''The Discovery, Settlement and present State of Kentucke and an Essay towards the Topography, and Natural History of that important Country'' is a 1784 book by

John Filson John Filson (c. 1747 – October 1788) was an American author, historian of Kentucky, pioneer, surveying, surveyor and one of the founders of Cincinnati, Ohio. Early life John Filson was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, around 1747. He was ...

. It describes the discovery, purchase and settlement of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Inaccuracies in the text have influenced public perception of the discovery of Kentucky. An appendix at the end is much longer than the main work. The first article of the appendix, titled, "The adventures of Colonel Daniel Boon, formerly a hunter, containing a narrative of the wars of Kentucke", provides a collection of stories, presented as an "out of his own mouth" publication of

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

. The second article included in the appendix is a short description of the council held by Thomas J. Dalton with the

Piankashaw The Piankeshaw, Piankashaw or Pianguichia were members of the Miami tribe who lived apart from the rest of the Miami nation, therefore they were known as Peeyankihšiaki ("splitting off" from the others, Sing.: ''Peeyankihšia'' - "Piankeshaw Pers ...

Indians, followed by a description of the different tribes in close proximity of Kentucky.

Author and contributors

Author, historian, founder and surveyor

worked as a schoolteacher in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

and wrote ''The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke'' in 1784. The book is regarded as the first written history of

and features the first known map of the territory, dedicated to the

Congress of the United States The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

and

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. Filson's appendix includes an account of the life and adventures of frontiersman

, helping make him famous during his lifetime. Boone founded

Boonesborough, Kentucky Boonesborough is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by famed frontiersman Daniel Boone in 1778 as one of the first English-speaking settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains, Boonesborough lies in ...

, was a militia officer during the Revolutionary War, and worked as a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and surveyor.

Summary

According to Filson, Kentucky was first discovered by James M. Bride and others during 1754. They marked their territory on a single tree located in the mouth of the

Kentucky River The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 13, 2011 in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Kentuc ...

. Daniel Boone and John Finley decided in 1769 to return to Kentucky to explore. Boone was the only person to survive the attacks of local Indian tribes, and remained in the wilderness of Kentucky until 1771. Filson mentions that the land on the north side of the Kentucky River was purchased from the Five Nations, and the land on the south side during a treaty with

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

Indians at Wataga in 1775. Filson briefly explains here the three ways in which rights to Kentucky land was obtained. The first dealt with those in the military, granting them land "as a reward for services done in one of the two last wars." The second, granted those who maintained an occupation in the area for more than a year, or who raised a crop of corn was granted four hundred acres. The third granted land to those who had built a cabin or made improvements in the area.

Appendix

Filson gives factual accounts of Daniel Boone's adventures and exploration of Kentucky during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. Boone first wandered the lands of Kentucky in 1769, in the company of John Finley, John Steward, Joseph Holden, James Monay, and William Cool. The Natives in this area caused Boone and his men many complications by continuously attacking during their travels. Amidst the battles, Filson describes Boone as a positive man throughout his entire visit. Boone believed that his narrative would inform others of how remarkable Kentucky was. He claimed that Kentucky was "one of the most opulent and powerful states on the continent of North-America; which with the love and gratitude of my country-men, I esteem a sufficient reward for all my toil and danger." Filson explains here the difference between American religion and religion of the

Native people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. Native Americans at this time seemed to be aware of a higher power, but did not fully worship that.

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

was introduced to Natives near

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. The Natives on the other hand, were not concerned with religion. Rather than worshiping a God, they had festivals in rejoice of good fortune. Filson describes their worship process, adultery amongst some, marriage traditions, gender roles and their treatment of captives. Filson ends the appendix with "a few observations upon the happy circumstances, that the inhabitants of Kentucke will probably enjoy, from the possession of a country so extensive and fertile." He states the importance of four natural qualities he believes substantial for the success of a country: good soil, air, water, and trade."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke, The 1784 non-fiction books 18th-century history books American history books Books about Appalachia Books about Kentucky History books about the United States History of Kentucky