Monroe County, Kentucky To Dallas, TX
It was during the early fall of 1854 when a small group of Kentucky settlers prepared for their overland journey to the Texas frontier. The caravan of eleven covered wagons left Monroe County, Kentucky and traveled first to Memphis where they crossed the mighty Mississippi River and then on to Little Rock and finally over to the Northeastern section of Dallas County.
The entire trip lasted forty five days, with all eleven wagons arriving on November 1, 1854. It was later reported that, “All arrived safely and without hostile encounters.” A large section of northeastern Dallas County would later become extensively populated by members, or their descendants, of this wagon train. Samuel Compton, Benjamin C. Kirby, John R. Kirby, William Kirby, Jessee Nelson and their family members occupied the majority of these wagons.
Nancy Barland Nelson, born October 21, 1796 was probably one of the oldest travelers in the group. The Nelson wagons were occupied by Jessee Nelson along with his wife, Nancy, and their two children, William B. and Anna Jane Nelson. Anna Jane Nelson had married John R. Kirby while in Monroe County and William B. Nelson married Daranah F. Armstrong about four years after arriving in Dallas County. They had fifteen children total.
Descendants of these early pioneer wagon train members totaled several hundred by the late 1890’s and would now (2005) be easily over a thousand.
Partial list of wagon train members:
- Andrew Barland Kirby
- Anna Jane Nelson
- Benjamin Coy Kirby
- Bishop Compton
- Columbus Kirby
- James W. Kirby
- Jessee Nelson
- Jessee Kirby
- John R. Kirby
- Julia C. Kirby
- Keziah Kibby Kirby Compton
- Lucinda Fitzgerald Kirby
- Lucy Ellen Compton
- Mary J. Kirby
- Mary G. Compton
- Nancy A. Kirby
- Nancy Barland Nelson
- Riley Compton
- Samuel Compton
- Sarah Jane Compton
- Sarah Trigg Kirby
- Smith Bennett Compton
- William Robinson Compton
- William B. Nelson
- William Kirby
Other area pioneers were almost certainly members of this early wagon train. Some names have even been lost through the ages of time and we will probably never know the name of every single person that came to this area as a member of the 1854 Wagon Train from Monroe County, Kentucky.
(Author unknown)
This story is quoted or paraphrased numerous times in online genealogy applications, but at this point, the author remains unidentified.
