--- title: Forbidden trails description: At the New York State Family History Conference held in September in Syracuse, I attended two excellent lectures about the Erie Canal... image: https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/New-York-map-300x180-1.jpg --- # [Vita Brevis A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Forbidden trails [November 01, 2016](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/11/forbidden-trails) [American History](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history), [Research Methods](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods), [Research tips](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-tips), [Road Trips](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) [Nancy Bernard](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/nbernard) [![new-york-map](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/New-York-map-300x180-1.jpg?width=300&height=180&name=New-York-map-300x180-1.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/New-York-map-1.jpg)At the New York State Family History Conference held in September in Syracuse, I attended two excellent lectures about the Erie Canal: “Canal Fever: Life, Work, and Travel on the New York State Canals, 1818–1918” and “Gateway to the West: Interstate Migration on Canals,” presented by Pamela Vittorio. As someone who attended college in the Mohawk Valley region and lived in Buffalo for several years, I have certainly driven my share on the New York State Thruway. Although I get dubious looks from family, I’ve always enjoyed “hang[ing] a left at Albany” to see the incredibly beautiful countryside that borders the highway and to catch glimpses of the Mohawk River and Erie Canal. The canal played a significant role in nineteenth-century migration of families heading west from New England, and I was curious to learn about other early routes from New England. There is a great [website](http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tqpeiffer/Documents/Ancestral%20Migration%20Archives/Migration%20Webpage%20Folder/Northeast%20U.S.%20Migration%20Routes.htm#_An_Introduction) that has amassed information about migration routes. These routes are from and within New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; they include trans-Appalachian routes, southern routes, and routes to the North-Central Plains, Southwest, and Western Mountain states. The site also contains many links to maps and images. A few links are broken, but the descriptions of even those routes are helpful and provide the basis for further research. The earliest paths were the Native American foot trails that eventually became horse paths and wagon roads. The Old Connecticut Path was the first Native American trail used by the earliest colonists of Massachusetts Bay, beginning around 1630, and it led west from the first settlements on the eastern coast. In 1635, this route was used by settlers of Watertown when they removed to Wethersfield, Connecticut. The following year, Rev. Thomas Hooker and his congregation followed the path to the Connecticut River and founded the English settlement of Hartford. The Old Connecticut Path connected with many other early migration routes such as the Kings Highway, also known as the Boston Post Road. ### "The threatened penalty for unauthorized use of the trail was to be ‘burned at the stake’ or ‘roasted.’” Another early path was the Pequot Path, a Native American trail that ran south and westward from Providence to New London, Connecticut. It was the earliest traveled highway used by the English settlers of Rhode Island. But the path with the most intriguing name was the Forbidden Path or the Forbidden Trail. According to the website, the name of this Native American trail comes from the Seneca tribe, Keepers of the Western Door of the Six Iroquois Nations. According to an article by Albert G. Hilbert, it was a secret trail that edged the Iroquois homeland while leading west through Iroquois-controlled lands. It was “a strategic route, and for security purposes, was barred to both unfriendly or undesirable tribes and to all white men. This trail starting at Tioga Point of the Susquehanna and ending on the Allegheny River became known as the Forbidden Trail. The threatened penalty for unauthorized use of the trail was to be ‘burned at the stake’ or ‘roasted.’” There long had been controversy regarding the location of the trail – where it went through New York and Pennsylvania – as well as whether David Zeisberger, a Moravian missionary, was the first white man to traverse the trial in 1767 and 1768. However, the trail has been definitely located in both states and can be followed closely. The article can be read [here](http://www.crookedlakereview.com/articles/34_66/40july1991/40hilbert.html). See also Paul A. W. Wallace, ed., *The Travels of John Heckewelder in Frontier America* (Pittsburgh: The University of Pittsburgh Press, 1958). ### Share this: - [mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/11/forbidden-trails](mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/11/forbidden-trails) - - - More - - ![Nancy Bernard](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported%20images/4f36fc008b351870cc4a3cbc68b9ba9d%3Fs=96%26d=identicon%26r=g.jpeg) ## About Nancy Bernard Nancy holds a certificate from the Boston University Genealogical Research program. She has a master’s degree in history and media study from SUNY University of Buffalo, where she focused on American cultural history and writing and producing documentary videos. She also has a B.A. from Hamilton College. She has interned at the American Jewish Historical Society, now at NEHGS, as well as the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA. Her areas of interest include New England and New York history and researching house histories and the families who lived in those homes.[View all posts by Nancy Bernard →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/nbernard) [← Option D](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/11/option-d) [The Other Half →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/10/the-other-half) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11) ### Categories - [Family stories (1260)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-stories) - [American History (1137)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history) - [Critical Analysis (1126)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis) - [Research Methods (881)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods) - [Brick Walls (674)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/brick-walls) - [Object Lessons (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/object-lessons) - [Spotlight (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/spotlight) - [Genealogical Writing (554)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/genealogical-writing) - [Research tips (510)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-tips) - [Serendipity (479)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity) - [Road Trips (393)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Meta - [Log in](https://vita-brevis.org/wp-login.php) - [Entries RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/feed/) - [Comments RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/comments/feed/) - [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/) ### Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11)