Rebecca Boone facts for kids

Rebecca Ann Bryan Boone (born January 9, 1739 – died March 18, 1813) was an American pioneer woman. She was the wife of the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone. People who knew Rebecca said she was very attractive. She was almost as tall as Daniel and had black hair and dark eyes. No pictures of her from her lifetime exist today.

Rebecca's Early Life

Rebecca was born near Winchester, Virginia. Her father was Joseph Bryan, Sr. It is not completely clear who her birth mother was. Some people believe her mother, Hester Hampton, died when Rebecca was born. They say that Alice (or Aylee) Linville, her father's second wife, raised Rebecca.

Life in North Carolina

When Rebecca was ten years old, she moved with her grandparents to the Yadkin River valley. This area was in the backwoods of North Carolina. Around the same time, Daniel Boone's family also settled near the Bryans. Rebecca and Daniel started spending time together in 1753. They got married three years later.

Rebecca married Daniel Boone on August 14, 1756. She was 17 years old. Their wedding was a triple wedding, meaning three couples got married at the same time. This happened in Yadkin River, North Carolina. After marrying, Rebecca took in Daniel's two young orphan nephews, Jesse and Jonathan. They lived with Rebecca and Daniel in North Carolina until the family moved to Kentucky in 1773.

Rebecca had many children, just like her mother and mother-in-law. She gave birth to six sons and four daughters over 25 years. Here are their names and birth years:

• James (born 1757)
• Israel (born 1759)
• Susannah (born 1760)
• Jemima (born 1762)
• Levina (born 1766)
• Rebecca (born 1768)
• Daniel Morgan (born 1769)
• Jesse Bryan (born 1773)
• William Bryan (born 1775)
• Nathaniel or Nathan (born 1781)

Because her children married young and also had many kids, Rebecca often took care of her grandchildren. She also adopted the six children of her widowed brother when she was in her early forties. At that time, being in your forties was considered old. Rebecca did not have a formal education. However, she was known as a skilled community midwife, which means she helped deliver babies. She was also the family doctor, a leather tanner, a sharpshooter, and a linen-maker. She was very resourceful and independent, which was important for families living in isolated frontier areas.

This painting shows Daniel Boone leading settlers. Rebecca Boone is also shown in the painting.

Rebecca's life as a frontierwoman was very challenging. She moved many times during her life. Before her first child was born, the Boones moved to a small farm. They built a one-story log house near a stream called Sugartree. This was close to the large Bryan family, near what is now Farmington, North Carolina. They lived in this home for almost ten years. This was the longest they ever stayed in one place. Rebecca created homes in North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and finally Missouri. She spent the last fourteen years of her life in Missouri.

This 1907 photo shows a Kentucky cabin. It is similar to the type of home Rebecca might have lived in with her children.

Rebecca often managed her household by herself. Her husband, Daniel, would go on long hunting trips and surveying journeys.

Moving to Kentucky

In 1775, Daniel Boone brought his family to the Kentucky River. There, he helped set up Fort Boonesborough for a company called the Transylvania Company. In May 1778, Rebecca left Kentucky. There were rumors that her husband, Daniel, who was captured by the Shawnee, had sided with the British. She returned to her parents' home in North Carolina with five of her children. Her daughter Jemima stayed behind because she was already married.

Daniel Boone eventually returned to his family in North Carolina. He convinced Rebecca to move to Kentucky again. This time, nearly 100 of their relatives joined them. The family of Abraham Lincoln (the grandfather of President Abraham Lincoln) also joined them. In September 1779, this group was the largest to travel through the Cumberland Gap at that time. By late October 1779, they reached Fort Boonesborough. But conditions were so bad that they left on Christmas Day. This period was known as the "Hard Winter" in Kentucky. They went to start a new settlement called Boone's Station. It was about six miles northwest of Fort Boonesborough, near what is now Athens, Kentucky. About 15-20 families joined them. By spring, Rebecca and Daniel moved to a cabin several miles southwest. In the summer of 1780, at 40 years old, Rebecca became pregnant with her tenth child, Nathan. He was born the following March. She lived in a large cabin with five of her children still at home. Her widowed uncle James Bryan's six children also lived there. Her daughter Susy, her husband Will Hays, and their 2-3 children also lived with them. This meant about 19-20 people lived in their household.

In 1783, Rebecca and her family moved again. For the next few years, she helped Daniel create a landing site. This site was at the mouth of Limestone Creek. It was for flatboats coming down the Ohio River from Fort Pitt. Daniel started building a road to Lexington in early 1783. This road later became known as the Maysville Road. Rebecca and Daniel lived in a cabin made from an old boat. This was on what is now Front Street in Maysville, Kentucky. Rebecca, who was 46 years old, ran the tavern kitchen. She also managed the seven enslaved people they owned. By 1786, the town became officially known as Maysville.

Life in Virginia

In 1787, Daniel was chosen to be a representative for Bourbon County in the legislature. He moved to Richmond, Virginia with Rebecca and their son Nathan. They left their tavern in Maysville to be run by their daughter Rebecca and her husband Philip Goe.

Daniel tried to make money by buying and selling land, and by exporting ginseng (a plant). When these plans did not work out, they moved in 1788 to Charleston. This area is now in West Virginia, in the Kanawha Valley. They settled in a log house similar to ones Daniel had built in Kentucky. It had two rooms with a "dogtrot" passage between them and a long porch in front.

Moving to Missouri

In 1799, Daniel and Rebecca followed their son Nathan to Spain's Alta Luisiana. This area is now Missouri, about 45 miles west of St. Louis. They settled in the Femme Osage valley. Daniel received 850 acres of land. The Spanish government also appointed him as a district judge. In 1803, the United States bought this land in the Louisiana Purchase. Because of this, Daniel and Rebecca lost the rights to their land. However, in 1814, the U.S. Congress helped them get some parts of their land back.

Rebecca's Death

Rebecca Boone passed away on March 18, 1813, after a short illness. She was 74 years old. She died at her daughter Jemima Boone Callaway's home. This home was near the village of Charette, close to present-day Marthasville, Missouri. Rebecca was first buried at the Old Bryan Farm Cemetery nearby. This cemetery overlooked the Missouri River. In 1845, her remains and Daniel's remains were moved. They were reburied together in Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Honors for Rebecca Boone

In 1862, a monument was placed over the graves of Rebecca and Daniel in Frankfort.

During World War II, a Liberty ship was named the SS Rebecca Boone in her honor.