Nathan Boone

     Nathan Boone was born on 2 March 1781 at Boone's Station, Fayette County, Virginia Colony, USA. He was the son of Daniel Boone and Rebecca Ann Bryan. Nathan Boone married, at age 18, Olive VanBibber, age 16, daughter of Peter VanBibber and Marguery Bounds, on Thursday, 26 September 1799 at Little Sandy, Mason County, Kentucky. Nathan Boone died on 16 October 1856 at Ash Grove, Greene County, Missouri, at age 75 years, 7 months and 14 days. He was buried in the Boone Family Cemetery, located in Ash Grove, Greene County, Missouri.
     He From Gary R. Hawpe, ed. and comp., 'Sights Board Marks Nathan Boone Home,' Van Bibber Pioneers E-Newsletter, Vol. 4 No. 10 (August 2001), pp. 16 - 17.

SIGHTS BOARD MARKS NATHAN BOONE HOME

Greene County recognizes history built within walls

ASH GROVE -- It's already recognized on the state and national registers of historical places, but Thursday the Nathan Boone home near Ash Grove received an honor a little bit closer to home.

The home built in 1837 by the youngest son of pioneer Daniel Boone, was the recipient of a historical marker given by the Greene County Historical Sites Board.

'There's a lot of meaty history here,' said Kitty Lipscomb, sites board chairwomen. 'We consider it one of the major ones in the county and one of the most important ones.'

The log cabin, about two miles north of Ash Grove, is now owned by the Gayer Dixon family of Ash Grove. It served as home for the Nathan Boone family until his death in 1856. The Dixon family maintains the home while financing is sought to preserve and restore it.

'However, Lipscomb said, much of the history behind the home involves the man and his activities before he settled in Greene County.

'It's not only the age of the site but the fact that Nathan Boone was important in the early development of not only Greene County but of southeast Missouri,' Lipscomb said. 'He actually made a lot of contributions to the development of the entire West.'

Boone was born in Kentucky in 1781. When he was 18, he married a girl from what is not St. Charles.

Although generally overshadowed by his famous father, Daniel, in the storybooks, Nathan was also a genuine hero and pioneer, Lipscomb said.

Along with a brother, he established the Boone's Lick salt works in central Missouri, which is now a state park. He was one of the original surveyors of Iowa, and one Iowa town is names for him.

Boone was also a member of the military, Lipscomb said. He retired as a U.S. lieutenant colonel after leading the U.S. mounted rangers in the Blackhawk War, assisting in the capture of Santa Fe, and serving as the military governor of New Mexico and Texas.

Boone also was an explorer. He helped determine the boundary between the Creek and Cherokee Indian nations. In 1808, he guided William Clark to what is now Independence, where the two helped establish Fort Osage. The fort, now restored, was a frontier outpost, of great importance.

Boone apparently selected the Ozarks as his final home because he was struck by its beauty.

The 149 year-old home is now open only once a year, during the fall Nathan Boone Rendezvous. At the festival, begun only last year, relatives of Boone from across the country gathered in Ash Grove for three days of historical celebrations.

This year's festival is scheduled for Sept. 20-22.

By Patricia Fennewald
The Daily News. Nathan Boone was known as Captain professionally. He HUNTING TRIP OF NATHAN BOONE AND MATTHIASVANBIBBER - 1804
By Anna L. Lutz (alutz@juno.com)

In the fall of 1804 Col. Nathan Boone and Matthias VanBibber started on a hunting trip aiming to go to Kansas. They proceeded up the Grand River to its source where they were trapping beaver and otters. A large party of Osage Indians came to their camp. The Indians took their three horses and what furs they had and told Boone and VanBibber that another hunting party of Indians were looking for them. While Boone and VanBibber were trying to convince the Indians the furs belonged to a fur trader named Choteau the other Indians came yelling towards their camp. Boone and VanBibber ran and hid themselves in the brush. Being unable to locate them the Indians ran off.

Boone and VanBibber left and camped eight or ten miles away. The next morning four Indians came upon them. The Indians said that they were Sauks and they were allowed to camp and eat with Boone and VanBibber.

These Indians had four traps that Boone and VanBibber had left behind in their old camp. The Indians tried to seize Boone and VanBibber but they were unsuccessful in the attempt. They made a pact and came together again finally starting off together. Upon reaching the prairie they asked Boone and VanBibber to go in front of them. Fearing treachery they refused and walked side by side watching the Indians. Two more Indians joined them. One struck Boone with a ramrod both whites and Indians cocked their guns and faced one another. The Indians commanded them to 'go.' Boone and VanBibber told them to go first but neither would obey.

The Indians finding they could not kill them without killing their own men asked if they would give them powder, balls, and flint and they would go. But Boone and Van Bibber knew before the arrival of the other two Indians that if they remained within reach of the Indians that night they would attempt to kill them. They planned their own defense if attacked.

When the other two Indians proved to be Osage Indians the others no longer pretended to be Sauks but spoke Osage. Boone and VanBibber agreed to provide the Indians if they would lay down their guns and come up one at a time to receive his portion. This done the Indians finally moved off. Boone and VanBibber watched till they disappeared over a ridge and they ran off and kept on till dark.

That night they slept in a rock cave having very little ammunition left. They had lost their blanket coats which were on the horses. The next day snow began to fall. They traveled two days in their shirt sleeves and struck the Missouri River crossing it on the ice. It snowed two or three days becoming knee deep. Their guns frosty from the extremely cold weather would not shoot true missed the game. Their bullets were gone now but they could make a fire. They kept on and were seventeen days without meat eating only grapes and haws which could be found. They had cut up their gun wiping sticks and fired pieces at game without success. Finally they came to an old Indian camp and found a tree the Indians had marked and shot at. They cut out enough lead to make four bullets over the fire.

They went on another two or three miles and found unoccupied Indian cabins (below where Rockport now stands). They stayed the night here. Some twenty or thirty miles before reaching the Indian camp they had come upon what is now Boone's Lick discovering it to be salt water. Several springs and a spring branch runs a mile and sinks into the soil of the Missouri Bottom. Some Indian hunters had seen it and Capt. James Mackey laid claim to it. He did not get it confirmed through failure to make the required improvements. James Morrison laid pre-emptive rights to it including the springs and bought the tract from the Government.

A black panther was lying in the first Indian cabin and Boone shot it. They ate the meat and used the skin for vests. They left the next morning going over three or four miles finding tracts of humans. Following them a mile and a half. they came to a camp of white hunters one of whom was James Galloway Boone's nephew all were friends and acquaintances. Having obtained clothing, blankets, and ammunition, Boone and Van Bibber after a week resumed their hundred mile trip home. They arrived at Boone's home on December 24 spending Christmas with his family and parents. His wife Olive said it was the first time in years that Nathan has been at home at Christmas time. Boone said she has the Indians to thank for it. Col. Nathan Boone never fully recovered from the effects of these exposures.

Neither did Matthias VanBibber he died several years later on the Gauley River in Western Virginia, now West Virginia. He lived till March 9, 1829 and is buried on his old farm in Nicholas County, West Virginia.

In 1805, Col. Boone went to the Osage Camp to see if he could recover the goods stolen from him and VanBibber. He went first to Big Osage Town on Pomme de Terra Creek about six miles from the Osage River. He found a trader and ascertained that it was the Osage who had robbed him. He then went to the Little Osage Town located on a fork of the Pomme de Terra Creek six miles from Big Osage but Boone could not recognize the robbers owing to their various painted countenances and changes of dress.

Col. Nathan Boone died at his home October 16, 1856, in Ash Grove, Greene County, Missouri. He was buried on his homestead. He was the youngest son of Daniel and Rebecca (Bryan) Boone.

Source: Lyman C. Draper Manuscript, Wisconsin historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin, obtained by Mrs. N. W. Hankemeyer of New York.