Early Migrations & Cattle Drives along Green’s Path from Maryland & Virginia to the Neuse River near the 18th century Boyt/Boyette’s in North Carolina
by David Boyett & Wendy Elliott
Beginning about 1711, the Green Path, an old Native American trail, provided the route to move from southern Virginia to what is today’s Interstate I-95. This path passes adjacent Kenly, NC, the Boyet/Boyette plantation, and the old slave house, a historical monument.
While looking for 850 head of cattle in Edgecombe Co, David Boyett located references for an early migration path from Maryland and Virginia to the Neuse River settlements in North Carolina: Green’s Path.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/johnston/history/other/green.txt
Overland travelers may have connected to Green’s Path from Nansemond—perhaps, via the Roanoke River. https://www.ncpedia.org/greens-path
This large NC/VA map: Includes Green’s Path and parts of Nansemond Co VA:
From Nansemond, the Green Path is a suggested overland migration route to Goldsboro in old Dobbs Co & today’s Wayne Co NC situated on the Neuse River. The towns of Smithfield and Kenly in present-day Johnston Co are located on it. Cattle were raised and driven to market; tobacco was transported by water or by wagon.
The Boyette Plantation is in Kenly. https://pbase.com/daveb/178160
https://www.johnstonnc.com/heritage2/hccontent.cfm?PID=history
County’s official origin:
Johnston County was created in 1746 from Craven County; Johnston County originally contained most of what is today’s Wake, Wayne, Greene, and Lenoir counties as well as a part of present-day Wilson Co.
Routes of migration and trade
The first European and African residents came from coastal North Carolina and the Tidewater areas of Virginia and Maryland. Many travelled along Green’s Path, an old Indian trade route apparently named for Roger Green, an Anglican minister in Virginia who promoted migration to neighboring lands in North Carolina. These early settlers became primarily subsistence farmers who grew little more than that required to feed and clothe their families. Some made profits by raising large herds of swine and cattle which they drove to markets in Virginia. A few farmers grew tobacco which they hauled on wagons to Virginia or shipped it via the Neuse River to New Bern and from there to Norfolk.
Smithfield, Johnston County’s first town, developed at the site of Smith’s Ferry on the Neuse River. The courthouse was moved there in 1771, and the town was incorporated in 1777. In 1770 the colonial assembly had attempted to boost North Carolina’s tobacco trade by erecting a warehouse near Smith’s Ferry for receiving and storing tobacco to be shipped down the Neuse River to the sea. Nonetheless, another 125 years passed before it gained the attention of Johnston County’s commercial farmers.
About the Author
Someone wrote about Gibson Co TN and connecting. Please try again as I’m struggling to manage this site.
Wendy