Hannah Boone

Hannah Boone was the youngest child born to Squire Boone and Sarah Morgan Boone. The Boones were members of the Friends Society (Quakers) and Squire served as first a trustee and then an overseer of the Oley Meeting. The Boones moved to the Yadkin River area of North Carolina in 1750. There is no evidence of them belonging to any Quaker Meeting in North Carolina and many of their children later became Baptists. In 1759 there were severe Indian outbreaks among the settlements of North Carolina. During one such fight, Hannah was scalped by Indians. Hannah survived the traumatic experience and bore the scar the remainder of her life., Hannah married John Stewart (Stuart) in 1765. They had four daughters - Sarah, Mary, Rachel and Elizabeth. John was a frontiersman much like his now famous brother-in-law, Daniel Boone. It was during one of their expeditions into Kentucky that John failed to return to camp. He was eventually presumed drowned. Five years later, while clearing the Wilderness Road, workers found human remains in a large hollow sycamore tree. The shot pouch and powder horn found lying nearby bore the initials "JS” and thus identified the remains as John Stewart., Hannah married Richard Pennington in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1777. The marriage ceremony was performed by Jonathan Mulkey. Richard served in the Revolutionary War in Montgomery County, Virginia, where their children Joshua, Daniel, John Stewart, and Abigail Pennington were born. Richard Pennington, as well as Daniel Boone, Squire Boone Jr., and other Boone family members have been proven as "Patriots” by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Many of Hannah's descendants have served in the Civil War and other military conflicts., After the war Richard, a farmer by trade, applied for and received land for himself and his son Daniel, in what would become Monroe County. Hannah was almost 50 years old when she made the journey to Kentucky. Two of her daughters by John Stewart, Mary Osborne and Elizabeth Lewis, both married with families made the journey to Kentucky as well. Hannah was a genuine pioneer woman and as early as 1798 she opened her home to other newcomers to Kentucky. Elizabeth and Ruth Mulkey and their children lived with the Penningtons for a while. They were waiting for John and Philip to complete the sale of their families' assets and return from North Carolina. , Hannah joined the church here in 1799. The following excerpt from the Book of Records details the service., The phrase "joined by letter” means Hannah had a written statement from her church in North Carolina, Dutchman's Creek, stating she had been baptized and was in good standing when she departed. There is no entry detailing when Richard joined the church but he is clearly listed on the list of members. He is also listed as giving money for the support of the association and as assisting the church "in the matter of Samuel Huff". , Hannah and Richard moved with their son, Joshua, and his wife, Polly Gist, to White County Tennessee around 1811. (As of 2012, the log cabin they owned there is still standing and encased in a large over-built barn). Richard died two years later and was buried there. Hannah returned to Monroe County living with her son Daniel until her death on April 9, 1828. She was buried in the Mill Creek Cemetery. 103 years later, the Tompkinsville News reported that Hannah's remains "were moved to Old Mulkey". Some locals refuted the claim stating the entire grave had not been disinterred. Whether the process was solely symbolic in nature or completed according to the laws of that time can not be confirmed. However, since that time, Old Mulkey has been recognized as the burial site of Hannah Boone. The nearby marker for Squire Boone, Hannah's brother, is a memorial. , In 2003 a memorial marker honoring Hannah and Richard was placed at the entrance of the park by their descendants and the Boone Society, Inc. Soil from the descendant's home states, seven in all, were spread at the memorial marker. Hannah's descendants maintain a working relationship with this park and provide the flowers for her tombstone annually.