You may have heard the children’s chant or song “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” In case you haven’t—or don’t remember it—here’s a five-minute version to trigger your memory. Pay attention to the weather and the scenery. It will help set the stage for what’s to come.
Lewis “Bear” Green
One of my ancestors on my mom’s side was Lewis Green, who settled on the Clinch River and is sometimes known as Lewis “Bear” Green due to a scary encounter. The story involves Daniel Boone, as noted by historian Dr. Lyman C. Draper. The problem, as with any story, is there are several versions, some even claiming the encounter did not happen to Lewis, but to his son Zachariah. It gets even more complicated because Lewis had other descendants named both Lewis and Zachariah, so if you’re not meticulous, you could easily get the generations mixed up. Don’t go looking to Find-A-Grave for answers; you’ll come away more confused.
Lewis is fresh on my mind because he was on one of the lists I recently posted of Virginians who fought in the French and Indian War. Here he is, age 30, five feet, ten inches tall, a carpenter who enlisted in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. At the time of his birth in 1724, though, that was Prince George County.
What I Am and Am Not Going to Do
I am not going to try to prove the ancestry of Lewis Green, but be aware that there was another Green family in this early time period known as the “Red Greens” because they all had red hair. They were the seven sons of a Robert Green, and they lived in Culpeper County. Some claim that Lewis J. Green was a son of Robert, but I believe that to be incorrect. Lewis is not included in most lists of the sons of Robert Green. Furthermore, Lewis Green was said to be very dark complected, perhaps even a Melungeon. THEREFORE, my focus here is on the facts of the bear story—not Lewis’s ancestry. I will, however, prove my descent from him in another post.
The story happens in the general area where Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee come together. The Clinch River is mentioned. This map, published by the State of Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, shows the Clinch and other river basins in Virginia. However, it should be noted that the Clinch River Basin also extends well into Tennessee.
The Story: Version 1
This description has been in my files for some time. You can see the original source mentioned.
The Story: Version 2 (basically the same)
Where Does Daniel Boone Come In?
Thanks to Julie McGrew Ayres, I have an excerpt from My Father, Daniel Boone, a compilation of interviews with Nathan Boone, son of Daniel. The book says:
However, the book goes on to suggest that this story was not about Lewis Green, but Zachariah, his son. I will just say it could not have been Zachariah because Zachariah was only 13 years old at the time. However, I will discuss this more in the next part.
The incident is also mentioned in another book about Daniel Boone:
My Green line must have come from the other line. The closest grandfather in age to your Lewis Green is my 5th great grandfather, John B Green 1725 - 1775. I love this post though! Fascinating stories!