'Long Hunter' Moses Skaggs

"The life of Daniel Boone", written by Lyman C Draper, LL.D.

"Henry, Charles, and Richard SKAGGS and three other brothers were grandsons of an Irishman who fled from Ireland of Londonderry in 1688-'89, when so many of the hardy Scotch-Irish race emigrated to the shores of the New World. We find his adventurous descendants, natives of Maryland, living on the frontiers of New River and sharing largely in the toils and hardships of the Long Hunters in 1770-'71.

In June 1775 we find Henry SKAGGS aiding to pilot Col. Thomas SLAUGHTER and others on an exploratory tour of the Green River country. Henry SKAGGS and brothers were a noted family of hunters and nothing but hunters; and keeping pace with the advancing settlements, they pushed forward to Clinch River and were forting in 1777 at Shadrach WHITE's Station in the neighborhood of the Maiden Spring Fork of the Clinch.

In 1781 one of the family of SKAGGS who had been residing in the Cumberland settlements removed to Kentucky. In 1779 Henry SKAGGS, accompanied by upwards of twenty men, started for Kentucky, were attacked by Indians in POWELL's Valley, lost part of their horses, when all had returned, save SKAGGS, his son John, a mere youth, and a man named SINCLAIR. With eleven horses, they went to the Green River country to hunt, and during the succeeding hard winter, SINCLAIR got lost, probably drowned in the Green River, and young SKAGGS sickened and died, and amidst the severities of the season, a hollow log was his burial place. His father was left alone to finish the hunt and return home with the horses, pelts, and furs.

He settled on Pitman's Creek in the Green River country within present Taylor County, Kentucky, in 1789, with his children and connections around him sharing freely in the Indian difficulties of the times; and there he died in 1808 or '9, aged upwards of eighty years.

Possessing a large and bony frame, he was bold, enterprising, and fearless. His brothers, Charles and Richard, who also settled in that region, lived to a good old age." [note 23, p.277: "MS. statements of Capt. John BARBEE, derived from Thomas and Moses SKAGGS, son of Charles SKAGGS; MS. notes of conversations with Morgan VARDEMAN of Kentucky."] Lyman C. Draper, The Life of Daniel Boone, Ted Franklin Belue, ed. (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1998), 268-69.

"Two other long hunters known to REDD were William PITTMAN and Henry SKAGS, of whom [note 15] he said, "they were men of high sense of honor and vary great truth." Both probably lived for awhile in this section for PITMAN's Creek is a branch of Blackwater River, and several members of the SKAGS family, John, Charles and Zachariah, were given in the first list of tithables for Pittsylvania County.

"It is very probable that WALDEN and his friends had served in the recent Indian campaign and ranging along the frontiers had seen for themselves the great abundance of game that lived undisturbed in the virgin forest of Southwest Virginia. They remained on this hunt eighteen months, ranging over southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, naming the mountains and streams as they came to them. POWELL's Mountain . . . [as well as] the adjacent river and valley. WALDEN's Ridge was named for WALDEN; SCAG's Ridge and NEWMAN's Ridge were named for other members of the company. They crossed the mountains through Cumberland Gap into the Kentucky country and all agreed that WALDEN should name the gap, which he did calling it Cumberland for his former home in Cumberland County, Virginia.

"On their return the following year they crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains at Flower's Gap in Franklin County, and found few settlers west of the mountains, the murderous attacks of the Indians having driven them eastward and southward.

"In the year of 1764 the BLEVINs went up into Kentucky and hunted near Crab-Tree Orchard on Rock Castle Creek, where they found the game so plentiful that they continued to hunt there for several years. Daniel BOONE, who was living on the Yadkin, came among the hunters that year, saying that he was employed by the Henderson Company to explore the country. Henry SKAGS was afterwards employed by the HENDERSONs for the same purpose. Draper [note 19] said of SKAGGS that he and his brothers Charles and Richard were a family of noted hunters, and nothing but hunters, who kept pace with the advancing wave of settlements. He described SKAGGS as "possessing a large bony frame, he was bold, enterprising and fearless."

http://appalachianaristocracy.com/getperson.php?personID=I4559&tree=01 James Skaggs, Sr. was the son of Richard Skaggs and Mary Thear. He was married to Rachel Murdock {Moredock} and lived from 1700 to 1798, dying at an incredibly old age for the time. His sons included the Rev. James Skaggs Jr. and his brothers Henry, Richard, Jacob, Charles, Moses and John. These men were known as the early "Long Hunters" of 1750's -1790's. The Long hunters left an interesting and important legacy not only for the rest of the Skaggs' descendants, but for those who would come to Kentucky after them. Daniel Boone and his men, for instance, followed Skaggs Trace, a wilderness track, when they came into Kentucky on one of their expeditions. Skaggs Trace would also become essential to leading the settlers from Virginia to Kentucky. Henry, Charles and Richard Skaggs, and three other brothers were granddsons of an Irishman who fled from Ireland of Londonderry in 1688-'89, when so many of the Scotch-Irish race emigrated to the shores of the New World. We find his adventureous decendants, natives of Maryland, living on the frontiers of New River and sharing largely in the toils and hardships of the Long Hunters in 1770-'71. 177? Sept. 13. A list of persons sworn to the States in Capt. McCORKLE's Company of Montgomery Co., VA, includes HENRY SCAGGS, son of AARON; James (longman); John (Gourd Head); John, Jr.; John Zachariah; and Moses SCAGGS.

Another researcher interpreted the preceding list as: Sworn of Capt. Daniel Triggs Company: 9th September 1777 Sept. 13, 1777, includes John Scaggs, Junr.; Archibald Scaggs; Charles Skaggs; John Skaggs (Goard Head); Moses Skaggs; John Hankins [md. Elizabeth "Betsy" Skaggs]; John Skaggs; HENRY SKAGGS (son to AARON); Zachariah Skaggs. Sept. 15: Richard Whitt [md. Susannah Skaggs]; James Skaggs (longman). Ruby Altizer Roberts, Cambria, Va., in Virginia Vital Records (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984), 214-15; actual page images at Family Tree Maker's GenealogyLibrary.com

MOSES SKAGGS was among the earliest justices of the peace for Green County, KY, all commissioned previous to the year 1801. --William B. Allen, A History of Kentucky (Louisville: Bradley & Gilbert, 1872), 397; actual page image at Ancestry.com.

"Reed and Related Families of Tazewell County, Virginia and McDowell County, West Virginia", by Juanita S Halstead.

Records in Green County, KY show that Moses Skaggs, a brother to Lydia and Henry, took up land there in the late 1700's. He (Moses) was killed by the Indians, but his wife lived on this land for some time after his demise. A litigation over this estate names his heirs who were brothers and sisters, as well as nieces and nephews. Moses and His wife had no children. It was the file on this case which gave us proof of our family connections.

There was a big court case over dispostion of his property after his death since he had no heirs.

Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800 Circuit Court Records, Section "I." Judgments. page 162 Lewis vs. Draffin--O. S. 202; N. S. 71--Bill, 1809. Involves lands in Albemarle County in Kentucky, and Ohio. Deed dated 7th September, 1805, by Robert Draffin of Albemarle to James Lewis of Albemarle; conveys tract on Pitman's Creek in Green County, part of tract granted to Hervey and Clark (400 acres), cor. MOSES SKEGGS. Recorded in Albemarle, 8th May, 1806. Deed dated 12th May, 1806, by same to Richard Anderson, 722 acres on Ivy Creek in Albemarle. Recorded in Albemarle, 2d June, 1806. Deed dated 7th September, 1787, by John Harvie of Richmond, to Robert Draffin of Albemarle, 2,000 acres on Sinking Creek in Jefferson County, adjoining Henry Hogan. Patent by Jefferson, President of U. S., to James Lewis, assignee of Ro. Draffin, in consideration of military services of William Ware. Thomas Burk, Mosby Childress and James Cooley, all soldiers for three years; William Smith, a drummer for the war; Wormack Blackenship, corporal for three years; Cole Robinson, sergeant for three years, in Virginia line on Continental Establishment, for 1,000 acres between Little Miami and Scioto Rivers. Deed 6th December, 1797, by Robert Draffin of Albemarle to James Lewis of same place; two tracts; 800 acres in Green County, Kentucky, on Pitman's or Sinking Creek, part of 2,000 acres sold by Harvie and Clark to Draffin. Proved at Court of Quarter Sessions in Green County, 20th March, 1798 Deed 6th November, 1799, by same to same, at same place; part of tract patented to Christopher Clark and John Harvie. Recorded in Green County, 23d December, 1799. Deed dated 20th January, 1794, by Robert Draffin to Robert Pattenger of Green County, Kentucky, 320 acres in Green County on Sinking Creek, part of 2,000 acres above. Recorded in Green County, 14th October, 1794. Courses of deeds in Green County, viz: Robert Draffin to MOSES SKAGGS, 216 acres; Robert Draffin to Wm. and Michael Sympson, 302 3/4 acres; Robert Draffin to Wm. Buckner, 370 acres; Robert Draffin to James McColgan, 103 acres; Robert Draffin to Wm. McColgan, 88 acres. (Ancestry.com)* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 27 2021, 23:00:25 UTC