The name Daniel Boone will forever be synonymous with the saga
of the American frontier. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Boone
was the inveterate wayfarer who achieved lasting fame guiding
landhungry settlers to the Kentucky frontier and fighting to
defend them against Indian attack.
Boone was born November 2, 1734, in the log farmhouse that evolved
into - and was replaced by - the main house of the Daniel Boone
Homestead.
Daniel's father, Squire Boone, was an English Quaker born in
Devonshire in 1696. While still a youth, Squire, his brother
George and sister Sarah embarked for Philadelphia to appraise
the possibilities of settlement for their father's family, who
immigrated finally in 1717.
Squire settled first in Abington, then moved to Gwynedd, where
he met Sara Morgan, born in 1700 to Welsh Quakers. Married in
1720, they lived first near Gwynedd, then in Chalfont, Bucks
County, before purchasing 250 acres of the Homestead in 1730.
Squire's father and brothers also lived in the area and became
prominent in business, local government and the Friends Meeting.
Daniel was the sixth child, one of eleven, born to Squire and
Sarah.
In 1756 Daniel married Rebecca Bryan and with her, raised ten
children.
In 1773 he failed in his first attempt to settle Kentucky, but
in 1775 he succeeded in establishing Boonesborough. Between
1775 and 1783 Daniel Boone was a leader among settlers in opening
new parts of Kentucky and in resisting Indian raids. Although
Boone lost two sons and a brother in the fighting, he was merciful
and compassionate toward his native adversaries.
Though his legend grew, his finances languished. Beset by creditors
and personal disillusion, Boone finally left Kentucky in 1799
for Missouri, where he died near St. Louis on September 26,
1820.
