Editing Daniel Boone (section)

==Early life==
Boone was born on October 22, 1734 ([[Old Style and New Style dates|"New Style"]] November 2), the sixth of eleven children in a family of [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]].{{sfn|Morgan|2007|p=9}}{{#tag:ref|The [[Gregorian calendar]] was adopted during Boone's lifetime, which moved his birth date from October 22 to November 2; Boone always used the October date.{{sfn|Bakeless|1939|p=7}}|group=note}} His father, Squire Boone (1696–1765), immigrated to [[Province of Pennsylvania|colonial Pennsylvania]] from the small town of [[Bradninch]] in the county of [[Devon]], England, sometime around 1712.{{sfn|Lofaro|2012|p=1}} Squire, a weaver and blacksmith, married Sarah Morgan (1700–1777), whose family were Quakers from [[Wales]]. In 1731, the Boones built a one-room [[log cabin]] in the [[Oley Valley]] in what is now [[Berks County, Pennsylvania]], near present-day [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]], where Daniel was born.{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=10}}

Boone spent his early years on the Pennsylvania frontier, often interacting with [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]].{{sfn|Faragher|1992|pp=17–18}} Boone learned to [[hunting|hunt]] from local settlers and Indians; by the age of fifteen, he had a reputation as one of the region's best hunters.{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=9}} Many stories about Boone emphasize his hunting skills. In one tale, the young Boone was hunting in the woods with some other boys when the howl of a [[Cougar|panther]] scattered all but Boone. He calmly cocked his rifle and shot the panther through the heart just as it leaped at him. The story may be a [[Folklore of the United States|folktale]], one of many that became part of Boone's popular image.{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=9}}

In Boone's youth, his family became a source of controversy in the local Quaker community. In 1742, Boone's parents were compelled to publicly apologize after their eldest child Sarah [[Interfaith_marriage#United_States|married a "worldling"]], or non-Quaker, while she was visibly pregnant. When Boone's oldest brother Israel also married a "worldling" in 1747, Squire Boone stood by his son and was therefore expelled from the Quakers, although his wife continued to attend monthly meetings with her children. Perhaps as a result of this controversy, in 1750 Squire sold his land and moved the family to [[North Carolina]]. Daniel Boone did not attend church again, although he always considered himself a Christian and had all of his children [[baptism|baptized]].{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=311}} The Boones eventually settled on the [[Yadkin River]], in what is now [[Davie County, North Carolina|Davie County]], North Carolina, about two miles (3&nbsp;km) west of [[Mocksville, North Carolina|Mocksville]].{{sfn|Faragher|1992|pp=25–27}}{{sfn|Bakeless|1939|pp=16–17}}

Boone received little formal education, since he preferred to spend his time hunting, apparently with his parents' blessing. According to a family tradition, when a schoolteacher expressed concern over Boone's education, Boone's father said, "Let the girls do the spelling and Dan will do the shooting."{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=16}} Boone was tutored by family members, though his spelling remained unorthodox. Historian [[John Mack Faragher]] cautions that the folk image of Boone as semiliterate is misleading, arguing that Boone "acquired a level of literacy that was the equal of most men of his times."{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=16}} Boone regularly took reading material with him on his hunting expeditions—the Bible and ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]'' were favorites.{{sfn|Faragher|1992|pp=55–56}} He was often the only literate person in groups of frontiersmen, and would sometimes entertain his hunting companions by reading to them around the campfire.{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=17}}{{sfn|Faragher|1992|p=83}}