From "The Omohundro Genealogical Record" by Malvern Hill Omohundro, Sr.
Martha was married when not quite 15 years of age; is said to have been a beautiful girl with dark hair and eyes, fair skin and rosey cheeks.
Martha Cary Bransford and her husband, Wilson went with her father and mother and others to KY in 1817 in covered wagons, and it took some three weeks to make the trip. They would camp on the road every night and they had many experiences, some of which she told me when I was quite a small boy, most of which I have forgotten after these 60 years, but one still remains in my memory, which is that while on the trip the wolves were very bad at night, of ten attacking the horses; so to protect the horses and themselves too, when night came, if in the woods, and most of the time they would be, they would clear off a place, and run the wagons close together in a circle, and put the horses on the inside, while they slept in the covered wagons and made up a big fire, on which they would cook supper and then sit around and talk. They kept it going aIl night. A wolf is said to be afraid of a fire, but even then they would often come up dangerously close, at which time they would have to shoot at them; then they would retreat with unmerciful howling. Some nights they would have to shoot many times, and at least one person stay on guard all night. It is said that a pack of hungry wolves would kill a horse and eat him up in short order. My grandfather and mother Shores came back in about two years to Va. where they remained the rest of their lives. My grandfather, Wilson Shores, made the trip back to Va. on horseback, and one night he got lost; it was dark and rainy ; he saw a light at a distance to which he aimed to go, but just before he got there the light rose and went straight up in the air for a great distance. He said this made the "hair stand on his head." He then discovered he was on the brink of a mountain, so not knowing what else to do he commenced hollering, and finally somebody answered him and a man came to him with a light and carried him home and kept him all night. He never forgot the rising light, which I suppose was one of those Iittle "jack-o-lanterns" that we have read about; in fact, I have seen them myself when I was a boy on dark rainy nights. Many other experiences did these early settlers have. If we just knew them all, it would make much interesting reading.
Martha was married when not quite 15 years of age; is said to have been a beautiful girl with dark hair and eyes, fair skin and rosey cheeks.
Martha Cary Bransford and her husband, Wilson went with her father and mother and others to KY in 1817 in covered wagons, and it took some three weeks to make the trip. They would camp on the road every night and they had many experiences, some of which she told me when I was quite a small boy, most of which I have forgotten after these 60 years, but one still remains in my memory, which is that while on the trip the wolves were very bad at night, of ten attacking the horses; so to protect the horses and themselves too, when night came, if in the woods, and most of the time they would be, they would clear off a place, and run the wagons close together in a circle, and put the horses on the inside, while they slept in the covered wagons and made up a big fire, on which they would cook supper and then sit around and talk. They kept it going aIl night. A wolf is said to be afraid of a fire, but even then they would often come up dangerously close, at which time they would have to shoot at them; then they would retreat with unmerciful howling. Some nights they would have to shoot many times, and at least one person stay on guard all night. It is said that a pack of hungry wolves would kill a horse and eat him up in short order. My grandfather and mother Shores came back in about two years to Va. where they remained the rest of their lives. My grandfather, Wilson Shores, made the trip back to Va. on horseback, and one night he got lost; it was dark and rainy ; he saw a light at a distance to which he aimed to go, but just before he got there the light rose and went straight up in the air for a great distance. He said this made the "hair stand on his head." He then discovered he was on the brink of a mountain, so not knowing what else to do he commenced hollering, and finally somebody answered him and a man came to him with a light and carried him home and kept him all night. He never forgot the rising light, which I suppose was one of those Iittle "jack-o-lanterns" that we have read about; in fact, I have seen them myself when I was a boy on dark rainy nights. Many other experiences did these early settlers have. If we just knew them all, it would make much interesting reading.
From "The Omohundro Genealogical Record" by Malvern Hill Omohundro, Sr.
Martha was married when not quite 15 years of age; is said to have been a beautiful girl with dark hair and eyes, fair skin and rosey cheeks.
Martha Cary Bransford and her husband, Wilson went with her father and mother and others to KY in 1817 in covered wagons, and it took some three weeks to make the trip. They would camp on the road every night and they had many experiences, some of which she told me when I was quite a small boy, most of which I have forgotten after these 60 years, but one still remains in my memory, which is that while on the trip the wolves were very bad at night, of ten attacking the horses; so to protect the horses and themselves too, when night came, if in the woods, and most of the time they would be, they would clear off a place, and run the wagons close together in a circle, and put the horses on the inside, while they slept in the covered wagons and made up a big fire, on which they would cook supper and then sit around and talk. They kept it going aIl night. A wolf is said to be afraid of a fire, but even then they would often come up dangerously close, at which time they would have to shoot at them; then they would retreat with unmerciful howling. Some nights they would have to shoot many times, and at least one person stay on guard all night. It is said that a pack of hungry wolves would kill a horse and eat him up in short order. My grandfather and mother Shores came back in about two years to Va. where they remained the rest of their lives. My grandfather, Wilson Shores, made the trip back to Va. on horseback, and one night he got lost; it was dark and rainy ; he saw a light at a distance to which he aimed to go, but just before he got there the light rose and went straight up in the air for a great distance. He said this made the "hair stand on his head." He then discovered he was on the brink of a mountain, so not knowing what else to do he commenced hollering, and finally somebody answered him and a man came to him with a light and carried him home and kept him all night. He never forgot the rising light, which I suppose was one of those Iittle "jack-o-lanterns" that we have read about; in fact, I have seen them myself when I was a boy on dark rainy nights. Many other experiences did these early settlers have. If we just knew them all, it would make much interesting reading.
Martha was married when not quite 15 years of age; is said to have been a beautiful girl with dark hair and eyes, fair skin and rosey cheeks.
Martha Cary Bransford and her husband, Wilson went with her father and mother and others to KY in 1817 in covered wagons, and it took some three weeks to make the trip. They would camp on the road every night and they had many experiences, some of which she told me when I was quite a small boy, most of which I have forgotten after these 60 years, but one still remains in my memory, which is that while on the trip the wolves were very bad at night, of ten attacking the horses; so to protect the horses and themselves too, when night came, if in the woods, and most of the time they would be, they would clear off a place, and run the wagons close together in a circle, and put the horses on the inside, while they slept in the covered wagons and made up a big fire, on which they would cook supper and then sit around and talk. They kept it going aIl night. A wolf is said to be afraid of a fire, but even then they would often come up dangerously close, at which time they would have to shoot at them; then they would retreat with unmerciful howling. Some nights they would have to shoot many times, and at least one person stay on guard all night. It is said that a pack of hungry wolves would kill a horse and eat him up in short order. My grandfather and mother Shores came back in about two years to Va. where they remained the rest of their lives. My grandfather, Wilson Shores, made the trip back to Va. on horseback, and one night he got lost; it was dark and rainy ; he saw a light at a distance to which he aimed to go, but just before he got there the light rose and went straight up in the air for a great distance. He said this made the "hair stand on his head." He then discovered he was on the brink of a mountain, so not knowing what else to do he commenced hollering, and finally somebody answered him and a man came to him with a light and carried him home and kept him all night. He never forgot the rising light, which I suppose was one of those Iittle "jack-o-lanterns" that we have read about; in fact, I have seen them myself when I was a boy on dark rainy nights. Many other experiences did these early settlers have. If we just knew them all, it would make much interesting reading.
Family Members
Advertisement
Advertisement
