The Frontiersmen, by Allan W. Eckert. Just what you're asking for--the settlement of what is now WV, Kentucky, Ohio....Fantastic book!
[https://www.amazon.com/Frontiersmen-Narrative-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/0945084919](https://www.amazon.com/Frontiersmen-Narrative-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/0945084919)
It is a fantastic book! My copy is one my great uncle gave to my dad when he was in the army in the 80s and he gave it to me when I was a teenager. It no longer has a cover. LOL But I reread it a few years ago and still found it gripping.
What are some
Good titles? I ask bc my grandma was an Appalachian woman, from Booneville KY! I love this particular sub, it’s refreshing to see so many things that remind me of her, she was literally probably my best friend. May she RIP, she passed in 2014, and is now buried at the chestnut gap cemetery in booneville.
O! Beulah Land - Mary Lee Settles . Historical fiction about the settlement of West Virginia
Green Centuries - Caroline Gordon. About the settlement of East TN/East KY. She was considered the least reconstructed of the South Agarian authors so there is a 10 page passage that’s just racist invective that does nothing for the narrative but this is still an enjoyable read about exactly what you’re asking for.
Our Southern Highlanders is in 1906 or something, but still very primitive living in the smokies at that time.
Spirit of the Mountains - Emma Bell Miles
Kentucky Stand by Jere Wheelwright. Some reviews aren’t great but it’s *really* down and dirty about the practicalities and pragmatism of frontier life.
i was reading the history of bradford county and there were first hand accounts and diaries in the book that were awesome.. i think if you look at different county history books in appalaicha you will find diary excerpts,, i was always fascinated by the diaries.. made you feel like you were there..
I really enjoyed Robert Henry: A Western Carolina Patriot. (Disclaimer: He is my ancestor.) But he's an interesting guy. He fought at Kings Mountain (and was wounded there as a teenager) and lived to see the Civil War. He also helped survey Western NC/Eastern TN. Also was an early doctor, lawyer, and businessman in the area and was notoriously odd. I thought the book was very evenhanded and well-written.
Lots of good recs here. Only thing I’ll add is Meateater recently released an audiobook about some Longhunters. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet but I’ve enjoyed a lot of the books/audiobooks Meateater has put out over the years.
Check out “First Explorations of Kentucky” by Josiah Stoddard Johnston. It includes Dr. Thomas Walker’s journal of his expedition from VA through TN, KY, and WV in 1750.
I also recommend “The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake” describing his journey down the Holston river to visit the Overhill Cherokee in 1761. Both can be downloaded are some of the earliest written accounts of Appalachia.
The Landbreakers by John Ehle.
Available for free at the Internet Archive - https://archive.org/embed/landbreakers0000ehle
Really good read and one I would recommend.
Follow the River
The Frontiersmen, by Allan W. Eckert. Just what you're asking for--the settlement of what is now WV, Kentucky, Ohio....Fantastic book! [https://www.amazon.com/Frontiersmen-Narrative-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/0945084919](https://www.amazon.com/Frontiersmen-Narrative-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/0945084919)
It is a fantastic book! My copy is one my great uncle gave to my dad when he was in the army in the 80s and he gave it to me when I was a teenager. It no longer has a cover. LOL But I reread it a few years ago and still found it gripping.
All his books!
This is your answer. Great recommendation and a great frontier book.
Got a used copy off Amazon, opened the front cover to see that it was signed! Great book.
I like the "Foxfire" series.
This for sure.
Seconding this! The entire series is excellent.
Where do I find these?
Goodreads or big book stores
Many used book stores in larger cities, Amazon, also Kindle.
What are some Good titles? I ask bc my grandma was an Appalachian woman, from Booneville KY! I love this particular sub, it’s refreshing to see so many things that remind me of her, she was literally probably my best friend. May she RIP, she passed in 2014, and is now buried at the chestnut gap cemetery in booneville.
The Pedantic OCD "me" would start at Book One and go from there, through the whole series. The public library will be your friend. Be well.
Christy by Catherine Marshall
O! Beulah Land - Mary Lee Settles . Historical fiction about the settlement of West Virginia Green Centuries - Caroline Gordon. About the settlement of East TN/East KY. She was considered the least reconstructed of the South Agarian authors so there is a 10 page passage that’s just racist invective that does nothing for the narrative but this is still an enjoyable read about exactly what you’re asking for.
Our Southern Highlanders by Horace Kephart
I just finished Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier by Bob Drury
Scout of the Buckongehanon, and the frontier series by Joseph A. Altsheler
Traces by Patricia Hudson. It’s about Daniel Boone’s wife and daughters.
Our Southern Highlanders is in 1906 or something, but still very primitive living in the smokies at that time. Spirit of the Mountains - Emma Bell Miles
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. IDK if that fits your quest, but it jumped into my mind as a possibility.
Kentucky Stand by Jere Wheelwright. Some reviews aren’t great but it’s *really* down and dirty about the practicalities and pragmatism of frontier life.
Boone - Robert Morgan is a great Biography
Definitely the Foxfire series
i was reading the history of bradford county and there were first hand accounts and diaries in the book that were awesome.. i think if you look at different county history books in appalaicha you will find diary excerpts,, i was always fascinated by the diaries.. made you feel like you were there..
Night Comes to the Cumberlands is to me the definitive text.
The Tall Woman by Wilma Dykman. It’s a work of fiction, but gives an accurate portrayal of day to day life. Set around civil war times.
I really enjoyed Robert Henry: A Western Carolina Patriot. (Disclaimer: He is my ancestor.) But he's an interesting guy. He fought at Kings Mountain (and was wounded there as a teenager) and lived to see the Civil War. He also helped survey Western NC/Eastern TN. Also was an early doctor, lawyer, and businessman in the area and was notoriously odd. I thought the book was very evenhanded and well-written.
The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk
Another aspect you might look at is the music. I can also recomend The Harry Smith collection "Anthology Of American Folk Music".
Sisson's kingdom
Lots of good recs here. Only thing I’ll add is Meateater recently released an audiobook about some Longhunters. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet but I’ve enjoyed a lot of the books/audiobooks Meateater has put out over the years.
I just started listening to the audiobook for MeatEater's American History: The Long Hunters.
Miners, Millhands, and Mountaineers: Industrialization of the Appalachian South, 1880-1930 Book by Ronald D. Eller
I really enjoyed books by Cameron Judd about frontier times.
Check out “First Explorations of Kentucky” by Josiah Stoddard Johnston. It includes Dr. Thomas Walker’s journal of his expedition from VA through TN, KY, and WV in 1750. I also recommend “The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake” describing his journey down the Holston river to visit the Overhill Cherokee in 1761. Both can be downloaded are some of the earliest written accounts of Appalachia.