Frederick Thomas Burnett Sr

There are two land conveyances for the acquisition of property in Buncombe Co., NC. where Frederick acquired 200 acres of property on the North Fork of the Swannanoa River between Aug. 15, 1808 and Aug. 24, 1814. From the land transactions it appears the Frederick Burnett family moved from Rutherford Co., NC. to Buncombe Co., NC. in the summer of 1808.

"It took time for the pioneer to prepare for his trek westward. He needed all the essentials for pioneer living - family, rifles, livestock, axes, seed for the soil and tools to cultivate it, and a sufficient amount of other tools to erect a log house. He also had to have enough flour and meal to last the family until he could plant and harvest another crop." wrote Fred M. Burnett, Sr. in THIS WAS MY VALLEY.

Frederick Burnett made these preparations and with three heavy wagons, he and others started on their journey. While the men explored beyond the Blue Ridge, the women and small children remained at the trading post at Old Fort. It was here, according to legend, that Frederick's wife was offered 500 acres of Catawba Valley land for her white stallion, which was a gift from her parents. The offer was refused.

"When everything was ready to resume the westward journey, the Burnett brothers began the ascent of the Blue Ridge with their families and provisions. The climb did not prove too hard up by Dark Hollow Hill and as far as Catawba Falls, but the falls were impassible. Steep, rocky slopes came down to the water's edge. There was a narrow trail on the north side. The wagons were unloaded and all belongings were carried piece by piece around the falls. The wagons were dismantled and carried over the trail and reassembled on the other side. The crossing was again made at the Swannanoa Gap and a stream was followed which flowed by the present towns of Ridgecrest and Black Mountain to the headwaters of the North Fork of the Swannanoa River Valley where Frederick Burnett, Sr. was to become one of the first permanent settlers and certainly among the first and typical of the early inhabitants of the newly settled valley", continued Fred M. Burnett, Sr.

"The Valley is narrow, boulder-strewn, and less than four miles long. The mountains rise steeply on all sides. For the most part mountain laurel, rhododendron, and heavy foliage hide the precipitous cliffs. Hard and soft woods grow in the deep coves and on ridges, and evergreens blacken the higher slopes.

Frederick built a two room cabin on what was then called Laurel Branch. He was a skilled hunter, farmer, and operated the Burnett Mill. It was a grist mill in the valley powered by a water wheel, and later combined with a saw mill owned by Mr. Hart from the North."