American Pioneer Frontiersman. Born in Pennsylvania, the sixth of twelve children to Quaker parents, Sarah Jarman Morgan and Squire Boone, a weaver and blacksmith. As a boy, Boone received an elementary education. The Boone family left Pennsylvania around 1750 and eventually settled in North Carolina. In 1756 he married neighbor Rebecca Bryan; the couple would have ten children. In 1769, he set out with five others to explore the border region of Kentucky territory. They passed Cumberland Gap and on June 7, and set up camp at Station Camp Creek. They explored Kentucky as far west as the falls of the Ohio. In 1773, he returned home, sold his farm and set out with his family, two brothers, and five other families, to settle in Kentucky. They were intercepted by Shawnee in an attack that resulted in the death of Boone's oldest son, James, and the party was forced to retreat to the Clinch River. Two years later, Boone succeeded in founding Boonesborough, Kentucky near present day Lexington. During the American Revolution, Boonesborough became the site of several battles. It was besieged at least three times over a period of months. The Battle of Blue Licks on August 19, 1782, almost ten months after the surrender at Yorktown, was a decisive victory for a combined force of 1,000 British regulars and tribes from the Ohio nations. It also cost the life of Boone's second son, Israel. His story was included in a book, 'The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke,' published in 1784 by John Filson, a Kentucky land speculator, in an effort to lure settlers to Kentucky. The book of embellished tales was popular in both America and Europe, and made Boone internationally known. In 1792, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the 15th state. Litigation arose that questioned many settlers' title to their lands. Boone lost all his property due to lack of clear title. In 1795, he settled on the Femme Osage Creek, in St. Charles County, Missouri. He was appointed commander of the Femme Osage district, and received a large grant of land for his services, which he subsequently lost because he failed to make his title good. His claim to another tract of land was confirmed by Congress in 1812, in consideration of his services. The St. Louis Enquirer of October 14, 1820 ran an obituary notice that read: "DIED.- On the 26th ult. [Sep.] at Charette in the ninetieth year of his age, the celebrated Col. DANIEL BOONE, discoverer and first settler of the State of Kentucky." After his death, the legend which began with the 1784 book, continued to grow with the publication of such best-selling works as 'The Biographical Memoir of Daniel Boone, the First Settler of Kentucky,' released in 1833, a sensationalized account of Boone's life. In 1845, in a controversial move, the remains of Boone and his wife were relocated from Missouri to Kentucky. There is some controversy surrounding the final disposition of the Boones' remains. Some claim Daniel and Rebecca's remains are still in Missouri, and that the wrong bodies were removed and re-buried. Others have demanded the return of the bodies to Missouri. Seven counties, a national forest, and numerous towns and schools across the United States are named for him. In 1968, the US Post Office issued a six-cent stamp in the American Folklore Series depicting him. From 1964 to 1970, he was the highly fictionalized subject of a popular television series.

View original burial location: Original Burial Here.
View additional burial here: New Location.