From "The Lift of tithes wherin I am conftable for the year 1739:
Ambros Powel at materfon's home houfe Seven tithes
He was a surveyor and prominent citizen of Culpepper Co, VA. Heconfer s distinction to the family by his outstanding career as apioneer. He a ccompanied Dr. Thomas Walker and 4 others in anexploration of Ky in 17 50, starting on Mar 6th at 10 AM as recordedin
Dr. Walker's journal as well as the following statement by a nephew ofD aniel Boone, Daniel Bryan: "I will give you some account of DoctorTho mas Walker, which I had from the mouth of Mr. William Tomerlin,who was o ne of Walker's company.....Tomerlin, then a young man,agreed to go wi th him, also Ambrose Powell.....They started from lowdown in Virginia, t raveled westwardly across Alleghany Mountains toChissel's Lead Mine... ..thence over Walden's Ridge and Powell'sMountain into Powell's Valley . Powell's Mountain, Valley, and Rivertook their names from this same A mbrose Powell."
There are several Ambrose Powells in the family and informationconcern ing them has been intertwined until it is very hard to makesense of wh o did what. However, it has been said that this Ambrose'snamesake des cendants also had distinctive careers including one whowas a judge of t he County Court of Jackson Co, KY, and another whorepresented that cou nty in the KY legislature. A great-grandson,General Ambrose Powell Hi ll was a noted officer of the ConfederateStates Army.
From "General A. P. Hill The Story of a Confederate Warrior" by JamesI . Robertson, Jr., 1987:
"The Hill family was representative of the landed gentry ofnorth-centr al Virginia.....In 1740 Russell Hill, a great-grandson ofWilliam, move d inland to the land between the mountains and the flatcountry. He bec ame an original settler of Culpeper County, Va.,created in 1748 after b eing officially surveyed by George Washington.Russell Hill carved out a n estate in the area known as theWilderness, dubbed it Stranger's Rest , and followed in the familyfootsteps by becoming both prosperous and p rolific. A neighbor andassociate of this Hill was an extraordinary Cap t. Ambrose Powell:Indian fighter, Kentucky explorer, justice of the pe ace, sheriff,legislator, and close friend of President James Madison. R ussell'sson Henry (1743-1815) married Anne Powell, daughter of the pro minentVirginian."
From the Journal of Doctor Thomas Walker, 1749-50:
"Having, on the 12th of December last, been employed for acertain c onsideration to go to the westward in order to discover aproper Place f or a Settlement, I left my house on the Sixth day ofMarch, at 10 o'clo ck, 1749-50, in company with ambrose Powell,William Tomlinson, Colby C hew, Henry lawless & John Hughs.....
His contract was with the Loyal land Company, which had a grantof e ight hundred thousand acres of land to be located north of thedividing l ine between Virginia and North Carolina, comprised in theterritory now e mbrace in Kentucky.
Ambrose Powell was a surveyor and prominent citizen of CulpeperCo unty, Virginia, of enterprise and note. He was thegreat-grandfather o f General Ambrose Powell Hill, of the Confederatearmy. He had a son n amed Ambrose Powell, who was an officer in theRevolution. A descenta o f the same name was County Judge of JacksonCounty, Kentucky, and anoth er represented the county in thelegislature. Other descendants are in B oyle and Mercer counties."
Continuing the story from LONG HUNTERS GOT THEIR NAME FROM DURATION OFH UNT By Dallas Bogan
Reprinted with Permission from Dallas Bogan. This article waspublishe d in the LaFollette Press.
"The explorers reached the Clinch River on April 9, 1750, near thepres ent town of Sneedville, Tennessee. Walker's traveling companionswere A mbrose Powell, William Tomlinson, Colby Chew, Henry Lawless,and John H ughes.
Walker's journal entry for April 13, 1750, is the first writtenre cord of the discovery of Cumberland Gap. It was known as Cave Gapwhen W alker first saw it. His manuscript states that he found verygood coal o n the banks of Flat Creek (now Yellow Creek), mining abouta bushel of t he black stuff for their fires. He named the CumberlandGap and the riv er in honor of the Duke of Cumberland, then a nationalhero who had led t he English army to victory at Culloden.
The frontiersmen then passed on to Cumberland Ford (Pineville)and f ollowed the river a half mile below the narrows; here in afertile bott om they built a log cabin, the first building constructedby white men i n Kentucky.
Powell River flowed out of Virginia into Tennessee. AmbrosePowell h ad carved his name on so many beech trees that it was saidyou could fo llow his trail from Virginia into Tennessee and onthrough to the fork o f Rockcastle River in Kentucky. And so, PowellRiver and Powell Valley a re both named for Ambrose Powell."
The History of Bell Co, KY says:
"There on a beech tree Ambrose Powell, one of Walker's party, carvedhi s name and the date, "A. Powell 1750." This record became thecornersto ne of the history of Bell County and of the Commonwealth ofKentucky."
From Sue Vonderbrink, researcher of Hall Family Descendants:
"Ambrose Powell explored Kentucky in 1750 with Dr. Thomas Walker.Powel l Valley near the Cumberland Gap was named for Ambrose Powell.Dr. Thom as Walker and party named the Cumberland River. Tumbler’sRun in easter n Kentucky was named for Ambrose Powell’s dog. AmbrosePowell was the d eputy surveyor from Culpeper County, Virginia."
From Virginia Colonial Militia, 1651-1776 under Land BountyCertificate s:
"Ambrose Powell, Captain, signed a discharge August, 1756.
In Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper County, is:
(General Ambrose Powell Hill) a lineal descendant of Capt AmbrosePowel l, the old vestryman of Bromfield Parish, Culpeper.
Virginia Marriages records his marriage to Mary Bledsoe on3/10/1751-52 a nd states his birthdate was 9/18/1713.
His will was dated 1/26/1782 and proved 10/20/1788. In it hementioned w ife, Mary, sons, Robert and William, daughter, Ann Hill,son-in-law, He nry Hill, and deceased daughter, Fanny Sutton, and twograndchildren, M ary Bledsoe Sutton and John Sutton.
