[Daniel McIntyre]

I didn't mean that they didn't walk home. I just get a blank look from Historians on the workings of old riverboat/flatboats in Pittsburgh and how they might connect to Meriwether Lewis. The first thing for Historians is not to believe that they walked back all the way from New Orleans. Next thing not to believe is Meriwether Lewis had a family in Pittsburgh. That Meriwether Lewis lived alone in a small log cabin in Pittsburgh for 10 years before Thomas Jefferson decided to give him one of the most important jobs of the 1800's.

Now that log cabin story is not to be believed by me, along with the idea the names Sacajawea and John Baptiste were very common Native American names. I have a record that an actor Thomas Jefferson worked at the Richmond VA theater in the late 1700's. Another common name. Acting and being in charge are close cousins.

So the name is Judd?

Originally Posted by Bill Judd

Danial they did make that trip!! It is astonishing that you stated that " no one ever did this, they just say that they did. My Great-Great Grandfather, Joshua Armstrong Judd made 42 flatboat trips South in his lifetime. He was a resident of Moscow, Ohio and he ran the ferry service from Moscow, Oh to Ivor, Ky. He kept a sort of log or diary on some of those trips. His trips are discussed in Howes Historical Collections of Ohio.

He would build a rather large flatboat in partnership with two or three neighbors, fill it with produce over the summer and set off for New Orleans in late October, hoping for that usual fall rise to assist them.

After selling the produce and the flatboat he and his partners would set off for home. In his younger years,and not having much money they would walk home. After several trips he had accumulated some cash and he and his partners would buy horses and ride home.

In his older years and with the Steamboats now quite numerous he would pay passage on them for home.

His path homeward was the Natchez Trace to Nashville, then the south branch of the Wilderness Road to the Lexington area, it went on to Maysville, Ky. Your Pittsburgh person probably then went by Zanes Trace to meet the National Rd. to the Washington, Pa. area.

A funny thing happened to me on several of my working trips to New Orleans. After spending several days working in Nola and as I headed home I thought of the long drive ahead, then thinking of my Great-Great Grandfather I decided I had it pretty good and it seemed to shorten my drive.