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that night for the first time. The diarist wrote, ?We pitched our tents at dark which were seven in number and the forest was adorned with our lights.?
Adeline Russ was 13 years old when she made this trip with her family. In 1838 she married Dr. Mead of Gainesville. Her daughter, Lois A. Mead became the wife of Henry Weston_ in 1858, thus making Adeline Russ the grandmother of the Westons at Logtown.
It would be hard for younger people today, who travel everywhere speedily and in great comfort, to even imagine a trip through virgin forest, over paths rather than roads, in winter weather with teams that made only a few miles in a whole day. While they carried some feed for their teams and food for themselves with them they had to trade for, buy or work for the supplies they needed along the way.
On Sunday April 21 they started at 8 am and traveled three to five miles when Bill Poitevent?s horse ran away and broke his cart to pieces. It had to be repaired before they could start again. Another cart broke down, too and they made only a few miles that day.
These people had a succession of days when they travelled anywhere from 14 to as high as 25 miles in one day. As there were no bridges back then they crossed many streams on ferries. They travelled over bad roads and through swamps, in cold, and often, freezing weather. The diarist wrote on Feb. 25, ?Travelled 25 miles and camped about dark near Mr. Smoot?s mill where we had grinding done. The next morning was cold and rainy.? People along the way were most hospitable, Miss Russ writing, ?Sunday the 29th was a cold, windy, rainy day. About 10 o'clock it began to sleet and we were invited to Mr. Ware?s home and were kindly treated.? They passed through Columbia, S.C., the capitol of that state. For several days it was wet, cold and rainy and the people in the caravan suffered from cold and exposure. A few days later they crossed the Savannah River into Georgia. It is recorded in the diary that they had bad roads and crossed a number of rivers on ferries as they trudged on Westward.
On March 7, the diarist wrote, ?Aunty Sally became ill and the others went on while Bill Poitevent and family stayed behind %vith her.? On March 10 she wrote, ?A cold, rainy windy morning we travelled the worst road that ever was travelled and camped in a log cabin five miles from Macon, Ga.? The group visited relatives
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at Colodensville, Ga. for three days. Due to extremely bad weather they camped in a large Baptist church on the night of the 16th. The weather continued bad. They continued to ferry across rivers as they went through Georgia. After several days they camped within sight of Montgomery, Ala., setting up their camp two miles out.
They seem to have had better weather on across Alabama. The diarist wrote, ?We spent the 29th and 30th at Uncle Wingate?s.? According to this. Judge Wingate, who for a long time had a sawmill at Logtown, must have been closely related to the travellers. Again, they had pleasant weather as they crossed into Mississippi. The diarist wrote on April 5th, ?Passed through a barren level country, paid $1 to cross the ferry at Leakesville in Green County, the poorest village I ever saw or ever heard of. We could get no provisions of any kind neither for love nor money, for the people or the stock.?
On April 6 the caravan came to a Mr. Dantzler?s mill and had some grinding done. They travelled the next day, as Miss Russ wrote, ?Through the most desolate country I ever saw, crossed Black Creek at Perkins ferry for 51.50 and camped on the creek in Perry County, Miss." They travelled the next day through great pine forests, a good part of the time without any sign of a road, the diarist writing, ?Provisions were scarce and hard to get. We caught gophers and made that day 27 miles through the gopher nation.?
On Sunday morning of April 10 they came in sight of Pearl River. They travelled a hilly road southward, ?arriving at Brother Asa?s about sunset and spent the next two days with him.? From what follows Asa Russ must have lived at that time somewhere in the neighborhood of what we now know as Cross Road in this county, for the diarist stated that they left the home of Asa Russ travelling southward. She wrote, "All started on a crooked road, crossed the Hobolochitto, paid $2.25 bridge toll and spent the night nearby.? They apparently paid the toll to Moses Cook as he at that time owned a toll bridge over the Hobolochitto where R. H. Crosby now lives. On the morning of the 14th they got an early start and travelled 25 miles, "arriving at Brother Samuel?s near Pearlington.?
This story tells in an impressive way how people lived and travelled 134 years ago. Unless we know how people lived back then, how can we appreciate the many conveniences, and the better ways of living that we enjoy today? An old lady, now 89 years
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