Lewis Tackett - Pioneer

In 1780 we was granted 468 acres on the Kenaw River.  The next year Father got another 300 acres as a bonus fer his service in the War fer Independence.  After that Father didn’t talk about much else, other than movin’ to the new land.

Not many women, includin’ my mother, wanted to live in the wilderness far away from family and friends, where life was hard and dangerous.  But my father pleaded with her and promised her that we would be with other families where we would be safe.  Mother had to admit that where we lived now was called wilderness when we first moved to it and it turned out good fer us.

Father pouted and complained until Mother saw she couldn’t win and finally had a change of heart.  She told us kids first, before she talked to Father.

When Kiz and Betsy heard we might move west agin they had a fearsome fit.  Cries of anguish filled the air fer days.

“We’ll lose all our friends!”

“If we don’t die of boredom, we’ll be raped and killed by savages!”

I have to admit that I began to have second thoughts about it myself.  Bein’ tortured and killed by savages wasn’t high on my list, either.  But I had to be strong ‘cause of my little sisters and brothers.  They was confused by all this and looked to me to tell them how they should react. 

Mother finally had enough of the uproar and sat us down fer a talk. 

As I remember her words:

“I’m not sure I can explain all this to you since I don’t understand it all myself.  But I’ll try.

“Yer father wants us to have the best life that he can provide fer us and he feels that our future is in the new lands.  He worked hard on our tobacco farm in  Shenandoah and couldn’t make anything of it.  We moved to this valley to try another way.  You children may not realize it, but we’re livin’ better now because Father makes better money huntin’ and trappin’ than he did growin’ tobacco.  Movin’ further west is jist another step in the way he wants to go.

“The mystery to me is what drives men to do things that expose them and their families to so much danger.  Whatever it is, yer father has lots of it.  It’s in his blood and he can’t fight it.

“Father’s mission in life is to love us, take care of us as best he can, and provide the things that make us comfortable and happy.  Our mission is to love him and support him as best we can in whatever he does.

“I’ve tried everything I know to change his mind, but to no avail.  He’s determined.  And his determination gives me strength.  We will move.  We’ll get used to our new home, and we’ll pray to God every day to protect us.

“Yer father’s strength of body and will was what attracted me to him in the first place.  Let’s jist pray that he’s strong enough to get us through this.”