Is everyone related to Daniel Boone? A common claim I have heard over the years, among those who know their family's history, is that they are related to Daniel Boone. In my early days of genealogy, it came to a point where I was a bit envious of those who could trace their roots back to colonial times and an American icon as famous as Daniel Boone - a symbol of the pioneering American spirit.
After nearly two decades of researching the many branches of my family tree, I finally discovered my own connection to Daniel Boone! His father, Squire Boone, Sr., was my 8th great-grandfather, which would make Daniel Boone my 8th great-uncle. Squire was a Quaker and was skilled as a blacksmith and a weaver. My father descends from Squire's son, Jonathan Boone.
The most amazing thing about this discovery was finding out that the Boone Homestead in Birdsboro, Exeter Township, Pennsylvania, is preserved as a national landmark to this day and is open to the public for touring. On this site, Squire Boone built a one and a half story log cabin in 1730 and planted the seeds of thousands of descendants firmly rooted in America.
Illustration from The Pennsylvania-German Society Vol 5 p90.
I plan to visit the Boone Homestead in the Spring (2020). For a genealogy addict like me, there is almost nothing better than visiting your 8th great-grandparents' homestead and finding it relatively unchanged after 290 years. Stay tuned for a blog about my visit! UPDATE: See the video from my visit here!