A WAY BILL FROM SAMPSON CO., NORTH CAROLINA TO GIBSON CO., TN
submitted by Marilyn Wilson Stroh

For me, the fascination with genealogy is, not putting lists of names on a computer, but rather absorbing the flavor of the times, and understanding of the history of our country from the personal stories of our relatives.

So when I came across this copy of the early 1800's version of a AAA ‘trip-tick’, I did a back flip. It was used by my children’s ancestor, James Wilson, to make the trek from Sampson Co to Gibson Co in 1839. I had wondered how they found their way unless they hired a guide, as was done on the much longer trips made by pioneers going out to Texas or California.

James Wilson brought his family, consisting of his wife Elizabeth Ward Wilson and children ranging in age from 13 - 1. ( Shadrack, Horace, Bryant Becton, Judith Ann, John James, Susan Jane and Delilah Catherine).

Along with them came other wagons including Kings, Wards, and Kornegays and probably others. It wasn’t unusual for wagon trains to number 50 wagons.

If you have relatives who made the trip from Sampson Co to one of the counties surrounding Gibson, get your Atlas out and follow their route.

A WAY BILL FROM NORTH CAROLINA TO GIBSON COUNTY TENNESSEE

Sampson county to Fayetteville

Thence to Lawrenceville

Thence to Sentersville

Thence to Concord

Thence to Bates Ford across Big Catawby River *

Thence to Morganton

Thence to Pleas Gardens

Thence to Swannanoa Gap across the Blue Ridge

Thence to Asheville

Thence to Warm Springs

Thence to the mouth of Chucky River

Thence to Newmarket

Thence to Knoxville

Thence to Kingston

Thence to Post Oak Spring

Thence to Crab Orchard

Thence to Spayta **

Thence to McMinnville

Thence to Shelbyville

Thence to Farmington

Thence to Loves Mills

Thence to Columbia

Thence to Mount Pleasant

Thence to Paryville on Tennessee River

Thence to Lexington

Thence to Independence

Thence to Trenton

Thence to Joseph Mainors, 15 miles from Trenton on the Troy Road

* Catawba River

**Sparta

The above is a copy of the Way Bill used by the Wards, Wilsons and other in migrating from North Carolina to West Tennessee in 1839
From "Colonists And Pioneers" by Charles Edmundson