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Later, heading south from Cumberland County, traveling down the Great Wagon Road could

have been an easier journey, especially if they had a Conestoga wagon to carry the family’s goods.

"By 1765 the Great Wagon Road was cleared all along it (sic, it’s) way enough to hold

horse drawn vehicles" and "The fastest loaded wagon could go about five miles a day" [Note 8.a.]

From Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, to Big Lick (now Roanoke), Virginia, was 260-270 miles

on the Great Wagon Road, at least 50-60 days travel, if they were able to average 5 miles per day.

From Big Lick (now Roanoke), they would have traveled west on the Frontier Road for another

180-190 miles to get into Greene County, Tennessee, and settle in the Nolichucky River watershed.

Their complete three-part journey from Westmoreland County, south-western Pennsylvania, in

the early 1790s, to the new land in the Nolichucky River watershed in Greene County, arriving

in eastern Tennessee circa.1795-1796, was a journey of at least 600 miles total

(Westmoreland County east to Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 160-170 miles;

Cumberland County to Big Lick (now Roanoke) on the Great Wagon Road, 260-270 miles; and

Big Lick, Virginia, to the Nolichucky River valley in Greene County, Tennessee, 180-190 miles).

During the years ‘on the road’ in the early 1790s, they must have stopped along the way, and they

probably stopped in multiple places. Unfortunately, however, no McA/I/Ninch records have been

found in the 1790-1796 period along the route of the Great Wagon Road through Pennsylvania,

Maryland, and Virginia. Many of our Ulster-Scot (aka Scotch-Irish) pioneers migrated through the

Shenandoah Valley, and they probably traveled with one or more larger group(s) (‘wagon train’s?).

Daniel McAninch’s third son, George A. McAninch, was born ca. 1794-1795, in Virginia. [4] [17]

Clearly, George must have been born during the long journey through Virginia into Tennessee.

George A. McAninch could have been born somewhere in the Shenandoah Valley, traveling along

the Great Wagon Road, or in the Abingdon-Bristol area of south-western Virginia, somewhere

along the Frontier Road, on the direct route raveling west into Greene County, eastern Tennessee.

Early History of Greene County, Tennessee

(Greene County) . . . lies between the Unaka Mountains on the south and Bays Mountains on the

North . . .and is traversed by a series of valleys and ridges. The principal stream is the Nolichucky

River, which receives as tributaries Lick Creek, Little Nolichucky, Horse Creek and Camp Creek.

The soil of the county is generally fertile . . . the richest farming lands occupy the northern portion

of the county and the bottom of the "Chucky River." [Goodspeed, Note 9].

(Greene County) Settlement first began in 1772 when Jacob Brown and others relocated from

North Carolina and established a camp on the banks of the Nolichucky River. Three years later a

large tract of land was leased from the Cherokees by Mr. Brown, titled as part of North Carolina’s

Washington District. Later, Greene County, North Carolina, was formally established in 1783,

having been formerly part of Washington County, North Carolina [Note 10]

____________________________________________________________________________

Daniel McAninch and William McAninch, 1796-1797, Greene County, Tennessee

McA. Family Hist. NL v.XXXII (32) n.2 / Nov. 2024 / Copyright Frank McAninch / p.2024-16