Book Description

The Adventures of Daniel Boone: The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke is an account of the newly-claimed and settled state of Kentucky in the late 1700s. Written in 1784, the work was immensely popular and translated into French and German many times, mainly because of the exciting Daniel Boone tales. The author, John Filson, was a Kentucky settler himself and promoted the exciting and attractive aspects of Kentucky in an effort to gather even more settlers and surveyors to the territory. The work includes a hand-drawn map of Kentucky and an appendix relating the exciting life of Daniel Boone. An essential reference for settlers (and dreamers) in the 16th century, this book is a valuable guide for any student of American history. JOHN FILSON (C. 1753-1788) was an American author and historian whose work mostly revolved around the settlement of Kentucky. Filson was born and raised in Pennsylvania, attended West Nottingham Academy in Maryland, and taught school in Kentucky. He interviewed settlers and pioneers across the state while he himself surveyed and settled land, compiling his findings into several different memoirs and accounts. Years later, after multiple lawsuits and financial troubles, Filson purchased the land that would later become Cincinnati, Ohio. He is believed to have died during a Shawnee Indian attack in 1788, though his body was never recovered.