Abel, his wife, Sarah, and their young child were among the first settlers of Giles County, Tennessee. In 1806, Dr. Gabriel Bumpass of Abbeville District, South Carolina, gathered together about 50 of his friends from Abbeville and Union Districts with the intention of settling lands in Tennessee. They set out from South Carolina and reached the vicinity of Nashville in the fall of 1806, where they had to remain for many months because the land they wished to settle had not been ceded by the Indians. The Indians were very hostile to the white men for entering their lands and peaceable possession was impossible. Finally, conditions bettered and the group of settlers set out again for their destination. Many left their wives and children in Nashville until they could clear some land and build homes for them.
The group encountered little difficulty until they reached the vicinity of Columbia, Tennessee. From here on they had to cut their way through heavy cane brake which grew as high as 25 feet in the bottom lands. So, they decided to follow a circuitous route over the ridges where the cane was not quite so high. In cutting the cane, it was necessary to cut it below the surface of the ground, otherwise, the stubs were almost as dangerous to the men and beasts as if they were steel spikes. Thus, this Bumpass Party opened the first road in Giles County, south of Columbia and it became known as The Bumpass Trail. It was the only road into that section for two or three years. This band of settlers reached their destination in either the summer or early fall of 1807 because they raised corn in 1808, and others who came after them, came in the late fall of 1807, having traveled the Bumpass Trail from Columbia.
Thanks,
Lela