the wagon was hard enough. Surely you know I want to go, but we must wait yet a while.” A hint of fear made her voice tremble as she thought about the days ahead.
William wrapped his strong arm around Rebecca’s shoulders, comforting her. “Of course you’re right. We’ll need time to prepare the children for the trip. There’s plenty of work to do before we go.”
The lively discussion went on late into the evening. Plans were made to leave early in 1791, so they would be in Kentucky in time to plant spring crops. The men finally went to bed, tired out after mulling over the many and varied tasks to be performed before time to leave.
The winter of 1790 passed swiftly. Baby Benjamin was born on November 15th. That morning gray clouds hid the sun making it dark and gloomy. Snow had commenced falling during the night. Silently the flakes were mounding up on tree limbs and fence rails.
From her post by a window Clarinda tried to see the distant mountains, but their peaks were shrouded in the white mist. The men had chosen this day to hunt deer, knowing it would be easy to track them in the new snow.
No sooner were they out of sight than Rebecca cried out in pain. Martha, having assisted women on numerous such occasions, was an expert at midwifery. Recognizing the first signs of labor, she immediately put Nancy, Sarah and Clarinda to work boiling water. She would need both hot and cold basins to dip the newborn in. Calmly Martha searched the cupboard for the herbs, oil and ointment she would need. While making Rebecca as comfortable as possible, she cleansed the birth canal with folds of sterile cotton. Sarah held her sister’s head in her lap, stroking her hair and telling her when to breathe and when to give a hard push.
Nancy and Clarinda helped, following Martha’s instructions. It was their first experience with the birth of a child and they were awed by the proceedings. Fortunately Benjamin was in a considerable hurry to make his appearance. The strong, healthy boy came out bawling lustily, flailing his small arms about.
Clarinda held the newborn so that Nancy could bathe and dress him. Tenderly she wrapped baby Ben in a warm blanket and handed him over to his mother. He was already sucking on his tiny fists.
Martha removed the afterbirth and carefully cleansed Rebecca with a hot tea made from dried amaranth flowers. She told the girls of the tea’s healing properties and how it controlled bleeding.
Martha passed on her considerable knowledge in this way, hoping her daughters would remember when the time came for them to use her teachings. She explained to them that many new mothers died from childbirth fever, because they were not cared for in this way.
Clarinda took notice of every detail and filed it away in her memory. She wanted to be just like her mother, able to comfort and aid under any circumstances. Martha’s quiet manner of teaching gave Clarinda confidence. She felt that this day’s lesson was a valuable one.
Clarinda and Davey spotted the successful hunters returning and rushed to greet them with the news of Ben’s arrival. William was pleased to learn he had a new son.
Two nice bucks were soon dressed and added to the store of meat. The venison was cut into long thin strips and hung to dry in the smokehouse along with several hams that had been placed there. Salt for curing was rubbed into the meat. Clarinda and Davey were trusted to keep the hickory logs burning. The smoke served to preserve the meat, as well as give it a rich, sweet flavor.
Clarinda took on the job of shepherding the children. She dearly loved playing teacher to Rebecca’s rowdy bunch. Davey was a mischievous boy, and kept her on her toes. He chafed at having to mind his young aunt. However, his siblings, six-yearold Mary and two-year-old Will were Clarinda’s willing slaves. She invented games to help them learn the letters of the alphabet and their numbers.
Using bits of white rock from the creek bed, they traced figures and letters onto the smooth flagstones of the fireplace. These marks washed off easily, making the hearth an excellent place to hold classes.
Seeing to baby Ben’s needs while the other women sewed kept Clarinda busy. She rocked him to sleep in the cane-bottomed rocking chair her Pa had made. Sometimes she carried Ben around on her back in a papoose cradle William had bartered for, by trading some bright-colored cloth to a friendly Cherokee squaw.
Christmas came and the Allingtons celebrated the day with friends and neighbors. Martha used the blue flowered dishes with the gold rims for the last time before packing them for the move west.
In January the men readied the wagons, loading tools and implements they would need. Plows for turning the soil were valued possessions and they stored them carefully. They tied hoes, rakes and shovels to the sides of the wagon beds. Saws and axes for felling trees were put inside the wagons, along with hammers and nails for the building of barns and homes.
Martha supervised the loading of the heavy blacksmith’s anvil her Jacob had prized. His skillful mastery of the smithy’s trade had paid for food and shelter more than once.
Although some things were sold or discarded, they were taking as much as the wagons could carry. Each had a special request. Nancy and Sarah insisted on a mirror, copper washbasin and linens. Jake packed his books. John, who loved to hunt was taking his two hounds, Boone and Tiger. Jonathan told Clarinda he would tie Old Beauty to the back of one wagon. They would have fresh milk on the trail. The new calf could run free alongside her.
Clarinda learned another use for the lye soap she helped her Ma make. Martha placed the bars of soap in with the household goods. The strong, potent smell of lye repelled mice and insects. They sealed dried fruit and nuts in covered jars. Beans, corn and peas, enough to plant new crops, were among their most precious cargo.
Popcorn was a family favorite. Clarinda begged William to take some, so she could plant it herself in Kentucky. William learned he could get popcorn seed from a plantation owner in the next county. He took Clarinda along to make the purchase. The old gentleman seemed happy to oblige the young girl when she told him why she wanted the seed. Leaning on his cane, he remarked that it seemed everyone in Virginia was going to hell or Kentucky.
It would be time to plant potatoes when they reached Morgan’s place, so Jonathan prepared several bags for that purpose. He planned to carry them in a safe niche underneath the wagon’s seat.
Many nights were spent gathered around the table going over maps. The captain at the fort passed along the latest frontier news when they bought last minute supplies. The time passed quickly, and soon they were ready for the trail. William favored following the same path Daniel Boone had blazed, known as the Warrior’s Path or the Wilderness Road. This narrow trail led over the Appalachians through the Cumberland Gap, to the mouth of the Scioto River, thus southwest into Kentucky.
On one last trip to the fort, David met a man named Peter Cutright. The Cutrights were filling their wagons with goods, preparing to traverse the Wilderness Road in early spring. The two men talked, discussing their plans. They soon decided it would be beneficial if they teamed up and traveled the distance together. There would be more manpower if they ran into swollen streams difficult to cross, or encountered downed trees that had fallen on the trail during the winter storms.
They felt too, that hostile Indians were not likely to attack a large caravan. Even if they ran into snow or other bad weather, David believed it was possible to cover the three hundred or so miles in thirty days or less.
CHAPTER II
Early February 1791—The Journey Begins
A
