mile below the upper Blue licks on main Licking Creek... with said Mason Co. line to Madison Co. line
22 Oct 1790 #78, Joseph Nelson. Inhabitants of Co. of Bourbon, states in 1788 inspection of Tobacco at Junction of Hinkson & Stoner fork of Licking River... Stoners fork is navigable for large boats, someone wants to block with a mill, they want it open to ship tobacco. (This is definately the Joseph Nelson that I think is my line- MBN)
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