DAVIS COUNTY IOWA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY   

William Cole Diary
This is a transcription of a Diary that William Cole wrote on his journey from Hancock County, TN. to Davis County, Iowa, February 1850. He, along with his family, plus a large contingent of friends, traveled together on this journey. They used flat boats, commercial boats, wagons and on foot during their journey. William Cole was married to Sarah "Sally" Maize and then, after the death of his first wife, he married Rebecca Anderson Ramsey. The spelling and some punctuation have been placed for easier reading. Parentheses have been placed in the transcription for clarification.
This diary was found by my dad, Clyde Edmond "Eddie" Adams in items to be disposed of. It was transcribed and printed with his permission.

February 28, 1850
I started down the mouth of Mulberry. (Mulberry Creek in Hancock Co., TN)
1 day landed at the mouth of Russell Creek at Blairs Creek in Campbell County where we landed with much difficulty.
On 4 landed at the mouth of Powell Rivers. (It now joins with Clinch River at Norris Dam, in Anderson County, TN).
On 5 landed in Anderson County 10 miles below Clinton and landed at the mouth of Hokerey (?) Creek at Mancyaten (?) Knox County.
On 7 landed at Kingston (?) in Roane County.
On 8 landed at acenten silent (?) in Meigs County.
On 9 landed at Lokis (?) Ferry in Rhea County.
On 10 landed at Hiwassee Island in Rhea County.
On 11 at 12 o'clock we passed the town of Hanzon (?) on the north side of the river in Hamilton County (TN). There we landed and we looked at a steamboat.
On 12 landed at Chattanooga and lay there all the next day.
13 I attended the railroad and such sight I never saw in my life. Iongue (?) can't express the wonder that I saw. We landed 8 miles below the suck (?) in Hamilton County. About 10 o'clock the Pickaway (?) passed us, which made our women stare.
On 14 landed 6 miles above Long Island. About 12 o'clock we landed in Alabama, Jackson County. We also lay in the same county that same night.
On 16 landed at Gunters Landing, Hamilton County.
On 17 landed a few miles below Paint Rock.
On 18 started and then rose a storm and we landed in the mouth of Flint River. At 10 landed at Whitesburg. Lay all night in the mouth of Indian Creek at the town of Trianen (?) in Madison County.
Started and 19 landed in the mouth of Limestone River and lay there almost all day on the account of the wind. The same night lay at Decatur.
Started on 20 and against (?) the 3 o'clock in the evening we was safe through the shoals. Soon passed the Florence brig (?) which made us stare very much for the Tilagaff (?) passed along come (?) of it landed at Tuscumbia in Franklin county.
Started on the 21 landed at the State Ferry then started and 22 landed at Hamburg. Lay there all night.
23 started passed Srevanes (?) at 10 o'clock landed at Whites Bluff in Harding County, Tennessee.
24 lay at the same place.
On 25 landed one mile below Whites Bluff.
On 26 started and stopped at Clifton and spent some money and drunk some rum and started and landed in Perryville in Decatur County.
On the 27 lay all the next day on 28 lay at the same place.
On 29 started and run all day and half and night and tied up to a tree because we could not get at the land.
Next morning started on the 30th landed Marshall County, Ky. Landed that night in Paducah lay there all the next day 31.
32 I got on the steamer Ohio Tilagaft and was 3 miles and lost weels (Wheelis). I hired a skift to carry me back to Paducah and I found him on 33.
I got on the Sligo on 34.
And on 35 landed at St. Louis. Lay there all night then got on Maney Stevens 36.
On 37 landed at Kokek. (Keokuk, Iowa)
38-39 I hired a team and moved (to) the Yellow Banks 40-41.
On 6 day of April I landed at Kokerk (Keokuk, Iowa) found my family there from which I had been lost for 5 days.
On 7 day moved to the Yellow Banks.
Lay there 9 days while Johien Weles (Josiah Wheelis) went to Davis County for help for our money was out.
On the 16 night then 3 wagons and money plenty to carry us to Davis County (Iowa)
17 we started about 12 o'clock we reached the Des Moines at the town of St. Francisville. The wind and snow blew so that we thought that we should all freeze. We suffered very much. Stopped at a house and there we suffered much. In crossing the river the snow and wind compelled us to stop before night.
On the 18 we started and suffered very much.
On the 19 night we fared near well.
20 night we fared near well.
On the 21 landed at Thomas Edwards.
22 landed on Soap Creek. (Davis Co, IA)
I was 54 days before I ended my journey.

Kind Regards,
 
 
Chris Adams

August 2010