The Skaggs-Files

1766 Kent Co., Maryland Kegleys Adventures of Ky. Vol. 1 and 2:
Richard Skaggs 29
John Skaggs 25
Mary Thear 60

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Part of this line came from GENDEX.COM

(Research):newspaper-report-states-this-Skaggs-probably-fled-Ireland-soon-after-the-siege-of-Londonderry-in-1688-9.-States-Skaggs-first-came-to-MD-then-the-frontier-of-*NEW-RIVER*-in-VA.

"According to Virgil Skaggs, a genealogy researcher of Independence,MO. the first known people to enter America by the name of Skaggs was two brothers and a sister, who came over from Scotland about 280 years ago(about 1700). The Skaggs originally came from Norway and was spelled Skeg, meaning "bearded one", from Skeg to Skeggs, and Skaggs.They went from Norway to England and Scotland. The English way to spell the name was Skegs or Skeggs and the Scottish way was Scaggs. Thetwo brothers who came to America argued over how to spell their name, the English way or the Scottish way. One brother said"you spell it your way and I will spell it my way", so the story goes. From this, four tribes were created, a Moses tribe, Gideon, Noah and an Elijah tribe of Skaggs. There is a Skaggs plantation at Alderson, W.Va. that was bought from William Penn. The plantation is still in the Skaggs family at the time Mr. Virgil Skaggs wrote this, late 1960's.
This is long and taken directly from the book "The life of Daniel Boone", written by Lyman C Draper, LL.D., ( A noted Historian) Henry, Charles and Richard Skaggs, and three other brothers were granddsons of an Irishman who fled from Ireland of Londonderry in 1688-'89, when so many of the Scotch-Irish race emigrated to the shores of the New World. We find his adventureous decendants, natives of Maryland, living on the frontiers of New River and sharing largely in the toils and hardships of the Long Hunters in 1770-'71. In June 1775, we find Henry aiding to pilot Col. Thomas Slaughter and others on an exploratory tour of the Green River country. Henry Skaggs and brothers were a noted family of hunters and nothing but hunters, and keeping pace with the advancing settlements, they pushed forward to Clinch River and were forting in 1777 at Shadrach White's Station in the neighborhood of the Maiden Spring Fork of the Clinch. In 1781 one of the familyof Skaggs, who had been residing in the Cumberland settlements removed to Kentucky. In 1779 Henry Skaggs , accompanied by upwards of twenty men, started for Kentucky, were attacked by indians in Powells Vally, lost part of their horses, when all had returned save Skaggs, his son John a mere youth, and a man named Sinclair. With eleven horses, they went to the Green River country to hunt, and during the succeding winter Sinclair got lost, probably drowned in the Green River and young Skaggs sickened and died, and amidst the severities of the season a hollow log was his burial place. His father was left alone to finish the hunt and return home with the horses, pelts and furs. He settled on Pitmans Creek in the Green River country within present Taylor County, Kentucky, in 1789 with his children and connections around him sharing freely in the indian difficulties of the times; and there he died in 1808 or '9, aged upwards of eighty years. Possing alarge and bony frame, he was bold, enterprising and fearless. His brothers Charles and Richard who also settled in that region, lived to a good old age There is much more in the book, but this is the most important part."-Russ Skaggs Website
From "The National Foundation Descendants of Thomas Skaggs Page 24 Maryland Will Record: 4896 S(c)haggs, Wm. A Planter Kent Co. Will 6th Sept. 1742, 27th Oct 1742. 4897 Wife, Mary 4898 Son, Scaggs, Richard, Kent Co.l, Maryland, 1766 4900 Wife, Mary Thear 5101 Son John 4899 Daughter, Elizabeth (Page 29 has more info but I do not have this page.) Russ Skaggs Website