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Appalachian Mountains

The Revolutionary War was the defining point of settlement for Kentucky.  Previous to this, the territory was claimed by the Iroquois Indians.  In 1768, the British succeeded in making a treaty to purchase (Kentucky), known as the Treaty of Fort Stanwix.  Thus, the Iroquois took the side of the loyalists during the war and were scattered throughout Kentucky, Ohio and New York.  The pension records of patriots reveal that they were formiable foes during the Northern Campaign.  The settlements crowding into Kentucky before the war caused the Shawnees north of the Ohio River to become allies with the British.  The stream of settlers crossing Appalachian Mountains from Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania continued after the war until all of the various Indian tribes were driven out.  Genealogists follow the trail from those States as well as West Virginia as a place to research, because that portion was first part of the State of Virginia.




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