Columbia ©nit)f «ttp mtijeCttpofBrtBgork THE LIBRARIES Bequest of Frederic Bancroft 1860-1945 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST 1 'J IN lb: THE PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. BY MRS. ELIZABETH F. ELLET, AOTHOR OF "the QUEINS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY," " THE WOMEN OI THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION," ETC. PHILADELPHIA: PORTER & COAXES. u:> ^ Cl flC^CtC c '^4 ri Cl IC«I« « C 4 C PREFACE. An appropriate supplement to the memoirs of tho " Women of the American Kevolution," is the story of the wives and mothers who ventured into the western wilds, and bore their part in the struggles and labors of the early pioneers. Indeed, so obvious a consequence of the Kevolution was the diffusion of the spirit of emigra- tion, that the one work naturally calls for the other, tho domestic history of the period being incomplete without it. To supply this want, very little published material existed, and that little in the shape of brief anecdotes, scattered through historical collections made in several Western States, and scarcely known in other parts of the Union. But a vast store might be yielded from the records of private families, and the still vivid recollec- tions of individuals who had passed through the expe- riences of frontier and forest life, and it was not yet too ri PREFACE. late to save from oblivion much that would be the more interesting and valuable, as the memory of those primi- tive times receded into the past. Application has been made, accordingly, to the proper sources throughout the Western States, and the result enables me to offer such a series of authentic sketches as will not only exhibit the character of many pioneer matrons — characters that would pass for strongly marked originals in any fiction — but will afford a picture of the times in the progressive settlement of the whole country, from Tennessee to Michigan. To render this picture as complete as possible, descriptions of the domestic life and manners of the pioneers, and illustrative anecdotes from reliable sources, have been interwoven with the memoirs, and notice has been taken of such political events as had an influence on the condition of the country. All the biographies, except those of Mi's. Boone and Mary Moore, have been pre]>ared from private records, furnished by relatives or friends, and in two or three instances by the subjects. I do not except those of Mrs. Williams and Mi-s. Eouse, for which I am indebted to the courtesy of Dr. S. P. Ilildreth, though they appeared in a more extended form many yeare since, in a Western periodical of limited circulation. My grateful acknowl edgments are due to Mr. Milton A. Ilaynes, of Tennessee. PREFACE. Vli for the memoirs of Mrs. Bledsoe, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Shelby, written for this work ; and also to Mr. A. W. Putnam, of Nashville, Tennessee, for those of Mrs. Sevier and Mrs. Sparks. Both in Tennessee and Ohio 1 had access to valuable manuscripts belonging to the Historical Societies, and to letters in the possession of individuals. For most of the sketches illustrative of Michigan, included in those of Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Bryan, Mrs. Kumsey and Mrs. Noble, I have pleasure in acknowl- edging my obligations to an accomplished friend — Miss Mary H. Clark of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The published works from which extracts have been made, are generally mentioned, and a repetition of authorities would be unnecessary. Flint's Life of Boone, Dr. Hildreth's Notes on the Pioneer History of Ohio, Howe's Historical Col- lections of Ohio, and Lanman's History of Michigan, have chiefly aided me, though a vast number of other books have been consulted. A word may be permitted here as to the proprietorship of memoirs prepared from original materials derived from private sources. It seems reasonable that the exclu- sive right should belong to the one who procures and works up such materials ; and that no other person can, without a violati'^n of the principles of common justice, make use of the memoirs to such an extent as to inter VllX PREFACE. '^ fere with the interests of the original work. This remark is called forth bj the fact that a volume was published in ' Buffalo, in 1851, entitled "Noble Deeds of American Women, with Biographical Sketches of some of the more i prominent" — in which thirty-eight sketches prepared ' entirely from original manuscripts, (the subjects not even [ I named in any other published work,) were taken from the volumes of " The "Women of the American Revolution," ; twenty-six of them being appropriated, in an abridged ; form, without the slightest acknowledgment. i E. F. E. CONTENTS. .S" L Mary Bledsoe, , n. Catharine Sevibr, HI. Rebecca Boons, Mrs. Mason, Anna Innis, Sarah Combs, . IV. Charlotte Robertson Mrs. Dunham, . V. Jane Brown, Sarah Wilson, VI. Mart Mo ore, Mrs. Denis, Mrs. Clendenin, Mrs. Cunningham, Mrs. Scott, Mrs. Glass, VII. Ann Haynes, VIII. Ruth Sparks, . 13 29 42 58 61 62 63 75 19 106 110 111 112 113 115 118 145 153 CONTENTS. IX. Sarah Shelby, . X. Rebecca Williams, Louisa St. Clair, Mrs. Lake, Sally Warth, . Jane Dick, Mary Heckewelder, Ruhama Greene, XL Rebecca Rouse, XIL Sarah Sibley, . XIIL Mary Dunlevy, XIV. Ann Bailey, XV. Elizabeth Harper, Sarah Thorp, . Mrs. Walworth, Mrs. Carter, XVI. Elizabeth Tappen, XVII. Rebecca Heald, Mrs. Helm, Mrs. Snow, "Meis. Lemen, Mrs. Edwards XVIII. Abigail Snelltng, XIX. Mary McMillan, XX. Charlotte A. Clark, Charlotte Geer, Mrs. Clark, XXI. Sarah Bryan, . Sylvia Ciiapin, . Mrs. St. .Ioiin, Mks. Lovejoy, , OONTl NT . Xi Lucy Chapin, 370 Mrs. Anderson, 373 Eliza Bull, Mrs. Harazthy, . . . .374 XXII. Mary Ann Rumsey, 376 Ann Allen, 382 Elizabeth Allen, ...,,, 382 XXni. Harriet L. Noble, 388 Frances Trask, , , 397 Mrs. Scott, Mrs. Talbot, Mrs. Goodrich, . 400 Mrs. Comstock, , , 40^ Mrs. Woodward, 402 XXIV. Journal, «...,,,, 403 XXV. Elieabeth KekioFj . . , , ^ ,428 THE PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. L MARY BLEDSOE. **lfeD^ dae deserts each reader may recite, For men of men do make a goodly show ; But women's works can seldom come to ligbt, No mortal man their famous acts may know ; Few writers will a little time bestow, The worthy acts of women to repeat ; Though their renown and the deserts be groat." The poet's complaint might be made with peculiar justice in tlie case of American women who followed the earliest adventurers into the unknown forests of the West. One of their own number often said — " A good Providence sent such men and women into the world together. They were made to match." Such a race will probably never again Ijve in this countiy. The progress of im- provement, art, and luxury, has a tendency to change the female character, so that even a return of the perils of war, or the neces- sity for exertion, would hardly develop in it the strength which be- longed to the matrons who nureed the infancy of the Republio. They were formed by early training in habits of enei'getic industry, and famiharity with privation and danger, to take their part in sub- 14 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. duing the wilderness for the advance of civilization. Though their descendants cannot emulate their heroic deeds, it will be a pleasing task to call up recollections of them ; to observe their patient endur ance of hardship, and to compare their homely but honest exterior with the accomphshment and graces of the sex in modern days. A large portion of the history of the early settlers of the West has never been recorded in any published work. It is full of per- sonal adventure, and no power of imagination could create materials more replete with romantic interest than their simple expenence aflforded. The training of those hardy pioneei*s in their frontier life ; the daring with which they penetrated the wilderness, plunging into trackless forests, and encountering the savage tribes whose hunt- ing grounds they had invaded, and the sturdy pei-severance with which they overcame all difficulties, compel our wondering admira- tion. It has been truly said of them, " The greater part of man- kind might derive advantage from the contemplation of their hum- ble virtues, hospitable homes, and spirits patient, noble, proud, and free ; their self-respect, grafted on innocent thoughts ; their days of health and nights of sleep; their toils by danger dignified, yet guiltless ; their hopes of a cheerful old age and a quiet grave.** But less attention has been given to their exploits and sufferings than they deserve, because the accounts read are too vague and general ; the picture not being brought near, nor exhibited with hfehke proportions and coloring. A collection of memoirs of women must of necessity include some reliable account of the domestic and daily life of those heroic adventurei-s, and may perhaps supply the deficiency. Commencing with the fii'st colonists of Tennessee, which claims priority of settlement, we light upon a name associated with its early annals, and distinguished among pioneers — that of Bledsoe. But before entering on a sketch of this family, a brief view may be given of the general state of the country. Until the year 1700, the territory of North Carolina and Ten- Dossee, and an indefinite reo^on extending south-west and north-west, in the language of the royal British charters, to the South Seas, waa known as " our county of Albemarle, in Carolina." Even as late aa MARY BLEDSOE. Iff 1*760, the country lying west of the Apalaohian mountains was wholly unknown to the people of the Carolinas and Virginia. When, a few years latei-, the British army under Braddock crossed the mountains from Maryland and Pennsylvania, and marched to Fort Du Quesne, that march was described by the writei*s of the times as an advance into the deep recesses and fastnesses of a savage wilderness. At that time the French owned all the Canadas, the valley of the Ohio and all its tributaries, and claimed the rest of the continent to the confines of Mexico, westward from the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The old French maps of that period, and the journals and letters of French traders and huntei-s, together with the traditions of the Indians, aflford the only rehable information in rela- tion to the then condition of the country now composing Kentucky and Tennessee. In the French maps of those times, the Kentucky, Hol- ston, Tennessee, and Ohio are laid down. The Kentucky is called Cataway, the Holston the Cherokee, and the Little Tennes- see the Tanasees. This river, after the junction of the Holston and Tennessee, is called Ho-go-hegee, and the only Indian town marked on its banks is at the mouth of Bear Creek, near the north-west corner of Alabama. There were forts which were little more than trading posts, at several points on the Ohio and Mississippi ; Fort Du Quesne, where Pittsburg now stands, and one at the mouth of the Kenhawa river ; another at the mouth of the Kentucky, and Fort Vincennes, near the mouth of the Oubach, or Wabash ; Fort Massac, half way between the mouth of the Ohio and the Tennes- see, on the Ilhnois side, and another on the Tennessee, twelve miles above its mouth. They also had a fort where Memphis now stands, called Prud'homme ; another at the mouth of the Arkansas, called Ackensll ; another near Natchez, and one at the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa, called Ilalabamas. South of these last forts, the Spaniards had possession in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. The greater part of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Western Virginia, was represented on these maps as wholly uninhabited. Certain it is that not more than a dozen years afterwards, when the pioneers of Ten- nessee and Kentucky fii-st explored that region, they found thi 16 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. bauks of the Watauga, Cumberland, and Kentucky, with their tributaries, in this state. It was all one vast wilderness, into which hunting parties of Indians from its distant borders entered and roamed in pui*suit of game, but in which they made no perma- nent lodgment. Numerous warhke nations lived south, west, and north of this wilderness, and hither it was that the lion-hearted pioneers of the Cumberland and Watauga came, with axe and lifle, to subdue at once the savage and the forest. In 1758, Col. Bird, of the British army, established Fort Chissel in Wyth county, Virginia, to protect the frontiers, and, advancing into what is now Sullivan county, Tennessee, built a fort near Long [flland, on the Holston or Watauga. There was not then a single white man living in the borders of Tennessee. The year before, Governor Dobbs of North Carolina had, at the request of the Cherokee Indians, built Fort Lowdon, and the Indians agreed to make grants of land to all artisans who would settle among them. Fort Lowdon was on the Little Tennessee, near the mouth of Tel lico river, in the centre of the Cherokee nation, and about one hun- dred miles south of the fort at Long Island. Between these fort* were the fii*st settlements, which struggled for several yeai"s against the fearful ravages of Indian ware, before the beginning of the Revolution. At irregular intervals from 1765 to 1769, came pioneer parties from Virginia and North Carolina, forming " camps," " settlements," and " stations." Some of the earliest emiofrants were from Raleisrh and Salisbury, and settled upon the Watauga. The first settlement attempted on the spot where Nashville now stands, is said to have been in 1778, the " French Lick," as the locality was named, having Deen discovered, according to Haywood, in 1769 or 1770, by a party of adventurers, who were descending the Cumberland on their way to Natchez, to dispose of articles which they had, and purchase others which they wanted. They saw an immense number of buf- faloes and wild game. The lick and adjoining lands were crowded with them, and their bellowing resounded from the hills and forest. The place had previously been visited by French huntere and trap MAKY liLEDSOE. 17 pbfs from the north. The surrounding hills were then covered with cedai-s, whoso foliage deeply shaded the rocky soil from which they sprung, and there was no appearance of former cultivation. No prospect spread before the eye but woods and cane, inhabited by buffaloes, elks, wolves, foxes, and other wild animal^. Not deterred by the neighborhood of these, or fiercer savages, the new comers here 'erected cabins, constructed a stockade fort, and maintained possession against several attacks by the Indians. Two brothers of the name of Bledsoe — Englishmen by birth, — were Hving in 1769 at Fort Chissel, then upon the extreme border of civilization. It was not long before they removed further into the wild, and they were among the earliest pioneei-s in the valley of the Holston. This portion of country, now Sullivan county, was at that time supposed to be within the limits of Virginia. The Bled- Boes, with the Shelbys, settled themselves about twelve miles above the Island Flats. The beauty of that mountainous region attracted othei-s, who, impelled by the same spirit of adventure and pride in being the first to explore the wilderness, came to join them in estab- lishing the colony. They cheerfully ventured their property and hves, and endured the severest privations in taking possession of their new homes, influenced by the love of independence and equality. The most dearly prized rights of man had been threat- ened in the oppressive system adopted by Great Britain towards her colonies ; her agents and the colonial magistrates manifested all the insolence of authority ; and indivi«ials who had suffered from their aggressions bethought themselves of a country beyond the mountains, in the midst of primeval forests, where no laws existed save the law of nature — no magistrate, except those selected by themselves ; where full liberty of conscience, of speech, and of action prevailed. Yet almost in the first year they formed a written code of regulations by which they agreed to be governed ; each man signing his name thereto. These settlements formed by par- ties of emigrants from neighboring provinces were not, in theu- con- stitution, unhke those of New Haven and Hartford ; but among them was no godly Hooker, no learned and heavenly -minded 18 PIONEER >VOMEN OF THE WEST. Hayries. As, however, from the fii-st they were exposed to iLe continual depredations and assaults of their savage neighbors, who looked with jealous eyes upon the approach of the white men, it was perhaps well that there were among them few men of letters. The rifle and the axe, their only weapons of civilization, suited better the perils they encountered from the fierce and marauding Shaw- nees, Chickamangas, Creeks, and Cherokees, than would the bro' therly address of William Penn, or the pious discoui*ses of Roger Wilhams. During the firet year, not more than fifty families had croesed the mountains ; but others came with each revolvinof season to reinforce the little settlement, until its population swelled to hundreds Dur- ing the Revolutionary struggle, that region became the refuge of many patriots driven by British invasion from Virginia, the Caro- linas, and Georgia, some of the best famihes seeking homes there. Patriotic republicans who had sacrificed everything for their country, hoped to find in the secluded vales and thick forests of the West that peace and quiet which they had not found amidst the din of ciril and foreign war. But they soon experienced the hoiTors of savage warfare, which swept away their property, and often robbed them of their wives and children, either by a barbarous death or slavery as captives dragged into the wild recesses of the Indian bor- ders. They took up their residence, for mutual aid' and protection, in clustere around diSerent stations, within a short distance of one another, and many lived in the forts. Notwithstanding the frequent and terrible inroads upon their numbei's, they increased to thousands within ten or fifteen yeai*s. Not long after the Bledsoes established themselves upon the banks of the Ilolston, Col. Anthony Bledsoe, who was an excellent surveyor, was appointed clerk to the commissionei*s who ran the line dividing Virginia and North Carolina. Bledsoe had before this ascertained that Sullivan County was comprised within the boundaries of the latter province. In June, 1776, he was chosen by the inhabitants of the county to the command of the militia. The oflBce imposed on him the dangero'is duty of repelUng the MAKY BLEDSOE. 19 §avages and defending the frontier. He had often to call out tlie militia and lead them to meet their Indian assailants, whom they would pursue to their villages through the recesses of the forest In this month more than seven hundred Indian warrioi-s advanced upon the settlements on the Holston, with the avowed object of ex- terminating the white race through all their bordei-s. The battle of LoniT Island, fouMit a few miles below Bledsoe's station, near the Island Flats, was one of the earliest and hardest fought battles known in the traditionary history of Tennessee. Col. Bledsoe, at the head of the militia, marched to meet the enemy, and in the conflict which ensued was completely victorious ; the Indians being routed, and leaving forty dead upon the field. This disastrous de- feat for a time held them in check ; but the spirit of savage hostility was in\incible, and in the years following there was a constant suc- cession of Indian troubles, in which Col. Bledsoe was conspicuous for bis bravery and services. In 17*79, Sullivan County having been recognized as a part of North Carolina, Governor Caswell appointed Anthony Bledsoe colo- nel, and Isaac Shelby heutenant-colonel, of its military company. About the beginning of July of the following year, General Charles McDowell, who commanded a district east of the mountains, sent to Bledsoe a dispatch, giving him an account of the condition of the country. The surrender of Charleston had brought the State of South Carohna under British power; the people had been sum- moned to return to their allegiance, and resistance was ventured only by a few resolute spirits, determined to brave death rather than Bubmit to the invader. The whigs had tied into North Carolina, whence they returned as soon as they were able to oppose the ene- my. Colonels Tarleton and Ferguson had advanced towards North Carolina at the head of their soldiery ; and McDowell ordered Col. Bledsoe to rally the militia of his county, and come forward in readiness to assist in repelling the invader's approach. Similar dis- patches were sent to Col. Sevier and other offtcei-s, and the patriots Hrere not slow in obeying the summons. While the British Colonel Ferguson, under the ordenB of Corn- 20 flONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. wallis, was sweeping the country near the fi-ontier, gathering th* loyalists under his standard and driving back the whigs, against whom fortune seemed to have decided, a resolute band was assem- bled for their succor far up among the mountains. From a popula- tion of five or six thousand, not more than twelve hundred of thera fighting men, a body of near five hundred mountaineers, armed with rifles and clad in leathern hunting-shirts, was gathered. The anger of these sons of liberty had been stirred up by an insolent message received from Col. Ferguson, that " if they did not instantly lay down their arms, he would come over the mountains and whip their republicanism out of them ;" and they were eager for an opportunity of showing what regard they paid to his threats. At this juncture, Col. Isaac Shelby returned from Kentucky, whero he had been surveying land for the great company of land specula- tors headed by Henderson, Hart, and othei's. The young officer was betrothed to Miss Susan Hart, a belle celebrated among the western settlements at that period, and it was shrewdly suspected that his sudden return from the wilds of Kentucky was to be attri- buted to the attractions of that young lady ; notwithstanding that due credit is given to the patriot, in recent biographical sketches, for an ardent wish to aid his countrymen in their struggle for liberty by his active services at the scene of conflict. On his arrival at Bledsoe's, it was a matter of choice with the colonel whether he should himself go forth and march at the head of the advancing army of volunteers, or yield the command to Shelby. It was necessary for one to remain behind, for the danger to the defenceless inhabitants of the country was even greater from the Indians than the British ; and it was ob\ious that the luthless savage would take immediate advantage of the departure of a large body of fighting men, to fall upon the enfeebled frontier. Shelby on his part insisted that it was the duty of Bledsoe, whose family, relatives, and defence- less neighbors looked to him for protection, to stay with the troops at home for the purpose of repelling the expected Indian assault For himself, ho urged, he had no family to guard, or who might mourn his loss, and it was better that he should advance with the MARY BLEDSOE. 21 tPooj)s to join McDowell. No one could tell where might be the post of danger and honor, at home or on the other side of the mountains. The arguments he used no doubt corresponded with his friend's own convictions, his sense of duty to his family, and of true regard to the welfare of his country ; and the deliberation resulted in his relinquishment of the command to his junior officer. It was thus that the conscientious, though not ambitious patriot, lost the honor of commanding in one of the most distinguished actions of the Revolutionary war. Col. Shelby took the command of those gallant mountaineei-s who encountered the forces of Ferguson at King's Mountain on the Vth October, 1780. Three days after that splendid victory, Bledsoe re- ceived from him an official dispatch giving an account of the battle. The daughter of Col. Bledsoe well remembered having heard this dis- patch read by her father, though it has probably long since shared the fate of other valuable family papei-s. When the hero of King's Mountain, wearing the victor's wreath, returned to his friends, he found that his betrothed had departed with her father for Kentucky, leaving for him no request to follow. Sarah, the above mentioned daughter of Col. Bledsoe, often rallied the young officer, who spent considerable time at her father's, upon this cruel desertion. He would reply by expressing much indigna- tion at the treatment he had received at the hands of the fair coquette, and protesting that he would not follow her to Kentucky, nor ask her of her father ; he would wait for little Sarah Bledsoe, a far prettier bird, he would aver, than the one that had flowni away. The maiden, then some twelve or thirteen years of age, would laugh insflv return his banterino; bv savincr he " had better wait, indeed, and see \i he could win Miss Bledsoe who could not win Miss Hart.' The arch damsel was not wholly in jest ; for a youthful kinsman ol the colonel — David Shelby, a lad of seventeen or eighteen, who had fought by his side at King's Mountain — had already gained her youthful affections. She remained true to this early love, though her lover was only a pnvate soldier. And it may be well to record that the gallant colonel, who thus threatened infidelity to his, did 22 PIONEER WOMEN OF ThJE WEST. actuallv, notwithstanding his protestations, go to Kentucky the fol lowini; year, and was married to Miss Susan Hart, who made liira a Caithfal and excellent wife. During the whole of the trying period that intervened between the first settlement of east Tennessee and the close of the Revolu- tionary struggle. Col. Bledsoe, with his brother and kinsmen, was almost incessantly engaged in the strife with their Indian foes, as well as in the laborious enterprise of subduing the forest, and con- verting the tangled wilds into the husbandman's fields of plenty. In these varied scenes of trouble and trial, of toil and danger, the men were aided and encouraged by the women. Mary Bledsoe, the colonel's wife, was a woman of remarkable energy, and noted for her independence both of thought and action. She never hesitated to expose hei*self to danger whenever she thought it her duty to brave it; and when Indian hostilities were most fierce, when their homes were frequently invaded by the murderous savage, and femalea struck down by the tomaliawk or carried into ca])tivity, she was foremost in urging her husband and friends to go forth and meet the foe, instead of striving to detain them fur the prot(^ction of her own household. During this time of peril and watchfulness, little atten- tion could have been given to books, even had the pioneei-s possessed them ; but the Bible, the Confession of Faith, and a few such works as Baxter's Call, Bunyan's r*ilgrim's Progress, etc., were generally to be found in the library of every resident on the frontier. About the close of the year 1779, Col. Bledsoe and his brothei-s, with a few friends, crossed the Cumberland mountains, descended into the valley of Cumberland River, and exi)lored the beautiful region on its Ijanks. Delii^hted with its sh.-idy woods, its herds of bulValoes, its rich and genial soil, and its salubrious climate, their re~ ])ort on their return induced many of the inhal/itants of East Ten- nessee to resolve on seeking a new home in the Cumberland Vall'V. The Bledsoes did not remove their families thither until three veara afterwards; but the idea of settlinir the valley originated with them • they were the first to explore it, and it was in c« of having originated a new colony and built up a goodly state in the bosom of the forest. Their patriotic labors, their strug- gles with the sui rounding savages, their efforts in the maintenance of the community they had founded — sealed, as they finally were, with their own blood, and the blood of their sons and relatives — will never be forge tten while the apprehension of what is nobki, generous, and gooc survives in the hearts of their countrymeik. a CATHARINE SEVIER. Iht one of the pioneer parties fi-om the banks of the Yadkin, in North Carolina, who crossed the rugged mountains to seek new homes in the vallev of the Watauora, came Samuel Sherrill, with his family consisting of several sons and two daughtei*s. One of these daugh- tei-s, Susan, married Col. Taylor, a gentleman of considerable dis- tinction ; the other, Catharine, became the second wife of Gen. Sevier. Mr. Sherrill's residence was finally upon the Nola Chucka, and known as the Daisy Fields. He was a tiller of the soil, a hard- working man, " well to do in the world" for an emigrant of that day, and he was skilled in the use of the rifle, so that it was said " Sherrill can make as much out of the grounds and the woods as any other man. He has a hand and eye to his work ; a hand, an eye, and an ear for the Indian and the game." Buffalo, deer, and wild turkeys came around the tents and cabins of those first emigrants. A providence was in this that some of them recognized with thankfulness. These settlements encroached upon the rights and hunting-grounds of the natives ; and although some had been established and permitted to remain undisturbed for several years, yet when Capt. James Robertson arrived from Vir- ginia, in 1772, with a large party of emigrants, and selected landt 30 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. en the Watauga, he endeavored to secure an occupation with the approbation of the Indians ; therefore he effected a " lease" from the Cherokees of all the lands on the river and its tributaries for eight 3^ears. Jacob Brown, with his family and friends^ arrived from North Carolina about the same time with the Sherrills, and these two families became connected by intermarriage with the Seviei-s, and ever remained faithful to each other through all the hostile and civil commotions of subsequent yeai-s. The family of Seviei's came among the very earliest emigrants from Virginia, and aided in the erection of the fii-st fort on the Wataugja.* With few exceptions, these emigi-ants had in view the acquisition of rich lands for cultivation and inheritance. Some indeed were there, or came, who were absconding debtors or refugees from jus- tice, and from this class were the tories of North Carolina mostly enlisted. The spirit of the hunter and pioneer cannot well content itself in a permanent location, especially when the crack of a neighbor's rifle, or the blast of his hunting-horn may be heard by his quick ear; therefore did these advanced guards often change their homes when othei-s crowded them at a mile's distance. It must be remem- bered that these advances into the wilderness could only be made by degrees, step by step, through yeai"s of tedious waiting and toil- bome preparation. And thus, though they had a lease from the Indians, a foothold in the soil, stations of defence, and evidently had taken a bond of fate, assuring them in the prospect of rich inheri- tances for their children, they could not all abide while the great West and greater Future invited onward. Richer lands, larger herds of buffaloes, more deer, and withal as many Indians were in the distance, upon the Cumberland and Kentucky Rivers. The emigrants advanced, and they took no steps backwards. In a few * Valentine Zavier (the original family name\ the father of John Seviei; was a descendant from an ancient family in France, but bom in London, emigrated to America ; settled on the Shenandoah, Va. ; removed thence to Watauga, N. C; and finally settled on the Nola Chucka, at Plum Grove. Catharine seviek. 31 /ears they were found orc:anizing *' provisional govenimenta yjipon 'Uhe dark and bloody ground" of Kentucky, and at the P)luffs, the site of the beautiful cai)ital of Tennessee. And these WaUiuga and Nola Chucka pioneers were the leading sj>ints throughout. Lord Dunmore, in fiiting out the expedition against the Indian tribes, which ended with the memorable battle of Point Pleasant, gave John Sevier the commission of captain. In the fii-st Cherokee war of 17*76, the early settlements were in great danger of being destroyed. The prowling savages picked off the emigrants in detail, and being somewhat successful resolved to attack the settlements and stations at diflterent points on the same day — in June, 1776. But they were so defeated in the battles of Long Island and at the Island Flats, on the Holston, and in their attack and siege of the Watauga Fort, that a happy change was wrought, and hopes of quiet were encouraged. The attack on the latter station was conducted by an experienced Indian chief, Old Abraham, of the Chilhowee Mountain region. It was a fierce attack, but the fort fortunately held within it two of the most resolute men who have ever touched the soil of Tennessee, and to whom East and Middle Tennessee were subsequently more indebted than to any other men who have ever lived — James Robertson and John Sevier — they having then no higher titles than captains. Some thirty men were under their command or direction. The approach of the Indians had been stealthy, and the first alarm was given by the flight and screams of some females, who were closely pursued by the savages in large force. One of the women was killed, and one or two captured. In this party of females was Miss Catharine Sherrill, daughter of Samuel Sherrill, who had removed into the fort only the day previous. Miss Sherrill was already somewhat distinguished for nerve, action, and fleetness. It was said " she could outrun or outleap any woman ; walk more erect, and ride more gracefully and skilfully than any other female in all the mountains rouna about, or on the continent at large." Although at other times she proved hereelf to know no fear, and could remain unmoved when danger threalenec!^ 32 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. vet on tliis occasion she admits that she did run, and " run het best," She was very tall and erect, and her whole appearance such us to attract the especial notice and pursuit of the Indians ; and as ihey intercejited ihe direct path to the gate of the fort, she made a circuit to reach the enclosure on another side, resolved, as she said, to scale the walls or palisades. In this efl'ort, some pei-son within the defences attempted to aid, but his foot slipped, or the object on which he was standing gave way, and both fell to the ground on opposite sides of the enclosure. The savages were coming with all speed, and firing and shooting arrows repeatedly. Indeed, she said, " the bullets and arrows came like hail. It was now — leap the wall or die ! for I would not live a captive." She recovered from the fall, and in a moment was over and within the defences, and "by the side of one in uniform^'' This was none other than Capt. John Sevier, and the fii^st time SLe ever saw him. This was the beginning of an acquaintance des- tined in a few yeai*s to ripen into a happy union, to endure in tl is life for near forty yeai-s. " The way she run and jumped on that occasion was often the subject of remark, commendation, and laughter." In after life she looked upon this introduction, and the manner of it, as a providential indication of their adaptation to each other — that they were destined to be of mutual help in future dan- gers, and to overcome obstacles in time to come. And she always deemed herself safe when by his side. Many a time did she say : " I could gladly undergo that peril and effort again to fall into his arms, and feel so out of do-nger. But then," she would add, " it was all of God's good providence." Capt. Sevier was then a mar- ried man, his wife and younger children not having yet arrived from Virginia. His wife's name was Susan Uawkins, and she was a native of Virginia, where she died. In 1*777, Capt. Sevier received a commission from the State of North Carolina, and was thus decidedly enlisted in the cause of American independence ; and not long after this, he was honored with the commission of colonel, bearing the signature of George Washington. In 1779, his wife died, leaving him ten children. CATHARINE SEVIER. 33 Several of the eldest were sons, who had come with their father to gain and improve a home in the wilderness. They were trained to arms and to labor. He had selected land on the Watauga and Nola Chucka, his chosen residence being on the latter stream, and for many yeare known as Plum Grove. In the year 1*780, he and Miss Sherrill were married, and she devoted hei-self earnestly to all the duties of her station, and to meet the exigencies of the times. It may well be supposed that females spun, wove, and made up most of the clothes worn by these backwoods people. Girls were as well skilled in these arts as were the boys in such as more appro- priately belonged to their sphere and strength. Not long after the marriage, Col. Sevier was called to the duty of raising troops to meet the invasion of the interior of North Caro- lina, under Tarleton, Ferguson, and other British officei-s. Prepara- tions were hastily made, and the various forces assembled which fought the important battle of King's Mountain. Col. Sevier had three sons and one brother in that engagement. His favorite brother, Joseph, was killed, and one son wounded. These sons were between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one. Boys were early taught to use the rifle with skill. This was the formidable weapon in pui-suit of game, and in all the Indian ware. It was always a source of much gratification to Mi's. Sevier, and one of which she fondly boasted, that among the fii-st work she did after her marriage, was to make the clothes which her husband and three sons wore the day they were in the memorable battle of King's Mountain. And she would say, " Had his ten children been sons, and large enough to have served in that expedition, I could have fitted them out."* In the course of years, Mrs. Sevier became the mother of eight children, three sons and five daughtei-s ; and thus Col. Sevier was ♦ The private orderly, or memorandum-book of Col. De Poister, on whonf the command devolved after Ferguson was killed on King's Mountain, and who ordered the surrender, was, with other papers, handed to Col. Sevier This book was presented to the writer of thi« memoir by Mrs. Gen S<»v'#t and her son, G. W. S., after the writer's marriage into the family. 2* 34 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. the father of eighteen children, all of whom maintained j^ood char acters, were " given to hospitality," and lived comfortably and use- fully, although none of them acquired great wealth. Mrs. Se\ner was often left alone to manage domestic affaii-s, not only within doors, but without. The life of the Colonel was one of incessant action, adventure, and contest. The calls of his fellow-citizens, and the necessities of the times, withdrew him frequently from home. The history of the Indian wai-s of East Tennessee, of the settlement of the country, and of the organization of the State Government, is the record of the deeds of his life. No commander was more fre- quently engaged in conflicts with the Indians with equal success and such small loss of his men. A.nd yet it is a notable fact that he enjoyed, to a remarkable extent, the respect of the tribes and chiefe with whom he contended. It is a known historical fact that in 1781 he had taken to his own home, on the Ciiucka, a number of Indian prisoners, it is said thirty, where they were treated with so much kind- ness by his wife and family that several of them remained for years, although they performed very little work, and this wholly at their option. The influence of Mi's. Sevier was intentionally and happily- exerted upon these captives, that it might tell, as it did, upon their friends within " the nation ;" and the family, no doubt, enjoyed more protection than otherwise they could have expected. Col. Sevier acquired a sobriquet among the Indians, which was some evidence of their famiharity with and attachment to him, ard probably of advantage. As long as he lived they called him " Chucka Jack." He was afterwards called the " Treaty-maker." Thev had a name for Mrs. Sevier also, which is now not remembered. The tories were the woi'st enemies, and perpetrated moi'e damage to Col. Sevier's property than did ever the Indians ; and from them Mrs. Sevier had repeatedly to hide moslrof her small stock of house- hold articles. She usually remained at the farm, and never woold noaseut to be shut up in a blockhouse, always saying — " The wife of John Sevier Knows no fear." OATUARINE SEVIEE. 35 " I neither skulk from duty nor from clanger." And we believe this was emphatically true. We have seen her m advanced age — tall in stature, erect in person, stately in walk^ with small, piercing blue eyes, raven locks, a Roman nose, and firm- ness unmistakable in her mouth and every feature. She was able to teach her children in the exercises conducive to health and useful- ness, to strength of nerve and to action. None could, with equal grace and facility, placing the hand upon the mane of a spirited horse, and standing by his side, seat hei-self upon his back or in the saddle. She had the appearance and used the language of indepen- dence, haughtiness, and authority, and she never entirely laid these aside. Yet was not her pride offensive, nor her words or demeanor intended heedlessly to wound. It could be said of her without any question, that she " reverenced her husband," and she instilled the same Scriptural sentiment into the minds of his children. The very high respect and deference which one of her dignified appearance ever paid to him, no doubt had a favorable influence upon othei-s ; for though he was a man of remarkable elegance of pereon, air and address, and of popular attraction, yet it must be confessed that she contributed much to all these traits, and to his usefulness and zeal in public service. She relieved him of his cares at home, and applauded his devotion to the service of the people. Her reply to those who urged her " to fort," or to take protectioD in one of the stations, was, " I would as soon die by the tomahawk and scalping-knife as by famine ! I put my trust in that Power who rules the armies of Heaven, and among men on the earth. I know my husband has an eye and an arm for the Indians and the lories who would harm us, and though he is gone often, and for weeks at a time, he comes home when I least expect him, and always covered with laurels. * * If God protects him whom duty calls into danger, so will He those who trust in him and stand at their pest. * * Who would stay out if his family forted ?" This was the spirit of the heroine — this was the spirit of Catharine Sevier. Neither she nor her husband seemed to think there could be danger or loss when they could encourage or aid others to ^^ PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. daring, to duty, and to usefulness. Col. Sevier at one timo adiiaed her to go into the fort, but yielded to her respectful remonstrance At one time the toiies came to her house and demanded her hus. band's whereabouts, and finally avowed that their intention was to hang him on the highest tree in front of his house ; but that if she would tell them where he was, she and her children should be safe. Of course she refused to give them the information. One man drew a pistol and threatened to blow out her brains if she did not tell or at least give up all the money she had. " Shoot ! shoot !" was her answer. " I am not afraid to die I But remember, while there is a Sevier on the earth, my blood will not be unavenged 1" He dared not — he did not shoot. The leader of the gang told the man to put up his pistols, saying, " such a woman is too brave to die." She knew some of the party, and that they were noted thieves and tories. At another time they came to her smokehouse to carry oflf meat. She took down the gun, which her husband always left with her in good order, and said to them : " The fii-st one who takes down a piece of meat is a dead man !" They could not mistake her resolution. Iler tone, manner, and appearance avowed clearly enough that she uttered no vain warning ; that she knew her rights and dared maintain them. They left without taking anything. In the fall of 1*780, a noted loyalist by the name of Dykes planned the seizure of Sevier, but the plot was discovered to Mi-s. Sevier by his wife, as she stood by the smokehouse with her apron held out to recwve meal and a slice of meat from the Colonel's lady.* Some of their negroes were stolen and never all recovered, being^ taken into tlie Indian nation by the tories, and thence to SavannaJc or Charleston while in possession of the British. There was a mortai enmity between some of the active tories and the Seviera, resuiiing in the hanging of some of the former on two occasions^ • See Wheeler'8 North Carolina. CATHARINE SEVIER. 37 It fell to the lot of Mi-s. Sevier to do acts of hospitality and kindness to some of this set and tlieir descendants many years after the war. And these kindnesses she performed, although she acknowledged that she felt at the same time the spirit of re- venge rankhng in her bosom. " Some of them," she would say '* and perhaps all their children, may make worthy people and good titizens if they are not kept continually ashamed and mortified by Deing reminded of their bad conduct or of their tory origin." The sick and wounded soldier ever found a welcome and nursinor at the home of Sevier. The supplies for many of the Colonel's Indian expeditions were from his own private means. His wife, sons, and servants were remarkably successful in raising corn and hogs, and cheerfully were these given to the furtherance of the great ob- jects in hand.* All her life lonof was Mi's. Sevier distinoruished for her kindness and liberality to the poor. Towards children she was gentle, though she had an appearance and manner which prevented them from giving that annoyance they are apt to do to the aged. It was usual with her to keep a supply of maple-sugar and cinnamon-bark in her spice-box, from which she would gratify them, and then wave them kindly away. This motion of her hand was expressive, and easily understood. In 1784 occurred the scenes of the "State of Frankland." The people of East Tennessee, becoming dissatisfied with the con- dition of affairs under North Carolina, and impelled, as they urged, by the necessity of self-protection, organized a separate and indepen- dent government, giving that name to the new State. John Sener was its first and last Governor. The establishment of this little re- * When the paper currency of North Carolina was so depreciated that a $100 bill would rarely buy "a pone of corn-bread and slice of ham," and many persons would not take it at all in exchange for provisions or other property, the soldier could always purchase an ample supply at a fair estimate at Plum Grove, and thus by sales of lands, personal property, and perhaps in satisfaction for his military and public services, did the " old Continental currency" accumulate in the desk of Gen. Sevier to sums of between $200,000 and $300,000, which, with his papers, were left in the hands of his son, th« late C>1. G. W. S., of Tennessee. 38 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEiT. public was declared by the Governor of North Carolina to be no lest than revolt, and all concerned in it were commanded to return to their duty and allegiance, and to refuse obedience to any self-created authority, unsanctioned by tb* legislature of North Carolina. Not- withstanding this remonstrance, the new government proceeded in the exercise of sovereignty. In the conflict of authorities and the civil and personal contests which grew out of this state of things in the revolted territory, the prudent and judicious conduct of Mrs. Sevier added to her husband's reputation as well as her own. His house became the place of general resort. It was proclaimed open and free to all the friends of the rights of self-defence and in- dependence, and the impressive dignity and noble bearing of Mrs. Sevier made a deep and lasting impression upon all who resorted t > that home for counsel, aid, or hospitality. The supportei-s of the new State were obliged in time, however, to enter into measures of adjustment. When the Governor was seized by its enemies and spirited away into the interior of North Carolina, Mre. Sevier, with the promptness, energy, and daring which qualify for any occasion of utmost moment, aroused his friends, and would have gone, as a fearless leader, " to conquer or to die." But seeing that her relatives, his relatives, sons and friends were resolved upon his release and restoration, she httle doubted his speedy return, and she was not disappointed. And when a returning sense of justice, and the revulsion of pub- lic sentiment and power of popular gratitude, produced a repeal of ** the odious acts of exclusion" of North Carolina, placing him " in lone conspicuity," and the people called him, by unanimous voice, again and again, and yet again, to preside as Governor of Tennessee, and to a Seat in Congress of the United States, then did her great heart swell with thankfulness to God and her fellow-citizens. Then did she acknowledge that her husband had not endured i)eril, toil, and sacrifice in vain, though far short of the reward to which she thought him justly entitled. And we doubt not posterity will coiD- dde in this judgment. Dvring the twelve yeai-s in which he officiated as Governor of CATHARINE sevip:k. 39 Tennessee, his wife made his home delightful to him and his chil- dren. It was the rest of the weary, the asylum of the afflicted, well known as " the hospitable mansion of the first Governor, the people's favorite." The education of Mrs. Sevier, in respect of literature and the embellishments of dress and music, was such as she acquired chiefly from reading the Bible, hearing the wild birds sing, and the Indians' pow-wow. " I picked up a good deal," she was accustomed to say, "from observation of men and their acts — for that was a business with us in the early settlements — and we examined the works of nature to some advantage ; but as to school education, we had pre- cious little of that except at our mothers' knees." She embraced the religious sentiments of the Presbyterians, and her hfe throughout was exemplary and useful. In this faith she lived and died. A fovoi-ite expression of hei-s was : " I always trust in Providence." And she taught her children that " trust in God, with a pure heart, is to be rich enough ; if you are lazy, your blood will stagnate in your veins, and your trust die." She would never be idle. Knitting often engaged her fingers, while her mind and tongue were occupied in thought and conversation. She always wore at her side a bunch of very bright keys. After the death of Gov. Sevier on the Tallapoosa, in 1815, where he had gone to cement peace and establish the boundary with the Creek Indians, Mi-s. Sevier removed to Overton County, in Middle Tennessee, where most of her children resided. She selected a most romantic and secluded spot for her own retired residence. It was upon a high hench^ or spur of one of the mountains of that county^ a few miles from Obeds River, with higher mountains on either side. There were some ten or fifteen acres of tillable land, and a bold never-failing spring issuing from near the surface of the level tract, which cast its pure cold watei*s down the side of the mountain hundreds of feet into the narrow valley. In a dense wood near that spring, and miles distant from any other habitation, did her sons erect her log cabins for bedroom, dining-room, and kitchen, and othei-s for stable and crib. She resided for years at " The Dale," with the 40 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. General's aged body-servant, Toby (who had accompanied him in aD his Indian campaigns), his wife, Rachel, and a favorite female servant and boy. Seldom did she come down from her eyrie in the mountain. The aged eagle had lost her mate. She made her nest among the lofty oaks upon the mountain heights, where she breathed the air and drank the water untainted and undisturbed, fresh and pure, and nearest to the heavens. We have visited her in that chosen spot. "The Governor's widow" could never be looked upon as an ordinary countrywoman. Whoever saw her could not be satisfied with a single glance — he must look again. And if she stood erect, and her penetrating eye caught the beholder's, he judged at once there was in that mind a consciousness of worth and an acquaintance with notable events. He would wish to convei-se with her. She used language of much expressiveness and point. She never forgot that she was the widow of Gov. and Gen. Sevier ; that he had given forty yeai-s of bis life to the service of his country, and in the most arduous and perilous exposure, contributing from his own means far more than he ever received from the public treasury ; and yet he never reproached that country for injustice, neither would she murmur nor repine. At times she was disposed to sociable cheerfulness and humor, as one in youthful days, and then would she relate interesting anecdotes and incidents of the early settlement of the country, the manners and habits of the people, of the " barefoot and moccasin dance" and " spice- wood tea-parties." Her woman's pride, or some other feminine feel- ing, induced her to preserve vnth the utmost care an imported or bought carpet, of about twelve by fifteen feet in size, which had been presented to her as the "fii-st Governor's wife," and as the first article of the kind ever laid upon a " puncheon," or split-log floor west of the Alleghany Mountains. Whenever she expected company upon her own invitation, or pei*sons of character to pay their respects to her, the Scotch carpet was sure to be spread out, about the size of a modern bedquilt. But as soon as company departed, the ever- present and faithful servants, Suzy and Jeflf, incontinently commenced dusting and foMing, and it was soon again boxed up. Three times UaTHARLNE SEVIER. 41 were we permitted tlic honorable privilege of placing our well cleaned boots upon this dear relic from the household of the fiist Governor of Tennessee, and of admiring the pair of ancient and decrepit branch-candlesticks as they stood on the board over the fireplace. The bucket of cool v.'ater was ever on the shelf at the batten-door, which stood wide open, swung back upon its wooden hinges ; and there hung the sweet water-gourd ; and from very love of everything around, we repeatedly helped oureelves. The floors, the dooi-s, the chaii-s, the dishes on the shelves — yea, everything seemed to have been scoured. There was a lovely cleanness and order, and we be- lieve, " godliness with contentment." She was remarkably neat in her person, tidy, and particular, and uniform in her dress, which might be called half-mourning — a white cap with black trimmings. She had a hearth-rug, the accompani- ment of the favorite carpet, which was usually laid .before the fii'j- place in her own room, and there she commonly was seated, erect as a statue — no stooping of the figure, so often acquired by indolence and careless habit, or from infirm old age — but with her feet placed upon her rug, her work-stand near her side, the Bible ever thereon or in her lap, the Governor's hat upon the wall — such were the striking features of that mountain hermitage. There was resignation and good cheer — there was hospitality and worth in that plain cottage ; and had not the prospect of better for- tune, and attachment to children married and settled at a distance, induced her own sons to remove from her vicinity, she ought never to have been urged to come down from that " lodge in the wilder- ness." But her last son having resolved to remove to Alabama, she consented to go with him and pass her few remaining days in his femily. She departed this life on the 2d October, 1836, at Russelville, in the Stat6 of Alabama, aged about eighty-two. m. REBECCA BOONE. In the rural cemeteiy near Fi-ankfort, upon a hill overlooking tVe river, under the shadow of protecting trees, are two green mounds, unmarked by slab or stone informing the stranger that the remains of two honored pioneers — Daniel Boone and his wife, rest beneath. The beauty of the locality is unrivalled, and it is not far from the magnificent monument erected by Kentucky to her brave ofBcers fallen on the field of battle ; the splendid shaft inscribed with their names, and surmounted by a figure of Victory holding crowns in her hands. It is hoped that ere long the State will do justice to the memory of those whose arduous efforts won a victory not less glorious over the untamed wilderness, and opened the way to others as bold and pereevering. It will be remembered that the father of Daniel Boone had his residence on the borders of the Yadkin in North Carolina, at no great distance from the eastern slope of the Alleghanies ; then a frontier country, and the greater part of it unbroken forest. Near the farm here opened, was another owned by Mr. Bryan, comprising about a hundred acres beautifully situated on a gentle swell of ground; the eminence cresi'^ed with laurels and yellow poplars, which half concealed the farmer's dwelling, A wild mountain stream ran alotig the base of the hill. This Joseph Bryan was the oldest son REBECCA BOONE. 43 of Morgan Eryan, of Virginia, the head of a very respectable fam ily. His daughter, Rebecca, was born near Winchester, in Vir- ginia. Flint's " Life of Boone," contains the f(;l]owing account of his first meeting with his future wife, referred to as authentic by other bio- gi-aphei-s : " Young Boone was one night engaged in a fire hunt with a young friend. Their coui-se led them to the deeply timbered bottom which skirted the stream that wound round Bryan's pleasant plantation. That the reader may have an idea what sort of a pui-suit it was that young Boone was engaged in, during an event so decisive of his fuLure fortunes, we present a brief sketch of a night fire hunt. Two pei*sons are indispensable to it. The hoi"seman that precedes, bears on his shoulder what is called a fire pan, full of blazing pine knots, which casts a bright and flickering glare far through the forest. The second follows at some distance with his rifle prepared for action. No spectacle is more impressive than this of pail's of hunt- ers thus kindling the forest into a glare. The deer, reposing quietly in his thicket, is awakened by the approaching cavalcade, and instead of flying from the portentous brilliance, remains stu- pidly gazing upon it, as if charmed to the spot. The animal is betrayed to its doom by the gleaming of its fixed and innocent eyes. This cruel mode of securing a fatal shot is called in huntei-s' phrase — shining the eyes, " The two young men reached a corner of the farmer's field at an early hour in the evening. Young Boone gave the customary sig- nal to his mounted companion preceding him, to stop ; an indica- tion that he had shined the eyes of a deer. Boone dismounted and fastened his hoi*se to a tree. Ascertaining that his rifle was in order he advanced cautiously behind a covert of bushes, to rest the right distance for a shot. The deer is remarkable for the beauty of its eyes wheii thus shined. The mild brilliance of the two orbs v/m distinctly visible. Whether warned by a presentiment, or arrested by a palpitation and strange feelings within, at noting a new ex- pression in the Wue and dewy lights that gleamed to his heart, we 44 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WE8T. Bay not. But the unerring rifle fell, and a rustling told hina thfl game had fled. Something whispered him it was not a deer ; and yet the fleet step, as the game bounded away, might easily be mi* taken for that of the light-footed animal. A second thought im pelled him to pursue the rapidly retreating game ; and he spi'XLg away in the direction of the sound, leaving his companion to occupy himself as he might. The fugitive had the advantage of a consider- able advance of him, and apparently a better knowledge of the localities of the place. But the hunter was perfect in all his field exercises, and scarcely less fleet-footed than a deer, and he gained rapidly on the object of his pursuit, which advanced a little distance parallel with the field fence, and then, as if endowed with the utmost accomplishment of gymnastics, cleared the fence at a leap. The hunter, embarrassed with his rifle and accoutrements, was driven to the slow and humiliating expedient of climbing it But an out- line of the form of the fugitive, fleeting through the shades in the direction of the house, assured him that he had mistaken the species of the game. His heart throbbed from an hundred sensations, and among them an apprehension of the consequences of what would have resulted from discharging his rifle, when he had fii^st shined thase liquid blue eyes. Seeing that the fleet game made straight in the direction of the house, he said to himself: 'I will see the pet deer in its lair,' and he directed his steps to the same place. Half a score of dogs opened their barking upon him as he ap- proached the house, and advertised the master that a stranger was approaching. Having hushed the dogs, and learned the name of his visitant, he introduced him to his family as the son of their neighbor Boone. " Scarce had the first words of introduction been uttered, before the opposite door opened, and a boy apparently of seven, and a girl of sixteen, rushed in, panting for breath, and seeming in affright. " ' Sister went down to the river and a 'painter chased her, and she IB almost scared to death,' exclaimed the boy. " The ruddy, flaxen-haired girl stood full in view of her terrible pursuer, leaning upon his rifle, and surveying her with the rao6t REBECCA BOONE. 45 eager admiration. 'Rebecca, tliis is younjr Boone, son of our neighbor,' was the laconic introduction. Both were young, beauti- ful, and at the period when the affections exercise their most ener- getic influence. The circumstances of the introduction were favora- ble to the result, and the young hunter felt that the eyes had shined his bosom as fatally as his rifle shot had ever the innocent deer of the thickets. She too, when she saw the light, open, bold fore- head, the clear, keen, yet gentle and affectionate eye, the firm front, and the visible impress of decision and fearlessness of the hunter — when she interpreted a look which said as distinctly as looks could say it, ' how terrible it would have been to have fired I' can hardly be supposed to have regarded him with indifference. Nor can it be wondered at that she saw in him her beau ideal of excellence and beauty. The inhabitants of cities, who live in mansions, and read novels stored with unreal pictures of life and the heart, are apt to imagine that love, with all its golden illusions, is reserved exclusively 'or them. It is a most egregious mistake. A model of ideal beauty and perfection is woven in almost every youthful heart, of the brightest and most brilliant threads tliat compose the web of exist- ence. It may not be said that this forest maiden was deeply and foolishly smitten at fii-st sight. All reasonable time and space were granted to the claims of maidenly modesty. As for Boone, he was remaikable for the backwoods attribute of never being beaten out of his track, and he ceased not to woo, until he gained the heart of Re- becca Bryan. In a word, he courted her successfully, and they were married." Boone's firet step after his marriage was to find a suitable place where he might cultivate his farm, and hunt to the greatest advan- tage. His wife remained at home, while he went to explore the unsettled regions of North Carolina. When he had selected a locality near the head waters of the Yadkin, Rebecca, with the same resolute spirit of enterprise which afterwards led her to the wilds of Kentucky, bade farewell to her friends, and followed her adventurous husband. In a few months her home had assumed a pleasant aspect ; a neat cabin stood on a pleasant eminence near the river, 46 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. surrouiuled by an enclosed field; the farm was well stocked and w'th the abundance of game in the woods, the settles had no lack of means for comfort and enjoyment. The rude dwelling frequently offered the traveller shelter ; and by a cheerful fire and table loaded with the finest game, with the enhancing blessing of a hospitable welcome, was many a tale of adventure narrated, while as yet the surrounding forest was untouched by an axe. For some years the young couple lived in this sylvan retirement, till the fields of other emigrants opened wide clearings, and dwellings rose so thickly in the neighborhood as to form villages ; when Boone made up his mind to remove to some wilder spot. The country west of the Cumberland Mountains was almost unknown in 1*760. Some few hardy adventurere had struck into the pathless forests which extended along the fi'ontier settlements, but the Alleghanies had proved an insurmountable ban-ier to the f&milies of settles. The stories told by adventurei-s, meanwhile, who had ventured into the skirts of the wilderness, kindled the '.ir. agination of enterprising hunters. In 1767, Finley went still firther, and penetrated through a portion of Tennessee. " There is nothing," says the biographer of Boone, " grand or imposing in scenery, nothing striking or picturesque in the ascent and precipi- tous declivity of mountains covered with woods ; nothing romantic or delightful in deep and sheltered valleys through which wind clear streams — that was not found in this region. Mountains stretch along in continuous ridges, and now and then shoot up into elevated peaks. On the summit of some spread plateaus, which afford the most romantic prospects, and offer every advantage for cultivation, with the purest and most bracing atmosphere. No words can picture the secluded beauty of some of the vales bordering the small streams, which fling their spray, transparent as air, over moss-covered and time-worn i-ocks, walled in by precipitous moun- tains, down which pour numerous waterfalls." The rich soil and invitmg aspect of this country gave large ideas of its advantages ; and as the wanderer penetrated into Kentucky, the luxuriant beauty of its plains, its rich cane-brakes and flower REBECCA BOONE. 47 covered forests promised everything desirable in a new home. Th« forest abounded with deer, elk, and buffaloes, and more savage wild beasts had their lair in its depths and in the thick tangles of the green cane ; while pheasants, partridges, wild turkeys, and returning, was seized and carried off by five Indians. After several days' travel, when they reached the banks of the Ohio, they omitted the precaution of binding him closely one night, merely tying the buffalo tug around his wrists, and fastening it to their bodies ; and he resolved on making his escape. About midnight, casting his eyes in the direction of his feet, they fell on the glittering blade of a knife which had escaped its sheath, and was lying near the feet of one of the Indians. He could not reach it with his hands, but with some difficulty grasped the blade between his toes, and drew it within reach. He then cut his cords, and silently extri- cated himself from his captoi*s ; but he knew it would be necessary to kill them, to avoid pui*suit and certain death. After anxious reflection, his plan was formed, and carefully removing the guns of the Indians, which were stacked near the fire, and hiding them in the woods, he took two, and returning to the spot where his ene- mies were still sleeping, he placed the muzzles of each on a log within six feet of his victims, and pulled both triggers. Both shots were fatal ; he then ran to secure one of the other rifles, and fired at two of the savages, standing in a line, killing one and wounding the other, who Hmped off into the forest. The fifth darted off like a deer, with a yell of astonishment and terror. McConnel not wishing to fight any more such battles, selected his own rifle from the stack, and made the best of his way to Lexington. A Mrs. Dunlap, who had been several months a prisoner among the Indians on Mad River, soon afterwards came to the same place, having 3^ 58 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. made her escape, and reported that the survivor had returned to his tribe with a lamentable tale of an attack by a large party of white men, who had killed the poor bound prisoners, as well as hia companions !* An adventure of a different kind befel McKinley, a school teacher, iii the following year. While sitting alone at his desk, he heard a slight noise at the door, and saw an enormous wild cat. He rose to snatch up a cylindrical rule to defend himself, but the creature darted upon him, tore his clothes from his side, and buried her claws and teeth in his flesh. He threw himself on the edge of the table, and pressed the assailant against its sharp corner with all his force. Her cries, mingled with his own, now alarmed the neighbors, and after a few moments the dead animal was disengaged from her prey, though her tusks were dislodged with • some difficulty from between his ribs. In the beginning of 1 Y94, a party of Indians killed George Mason on Flat Creek, twelve miles from Knoxville. In the night he heard a noise in his stable, and stepped out ; was intercepted before he could return, by the savages, and fled, but was fired upon and wounded. He reached a cave, from which he was dragged out and murdered, and the Indians returned to the house to despatch his wife and children. Mi's. Mason heard them talking as they approached, and hoped her neighboi-s, aroused by the firing, had come to her .assistance. But perceiving that the conversation was neither in English nor German, she knew they were enemies. She had that very morning learned bow to set the double trigger of a rifle. Fortunately the children were not awakened, and she took care not to disturb them. She had shut the door, barred it with benches and tables, and taking down her husband's well charged rifle, placed hei-self directly oppo- site the opening which would be made by forcing the door. Her husband came not, and she was but too well convinced he had been slain. She was alone in darkness, and the yelling savages were pressing on the house. Pushing with groat violence, they gradually opened the door wide enough to attempt an entrance, and * McClung's Sketches of Western Adventure. REBECCA BOONE. 69 the body of one was thrust into the opening and filled it, two ot tfiree more urgini^ him forward. Mi-s. Mason set the trigger of the rifle, put the muzzle near the body of the foremost, and fired. The first Indian fell ; the next uttered t!,e scream of mortal agony. The intrepid woman observed profound silence, and the savages were led to believe that armed men were in the house. They withdrew, took three horses from the stable, and set it on fire. It was after- wards ascertained that this high-minded woman had saved herself and children from the attack of twenty-five assailants. The cpportiinity seems favorable to notice the spirit and manners of those primitive times of Kentucky history. After the period of the attack on Bryant's Station, and the disastrous battle of the Blue Licks, which took place on the 18th of August, 1782, notwithstand- ing the dangers which surrounded the settlements, they began to have more of the aspect of communities. The proportion of women, which had hitherto been so small, became larger, and a hcense to marry is said to have been the first process issued by the clerks of the new counties. The first settlers having generally been composed of those who had braved the perils of settling the frontiei-s of the adjacent states, their helpmates were accustomed to labor and hard- ship. The duties of the household were discharged by the females. " They milked the cows, prepared the meats, spun and wove the garments of their husbands and children ; while the men hunted the game of the woods, cleared the land, and planted the grain. To gi'ind the Indian corn into meal on the rude and laborious hand- mill, or to pound it into hominy in a mortar, was occasionally the work of either sex. The defence of the country, the building of forts and cabins, fell most properly to the share of the men ; though m those hardy times, it was not at all uncommon for females, during I siege, to run bullets and neck them for the rifle. Deer skins were Jxtensively used for dress, to compose the hunting shirt, the long overalls, tjie leggins, and the soft and pliable moccasins ; the butFalo and bear furnished the principal covering for the night. Handker chiefs tied roand the head, often supplied the place of hats ; strips of bufialo hf do were used for ropes. Stores or shops were unknown ; 60 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. wooden vessels either prepared by the turner^ the cooper^ or their rude representatives in the woods, were the common substitutes for table furniture. A tin cup waa an article of delicate luxury almost as rare as an iron fork. Every hunter carried a knife, too aptlj called a scalping knife^ in the hands of the white man as well as in those of the Indian ; and one or two knives would compose the cutlery of families. The furniture of the cabin was appropriate to the habitation ; the table was made of a slab, or thick, flat piece of timber, split and roughly hewn with the axe, with legs prepared in the same manner. This latter instrument was the principal tool in all mechanical operations, and with the adze, the auger, and above all, the rifle, composed the richest mechanical assortment of Ken- tucky. Stools of the same material and manufacture, filled the place of chaii"8. When some one more curiously nice than his neighboi-s, chose to elevate his bed above the floor (often the naked ground), it was placed on slabs laid across poles which were again supported by forks driven into the floor. If, however, the floor happened to be so luxurious as to be made of puncheons (another larger sort of slabs), the bedstead became hewed pieces, let into the sides of the cabin by auger holes in tlie logs. The cradle of these times was a small rolling trough, much like what is called the sugar trough, used to receive the sap of the sugar maple. Still the food in these rude habitations, and with this rough and inartificial furni- ture, was the richest milk and finest butter furnished by the luxu- riant pasture of the woods, covered with the rich pea vine and the luscious cane. The game of the country, it has been already seen, struck the experienced eye of even Boone as profuse beyond mea- sure ; it was the theme of admiration to ev^ery hunter ; nor did the abundance afford slight assistance to the whites in their conquest of the land. The enemy would never have permitted provisions to have been transported, or to have grown by the slow and peaceable proo'sses of farming ; and the consequence must have been that the stations would have been starved into surrender, but for the pro- vidential supply of the deer, the buffiilo, and the bear. These were to be obtained by every gallant rifleman ; and this so abundantly ANNA INNIS. 6) that the buffalo has often been shot in order to enjoy either it* hump or its tongue. The hospitality of these times was much less a merit than an enjoyment; often a protection to both parties. The fare was rough, but heartily and generously divided with every fellow- woodsman."* Generosity, hardihood, bravery, and endurance of suffering, were prominent and undeniable features in the character of these fii-st settlers. But the female sex, though certainly an object of mora regard than among the Indians, had to endure much hardship, and occupy a rank inferior to the male partner, among the earliest emi- grants, the state of society exercising high physical qualities rather than mental or artificial endowments. Anna Innis, widow of Hon. Henry Innis, and mother of Mrs. J. J. Crittenden, died at Cedar Hill, near Frankfort, Kentucky, May 12th, 1851. This lady was one of the pioneera of Kentucky, and has been the pride of her State and an ornament to the country. Her early days were spent in the wilderness, and yet in the society of such men as Clarke, Wayne, Shelby, Scott, Boone, Hendei-son, Logan, Hart, Nicholas, Murray, Allen, Breckenridge, and all the great and heroic spirits of the West. She saw Washington as he led his broken army through the Jerseys, and as he returned in triumph from Yorktown. Of this remarkable woman the Frankfort Commonwealth says : " Her tenacious memory retained all she had seen, and she be- came the chronicler of her own times, and interwove her narrative with traditions of the past. Providence had been kind in all his dealings with her. He had blest her with a strong mind and con- stitution, and with great cheerfulness and courage. He had blessed her in her ' basket and her store.' He had blessed her in her chil- dren, and at last wh«n the message came, having borne all the trials of a long and eventful life with heroic firmness, she died in the full communion and fellowship of the Presbyterian Church, o^ which rihe had been long an exemplaiy member." ♦ Butler's Kentucky. 62 PIONEEK WOMEN OF THE WEST. Another of the eminent daughters of Kentucky was the raothef of Gen. Leslie Combs, whose maiden name was Sarah Richardson. She was of a respectable Quaker family of Maryland, connected by blood with the Thomases and Snowdens. Leslie, the youngest of twelve childien, was just eighteen when he started as a volunteer to join the Kentucky troops ordered to the northern frontier, under Gen. Winchester, in 1812. Two of his elder brothers had previously entered the service, and with earnest entreaties he T)revailed on his parents to let him go, setting forward alone a few weeks after the army had marched. " I shall never forget," were his words in after yeai-s, " the parting scene with my beloved and venerated mother, in which she reminded me of my father's histoi^, and her own trials and dangei-s in the early settlement of Kentucky, and closed by saying to me ' as I had resolved to become a soldier, 1 must never disgrace my parents by running from danger ; but die rather than fail to do my duty.' This injunction was ever present to me afterwards in the midst of danorers and difficulties o^ which 1 had then formed no idea, and stimulated me to deeds I might otherwise, perhaps, have hesitated to undertake or perform." The residence of Mi-s. Combs, after her removal from the picketed station where she first lived in Kentucky, was on a farm about six miles from Boonesborough. The family suffered much fram the depredations of the Indians who then infested the country from the Ohio to the Tennessee. Mi*s. Combs' riding horee was shot down under her eldest son while he and his father were on a trapping excursion within two or three miles of home. They did not return as soon as expected, and the mother was left alone in the cabin with two or three little children, a prey to the most agonizing apprehen- sions. It was through her industry and energy that her children were enabled to obtain a better education than was usual in the country in those days. This fact is mentioned in the inscription on her tombstone, which stands on the farm where they lived and died, alongside of that inscribed with the name of her husband, nworde^J as " a Revolutionary officer and a Hunter of Kentucky." Note.— See page 428, IV. CHARLOTTE ROBERTSON. Charlotte Reeves was the second daughter of George Reeves and Mary Jordan, and was born in Northampton County, N. C, in Jan- uary 1751. Her parents were poor in worldly possessions, and were able to give their children only a limited education ; but they trained them to labor and habits of systematic industry, and in those strict principles which guided and preserved their parents through life, and made their example useful. Soon after the marriage of Char- lotte with James Robertson, the young eouple crossed the mountains and fixed their abode in one of the new settlements on the Watauga or Holston River. In 17*79, Robertson went with some others to explore the Cumberland Valley, leaving his family behind. They explored the country to the neighborhood of the spot where Nashville now stands, planted there a field of corn, and leaving three of the party to keep the buJ9faloes out of the corn, returned to East Tennessee for their families. The fame of the fertile Cumberland lands, the salubrity of the air, the excellence of the water, and the abundance of game of all sorts, was soon diffused through all the frontier settlements, and many took the resolution of emigrating to this land of plenty. Companies came and built cabins and block houses and in the latter part of February or first of March 178(\ 64 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Mi-s. Robertson left her home at the mouth of Big Creek od the Holston, for the purpose of joining her husband. Her party con- sisted of hei-self and four small children, her brother William Reeves, Charles Robertson her husband's brother, her sister-in-law, and three little nieces, with two white men servants, a negro woman and her infant. These voyagers were conveyed in two of the small and frail flat-boats appointed to convey the families of emigrants to their new homes in the wilderness. Capt. James Robertson was to head the party travelling by land through Kentucky to the same point of destination, and driving the cattle belonging to the little colony ; and had left home some weeks previously, with his eldest son, fourteen yeai-s of age. Those who went by water descended the north fork of the Holston, and proceeded down Tennessee River. The various difficulties they encountered, the perils and fatigues of this tedious and dangerous trip, were more numerous that it is now possible to detail. At the mouth of Duck River they expected to land and make their way through the wilderness to the •' Cumberland County," but the guides failing to meet them, they continued their voyage to the mouth of the Tennessee. At this point their difficulties were fearfully increased. The ice was just broken up in the Ohio, the water was rising, and the aspect of things appeared so discouraging to their pilot, that he abandoned the enter- prise in despair, and left the company to make their way in the best manner possible up the river, having to ascend against a rapid cur- rent, with clumsy and scarcely manageable boats, some two hundred miles. The emigrants were worn out and disheartened with the toil of the voyage already accomplished, the men were strangers to the navigation of the Ohio, which flowed for the most part through an unbroken forest, infested on either side with wild beasts and more merciless Indians; their lives seemed endan- gered at every step, and so dreary was the prospect, that about one half the company decided against pui-suing the enterprise, bade adieu to their companions, and shoving their boats into the smooth current of the Ohio, sought homes for their families in Natchez. The others turned their bows up the river. Of Mrs. cnARLurrE kobertson. 65 l^)bertrion's party only two men were left, her brother and brother* in-law. They lashed the two boats together ; Mrs. Johnson, the widowed sister of Capt. Robeilson, undertook to serve as pilot, and managed the steering oar, while Mrs. Robertson and Ilagar, th« African woman, worked at the side oai-s alternately with Reeves and Robertson. By this tedious and laborious progress, they made their way up the Ohio to the mouth of the Cumberland, and up the Cumberland to the point of destination, landing in the beginning of April at the site of Nashville. Haywood, in his history of Tennessee, describes the voyage made by " The Adventure" and other boats, vhich, leaving the fort on the Holston the 22d of December, 1779, did not reach the "Big Salt Lick" till the latter part of April. An extract may give an idea of the perils of the exuedition. In passing Indian villages on the Tennessee, the voyagers had been accosted by many of the savages with professions of friendship, designed to cover a hostile purpose. " In a short time the crew came in sight of another town, situated on the north side of the river, nearly opposite a small island. Here also the Indians invited those on board to come on shore, calling them brother, and seeing the boats standing to the opposite side, told the passengei*s that their side was the best for the boats to pass the island on. A young man on board the boat of Capt. John Blackmore, approaching too near the shore, was shot in the boat from the shore. Mr. Stewart had set off in a boat on board which were blacks and whites to the number of twenty-eight. His family being diseased with the small pox, it was agreed that he should keep at some distance in the rear. He was to be informed each night where the othei-s lay by the sound of a horn. The foremost boats having passed the town, the Indians collected in considerable numbei-s. Seeing him far behind, they intercepted him in their canoes, and killed and made prisonei*s the whole crew. The crews of the other boats were not able to relieve him, being alarmed for their own safety, for they perceived large bodies of Indians march ing on foot down the river, keeping pace with the boats, till tho Cumberland mountain covered them fi*om view. The boats were t)6 PIONEER WOMEN OF TIIE WESf. nov." arrived at the place called the Whirl or Suck, where the river is compressed into less than half its common width, by the Cumber- land mountain jutting into it on both sides. In passing through the upper part of these narrows, at a place termed the Boiling Pot, a man of the name of John Cotton was descending the river in a canoe with a small family, and had attached it to Robert Cart- wright's boat, into which he and his family had entered for safety. The canoe was here overturned, and the little cargo lost. The movei's pitying his distress, concluded to land and assist him in recovering his property. Having landed on the north shore at a level spot they began to go towards the place where the misfortune had hap- pened, when the Indians, to their astonishment, appeared on the opposite clifife, and commenced firing down upon them. The Indians continued their fire fi'om heights upon the boats. In the boat of Mr. Gower was his daughter Nancy. When the crew were thrown into disorder and dismay, she took the helm, and steered the boat, exposed to all the fire of the enemy A ball passed through her clothes, and penetrated the upper part of her thigh, going out on the opposite side. It was not discovered that she was wounded by any complaint she made, or a word she uttered, but after the dan- ger was over, her mother discovered the blood flowing through her clothes." Reaching the mouth of the Tennessee the 20th of March, they parted with their companions who were discouraged from proceed- ing, and the Adventure, with the boats which accompanied her, went up the Ohio. " They made but little way on that day, and en- camped on the south bank of the Ohio, suffering on that and the two following days much uneasiness from hunger and fatigue. On the 24th of March, they came to the mouth of Cumberland River, but its size was so much less than they had expected to find it, that Rome would not believe it to be the Cumberland. It flowed in a gentle current ; they had heard of no river on the south side of the Ohio, between the Tennessee and Cumberland, and they determined to go up this as the Cumberland, and did so. On the 25th, tha river seemed to grow wider ; the current was very gentle, and the? CII-ARLOrrE ROBERTSON. C7 were now con\'inced it Wcis tlie Cumberland. The crews were now without bread, and were obhged to hunt the buffalo, and feed on his flesh. On the 24th of Apnl, 1*780, they came to the Big Salt Lick, where they found Ca}U. James Robertson and his company, and where they were gratified at meeting those friends whom, but a little before, it was doubtful whether they should ever see again. They also found a few log cabins, erected by Capt. Robertson and his associates, on a cedar bluff, on the south side of the river, at some distance from the Salt Spring." For yeai-s after their removal the families of the settlement suf- fered many privations, and were -compelled to live most of the time within the shelter of the forts, being subjected to ferocious attacks by the Indians. Two of Mi-s. Robertson's sons were murdered by the savages. It was indeed a constant scene of anxiety and danger to the close of the Indian war in 1794, and the frequent alarms, and incidents of pei"sons being killed or wounded at or near the fort occupied by our heroine, gave her full experience of all the horrors of war. At one time she had the agony of seeing brought in from the adjoining woods the headless body of a beloved son ; and it cannot be wondered at that she was heard to say in after life — she would not live those yeai-s over again to be insured the possession of the world. " In the year 1782, and for several yeai-s afterwards, the commoa custom of the country was, for one or two pei-sons to stand as watch- men or sentinels, whilst others labored in the field ; and even whilst one went to a spring to drink, another stood on the watch with his gun ready to give him protection by shooting a creeping Indian, or one rising from the thicket of canes and brush, that covered hira from view ; and wherever four or five were assembled together at a spring or other place where business required them to be, they held their sfuns in their hands, and with their backs turned to each other, one faced the north, another the south, another the west, watchin,; in all directions for a lurking or creeping enemy. While the peop'a were so much harassed and galled by the Indians that they cou" i not plant and cultivate their corn-fields, a proposition was made in » 68 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. council of the inhabitants of the blufl, to break up the settlement and go off. Capt. Robertson pertinaciously resisted this proposition; it was then impossible to get to Kentucky ; the Indians were in force upon all the roads and passages which led thither ; for the same reason it was equally impracticable to remove to the settle- ments on the Holston. No other means of escape remained but that of going down the river in boats, and making good their retreat to the Illinois ; and to this plan great obstacles were opposed, for how was the wood to be obtained with which to make the boats? The Indians were every day in the skii-t«4 of the bluft', lying concealed among the shrubs, privy and cedar-irees, ready to inPlct death upon whoever should attempt to go to the woods to procure timber for building a boat. These difficulties were all stated by Capt. Robert- son; he held out the dangers attendant on the attempt on the one hand ; the fine country they were about to possess themselves of on the other ; the probability of new acquisitions of numbers from the interior settlements, and the certainty of being able, by a careful attention to circumstances, to defend themselves till succor could arrive. Finally, their apprehensions were quieted, and gra- dually they relinquished the design of evacuating the positions they occupied."* The following extract from a " Talk " from " The Glass," a Chero- kee chief, to Gov. Blount, dated " Look-out Mountain," Sept. 10th, 1*792, may show something of the state of feeling prevalent between the hostile parties. " Codeatoy returned here from the treaty at Nashville, and tells us that Col. Robertson said there had been a great deal of blood spilled in his settlement, and that he would come and sweep it clean with our blood. This caused our young warriors to assemble to- gether to meet him, as he told Codeatoy that the fii-st mischief that should be done, he would come ; and we knew of coui-se it would not be long before something might happen, as there are Creeks daily going to that settlement ; and as they expect to suffer for the doings of othei-s, they reso'ved they would meet him, or go to the * Haywood CHARLOTTE ROBERTSON. 69 Bettlemonts and do mischief, as they were to be the sufferers, do it who would. But with the assistance of Bloody Fellow, John Watts, and some other head men, we have sent them to their different homes, and to mind their hunting, in hopes you will not suffer any of your people to send any more threatening talks. We took pity upon the innocent that might suffer on both sides, which undoubt- edly would have been the case. As I have always listened to your talks, I hope you will listen to mine, and have peace."* Gov. Blount writes to Gen. Robertson, March 8th, 1794 : " Your letter of 6th Feb., sent express by James Russell, was handed to me much stained with his blood by Mr. Shannon, who accompanied him. Russell was wounded by a party of Indians who ambuscaded him about eighteen miles from South West Point, which he with difficulty reached, and was obliged to continue there for several days before he could be removed. He is now in the hands of a skilful surgeon, and it is hoped will recover. His fifty dollai-s have been dearly earned ; but instead of complaining, he may rejoice that he has so often escaped. "f In a letter from John McKee to " The Glass" and other chiefs of the lower towns of the Cherokee nation, he speaks of an expecta- tion on their part that he would meet them on the middle ground for a " ball play." This was a national game, by which parties sometimes decided their claims to disputed land. It was a manly sport often witnessed by assembled thousands. The following description of the game is furnished by a gentleman of Nashville, who has Hved among the Indians. The contending parties always consist of twelve on a side — twenty-four in all, selected froui among the most athletic men in the station. Each side is headed by one who is captain, or principal man. The ball used on such occasions was generally made of the common punk, obtained from the knots of trees, or some soft dry root, and is always covered with dressed buckskin, and about the size of a walnut. The ball is never to be touched with * Copied from MS. letter in the Historical Col'ection at Nashville. t MS. Letter. 70 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. the hands, but is caught, held, and thrown with a set of sticks made expressly for the purpose. The ball stick is made of a piece of tough wood, about six feet in length, and the thickness of a small walking-stick, reduced one half in the middle, for about ten inches. The piece of wood is then bent till the ends are brought together, forming a bowl something like the bowl of a spoon, while the two strips of wood are wrapped together from the bowl to the ends with a leathern string, to make the handle ; the bowl being finished with buckskin strings, fastened to the wood on all sides, and crossing each other, forming meshes like a fine seine, and left loose so as to bag a little. The ball-stick, when finished, was a spoon with a bowl about as large as a man's hand, and a handle some three feet long. Each man is furnished with two sticks, which together would hold as much as a quart measure. The playground is generally laid off east and west, and the two poles are placed from a quarter to half a mile from each other. The poles are two stakes put up about twenty yards apart, and the ball has to pass between these two stakes in order to count one in the game. Halfway between the poles a line is drawn ; those who wish the ball to pass through the western pole, take their stand about twenty yards east of the centre line, and those in favor of the eastern pole take their position about the same distance on the west of the line. While the two captains take their stand at th& division line, the ball is laid upon the ground, on the centre line. One of the captains takes it up with his sticks, and throws it up some thirty or forty feet ; and then the game begins. The two captains, one in Givor of the western, the other of the eastern pole, as the ball descends, contend for it, leaping as high as they can, while the Bticks rattle and crash together; should these two be of equal Btrength and expertness in the game, thft contention may be long «nd fierce, and it sometimes so happens that they struggle until per- fectly exhausted, without the ball taking a start for either pole. At other times the ball is caught in its descent, and hurled with great raj>idity towards one of the poles; but whatever direction it takes, it meets the opposition of eleven pei-sons who hf "6 taken their stand CHARLOrrE ROBERTSON. 71 In that direction, by some of whom it is sure to be caught and hurled in a dillerent direction. I liave seen the ball Imrled haoV and forward in this way for minutes together. At other times J have seen the whole twenty-four contend pell-mell together for several seconds, while a spectator could not tell where the ball was. Again, I have seen the whole party take a right angular direction to the poles, in consequence of the hand being interrupted at the moment of tlirowing the ball, and thus work away entirely without the limits of the playground, until recalled by the judges. There is no time for breathing, from the moment the ball is thrown up at the centre line, until it passes through one of the poles, unless the judges should call them otf for the purpose of recess ; and never have I seen human beings so much fatigued as at the end of one of these strains. One thing which I have observed extremely objectionable in these plays, is this; any one of the party is allowed to double up his antagonist, notwithstanding they are not permitted to strike, scratch, or bruise each other. The doubling is done in the follow- ing manner : One will catch his antagonist, throw him upon his back, take him by the feet, elevate them, and press his head and shoulders upon the ground until the poor fellow is disabled in the back. This practice results sometimes in rendering the individual so helpless, that he has to be carried off the ground. The only clothing carried into a ball-play, is the belt, with a piece of some kind of cloth about eighteen inches square, appended in front ; but they generally come out of these plays, as far as cloth- ing is concerned, about as they came into the world. There is always the same number in reserve that are engaged in the play, so that when one is disabled, another supphes his place, in order that the number, twenty-four, may be kept up. There are two sets ot judges; six for and six against the western pole, take their position there ; and in like manner at the eastern pole. The ball has to pass twelve times between the same pole, or stakes, before the game ends. In 1794, Mi's. Robertson went on hoi-seback into South Carolina 72 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. accompanied by her eldest son, to bring out her aged parents, who had removed to that State with some of their children. The^ returned to Tennessee with their daughter, who was now able to offoi them a comfortable home, and under her roof the remainder of iheii days passed in peace and comfort. Both lived beyond the eightieth year of their life, and had the passage to the grave smoothed by tlip devoted attentions of an affectionate daughter, and her equally devoted children. At the period of most imminent danger to the settlement, Mrs. Robertson was often deprived of the support which kept the other women from despondency. Her husband was looked upon as the special protector of the infant colony, and had laborious duties to perform for its security and comfort. He was obliged every year to take the long and hazardous journey through the wilderness to North Carolina, for the purpose of attending the sessions of the Legislature, and using his utmost endeavoi^s to have the aid of that body extended to the feeble and distant settlement on the Cumber- land. This was done by Gen. Robertson for eight or ten yeai-s in succession, and while thus absent from home a great part of his time, he and his family were exposed to perils of various kinds, and obliofed to remain ifrnorant for lonir intervals of each other's condi- tion. For fourteen yeai-s these trials, endured by Mrs. Robertson and her family, called for their utmost fortitude and energy to bear up under them, and under harassing anxiety for the fate of their absent guardian, exposed unprotected to the attacks of savage enemies. On one occasion, Gen. Robertson and his eldest son, Jonathan, then nearly grown to manhood, went into the surrounding woods to see after some hoi-ses that had gone astray. The General had a led horse, and did not take his gim. They had scarcely entered the woods when they were fired on by five or six Indians who lay in ambush near the path. A ball passed through the young man't thigh and entered his horse's side ; the father also received two balls, one fiacturing the Ix^nes of his left artn just above the wrist, the other passing through the flesh of iiis right arm without injuring CHARLOTTE RORKRTSON. 73 the bone. Jonathaffs horee, maddened by fright and the wound, became unmanageable, and plunged so violently, that fearing the annnal might fell with him, and entangle him beyond escape, he raised himself in his stirrups and leaped to the ground, alighting on his feet. He then turned on the Indians, who rushed towards him, and prepared to fire, while the savages ran to the shelter of trees to protect themselves. One was behind a tree not large enough to screen his body, and young Robertson taking aim, fired at him ; then hastened after his father, whose horse, released for the moment from the control of the bridle by the disabling of the rider's hands, had dashed ofi" furiously in a diffei-ent direction from the fort. When the General heard his son shouting to him, he checked the animal, and the young man sprung on the back of the led horse, which had followed close on the heels of the other. The whole scene occurred within the hearing of the inmates of the fort, and as the fugitives were compelled to take a circuitous route to reach a place of safety, it may be imagined what were the feelings of the wife and mother during a prolonged period of fearful suspense, when the probabihties that her husband and son were murdered or captive, increased with every passing moment. The Indian Jonathan had shot, was found afterwards so badly wounded that he died in a few days. His gun and shot-bag were found secreted under a log near the tree, the bark of which had been scalped by the bullet. A short time after Jonathan's marriage, he determined on making a settlement on some land he had purchased, a mile or so from his father's fort. He built a cabin, and commenced clearing the land ; but was prevented by other occupations from continuing his work, and hired a man by the name of Hiland to carry it on. This laborer went to the place alone ; but had been employed only a few days, when returning one evening from his work, he cut a large bundle of green cane, and was carrying it on his shoulder to his house ; the rustling of this cane aflforded a party of Indians a fair opportunity of coming up behind him without being perceived, and as he was in the act of throwing the cane over the fence, they shot him down and scalped him. Gen. Robertson, hearing of the occur 4 74 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. rcnce, determined, if possible, to insure future security to the settlers by pui-suing and cutting off these marauding parties, and issued an order to Capt. Thomas Murray, to raise a company of volunteers and overtake the Indians, or pursue them into the very heart of the nation. A detachment was raised ; the settlei-s, anxious to strike a blow for their own security, joining m large numbers, and the pur- suit was commenced with a hundred and ten mounted men. After a few days, the spies reported the Indians encamped on the Tennessee at the Muscle Shoals ; the company attacked the camp, and several of the savages were killed, some making their escape, and two squaws being captured. Young Robertson, meanwhile, was not discouraged from prose- cuting his enterprise, but removed to his new place with his wife, and a negro named Ephraim. Detemiined to persevere in pre- paring the land and making a home for his family, he engaged two of his wife's cousins, named Cowen, to assist him in his labors. They were all at work one day in the clearing, and were as usual sum- moned to dinner by a call from the house. They had stacked their arms against a large tree some fifty yards from the edge of theclear- inff, and between that and the house. It had been settled between them that in case of an attack by Indians, they should rush instantly to seize their arms, each take a tree, and make a stand against the enemy. On hearing the call to dinner, the men laid down their working implements, and stopped to push up the brush which had not been consumed into the brush-piles, not perceiving that several Indians had crept along under cover of the woods, and approached very near them. The moment they discovered the enemy, they sprang forward to secure their arms, while the savages, who had reached the edge of the clearing by the time the white men gained their weapons, rushed in pui-suit. The directions previously agreed upon were observed, and each pioneer snatched his gun and sprang behind a tree. At the moment Robertson raised his gun, he per- ceived an Indian partly concealed behind another tree, and preparing to fire. His body projected far enough beyond the cover to aflbrd « fair ch'uioe of hitting him ; Robei-tson fired, and at tho same CHARLOTTE ROBERTSON. 75 instant the Cowens did also. This spirited defence alarmed the Indians ; they began to retreat, and had disappeared in the cane before their foes could reload. Meanwhile poor E]>hraim, who had a terror of gunpowder, could not stand his ground with the rest of the party, but hastened with all his speed towards the house ; and when, after the flight of the enemy, the white men raised the Indian yell by way of a triumph note, the affrighted negro, rushing into the cabin, gave the inmates reason to suppose that all their friends were killed and scalped. This horrible fear, however, was soon dissipated by the appearance of the victorious settlers return- ing to the house. One of the Cowens was slightly wounded in the hand, and the rim of Robertson's hat on one side was nearly severed from the crown by an Indian bullet, but no other injury had been received. This incident is worthy of notice, as the only instance during the period of the Indian troubles in which white men, fired on while at work in the field, made a stand, and succeeded in driv- ing off the assailants. It was afterwards ascertained from the Indians that five of their number had been either killed or wounded 80 desperately that they died before reaching home. It should be mentioned that one of the pioneers used a British musket loaded with rifle bullets, and fired at a number of Indians together as they rushed into the thin cane borderino^ the clearinij. It w^as believed the party of savages had numbered fifteen. An instance of female heroism which occurred at a station some Bix miles west of Nashville, may be here related. Mi-s. Dunham, the wife of one of the pioneei*s, while sitting in her house at work — her little children playing in the yard — heard them scream out suddenly, and rushing to the door, saw them running from several Indians. One of the savages was in the act of clutching hei daughter, six or seven years of age, and succeeded in laying hold of the child, a few yards from the door. There were no men on the premises ; but the mother seized a hoe standing against the house near the door, and rushed at the Indian with the uplifted weapon. Before she came near enough to strike him with it, however, he let go the chi) I, who ran into the house, the mother following, Th« 76 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. [ndian pursued them closely, and pushed his gun into the door before it could be closed, to shoot Mi-s. Dunham. She kept her hold of the door, and slammed it to violently, catching the gun be- tween it and the door-post, and holding it with all her force, while the savage tried in vain to get the weapon released. She then, with singular presence of mind, called aloud as if to some person within, "Bring me that gun !" The Indian undei-stood enough of English to know her meaning, and believing there were other persons in the house, he left his gun and made off. The other children had found shelter in the house, and were thus preserved from massacre by their mother's energy and self-possession. Mrs. Dunham's oldest son, Daniel — a boy nine or ten years of age — had a remarkable escape. He was out playing one day with two or three other boys a Httle larger than himself, and the youth- ful party carelessly wandered a short distance out of gunshot of the fort They were observed by some Indians who resolved to take them prisoner. This was a more profitable business than killing them, as they could make useful servants of the captives, or obtain a large ransom for them from their bereaved friends. With this object, the savages left their guns, and crept stealthily as near the boys as the nature of the ground permitted them to do without being seen. As they rose upon their feet to spring forward and Beize their prey, the boys saw them, gave a cry of alarm, and instantly started in a life and death race for the fort Young Dun- ham, the smallest lad, was the hindmost but he fled v\ith the speed of a frightened fawn, closely pursued, however, his enemy gaining ground upon him, till just as he came within the range of protec- tion from the fort, the Indian overtook him, and laid hold of his flannel hunting shirt Throwing his arms back suddenly, the nim- ble boy slipped out of the garment and ran on, loa\ing the disap- pointed savage holding his trophy, for he dared not pui-sue the fugitive any further. Through a multitude of such trials Mi-s. Robertson was preserved. She wa«; the mother of eleven children, and lived to an advanced age, leavino; a number of descendants, useful and prosperous citi»3n? CHARLOTTE ROBERTSON. 77 in the valley to which she came as a pioneer. She witnessed tho gradual growth of the place selected as her home from a wilderness to a rude settlement, and thence to a town of importance. In 1805 Nashville boasted but one brick house, although Market-street and a few others were laid out. There was a log schoolhouse, and the wild forest encircled the future capital. There was difficulty at that time in procuring supplies of provisions ; it took three or four months to go to and from New Orleans in the flat-bottomed boats, which always started as soon as the watei-s rose, and returned in the spring laden with groceries, grain, and various articles for provision and clothing. Furs were procured of the Indians. There were at that period no good schools in the valley, and pupils were sent to Caro- hna and the Eastern States to be educated, by parents who were able to afford the expense. Stores for use or trading purposes were sometimes brought in wagons from Baltimore and Philadelphia, through the eastern portion of Tennessee ; but pack-hoi-ses had been generally used. Two men could manage ten or fifteen hoi-ses, carrying each about two hundred pounds, by tying one to the othef in single file, one man taking charge of the leading, the other of the hindmost horee, to keep an eye on the proper adjustment of the loads, and to stir up any that appeared to lag. Bells were indis- pensable accompaniments to the hoi-ses, by which they could be found in the morning when hunting up preparatory to a start. Grass or leaves were inserted in the bells to prevent the clapper from moving during the travel of the day. The fii-st wagon-load of merchandize brought over the mountains on the southern route, is said to have been in 1789, when it was nearly a month making a trip of one hundred and forty miles. " The water-craft used in descending the Ohio in those primitive times, were flat boats made of green oak plank, fastened by wooden pins to a frame of timber, and caulked with tow or any other pliant substance that could be procured. Boats similarly ox)nstructed on the northern watei-s, were called " arks," but on the Western rivera they were denominated Kentucky boats. The materials of which they were composed were found useful in constructing temporary 78 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. buildings for safety and protection against the inclemenc}' of the weatlier, after they had arrived at their destination."* In early hfe Mi-s. Robertson became a member of the Methodist Episcopal. Church, and with her husband joined the fii-st society of that denomination organized in the country, under the preaching of Wilson Lee. The class met to hear the word preached and for social communion, about three miles WTst of Nashville. She continued an exemplary member of this Church to her death. In all the relations of hfe she was fiiithful, and strict in the pei*- formance of every duty. Her manners were modest, unassuming and gentle; she was kind and affectionate in her family, a most devoted and loving mother, and a careful, though indulgent mis- tress. She was ever open-hearted and benevolent, soothing the ills she had no power to remove. Her industrious habits and self- denying virtues were an example to all who knew her, and she was esteemed and beloved by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. In pei-son she was rather above the medium size, with a symmetri- cal form, and regular, interesting, and expressive features. She retained to the close of life the faculties of mind and body in uncom- mon vigor ; and in the full expectation of a glorious immortality calmly closed her eyes on the scenes of earth in her ninety-third year, June 11th, 1843, at the house of her son-in-law, John B. Craighead, three miles west of Nashville. General Robertson was engaged during the gi'eater part of his hfe in public service. In his latter yeai*s he was appointed Indian asrent in the Choctaw nation, where he died in 1814. His bones were removed some years since from the Indian lands, and deposited in the bunal ground at Nashville. The sons murdered by the Indians were Peyton Henderson, eleven years of age, and James Randolph, about twenty. With the exception of these, and an infant daughter, the children of Mrs. Robertson lived to marry and have families of their own. Three daua:htei"s and two sons are liv- ing at this date, and Dr. Robertson, one of the sons, is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Nashville. . * Burnet's Notes. JANE BROWN. Many fearful tales of the individual suffering which marked the early historv of Tennessee, are only known to a few as family tra- ditions, and rem'^mbered by the descendants of those who bore a pait, as stories of the nui*sery and not as chapters in the great his- toric record of the past. Yet the experience and conduct of a single individual may often better illustrate the condition, progress, and character of a people, than whole chaptei-s devoted to the details of a campaign. The traditional recollections detailed in the following sketch of the family of James Brown, connected as they were intimately with some of the most important political events of that period, cannot fail to throw new light upon the pioneer history of the country, and inspire our hearts with renewed gratitude to those hardy, but wise men and women, who built up so goodly a State amidst so many troubles, in the dark and bloody valleys of the Shauvanon, Tanasees, and Ho-ffo-hegree. • Jane Gillespie was born in Pennsylvania about the year 1740. Her father was a pioneer in the settlement of North Carolina. Her family was one of the most respectable as well as the most worthy in the county of Guilford, where they resided during the Revolu- tionary war. Two of her brothei-s, Col. and Maj. Gillespie, wert 80 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. distinguished for their gallantry and devotion to the cause of liberty, and were honored as brave officei-s. Herself and most of her fam ily were members of the Rev. David Caldwell's church at Guil- ford, and ardently espoused his political and religious principles. About the year 1761 or 1*762, Miss Gillespie became the wife of James Brown, a native of Ireland, whose family had settled in Guil- ford some years before. At the beginning of the Revolution, Mrs. Brown had a large family of small children, but she freely gave up her husband when his country demanded his services. During the mas- terly retreat of General Greene, in the winter of 1*781, on Dan and Deep rivei-s, Brown was the pilot and guide of Colonels Lee and Washington, and by his intimate knowledge of the country, its by- paths and fords, contributed not a Httle to the successful counter- marches of the American army, by which they were enabled to elude and break the spirit of the army of Lord Cornwallis. When the Americans assumed the offensive, and, from a retreating, suddenly became a pui-suing army, Brown pressed eagerly into the fight with the bold troopers of Lee and Washington. Being in moderate cii'cumstances, and pressed by the cares of a large and increasing family. Brown's ardent temperament was not satisfied with the prospect of a plodding life of toil in Guilford. For nis Revolutionary services he had received from the State of North Carolina land- warrants, which entitled him to locate a large quan- tity of land in the wilderness beyond the mountains. His neigh- boi-s had made him sheriff of his county, and a justice of the County Court, and he was rapidly rising in the estimation of his country- men for his patriotism, integrity, and many other virtues of a good citizen. But he readily saw the advantages which he might secure to his rising family by striking out into the deep forests, and secur- ing for them the choicest homes in the Tennessee and Cumberland valleys. He could command only a trifle in money for his land Bcrip, but by exposing himself to a few years of hardship and dan- ger, he could secure independent estates for his numerous children. With him, to be convinced was to act : his decision and his action went together. Tearing himself from the bosom of his family and JAJSTE BROWN. 81 all the eiidearinonts of a happy homo circle, he set out on his jour- ney to explore the valley of the Cumberlaiid. The whole of Ten- nessee was then a wilderness, except a small spot on the Holston or Watauga, on the east, and a small spot around Nashville and Bledsoe's Lick, on the west of the Cumberland Mountains. Taking with him his two eldest sons, WiUiam and John, and a few tried friends, he explored the Cumberland valley. He secured lands on the Cumberland river below Nashville, at the place now known as Hyde's Ferry. He also explored the wilderness south, as far as Duck river, and located a large body of land south of Duck river, near Columbia. The wdiole country was then almost untrodden by the foot of the white man. It was the huntinof-jjround of the Chickasaws, Creeks, and Cherokees, and was full of deer, elk, beai-s, and buffaloes. The rich uplands, as well as the alluvial bottoms of the rivei^s, were covered with cane-brakes, which were almost imper- vious to man. Whoever penetrated these regions, did so with knife and hatchet to cut away the cane, and with rifle to oppose the sav- age beasts and savage men who sheltered in its deep fastnesses. But Brown's heart was a bold one, and his hopes for the future ani- mated him to perseverance. Having located by actual survey seve- •ral fine tracts of land, he determined to return to Guilford, and remove his family to their new home in the West. Leaving Wil- liam as a deputy surveyor under Col. Polk, and John to open and cultivate a small field, and build some cabins at the mouth of White's Creek, he returned to North Carolina. In the winter of 1787-8, Brown and his family, having disposed of their property, found themselves on the banks of the French Broad in what is now Hawkins county, Tennessee, waiting the opening of the spring, before beginning their journey across the mountains to the Cumberland valley. In 1785, the treaty of Hopewell had been concluded with the Cherokees, guaranteeing reciprocal friendship between that nation and the Americans. At the time Brown arrived on the banks of the French Broad, there was apparent acquiescence in the terms of this treats, and the Cherokee and the white man seemed, for a 4-^ 82 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. tiiLe, to have smoked the pipe of peace, and buried the tomahawk for ever. There were two routes to the Cumberland Valley at this time , the one by land, the other by water. The land route was a long and tedious one, through the Cumberland Gap, across the head waters of the Cumbei'land, Green, and Barren rivers in Kentucky, to Bledsoe's Lick, or Nashville. The other route was easier of accomplishment, and more desirable ; because, being by the descent of the river, it admitted of the transportation of goods and aged persons. Brown, on his recent visit to Cumberland, had heard of Col. Donaldson's voyage down the Tennessee, up the Ohio and Cumberland, to Nashville, and of one or two other parties who had succeeded in making the same voyage. As he had women and small children, and packages of valuable goods, which he was tak- ing to the West, he resolved to hazard the descent of the Tennessee river. He was not ignorant of the fact that there were many populous Indian towns on the Tennessee river, of both the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations, and that marauding parties of Creeks and Shawanees were often on its shores and in the towns. He knew the danger of the voyage, on account of the hostile Indians ; and. he also knew its numerous shoals, rapids and eddies, rendered its navigation perilous to such frail open boats as could then be con- structed. But he trusted in the honest disposition of the Cherokees to conform to the treaty of Hopewell, and judged that the maraud- ing Creeks and Shawanees would prove less dangerous on the water than on the circuitous land route to the Cumberiand. Having been habitually exposed to danger for many years, it is probable he rather Bought the most perilous route, feeling a sort of manly desire to meet and overcome it. Having built a boat in the style of a common flatboat, modeled as niuch as possible after Noah's ark, except that it was open at the top, he prepared to adventure the fearful voyage. About the 1st of May, 1788, having taken on board a large amount of goods suitable for traffic among the India-^s and the pioneers in Cumberland, hig JANE BROWN. 83 partj embarked upon the bosom of French Broad. The party was a small and weak one, considering the dangers it had to encounter, and the valuable cargo it had to defend. It consisted of Brown, two grown sons, three hired men and a negro man ; in all, seven grown men ; Mi*s. Brown, three small sons and four small daughtei-s ; an aged woman, the mother of one of the hired men, and two or three negro women, the property of Brown. To make up for the weakness of his party, Brown had mounted a small cannon upon the prow of his boat, and no doubt relied as much for his security upon the known terror which such guns inspired in the savages, as upon any damage which he expected to inflict upon them with it. Thus appointed and thus equipped, this happy family began its eventful descent of the river. All was glad- ness, all was sunshine. The land of their fathers, of their loved friends and pastor, was behind them ; beneath their oai-s flashed the bright watei*s of a lovely stream, whose winding channel would soon bear them to their new home in the valley of the fairy Cumberland. As they passed rapidly along, the father sat in the midst of his little children, hopefully describing their new home in the deep forests of the West. They thus descended the French Broad to the Tennessee, and went on merrily down its waters to Chickamauga, a considerable town of Cherokee Indians, not far from the present site of Chatta- nooga. Here the Indians appeared friendly ; the principal chief went on board the boat, and made inquiry for various articles of goods, proposed to trade, and finally took his leave, with many pro- fessions of kindness. Our voyagers continued their descent, rejoicing in the happy omen which the friendship of the Chickamauga chief- tain opened for their future. The next day, the 9th of May, the solitary pirogue or flatboat had passed several Indian villages, and had come in view of the towns of Running Water and Nickajack, the last Cherokee towns where there was any considerable body of Indians. The voyagers began to rejoice in their happy deliverance from the principal dangei-s which had threatened their journey. They would in a few houi-s be hrough the mountain passes, oo th« 84 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. wide bosom of a noble river, where they would be comparatively free from the ambuscades of lurking savages. Suddenly four canoes, with white flags raised, and naked savages kneeling in them as rowers, glided out into the river, and rapidly approached; fearing some mischief, Brown immediately turned his cannon upon the approaching canoes, and with lighted match, bade the^n keep off at the peril of their lives. Struck with astonishment at the bold threat, they paused, and pulled their frail canoes a little out of the range of the big gun. A man by the name of John Vaun, a well-known half-breed, who spoke good English, was the leader of the party. He spoke to Brown, and said that his party came in friendship ; as an evidence of that they had raised a white flag ; they came as his friends to trade with him. Brown, who was a bold and fearless man, and dared to face a thou- sand savages, still kept them off; but at last, confiding in the assu- rances of Vaun that he was a white man, and that the Indians would respect the pei-sons and property of his party, in an unguarded mo- ment he consented that several of the Indians might come on boai'd. A dozen Indians now came on board, and lashed their canoes to the side of the boat. As they came near the town, hundreds dashed out into the river in their canoes, and came alongside of the boat. Having thus secured possession, the leading men, especially Vann, assured Brown that no harm was intended. In the mean time,- each Indian seized upon whatever he fancied and threw it into his canoe. In this way several boxes and trunks were instantly rifled. Vann pretended to order his follower to abstain, but they paid no attention to him. A bold warrior now demanded of Brown the key to a large chest, that contained his most valuable stores, which he refused to give, telling: the Indian that Mrs. Brown had it. The Indian demanded it of Mi-s. Brown, but she boldly refused to give it up. He then »plit the top of the chest open with his tomahawk, and his example was immediately followed by the other Indians, who bioke open and rifled every box and package on the boat. While this was going on, a savage rudely took hold of Joseph Brown, a lad fifteen yeai-s old, but was forced by the father to let the boy go. An instant after JA_NE BROWN. 85 Uie Indian seized a sword lying in the boat, and while Brown's back was turned to him, struck him on the back of the neck, almost se* vering his head from his body. Brown turned in the agony of death and seized the Indian, and in the struggle was thrown into the river where he sank to rise no more. The boat was now turned into the mouth of a little creek, in the town of Nickajack, and the whole party taken on shore, in the midst of several hundred warriors, wo- men and children. In the mean time, Vann continued to tell the sons of Brown that all this was a violation of the treaty of Hopewell, and that Breath, the chief of Nickajack and Running Water, who was expected there that night, would punish the marauders, restore their goods, and send them on their voyage. Several leadino- war- riors of the upper town had seized Brown's negi'oes as lawful spoil, and had dispatched them in canoes to their several homes. What- ever may have been Vann's true motives, his interference on this occasion had the effect to place the whole party at the mercy of the Indians, without resistance. If he acted in good faith, he was shame- fully deceived by his followers ; but if he only used his address to disarm the voyagei-s, that they might the more easily fall victims to savage ferocity, his conduct exhibits the climax of perfidy. A party of Creek braves, who were engaged with the men of Nickajack and Running Water in this outrage, having seized upon their shai-e of the plunder, and having taken possession of Mi-s. Brown, her son George, ten years old, and three small daughters, immediately began their march to their own nation. While the Cherokees were deliberating upon the fate of the prisoners and- a dixision of the spoils, they adroitly withdrew from the council, on the plea that this all belonged to the head men of Nickajack. Thus, in one short hour deprived of husband, sons, friends, liberty and all, this devoted woman, with her five smallest children, began her sad journey on foot along the rugged, flinty trails that led to the Creek towns on the Tallapoosa river. At the time of this outrage, there was living at or near Nicksjaek, a French trader, named Thomas Tun bridge, married to a white wo man, who had been taken prisoner near Mobile, when an infant. Ana g6 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. raised l>y the In iians. After she was gi-own, she was exchanged, but refused to leave the Indians, distrusting her abihty to adapt her habits to civilized hfe. She had been married to an Indian brave, by whom she had a son, now twenty-two years old, who was one of the boldest warriors of the Cherokee towns. He had already killed six white men in his forays to the Cumberland settlement. Havino- all the versatility of his mother's race, as well as the ferocity and courage of his father, he was fast rising into distinction as a warrior, and bade fair to reach the fii-st honoi-s of his nation. His praises for daring and chivalry were in the mouths of all. His mother was now growing old, and having no young children, her son desired to present to her some bright-eyed boy as a slave ; for according to the savaoje code of the times, each captive became a slave to his captor. This woman's son, whose name was Kiachat- alee, was one of the leadei-s of the marauding party who had seized upon Bi-own's boat, and from the fii-st knew the fate of the party. Before the boat landed, he tried to induce Joseph to get into his canoe, with the intention of withdrawing him from the general mas- sacre that was soon to take place, but the boy would not go with him. When the boat landed, Kiachatalee took Joseph to his step- father, Tunbridge, who in good Enghsh told the boy he lived a mile out of the town, and invited him to go and spend the night with him. This the boy did, after asking the consent of his elder bro- there. Tunbridge seized the boy by the hand and hurried him away. They had scarcely gone out of the town before they heard the rifles of the savage braves, who were murdering his brothei-s and friends. What were the feelings of the poor boy at this moment ! His father slain ; his brothei-s and friends weltering in their blood, amidst the yells of savage assassins ; and his mother, brother and sistei-s borne off, he knew not whither, by a band of lawless Creek marauders 1 To add to his agony at such a moment, an aged Indian woman, with hair disheveled, and her round, f;U face discolored with excite- ment, followed them to the trader's house, calling upon Tunbridge to produce the white man, exclaiming, with a 6endish air of triumph, " All the rest are killed, and he must die also 1" JANE BROWN. 87 The trader calmly replied to her, " He's oi.'y a little boy. It s a sliarne to kill children, lie shall not be killed." The old hiig was excited, and vowed that the boy should be killed. She said, " He was too large to allow him to live. In two or three yeai*s he would be a man ; he would learn the country, its towns and its rivers ; would make his escape and come back with an army of white men to destroy us all." She said her son, Cutty- a-toy, was a brave chief, and that he would be there in a few minutes to kill the boy. In a few minutes Cutty -a-toy, followed by many armed warriors, rushed upon the trader's house, and demanded the white boy, saying that he was too large, that he would be grown, would make his escape, and bring back an army to destroy their town. The trader stood, with cool courage, in the door of his lodge, and refused to surrender the prisoner, saying it was not right to kill children, and also warning the angry chief that the boy was the prisoner of Kiachatalee, his son, and if he was injured or slam, Kia- chatalee would be revenged for it. As Kiachatalee was only a young warrior, and Cutty-a-toy a chief and a gray-beard, this threat of revenge greatly incensed him. In an instant he raised his toma- hawk, and, with the air of a man who intends a deed of murder, demanded of the trader, " And are you the friend of the Virginian ?'* Answering the look rather than the words, the trader stepped out of his door, and said to the bloody brave, " Take him." Cutty-a-toy then rushed into the trader's lodge, seized the boy by the throat, and was about to brain him with his tomahawk, when the wife of Tunbridge interposed in a tone of supplication which at once succeeded. " Will the brave chieftain kill the boy in my house ? Let not the boy's blood stain my floor." The appeal of the woman reached the savage's heart. He dropped his weapon, and slowly dragged the boy out of the lodge into the midst of a crowd of savages, who waved their knives and hjitchets in the poor lad's face, in order to enjoy his terror. In the path which led from the house, the boy fell upon his knees. 88 riONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. while the savajxes were tearinor off his clothes, and as^ed the trader to request the Indians to give him one half hour to pray. The trader roughly replied, " Boy, it's not worth while ; they'll kill you." As he stood in momentary expectation of his fate, the trader's wife again interposed, and begged the savage chief not to kill the boy in her yai'd, or in the path along which she had to carry water, but to take him out into the mountains, where the birds and wolves might eat up his flesh, where she could not see his blood ! •The appeal of the woman was again heard, and giving the boy his pantaloons, they held a short talk, and agreed to take him down to Running Water, saying to the trader's wife, " We will not spill this boy's blood near your house ; but we will take him to Running Water, where we will have a frolic knocking him in the head." Having gone about three hundred yards, they halted and formed a circle around the victim. He again fell upon his knees, and with his face upturned towards heaven, and his hands firmly clasped on his breast, remained in prayer, expecting at each moment the fatal blow. At this dreadful moment he thought of Stej^hen, to whose vision the heavens were opened at the moment of his death, and was happy. As the savage braves stood around him, young Brown saw their stern aspect of revenge suddenly relax, and a smile o. sympathy and pity succeed. They called the trader, told him to take the boy, that they would not kill him ; and Cutty-a-tc-y said he loved the boy, and would come back in three weeks and make friends with him. It was afterwards ascertained that Cutty-a-toy had taken some of Brown's negroes, and claimed them as his Di-isoncrs, and that his fear lest Kiatchatalee might retaliate by kil- Hng his negro prisoners, was the thought which suddenly turned him to mercy and pity. So thought his own foUowei-s ; for when he said he loved the boy, and would not kill him, his savage follow- ers replied : " No, no, he does not love the boy ; it's the boy's negroes he loves." When Cutty-a-toy's mother saw that the boy's life would not bo taken, she seemed displeased ; went up to him and cut ofli his scalp JANE BKOWK. 89 lock, and kicked him so rudely in the side as almost lo kill him, exclaiming, '' I've got the Virginian's scalp." The Tuskegee chief, Cutty-a-toy, led liis party away, leaving Joseph in the hands of the trader and his wife. In two or three days he was taken into Nickajack, and the kind old chief, Breath, who greatly regretted what had taken place in his absence, took him by the hand, calmly heard a narrative of his situation from the trader's wife, and then told the boy that he must be adopted into his tribe, and become an Indian if he would save his life ; that there was no other way in which his life could be saved. To that end, the chief adopted him into his own family, and told Joseph that he was his uncle, and that Kiatchatalee was his brother. His head was then shaved, leaving only a fillet of hair on the top, in which a bunch of feathei's was tied, his eai-s pierced for rings, and his clothes taken oflf ; the flap substituted for trowsers, and a short shirt for a coat, shirt, and vest, his nether vestments consisting of a pair of deer-skin moccasins. In this condition he was pronounced an Indian, with the exception of a slit in each ear, which the kind- ness of the chief deferred making until cold weather. The trader's wife took him to see his two sistei*s, Jane, aged ten, and Polly, aged five years, who had just been brought back to Nickajack ; a party of Cherokees having pursued the Creek braves, and recaptured from them these two small girls, after they had been taken some distance towards the Ci'eek towns. From his sister Jane, Joseph learned the destination of the party who had carried off his mother, his brother George, and sister Elizabeth. The children were now in the same town, adopted into different families, and it was a source of consolation to them to be allowed to seo each other occasionally. In the various toils which were imposed upon the little captives, such as carrying water and wood, pounding hominy, and working corn in the fields, and on the part of the boy, looking after the stock, nearly a year passed, without many incidents worthy of note. Hostile parties of savages came and went, and tales of barbarous deeds done by them on the distant frontier were often told in the hearing of the children, but none brought deliver- 90 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. ance for thorn. Yet in but few instances did the savage neighbors of these captive children treat them unkindly. Three or four times Joseph's hfe was in danger from lawless braves, whose bloodthirsty natures panted for the blood of the white man. The good old chief, Breath, hearing of these things, caused young Brown to be armed, and declared that it should be lawful for him to slay any Indian who should maltreat him. In a few months Joseph was allowed a rifle and a hoi-se, and per- mitted to go into the woods to hunt. He might often have availed himself of the kindness of his savage friends, and made his escape to the frontiei*s, but he loved his Httle sisters, and his love for thera restrained his desire for freedom, lest his escape might add to the rigore of their slavery, or perhaps for ever prevent their deliverance. In the meantime open war had been going on between the Indians and the people of Cumberland and East Tennessee. Two thousand warrioi's, principally Cherokees, of whom four or five hun- dred were hoi'semen dressed as white men, made an irruption into East Tennessee, killing everything before them. Generals Sevier and Martin, with a large body of pioneers, had marched into their territory, laying waste their fields and villages. When their chief, Big Tassel, came to Sevier's camp with a flag to hold a talk, he was killed by a soldier named Kirk, whose family had been murdered by his warrioi's. This outrage added new flames to the .rage of the Cherokees, who no longer sought peace. In their revengeful foray, they stormed Fort Gillespie, eight miles from Knoxville, and butchered men, women and children, carrying off* Mre. Glass, the sister of Capt. Gillespie. These savages were not wholly illiterate : many of their leaders could speak and even write English, and they well underetood tho sacred character of a white flag and of treaties. The following pro- clamation, written at Fort Gillespie after the massacre, by Watts, or some of his half-breed fo/lowei*s, is curious and illustrative. It v signed by Bloody Fellow, Categisky, John Watts, and The Glasa. JANE BROWN. 91 Oct. 15111* 1798. To Mr. John Sevier and Joseph Martin, and to You, the Inhabitants of the Neio State. " We would wish to inform you of the accidents that happened ftt Gillespie's Fort, concerning the women and children that were killed in the battle. " The Bloody Fellow's talk is, that he is now here upon his own» ground. He is not like you are, for you kill women and children and he does not. He had orders to do it, and to order them oflf the land, and he came and ordered them to surrender, and they should not be hurt, and they would not. And he stormed it and took it. *' For you, you beguiled the head man (Big Tassel), who was your friend, and wanted to keep peace. " But you began it, and this is what you get for it. When you move off the land, then he will make peace, and give up the women and children. " And you must march off in thirty days. " Five thousand is our number !" In the spring of 1789, an exchange of prisonei-s was agreed upon at a talk held with Gen. Sevier. It was aajreed that the Cherokees should make an absolute surrender of all the white pei-sons within their bordei-s, and runnei-s were sent to each of the head men, to send their captives to the Little Turkey for an exchange. When these runnei-s came to Nickajack, young Brown was on a trading trip down the river with his Indian brother Kiachatalee, and did not return until Mrs. Glass and all the other prisonei-s had gone up to Running Water, where the chief was awaiting their arrival. When young Brown got home, he was sent with one of his Bisters to Running Water, in order to he sent up to the treaty- giounds to be exchanged. His httle sister would not leave her Indian mother, who had ever treated her kindly, but wept and clung to her neck, declaring that it would break her Indian mother's ♦ Haywood gives the date of the taking of the fort as the 10th September, but ill his appendix the l5th. 92 I»IONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST heart if she left her. This tender feeling was a tribute to savago kindness, but young Brown finally took his sister in his arms, and carried her some distance, before he could reconcile her to go with him. His eldest sister belonged to a trader, who said he had bought her with his money, and would not let her go. Joseph had to leave her behind, being wholly unable to redeem her. At Running Water, young Brown heard Turkey, the head chief, stating to his chiefs around, him the terms of the treaty he had made : and in doing so, his followei-s upbraided him for agreeing to deliver so many prisoners without any ransom. To this the chief replied, " Little John (meaning Sevier) would have it so ; he is a very mean man — a dog ; but he has my daughter a prisoner, and he knew I would have to agree to any terms, to get her back." The next morning, when the Indian chief was about to start his prisonei-s forward, young Brown refused to go, and was taken to the chief to give his reasons. He then stated that one of his sisters was left in Nickajack, and that he never would consent to be set at liberty without her. The savage chief immediately sent for the girl, and after some delay, CoL Bench, the chief of the mounted regiment of Indians, went himself, and brought the girl to Running Water. Thus, about the fii-st of May, 1*789, young Brown and his two sistei-s were once more restored to liberty. Being reduced to poverty, these now orphan children were sent into South Carolina, to sojourn with some relatives until their elder brother, who was in Cumberland, could go after them, or until their mother should be released from her captivity amongst the Creeks. We must now return to the 9th of May, 1*788, and continue the narrative of Mre. Brown's captivity. Having seen her husband fall by the hands of savages, she was hurried away by her captors, and took the road southward, just as she heard the yells and rifles of the cruel savages who murdered her sons and their companions. What must have been the feelings of horror and agony of this poof woman, hei-self a prisoner in the hands of she knew not whom, and borne she knew not whither ! To add to the horror of her situa- tion, she soon saw two of her sweet little daughters torn from her JANE BKOWN. 93 Side by a party of Clierokees, and borne back, she knew not whither, nor for what end Driven forward on foot for many days and nights, she continued to bear up under the bodily fatigues and mental anguish by which she was tortured, her feet blistered and swollen, and driven before the pack hoi-ses along a flinty path, every moment expecting death if she failed, and every moment expecting to fail ! She yet accom- plished many days' travel, and finally reached one of the upper Creek towns on the Tallapoosa, far down in the wilderness. Arrived at the town of her captor, she found hei-self a slave, doomed to bear wood and water, pound hominy, and do all servile offices for her savage mistress. To add to her distress, her son, nine yeai-s old, and her daughter, seven, were taken to diflferent towns, and she was left indeed alone in her sorrow. At the period of Mi-s. Brown's captivity, Alexander M'Gillevray, a half-breed Creek, of Scotch descent, was the head chief of the Muscogee Indians, and assumed the title of Commander-in-chief of the Upper and Lower Creeks and the Seminoles ; being the military as well as the civil governor of all the Indians of Florida, Alabama, and Lower Georgia. He was a man of keen sagacity, forest-born and forest-bred, combining the shrewdness of the savage with the learning of the civilized man. Fortunately for Mi-s. Brown, her cruel captor took her to a town in which lived a sister of M'Gille- vray, who was the wife of a French trader by the name of Durant. Her age and dignified bearing under the toils imposed upon her, excited the sympathy and compassion of this kind-hearted Indian woman. Several weeks passed before she found an opportunity, but when Mrs. Brown's savage master was absent, the wife of Durant spoke to her kindly, told her that she pitied her sorrow, and would, if she «nuld. relieve her. She said her brother, the chief of the Creeks, did not approve of his people's making slaves of the white women, and that he was a hberal, high-minded man, who had a Boul of honor, and would never turn away from a helpless woman who came to him for succor. " Why do you not fly to him T asked the simple-hearted woman. ^4: PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Mi*s. Brown explained to her her total ignorance of the country and lier inability to reach the residence of Col. McGillevray. Th« Indian woman listened to her, and then said, " It is true : but if you will, there is my horse, and there is my saddle. You are wel- come to them ; but you must take them. I cannot give them, but my husband shall never pui-sue. You can, take them without danger." It was arranged. On a certain morning the Indian voman sent an aged Indian, who was to act as the guide of Mi-s. Bi'own, as far as a trader's house ; from which point the ti'ader was to procure a guide and a horse. At the appointed time, Mi*s. Brown, mounted upon her friend's horse and saddle, started in pursuit of her Indian guide, who tra- velled on as though entirely unconscious of her existence. She arrived in safety at the trader's lodge, and was by him furnished with a guide and hoi-se to the chieftain's residence. Full of grati- tude for intended kindness, she yet approached the Creek chieftain with many feeHngs of doubt and misgiving. He received her kindly, heard her story attentively, and after considering it well, gave Mi-s. Brown a cordial welcome to his house, and bade her stay with his wife, as a member of his family. He explained to her that, according to the usage of his people, she belonged to her ca];tor, and that he had no right to take her from him. He said, however, that he could no doubt reconcile her master by some presents, when he should follow, as he no doubt would before long. He told her she could make shirts or other garments for the traders, and soon provide herself with everything necessary for her comfort. In the meantime, he would furnish her with whatever she needed. Mi-s. Brown accepted the savage chieftain's proffered protection, and took shelter under his roof. She had been there but a few days when she was startled by the appearance of her savage master, who had followed her to her place of refuge. For- tunately for her, the chieftain was at home, and himself met hef pursuer. The Indian gruffly demanded of his chieftain the white woman, his prisoner. Col. McGillevray at once informed him that she was in his JANE BROWN. 95 house, and that he had promised to protect her. The savage merely replii-d, " Well, if you do not ed unobserved into a thicket. The child soon beginning to cry, one of the Indians inquired concerning the mother; but getting no satisfactory reply, swore ho would ' bring the cow to the calf,' and taking the infant by the heels dashed out its brains against a tree. Mrs. Clendenin returned to her desolate home, and secured the remains of her husband from the rapacious jaws of the wild animals with which the woods abounded. It is stated that a black woman, in escaping from Clendenin's house, killed her own child to MRS. CUNNINQUAM. 113 prevent its cries attracting the attention of the savages. Such were some of the horrid realities endured by the first settlers of Western Virginia."* Early in 1778, an attack was made on a block-house in the country of the Upper Monongahela. The children allowed to play outside, discovered Indians, and running in, gave the alarm. " John Murphy stej>ped to the door, when one of the Indians, turning the corner of the house, fired at him. The ball took eflfect, and Murphy fell into the house. The Indian springing in, was grappled by Harbert, and thrown on the floor. A shot from without wounded Harbert, yet he continued to maintain his advantage over the prostrate savage, striking him as effectually as he could with his tomahawk, when another gun was fired from without, the ball passing through his head. His antagonist then slipped out at the door, badly wounded in the encounter. " Just after the fii-st Indian entered, an active young warrior, holding a tomahawk with a long spike at the end, came in. Edward Cunningham instantly drew up his gun, but it flashed, and they closed in doubtful strife. Both were active and athletic ; each put forth his strength, and strained every nerve to gain the ascen- dency. For awhile the issue seemed doubtful. At length, by great exertion, Cunningham wrenched the tomahawk from the hand of the Indian, and buried the spike end to the handle in his back. Mi's. Cunninorham closed the contest. Seeino^ her husband struggling with the savage, she struck at him with an axe. The edge wounding his face severely, he loosened his hold, and made his way out of the house. The third Indian who had entered before the door was closed, presented an appearance almost as frightful as the object he had in view. He wore a cap made of the unshorn front of a buffalo, with the eai-s and horn still attached, and hanging loosely about his head. On entering the room, this hideous monster aimed a blow with his tomahawk at Miss Reece, which inflicted a severe wound on her hand. The mother, seeing the uplifted weapon about to descend on her daughter, seized the ♦ See De Hass for this and following anecdotes. 114 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. monster by the horns ; but his false head coming off, she did not succeed in changing the direction of the weapon. The father then caught hold of him ; but far inferior in strength, he was thrown on the lloor, and would have been killed, but for the interference of Cunningham, who having cleared the house of one Indian, wheeled and struck his tomahawk into the head of the other. Durinor all this time, the door was kept secure by the women. The Indians from without endeavored several times to force it, and would at one time have succeeded ; but just as it was yielding, the Indian who had been wounded by Cunningham and his wife, squeezed out, causing a momentary relaxation of their efforts, and enabled the women aofain to close it. " On the 11th of April some Indians visited the house of William Morgan, on Dunker's bottom. They killed his mother and two or three others, and took the wife and her child prisoners. On their . way home, coming near Pricket's fort, they bound Mrs Morgan to a bush, and went in quest of a horse for her to ride, leaving the child with .her. She succeeded in untying with her teeth the bands which confined her, and wandered all that day and part of the next, before she came within sight of the fort. Here she was kindly treated, and in a few days sent home." Early in March, 1781, a party of Indians came to the house of Capt. John Thomas, on one of the branches of the Monongahela. He was a pious man, and was engaged in family woi-ship, surrounded by his wife and seven children, when the Indians approached his cabin. Anticipating no attack, he had not secured his house so well as was his custom, for the season had not advanced sufficiently to cause alarm. He had just repeated a line of the hymn ** Go worship at Immanuel's feet," when the savages fired; the Christian father fell dead, and the mur- derers forcing th^ door, entered and commenced the work of death. Mrs. Thomas implored their mercy, but the tomahawk did its work, till the mother and six children lay weltering in blood by the side MKS. SCOTT. llfi of the slaughtered father. They then proceeded to scalp the fallen and plunder the house, and departed, taking with them one little boy, a prisoner. "EHzabeth Juggins, whose fother had been murdered the preced- ing year in that neighborhood, was at the house when the Indiana came ; but as soon as she heard the report of the gun and saw Capt. Thomas fall, she threw hei-self under the bed, and escaped tha observation of the savages. After they had completed the work of blood and left the house, fearing that they might be lingering near, ahe remained in that concealment till the house was found to be on fire. When she crawled forth from her asylum, Mre. Thomas was still alive, though unable to move, and casting a pitying glance towards her murdered infant, asked that it might be handed to her. On seeing Miss Juggins about to leave the house, she exclaimed ' Oh Betsey, don't leave us !' Still anxious for her own safety, the gi>-l rushed out, and taking refuge for the night between two logs, in the morning early spread the alarm. When the scene of these enormi- ties was visited, Mrs. Thomas was found in the yard, much mano-led by the tomahawk and considerably torn by hogs ; she had perhaps, in the struggle of death, thrown herself out at the door. The house, with Capt. Thomas and the children, was a heap of ashes." On the 29th of June, 1785, the house of Mr. Scott, a citizen of Washington County, Virginia, was attacked, and he and four chil- dren butchered on the spot. He and the family had retiied, except Mi-s. Scott, who was undressing, when the painted savages rushed in and commenced the work of death. " Scott being awake, jumped up, but was immediately fired at ; he forced his way through the midst of the enemy and got out of the door, but fell ; an Indian seized Mrs. Scott, and ordered her not to move from a particular spot ; othei-s stabbed and cut the throats of the three younger children m theu- bed, and afterwards lifting them up, dashed them upon the floor, near the mother. The eldest, a beautiful girl eight years old, sprang out of bed, ran to her parent, and in the most plaintive accents cried ' O, mamma, mamma ! save me !' The mother, in the deepest anguish of spirit, and with a flood of tears, entreated the 116 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. savages to spare her child ; but with brutal ferocity they toma* nawKed and stabbed her in the mother's arms. Near Scott's dwell- ing lived another family of the name of Ball : the Indians attacked them at the same time ; the door being shut, they fired into the house through an opening between two logs, and killed a young iad ; they then tried to force the door, but a surviving brother fired through and drove them off; the rest of the family ran out of the house and escaped. In Scott's house were four good rifles, well 'oaded, and a good deal of clothing and furniture, part of which belonged to people that had left it on their way to Kentucky. The Indians, thirteen in number, loaded themselves with the plunder, then speedily made off, and continued travelling all night. Next morning their chief allotted to each man his share, and detached nine of the party to steal horees from the inhabitants at Clinch river. " The eleventh day after Mrs. Scott's captivity, the four Indians who had her in charge stopped at a place of rendezvous to hunt. Three went out, and the chief being an old man, was left to take care of ■jhe prisoner, who by this time expressed a willingness to proceed to the Indian towns, which seemed to have the desired effect of loosen- ing her keeper's vigilance. In the daytime, as the old man was graning a deer skin, the captive, pondering on her situation, and anxiously looking for an opportunity to make her escape, took the resolution, and went to the Indian carelessly, asking liberty to go a small distance to a stream of water, to wash the blood off her apron, which had remained besmeared since the fatal night of the murder of her httle daughter. He said in English — ' Go along ;* she then passed by him, his face being in a contrary direction from that she was going, and he very busy. After getting to the water, she went on without delay towards a high, barren mountain, and travelled until late in the evening, when she came down into the valley in search of the track she had been taken along, hoping thereby to find the way back without the risk of being lost and perishing with hunger in uninhabited parts. That night she made herself a bed with leaves, and the next day resumed her wanderings. Thus did the poor woman continue, from day to day, and week to week, MRS. SCOTT. 117 wandering in the trackless wilderness. Finally, on the eleventh of August, she reached a settlement on Clinch River known as New Garden. " Mi-s. Scott related, that during her wanderings from the lOih of July to the 11th of August, she had no other means of subsis- tence than chewing and swallowing the juice of young cane, sassafras, and some plants she did not know the name of; that on her jour- ney she saw buffaloes, elk, deer, and frequently beai-s and wolves, not one of which, although some passed very near, offered to do her the least harm. One day a bear came near her with a young fawn m his mouth, and on discovering her, dropped his prey and ran off. Hunger prompted her to try and eat the flesh, but on reflection, she desisted, thinking the bear might return and devour her ; besides, she had an aversion to raw meat. She long continued in a low state of health, and remained inconsolable for the loss of her family, particularly bewailing the cruel death of her little daughter." One of the most melancholy occurrences on Wheeling Creek was the murder of two sisters — the Misses Crow. Three of them left their parents' house for an evening walk along the shaded banks of a beautiful stream — the Dunkard, or lower fork of the Creek. ** Their walk extended over a mile, and they were just turning back, when suddenly several Indians sprang from behind a ledge of rock, and seized all three of the sisters. They led the captives a short distance up a bank, when a halt was called, and a parley took place. It seems that some of the Indians were in favor of immediate slaughter, while others were disposed to carry them into permanent captivity. Unfortunately the arm of mercy was powerless. With- out a moment's warning, a fierce looking savage stepped from the group with elevated tomahawk, and commenced the work of death. This Indian, said the surviving sister, ' began to tomahawk Susan ; she dodged her head to one side, the weapon taking efl'ect in her nerk, cutting the large neck vein ; the blood gushing out a yard's length. The Indian who had her by the hand jumped back to avoid the blood. The other Indian then began the work of death »Q my sister Mary. I gave a sudden jerk and got loose from th« 118 PIONEER "WOMEN OF THE WEST. one that held me, ran with all speed and took up a steep bank, gaining the top safely. Just as I caught hold of a bush to help myself up, the Indian fired, and the ball passed through the clump of hair on my head, slightly breaking the skin ; the Indian taking round to meet me as I would strike the path that led homeward. But I ran right from home, and hid myself in the bushes near the top of the hill. Presently I saw an Indian passing along the hill below me ; I lay still until he was out of sight, and then made for home.'" This third sister was Christina, afterwards Mi-s. John McBride, of Carlisle, Monroe County, Ohio. " Early on the morning of the 27th of March, 1789, two Indians appeared on the premises of Mr. Glass, residing a few miles back of the present town of Wellsburgh. Mi's. Glass was alone in the house, except an infant and a small black girl ; was engaged in spinning, and had sent her negi'O woman to the woods for sugar water. In a few moments she returned, screaming at the top of her voice, ' Indians ! Indians !' Mi-s Glass jumped up, and running fii-st to the window and then to the door, attempted to escape ; but an Indian met her and presented his gun ; she caught hold of the muzzle, turned it aside, and begged him not to kill her. The other Indian in the meantime caught the negro woman and brought her into the house. They then opened a chest and took out a small box and some articles of clothing, and without doing -any further damage, departed with their prisonei-s. After proceeding about a mile and a half, they halted and held a consultation, as she sup- posed, to kill the children ; this she undei-stood to be the subject by their gestures. To one of the Indians who could speak English, she held out her little boy and bogged him not to kill him, as he would make a fine chief after a while. The Indian made a motion for her to w^alk on with the child. The other Indian then struck the negro child with the pipe end of his tomahawk, which knocked it down, and then, by a blow with the edge across the back of the neck, despatched it. About four o'clock they reached the river, a mile above the creek, and carried a canoe which had been thrown op iu some drift wood, into the river. They got into this canoe and MRS. GLASS. 119 worked it down to the mouth of ush run, about five mi^s : pulled the canoe into the mouth of the stream as far as they could, and going up the run about a mile, encamped for the night. The Indians gave the prisonei-s all their own clothes for covering, and one of them added his own blanket ; shortly before daylight the In dians got up, and put another blanket over them. The black woman complained much on account of the loss of her child, and they threatened if she did not desist, to kill her. " About sunrise they commenced their march up a very steep hill and at two o'clock halted on Short creek, about twenty miles from the place whence they set out in the morning. The spot had been an encampment shortly before as well as a place of deposit for the plunder which they had recently taken from the house of Mr. Van- meter, whose family had been killed. The plunder was deposited in a sycamore tree. They had tapped some sugar trees when there before, and now kindled a fire and put on a brass kettle, with a turkey which they had killed on the way, to boil in sugar water. " Mr. Glass was working with a hired man in a field ^out a quarter of a mile from the house, when his wife and family were taken, but knew nothing of the event till noon. After searching about the place, and going to several families in quest of his family, he went to Well's Fort, collected ten men, and that night lodged in a cabin, on the bottom on which the town of Wellsburg now stands. Next morning they discovered the place where the Indians had taken the canoe from the drift, and their tracks at the place of embarkation. Mr. Glass could distinguish the track of his wife by the print of the high heel of her shoe. They crossed the river and went down on the other side until they came near the mouth of Rush run ; but discovering no tracks of the Indians, most of the men concluded they would go to the mouth of the Muskingum by water, and therefore wished to turn back. Mr. Glass begged them to go as far as the mouth of Short Creek, which was only two or three miles; and to this they agreed. When they got to the mouth of Rush run, they found the canoe of the Indians. This was identified by a proof which shows the presence of mind of Mi-a. 120 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Glass. While passing down the river, one of the Indians threw into the water several papers which he had taken out of Mr. Glass's trunk ; some of these she carelessly picked up, and under pretence of giving them to the child dropped them into the bottom of the canoe. These left no doubt. The trail of the Indians and their prisoners up the run to their camp, and then up the river hill, was soon discovered. " About an hour after the Indians had halted, Glass and his men came in sight of their camp. The object then was to save the lives of the prisoners by attacking the Indians so unexpectedly as not to allow time to kill them. With this view they crept along till they got within one hundred yards of the camp. Fortunately, Mrs. Glass's little son had gone to a sugar tree, but not being able to get the water, his mother had stepped out to get it for him. The negro woman was sitting some distance from the two Indians, who were looking attentively at a scarlet jacket which they had taken some time before. On a sudden they dropped the jacket, and turned their eyes towards the men, who, supposing they were discovered, immediately discharged several guns and rushed upon them at full speed, with an Indian yell. One of the Indians, it was supposed, was wounded the first fire, as he fell and dropped his gun and shot pouch. After running about one hundred yards, a second shot was fired after him, which brought him to his hands and knees; but there was no time for pursuit, as the Indians had informed Mrs. Glass that there was another encampment close by. The other Indian at the fii-st fire, ran a short distance beyond Mrs. Glass, so that she was in a right line between him and the white men ; this artful manoeuvre no doubt saved his hfe, as his pui-suers could not shoot at him without risking the life of the white woman." The party reached Beach Bottom fort that night. Mi-s. Glass subsequently married a Mr. Brown, and was long a resident of Brooke Countv. MARY MOORE. 121 ** In the burylng-ground of New Providence, *n Rockbridge County, Virginia, there is a grave, surpassing in interest all sur- rounding graves. It is by the side of the resting-place of the pastor of the people who woi-shipped in the neighboring church, ts inhabitant once walked 'by his side a cherished one.* Hia deep blue, sunken eye, that flashed so fiercely in moments of indig- nation, always beamed sweetly into her full, jet-black orbs, that could do nothing but smile or weep. But those smiles and teara charmed equally the savages in the wilderness, and Christian people of Providence. " The maiden name of this woman was Mary Moore. The melancholy romance of her early days, and the Christian excellence of her mature and closing years, make her memory immortal. The history of the destruction of the retired dwelling of her father — his murder, with that of two brothers and a sister on a fair summer's morning — the captivity of her mother and hei-self, with a brother and two sistei-s, and a hired girl, the murder of the brother and one sister on the way to the wigwam homes of their captors — the death by fire and torture of her mother and remaining sister — the rescue of hei-self and the hired girl, together with a brother, the captive of a former year, and their return to their relatives in Virginia — combines in one story all the events impending over the emigrant families taking possession of the rivei-s and valleys of Western Virginia." James Moore, whose father, of Scottish ancestry, had emigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania, and thence to Virginia, married Martha Poage, and Mary, his second daughter, was born in his new home in a valley on the watei-s of the Blue Stone, a branch of New River. It was called " Apps' Valley," from Absalom Looney, a hunter, " supposed to be the fii-st white man who disturbed the solitude, or beheld the beauty of the narrow low grounds luxunatinor * This memoir is taken from " Sketches of Virginia, Historical and Biographical," by Rev. William Henry Foote, D.D., portions being abridged The authentic materials were obtained by him from Rev. Jame* Morrisoc the son-in-law and successor to Rev. Samuel Brown. 122 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. in the pea vine and sweet myrrh. The surrounding and distant scenery partook both of the grand and the beautiful. To Mr Moore, the valley was enchanting ; and being out of the track of the savages in their war incursions eastward, it seemed secure equally from the vexations of the civilized and the savage. " Mr. Ljoney, the hunter, built his cabin a mile lower down the creek ; John Poage about two and a half miles above ; and a num- ber of cabins were scattered about as convenience or fancy dictated. Mr, Moore's highest expectations in raising stock were realized. Assisted by Simpson, he soon became possessor of a hundred head of horses, and a large number of horned cattle, which found pastur- age sufficient for both summer and winter, with little aid or care from man. His dream of safety was brok'en. The wily savage discovered the white man's track, and the white man's cabin west of those Alle^hanies, which they resolved should be an everlasting barrier between their homes in Ohio to which they had fled, and the hated whites who held the corn-fields and hunting-grounds of their fathers and their race, between those great mountains and the Atlantic shores. " To revenge this encroachment, the savages commenced their depredations, and compelled isolated families, summer after summer, to betake themselves to forts and stockades for their mutual defence. On one occasion a number of men being at the house of Mr. John Poage, one of them, on stepping out after nightfall, observed to his companions that a good look-out ought to be kept for Indians that night, for he heard an unusual noise, as of the hoot- ing of owls, which he supposed to be the signal of Indians approach - wr the house from different quartei-s. About midniixht the house was surrounded by savages ; but finding the dooi-s secured and the inmatf.'S on the watch, the Indians retired without committing any depredations. One of the party in the house seized a gun, not his own, unaware that it was double triggered, pressed the muzzle through the cracks of the cabin against the body of a savage who was slily examining the state of things within, and in his eagerness to discharge the piece broke Ixjth the triggei-s, and the savage MARY MOORE. 123 escaped. All was stillness both within and without the house ; Buch was the nature of savage warfare. Mr. Poage and most of the families now retired from this advanced position to the more secure neighborhoods in Rockbridge, Botetourt and Montgomery, while Mr. Moore and a few others remained. " Mr. Moore was a man of courage ; he loved the solitude and sweetness of the valley, and would not retreat through any fear of the hostile Indians. Five children were added to his family in this valley, making the number nine. Of these Mary, the fifth, was born in the year 1777, and passed the fii-st nine years of her life in alternate solitude and alarms. On the 7th of September, 1784, James, then fourteen years of age, was sent to Poage's deserted settlement to procure a horse for the purpose of going to the mill about twelve miles distant, through a dreary wilderness. He did not return, and the anxious search discovered trails of savages. In time the hope he had hidden in the woods or fled to some distant habitation, gave way to the sad conviction that his fate for life or death had been committed to the hands of barbarians. This be- reavement grieved, but did not subdue the heart of the father, who resolutely, almost stubbornly, maintained his position. After some time, a letter was received from Kentucky, giving him information of his lost son, then supposed to be in or near Detroit. Before any effective steps could be taken for his recovery, another and more mournful scene was enacted in Apps' Valley, awfully contrasting with the grandeur and beauty of surrounding nature, and the domestic peace and piety of Moore's dwelling. " The morning of the 14th July, 1786, a party of Indians came up Sandy River, crossed over to the head of Clinch, passed near where Tazewell Court-house now is, murdered a Mr. Davison and wife, and burned their dwelling, and passed on hastily to Apps 'Valley, before any alarm could be given. A little spur puts out from the mountain, and gradually sloping towards the creek, about three hundred yards before it sinks into the low grounds, divides ; at the extremity of one division stood Moore's house, and near tl 3 other the trough at which he was accustomed to salt his horses. At the 124 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. time of the greatest peril all seemed most secure. It was harvest time; and there were two men assisting Mr. Moore in his haivest. The guns were discharged on the preceding evening, to be reloaded some time in the morning. Simpson lay sick in the loft ; the mea had repaired early to the wheat-field, to reap till breakfast time ; Moore was engaged in salting his horses ; his wife busied in her domestic concerns, and two of the children at the spring. Suddenly the savage yell was heard, and two parties rushed from their hiding- places on the ridge, the one down the sloj>e to the house, and the other towards Mr. Moore. Two children, Rebecca and William, were shot dead near the salt block, on their return from the spring, and the third, Alexander, near the house. Mary rushed in, and the door was shut and barred against the approaching savages by Mrs. Moore and Martha Ivans, a member of the family, just in time to prevent their entrance. Mr. Moore finding himself intercepted by the Indians at the house, ran on through the small lot that sur- rounded it, and on climbing the fence, paused and turned, and in a moment was pierced with seven bullets. Springing from the fence, he ran a few paces, fell and expired. The two men in the harvest- field, seeing the house surrounded by a large company of savages, fled and escaped unharmed. Martha Ivans seized two of the guns, and ran upstairs to the sick man, Simpson, calling on him to shoot through the cre\ices ; but the poor man had already received his death-wound from a bullet aimed from without. Two stout dogs defended the door most courageously, till the fiercest was shot. Martha Ivans and Mary Moore secreted themselves under a part of the floor, taking with them the infant Margaret ; but the sobbings of the alarmed child forbade concealment. Should Mary place the child upon the floor, and conceal herself ? or share its fate ? She could not abandon her little sister even in that perilous moment, and left her hiding-place and her companion. The Indians were now cutting at the door and threatening fire. Mrs. Moore perceiv- ing that her faithful sentinels were silenced, Simpson expiring, and her husband dead, collected her four children, and kneeling down, committevl them to God ; then rose, and unbarred the door. MARY HOORE. 125 " After all resistance had ceased, the Indians, satis6ed witli the blood that had been shed, took Mrs. Moore and her four children, John, Jane, Mary, and Margaret, prisoners ; and having plundered to their satisfaction, set fire to the dwelling. Martha Ivans crept from the approaching flames, and again concealed herself beneath a log that lay across the little stream near the dwelling. While catching a few of the hoi-ses, one of the Indians crossed the log under which she was secreted, and sat down upon the end of it. The girl seeing him handle the lock of his gun, and supposing he had discovered and was about to fire upon her, came out, to the .great surprise of the savage — for he had not seen her, and to hk great apparent joy delivered herself a captive. In a short time the Indians were on their march with their captives to their Shawnee U)wns in Ohio. The two men who escaped, hastened to the near- est family, a distance of six miles, and as soon as possible spread the alarm among the settlements ; but before the armed men could reach the spot, the ruin was complete, and the depredators far on their way to Ohio. " After the horrible events of the morning, perhaps tl^ mother wept not when the captoi-s, dissatisfied with the delicate appearance and slow travelling of her weak-minded and feeble-bodied son John, despatched him at a blow, and hid him from the si^ht of pursuers. The hours of night passed slowly and sorrowfully as tht four captives, all females, lay upon the ground, each tied to a war rior, who slept tomahawk in hand, to prevent a re-capture, should they be overtaken by the pui-suing whites. On the third day a new cup of sorrow was put into the mother's hand. The infant Marga ret, whom Mary could not part with, had been spared to thti mother; the Indians even assisting. in carrying it. On the third day it became veiy fretful from a wound it had received on its cheek ; irritated by its crying, a savage seized it, and dashing its head against a tree, tossed it into the bushes. The company moved on in silence ; the sistei-s dared not, the mother would not, lament the fate of the helpless loved one. "After some twenty days vf weai-isome travel down the Sandy L26 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. and Ohio Rivers, they came to the Scioto ; here the Indians showsd Mrs. Moore some hieroglyphics on the trees representing three Indians and a captiye white boy ; this boy, they told her, was her son whom they had captured m their expedition two yeai-s before, who had been here with them, and was still a captive. Tha prisonei-s were then taken to their towns, near where Chilicothe now stands, and were kindly received. After a few days a council was called, and an aged Indian made a long speech dissuading from war; the warrioi-s shook their heads and retired. This old man tcok Mary Moore to his wigwam, treated her with great kindness, and appeared to commiserate her condition. In a short time a party of Cherokees, who had made an unsuccessful expedition in the western part of Pennsylvania, on their return home passed by the Shawnee towns, and stopped where Mrs. Moore and her daughter Jane were. Irritated at their ill success, and the loss of some of their warriors, the sight of these prisoners excited an irresistible thirst for revenge. While the Shawnees were revelling with liquor, the Cherokees seized the mother and daughter, and condemned them to the tor- ture by ^re and death at the stake. Their sufferings were pro- tracted through three days of agony. The uncomplaining mother comforted her poor dying child with gospel truth and exhortation, and died with a meekness that astounded the savages. The Shawnees never approved of this gratuitous act of cruelty, and always expressed unwillingness to converse about it. " When Mrs. Moore and her children, as captives, left their habi- tation in App's Valley, Mary took two New Testaments which she carried through all her wearisome journey to the Scioto ; one of them was tiiken from her by the young savages, and the other was her companion through the days of her bondage. The old Indian who showed her kindness on arnving at the towns, would often call her to his side and make her read to him, that he might hear ' the book speak ;' and when any of the young Indians attempted to hide it from her, as they often did, he interposed with sternness and compelled them to restore it. '* The two ffirls remained with the Shawnees till the fall cf the MARY MOORE. 127 )ear 1788, being kept as property of value without any deBnite object. Contentions sometimes arose among the Indians about tlie right o^ ownei-ship ; and in times of intoxication, death was threatened as the only means of ending the quarrel. Whenever these threats were made, some of the sober Indians gave the girls the alarm in time for their secretinor themselves. While free from the influence of drink, the Indians expressed great fondness for the girls, particu- larly the little black-eyed, golden-haired Mary. " The Shawnees continuing to be very troublesome to the fron- tiers, in the fall of 1788 an expedition was fitted out to destroy their towns on the Scioto. The Indians were informed by the traders of the design and departure of the expedition, and watched its pro- gress. On its near approach they deserted their towns, secreting their little property, and carrying their wives and children and aged ones beyond the reach of the enemy. Mary Moore revolved in her mind the probable chances of concealing herself in the forests until the arrival of the forces, and thus obtaining her liberty ; and was deterred from the attempt by the reflection that the season was late, and possibly the forces might not arrive before winter. Late in November the American forces reached the Scioto, burned the Shawnee towns, destroyed their winter provisions as far as they could be found, and immediately returned home. After the depar- ture of the forces the Indians returned to their ruined towns, and winter setting upon them, deprived of shelter, their extreme suffer- ings compelled them to seek for aid in Canada. On the journey to Detroit they endured the extremes of hunger and cold. Martha Ivans and Mary Moore with few garments, travereed the forests with deer-skin moccasins, the only covering for their feet in the deep snows. Not unfrequently they awoke in the morning covered with the snow that had fallen during the night ; once the depth of their snowy covering was twelve or fourteen inches, their only bed or protection, besides the bushes heaped together, being their single blanket. On reachinof Detroit the Indians o^ave themselves to riot* ous drinking, and to indulge this appetite sold their young captives Mary was purchased for half a gallon of rum, by a person namev 1*28 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. fitogwell, who lived at Frenchtown ; Martha by a man in the neigh borhood of Detroit. Being soon after released she took up her resi dence with a wealthy and worthy English family by the name of Donaldson, and received wages for her services. The purchaser of Mary neither liberated her, nor expressed any kindness for her, but employed her as a servant, with poor clothing and scanty fare. The circumstances of her redemption and return to her friends in Vir^ gmia, are related by her brother James Moore, in the narrative of his own captivity and redemption." This presents so faithful a picture of Indian captivity, that we shall extract part of it before resuming the history of Mary. " My father sent me to a waste plantation about two miles and a quarter up the valley, to get a horse to go to mill. I came within a few paces of the field, when suddenly the Indians sprang out from behind a large log; and being before alarmed, I screamed with all my might. The Indian that took me, laid his hand on the top of my head and bade me hush. There were only three Indians in the company. Their leader. Black Wolf, a middle-aged man, of the most stern countenance I ever beheld, about six feet high, having a long black beard, was the one who caught hold of me. "In a few moments we started on our journey. The Indians went up into the thicket where their kettle and blankets were hid, covered up in the leaves, and took them. We travelled down a creek called Tugg, the north fork of Sandy, that afternoon about eight miles. The walking was very laborious on account of the high weeds, green briei-s, logs, and the mountainous character of the country. At night we lay down in a laurel thicket without fire or anything to eat. The night was rainy. I lay beside Black Wolf, with a leading halter round my neck tied very tight, and the other end wrapped round his hands, so as to make it very secure, and so that I could not get away without waking him. He h*d also searched me very carefully to see that I had no knife. During the afternoon the two young Indians walked before ; I next to them, and old Wolf followed ; and if any sign was made he would remove it with his tomahawk, so that there might be no marks or traces of MARY MOORE. 129 llio way we had gone. I fi-equently broke buanes, which he dis- covered and shook his tomahawk over my head, ffivinj^ me to under- stand that if I did not desist he would strike me with it. I then would scratch the ground with my feet ; this he also discovered and made me desist ; and showed me how to set my feet flat so aa not to make any special marks. It then became necessary for me to cease any eflPorts to make a trail for othei-s to follow. About sun-down Old Wolf gave a tremendous warwhoop, and another the next morn- ing at sunrise. This was repeated every evening at sun-down, and every morning at sunrise, during our whole journey. It was long, loud, and shrill, signifying that he had one prisoner. The custom is to repeat it as frequently as the number of prisoner. This whoop is different from the one they make when they have scalps. " In the evening of September 9th, we encamped for the night under a projecting cliff", and here for the first time kindled a fire. Old Wolf took the precaution of cutting a number of bushes and bending them outward from our encampment so as to embarrass any one approaching us, if we had been pursued. The next day they killed a lean bear, but so very lean they would not eat of it ; so we were still without food. Several times during the days of our fasting, the Indians went to the north side of a poplar, and cut off some of the bark near the root, pounded it, and put it in the kettle and put water on it ; this we drank occasionally, which seemed to have a salutary effect in relieving the sufferings of hunger. " We killed buffalo and deer as we stood in need, till we arrived (Sept. 29th) at the towns over the Ohio, on the head watere of Mud River, which took us about twenty -two days' travelling. I "travelled the whole route barefooted, and frequently walked over large rattle- snakes, but was not suffered to kill or interrupt them, the Indians considering them their friends. " We crossed the Ohio, between the mouths of Guyandotte and Big Sandy, on a raft made of dry logs tied together with grape vines. On the banks of the Scioto we lay by one day, and the Indians made pictures on the trees of three Indians and of me ; intended aa bieroglyphics to represent themselves and me as their prisoner, 6* 130 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. These they afterwards showed to my sister. Near this, xAd Wolf went off and procured some bullets which he had secreted. " When we were within a short distance of the towns, the Indians blacked themselves, but not me. I was taken to the residence of Wolf's half-sister, to whom he had sold me for an old grey hoi-se. Shortly after I was sold, my mistress left me in her wigwam for several days entirely alone, leaving a kettle of hominy for me to eat. In this solitary situation I first began earnestly to pray and call upon God for mercy and deliverance, and found great relief in prayer. I now found the benefit of the religious instruction and examples I had enjoyed." * * " In about two weeks after I had been sold, the woman who bought me sent me out in company with her half-brother and others, on a winter's hunting excursion. We were very unsuccessful. My sufferings from hunger and cold were very great. I had scarcely any clothing; the snow was knee deep ; my blanket was too short to cover me. Often after having lain down and drawn up my feet to get them underneath my blanket, I was so benumbed that I could not, without considerable exertion, get my legs stretched out again. Early in the morning the old Indian would build a large fire, and send me and all the young Indians and make us plunge all over in cold water, which I think was a very great benefit to me, and pre- vented me from catching cold, as is usual under circumstances of so much exposure." The husband of James's mistress one day came home from a meeting of the Powwow Society, and iriformed her that an apparition sent by the Great Spirit, had reproved the Indians for their sins, their idleness and want of brotherly kindness, and had predicted the de- struction of their towns. These predictions were literally fulfilled in the course of three years, in the invasion of Logan from Kentucky. In the mean time a French trader from Detroit, named Baptiste Ariome, took a fancy to young Moore on account of his resemblance to one of his sons, and bought him for fifty dollai-s' worth of brooches, crapes, and other commodities. James also met with a trader from Kentucky, whom he ref|uested to write a letter to his father, and MARY MOORE. 131 vTive it to a young man he had rescued from tJie Indians, to convej to Mr. Moore. At the house of Ariome James was treated Hke a eon, and worked on the farm, occasionally assisting in trading expe- ditions. On one of these he heard of the destruction of his father's family, from a Shawanee Indian who was one of the party of assail- ants. The information was given the latter part of the same sum- mer in which the massacre was perpetrated. In the winter follow- ing, James heard that his sister Mary was purchased by Mr. Stog- well, and that she was ill-treated in his family. In the spring Stog- well moved into the neighborhood where he lived ; young Moore immediately went to see his sister, and found her in an abject con- dition, clothed in a few dirty rags. Being advised to apply to the commanding officer at Detroit, he went with Simon Girty to Col. McKee, superintendent for the Indians, who had Stogwell brought to trial to answer the complaint against him ; and though the poor girl was not taken from her inhuman master, it was decided that when an opportunity offered for her return home, she should be re- leased without remuneration. This was brought about through the efforts of Thomas Ivans, the brother of Martha, who had determined to seek his lost sister, and the merabei*s of Mr. Moore's family who might be living. Clothing himself in skins, and securing some money about his pei-son, with rifle in hand, he proceeded to the tribes in whose possession the captives had been, and traced their wanderings to their several places of abode. His sister was living at Mr. Donaldson's ; Mary Moore was delivered up by Mr. Stogwell, and James by Mr. Ariome. " All being at liberty," says Moore, " wo immediately prepared to go to our distant friends, and as well as I can remember, set out some time in October, 1*789 ; it being about five years from the time I had been taken prisoner by the Indians, and a little more than three from the captivity of my sister. A trading-boat coming down the lakes, we obtained a passage in it foj myself and sister Polly to the Moravian towns, a distance of about two hundred miles, which was on our way to Pittsburgh. There, acxjording to appointment, the day after our arrival, Thomas Ivans and his sister Martha met us. We then prepared immediately for 132 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. our journey to Pittsburgh. Ilere Mr. Ivans got his shoulder difr located, in consequence of which we stayed a part of the winter in the vicinity, with an uncle and aunt of his, until he becanae able to travel. Having expended all his money with the doctor and in tr'i- velling, he left his sister Martha, and proceeded with Polly and my- self to the house of an uncle about ten miles south-west of Staunton, and having received from an uncle, the administrator of his father's estate, compensation for his services, he afterwards returned and brought his sister Martha. " A day or two after we set out, having called at a public house for breakfast, while it was preparing, my sister took out her Testa- ment and was engaged in reading. Being called to breakfast, she laid down her Testament, and when we resumed our journey «he forgot it. After we had proceeded several miles she thought ^f her Testament, and strongly insisted on turning back ; but such were the dangers of the way, and such the necessity of speeding our jour- ney, that we could not." Martha Ivans married a man by the name of Hummer, removed to Indiana, and reared a large family, so that she is included in the list of pioneer mothei"s. Two of her sons became Presbyterian cler- gymen. Shortly after her return to Rockbridge, Mary Moore went to hve with her uncle, Joseph Walker, about six miles south of Lexington, and in mature yeare became the wife of Rev. Samuel Brown, pastor of New Providence. She became the mother of eleven children, nine of whom survived her; and through life re- tained a strong attachment for the wild people of the forest, which no memory of wrong could obliterate. The self-reliance, patience, and self-denial she acquired, in part, in her captivity, were eminent through life. She was blessed with children as dutiful and pious as she had proved in her childhood, and saw, in her success in traming her household, the influence of her own force of charactei developed by such strange circumstances, and the power of a Chri» tuui tt sample. JOUKNEY WESTWARD. 133 Sorne idea of the difficulties of travel in those days may be given by the following^ extract from a description of a journey westward in 1784.* "Pack-horees were the only means of transportation then, and for years after. We were provided with three horses, on one of which my mother rode carrying her infant with all the table furniture and cooking utensils. On another were packed the stores of pro\'isions, the plough irons, and other agricultural tools. The third horse was rigged out with a pack saddle and two large creels, made of hickory withs in the fashion of a crate, one over each side, in which were stowed the beds and bedding, and the wearing apparel of the family. In the centre of these creels there was an aperture prepared for myself and httle sister, and the top was well secured by lacing to keep us in our places, so that only our heads appeared above. Each family was supplied with one or more cows ; their milk furnished the morning and evening meal for the chil- dren, and the surplus was carried in canteens for use during the day. " When the caravan reached the mountains, the road was found to be hardly passable for loaded horees. In many places the path lay along the edge of a precipice, where, if the horse had stumbled or lost his balance, he would have been precipitated several hundred feet below. The path was crossed by many streams raised by the melting snow and spring rains, and running with rapid current in deep ravines ; most of these had to be forded, and for many succes- sive days, hair-breadth escapes were continually occurring ; some- times horees falling, at othei-s carried away by the cun-ent, and the women and children with difficulty saved from drowning. Some- times in ascending steep acclivities, the lashing of the creels would give way, both creels and children tumble to the ground and roll down the steep, unless arrested by some traveller of the company. The men who had been inured to the hardships of war, could endure the fatigues of the journey ; it was the mothei"s who suffered ; they could not, after the toils of the day, enjoy the rest so much Deeded at night. The wants of their suffering children must bfl * Am«rican Pioneer vol. II. 134 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. cittended to. After preparing their simple meal, they lay down with scanty covering in a miserable cabin, or, as it sometimes hap- pened, in the open air, and often unrefreshed, were obliged to rise early to encounter the fatigues and dangers of another day." " The di\ ision hues between those whose lands adjoined, were generally made in an amicable manner, before any survey of them was made by the parties concerned. In doing this, they were guided mainly by the tops of ridges and water courses, but particularly the former. Hence the greater number of farms in the westerp parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia bear a striking resemblance to an amphitheatre ; the tops of the surrounding hills being the boundaries of the tract to which the family mansion belongs." Besides the exposure of the emigrants to Indian depredations and massacres, " thev had other trials to endure which at the pre- sent day cannot be appreciated. One of the most vexatious was the running away of their horses. As soon as the fly season commenced the hoi-ses seemed resolved on leaving the country and crossing the mountains. They swam the Monongahela, and often proceeded a hundred and fifty miles before they were taken up. During the husband's absence in pursuit of them, the wife was left alone with her children in their unfinished cabin, surrounded by forests, in which the howl of wolves was heard fi-om every hill. If want of provi- sions, or other causes, made a visit to a neighbor's necessary, she must either take her children with her through the woods, or leave them unprotected, under the most fearful apprehension that some mischief might befal them before her return. As bread and meat were scarce, milk was the principal dependence for the support of the family. One cow of each family was provided with a bell, which could be heard from half a mile to a mile. The matron on rising in the morning listened for her cow-bell, whieh she knew well enough to detect, even amidst a clamor of othei-s. If her children were small, she tied them in bed to prevent their wandering, and guard them from danger of fire and snakes ; and guided by the tinkling of the bell, made her way through the tall weeds and across the ravines until she found 'he objects of her search. Hap^**" ANECDOTE. 135 00 lier return to find her children unharmed, and regardless of a thorough wetting from the dew, she hastened to prepare their breakfast of milk boiled with a little meal or hominy ; or in tlie protracted absence of her husband, it was often reduced to milk alone. Occasionally venison and turkeys were obtained from hunters." An anecdote is related in the " American Pioneer," of Gov. McArthur, on his fii-st visit to the West, which throws light on the situation of the early settlei-s. He stopped some time at Baker's Station, about twenty miles below Wheeling. There was war with the Indians, and the settlei-s about Fish Creek were occupying the station for security ; so long, however, had the enemy been absent from that section of country, that the inmates went and came when they pleased. A young lady of great beauty, who lived at the place, had acquired proficiency in the art of shooting with the rifle. " I think her name was Scott, but it may have been Baker. Early one morning she went to the run, some fifty or sixty yards above the post, to wash hnen, taking her gun along, and young McArthur accompanied her to stand guard while she was employed at the wash tub. Before long a small dog that W{\s with them commenced barking, and gave such manifestations of alarm that the young lady desired her companion to make a hasty reconnoissance of the adja- cent grounds. The motions of the dog had awakened fear that Indians might be lurking close by. but McArthur discovered nothing to confirm the suspicion. The washing was resumed and in due coui-se completed ; after which they both returned to the station. Just as they were about to enter the gate, a tall athletic looking Indian sprang from behind a tree not more than thirty paces beyond the spot where they had been washing, and darted off rapidly into the woods. Pursuit was instantly made, but he was not overtaken. He must have posted himself behind the tree dur- ing the previous night, with the intention of shooting the fii-st per son that ventured out of the works in the niorning. The appear ance of two disconcerted his plan. McArthur's gallantry od thn occa-^'on was the means of saving the young lady's life." 136 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. De Hass describes a station as a parallelogram of cabins united by palisades, so as to present a continued wall on the outer sides, the cabin doors opening into a common square on the inner side, A fort was generally a stockade enclosure, embracing cal)ins, etc., for the accommodation of several famihes. Doddridge says, " a range of cabins commonly formed at least one side, separated by divisions or partitions of logs. The walls on the outside were ten or twelve teet high, with a roof sloping inward. Some of the cabins had puncheon tloors, but the greater part were earthen. " The blockhouses were built at the angles of the fort, a!id pro- jected about two feet beyond the outer walls of the cabins and stockades. Their upper stories were about eighteen inches or two feet every way larger than the under one, leaving an opening at the commencement of the second story, to prevent the enemy from making a lodgment under their walls. In some forts, instead of blockhouses, the angles were furnished with bastions. A large fold- ing gate, made of thick slabs, nearest the spring, closed the fort. The stockades, bastions, cabins, and blockhouse walls were furnished with portholes at proper heights and distances. The whole of the outside was made completely bullet proof. The families belonging to these forts were so attached to their own cabins on their farms, that they seldom moved into the fort in the spring until compelled by some alarm ; that is, when it was announced by some murder that Indiana were in the settlement." Butler describes the dwellings of the first settlers of the West as composed of the trunks of trees, bared of their branches, notched at the ends and fitted upon one another in a quadrangular shape, to the desired height. Openings through the logs left room for doora and shuttei-s. A capacious opening, nearly the whole width of the cabin, made the fire-place. By this ample width economy of labor in cutting fire-wood, as well as comfort in houses, was consulted. " The furniture of the table, for several years after the settlement of the country, consisted of a few pewter dishes, plates and spoons ; bat mostly of wooden bowls, trenchei-s and noggins. If these last were scarce, gourds and hard-shelled squashes made up the de- hunter'''8 dress. 137 ficiency. The iron pots, knives and forks were brought from the East, with the salt and iron, on pack-horees. These articles of fur- niture corresponded very well with the articles of diet. ' Hog and hominy' was a dish of proverbial celebrity. Johnny-cake or pone was at the outset of the settlements the only form of bread in use for breakfast and dinner ; at supper, milk and mush was the standard dish. When milk was scarce, hominy supplied its place, and mush was frequently eaten with sweetened water, molasses, bear's oil, or the gravy of fried meat. " In our display of furniture, delf, china and silver were unknown. The introduction of delf ware was considered by many of the back- woods people as a wasteful innovation. It was too easily broken, and the plates dulled their scalping and clasp knives. Tea and coflfee, in the phrase of the day, ' did not stick by the ribs.' The idea then prevalent was, that they were only designed for people of quality, who did not labor, or for the rich. A genuine backwoods^ man would have thought himself disgraced by showing a fondness for such ' slops.' " On the frontier and particularly among huntei*s in the habit of going on campaigns, the dress of the men was partly Indian. The hunting-shirt universally worn was a kind of loose frock, reaching "lialf way down the thighs, with large sleeves, open before, and so wide as to lap over a foot or more when belted. The cape was large, and sometimes fringed with a ravelled piece of cloth, of differ* ent color from the hunting-shirt. The bosom of this dress served as a wallet to hold bread, cakes, jerk, tow for wiping the barrel of the rifle, or any other necessary for the hunter or warrior. The belt, always tied behind, answered several purposes ; in cold weather the mittens, and sometimes the bullet-bag, occupied its front part ; on the right side was suspended the tomahawk, on the left the scalping knife in its .eathern sheath. The hunting- shirt was generally made of linsey, sometimes of coai-se linen, and a few of dressed deer-skin ; these last very cold and uncomfortable in wet weather. The shirt and jacket were of the common fashion. A pair of drawers, of breeches and leggins, were the dress of the thighs and logs ; a pail 138 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. of moccasins answered for the feet much better than shoes. These were made of dressed deer-skin, and were mostly of a single piece, with a seam along the top of the foot, and another from the bottom of the heel, as high or a httle higher than the ancle joint. Flaps were left on each side, to reach some distance up the legs. These were nicely adapted to the ancles and lower part of the leg by thongs of deerskin, so that no dust, gravel, or snow could get within the moccasin. In cold weather this was well stuffed with deer's hair or dried leaves, to keep the feet comfortably warm ; but in wet weather it was usually said that wearing moccasins was ' a decent way of going barefoot ; ' and such was the fact, owing to the spongy texture of the leather of which they were made. Owing to this de- fective covering of the feet, many of our hunters and warriors were afflicted with rheumatism in their limbs. Of this disease they were «]1 apprehensive in cold or wet weather, and therefore always slept >ith their feet to the fire, to prevent or cure it as well as they could. This practice unquestionably had a very salutary effect, and pre- vented many of them from becoming confirmed cripples in early life. "In the latter yeai-s of the Indian war, our young men became more enamored of the Indian dress. The drawei-s were laid aside, and the leggins made longer, so as to reach the upper part of the thigh. The Indian breech cloth was adopted. This was a piece of linen or cloth, nearly a yard long, and eight or nine inches broad, passing under the belt, before and behind, leaving the ends for flaps hanofins: before and behind over the belt, sometimes ornamented with coarse embroidery. To the same belt which secured the breech cloth, strings, supporting the long leggins, were attached. When this belt, as was often the case, passed over the hunting-shirt, the upper part of the thighs and part of the hips were naked. The young warrior, instead of being abashed by this, was proud of his Indian dress. In some few instances I have seen them go into places of public woi-ship in this dress." De Hass adds, that old huntei-s have ftaid it was the most comfortable, convenient, and desirable that could PIONEER WEDDING. 139 have been invented for the times in which it was used. Linsey coats and gowns were the univei'sal dress of the women in early times. A description of a wedding among the pioneers may serve to ilhistrate their mannei-s. The following is taken from Doddridge's Notes : " In the fii-st years of the settlement, a wedding engaged the at- tention of a whole neighborhood, and the frolic was anticipated by old and young with eager expectation. This will not be wondered at^ as a wedding was almost the only gathering unaccompanied with the labor of reaping, log-rolling, building a cabin, or planning some warlike expedition. " On the morning of the wedding day, the groom and his attend- ants assembled at the house of his father, for the purpose of reaching the home of his biide by noon, the usual time for celebrating the nuptials. Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people, without a store, tailor, or mantuamaker vithin a hundred miles ; and an as- semblage of horses, without a blacksmith or saddler within an equal distance ; the gentlemen dressed in shoepacks, moccasins, leather breeches, leggins, linsey hunting-shirts, and all home-made ; the ladies in linsey petticoats and linsey or linen bedgowns, coarse shoes, stockings, handkerchiefs, and buckskin gloves, if any. If there '"were any buckles, rings, buttons, or ruffles, they were the relics of olden times, family pieces from parents or grandparents. The hoi-ses were caparisoned with old saddles, old bridles or haltei*s, and pack-saddles, with a bag or blanket thrown over them ; a rope or string as often constituted the girth as a piece of leather. The march, in double file, was often interrupted by the narrowness and obstruc- tions of the horse-paths, for there were no roads ; and these difficul- ties were often increased by fallen trees and grape vines tied across the way. Sometimes an ambuscade was formed by the wayside, and an unexpected discharge of several guns took place, so as to cover the wedding company with smoke. Let the reader imagine the scene that followed this discharge ; the sudden spring of the horses, the shrieks of the girls, and the chivalrous bustle of their partners t) save them h(\m falling. If a wrist, elbow, or ancle hap- 140 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. pened to be sprained, it was tied with a handkerchief, and little more was thought or said about it. " The ceremony of the marriage preceded the dinner, which was a substantial backwoods feast of beef, pork, fowls, and somet.mes venison and bear meat roasted and boiled, with plenty of potatoes, cabbage, and other vegetables. During the dinner the greatest hilarity always prevailed, although the table might be a large slab of timber hewed out with a broad axe, supported by four sticks set in auger holes ; and the furniture, some old pewter dishes and plate-i, eked out with wooden bowls and trenchers. A few pewter spoons, much battered about the edges, were seen at some tables ; the rest were made of horn. If knives were scarce, the deficiency was made up by the scalping knives which every man carried in sheaths sus- pended to the belt of the hunting-shirt. After diimer the dancing commenced, and generally lasted till the next morning. The figures of the dances were three and four-handed reels and jigs. The com- mencement was always a square four, which was followed by what was called 'jigging it off; ' that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and be followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were often accompanied with what was called ' cutting out ; ' that is, when either of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation, the place was supplied by some one of the company, without any inter- ruption to the dance. In this way it was often con-tinued till the musician was heartily tired of his situation. Towards the latter part of the night, if any of the company, through weariness, attempted to conceal themselves for the purpose of sleeping, they were hunted up, paraded on the floor, and the fiddler ordered to play ' Hang out till to-morrow morning.' " About nine or ten o'clock a deputation of the young ladies stole off the bride and put her to bed. In doing this it frequently happened that they had to ascend a ladder instead of stairs, leading from the dining and ball-room to a loft, the floor of which was made of clap- boards lying loose. This ascent, one might think, would put the bride and her attendants to the blush ; but as the foot of the ladder was commonly behind the door, purposely opened for the oixxwiou. SPORTS. 143 anr) its rounds at the inner ends were well hung with hunjnory, sfurts, dresseiJ, and other articles of clothing — the candles rxiing ohe the opposite side of the house, the exit of the bride was noticed but by few. lliis done, a deputation of young men, in like manner, stole off the groom, while the dance still continued, and late at night refresh- ment in the shape of* black Betty' — the bottle — was sent up the ladder, with sometimes substantial accompaniments of bi'ead, beef, pork and cabbage. The feasting and dancing often lasted several days, at the end of which the whole company were so exhausted with loss of sleep, that many days' rest was requisite to fit them to return to their ordinary labors.'* Sometimes it happened that neighboi's or relations not asked to the wedding, took offence, and revenged themselves by cutting otf the manes, foretops and tails of hoi-ses belonging to the wedding company. The same writer thus describes the usual manner of settling a young couple in the world : — " A spot was selected on a piece of land belonging to one of the parents, for their habitation, and a day appointed shortly after their marriage, to commence the work of building their cabin. The materials were prepared on the fii-st day, and sometimes the foundation laid in the eveninor. The second day was allotted for the raising. The cabin being furnished, the ceremony of housewarming took place before the young couple were permitted to move into it. The house-warming was a dance of a whole night's continuance, made up of the relations of the bridegroom and their neighboi-s. On the day following, the young couple took possession of their new premises. " Many of the sports of the early settlei-s of this countiy were imitative of the exercises and stratagems of hunting and war. Boys were taught the use of the bow and arrow at an early age ; but although they acquired considerable adroitness, so as to kill a bird or squirrel, yet it appeai-s to me that in the hands of the white people, the bow and arrow could never be depended on for warfare or hunting. One important pastime of the boys — that of imitating the noise of every bird and beast in the woods — was a necessary 140 PIONEKR WOMEN OF THE WEST. pener'of education on account of its utility under certain circutn- minces. Imitating the gobbling and other sounds of the wild turkey, often brought those ever watchful tenants of the forest within reach of the rifle. The bleating of the fawn brought its dam to her death in the same wav. The hunter often collected a com- m pany of mopish owls to the trees about his camp, and amused himself with their hoai-se screaming^. His howl would raise and :)btain responses from a pack of wolves, so as to inform him of theii whereabouts, as well as to guard him against their depredations. " This imitative faculty was sometimes requisite as a measure of precaution in war. The Indians, when scattered about in a neigh- borhood, often collected together by imitating turkeys by day and wolves or owls by night. In similar situations our people did the same. I have often witnessed the consternation of a whole neigh- borhood in consequence of the screeching of owls. An early and correct use of this imitative faculty was considered as an indication that its possessor would become in due time a good hunter and a valiant warrior. " Throwing the tomahawk was another boyish sport in which many acquired considerable skill. The tomahawk, with its handle of a certain length, will make a given number of turns within a certain distance ; say in five steps it will strike with the edge, the handle downwards — at the distance of seven and . a half it will strike with the edge, the handle upwards, and so on. A little experience enabled the boy to measure the distance with his eye when walking through the wood, and to strike a tree with his toma hawk in any way he chose. A well grown boy at the age of twelve or thirteen, was furnished with a small rifle and shot pouch. H< then became a foot soldier, and had his port-hole assigned him. Hunting squirrels, turkeys, and racoons, soon made him expert in the use of his gun. " The athletic sports of running, jumping, and wrestling, were the pastimes of boys in common with men. Dramatic narrations, chiefly concerning Jack and the Giant, furnished our young people with another source of amusement during their leisure hours. The HUNTING. 143 different incidents of the narration were easily committed to memory, and have been handed down from generation to generation." The singing of the fii-st settlers was rude enough. " Robin Hood furnished a number of our songs ; the balance were mostly tragical ; these were denominated ' love songs about murder.' As to cards, dice, backgammon, and other games of chance, we knew nothing about them. They are among the blessed gifts of civilization ! " Hunting was an important part of the employment of the early settlers. For some yeai-s the woods supplied them with the greater amount of their subsistence, and it was no uncommon thing for families to hve several months without a mouthful of bread. It frequently happened that there was no breakfast till it was obtained from the woods. Fur constituted the people's money ; they had nothing else to give in exchange for rifles, salt, and iron, on the other side of the mountains. The fall and early part of the winter was the season for hunting the deer, and the whole of the winter, including part of the spring, for bears and fur-skinned animals. It was a customary saying, that fur is good during every month in the name of which the letter R occurs. " As soon as the leaves were pretty well down, and the weather became rainy, accompanied with light snows, these men, after acting the part of husbandmen as far as the state of warfare permitted, began to feel that they were hunters, and became uneasy at home, their minds being wholly occupied with the camp and chase. Hunting was not a mere ramble in pursuit of game, in which there was nothing of skill and calculation ; on the contrary, the hunter before he set out in the morning, was informed by the state of the weather where he might reasonably expect to find his game, whether on the bottom, the sides, or tops of the hills. In stormy weather the deer always seek the most sheltered places, and the leeward side of the hills. In rainy weather, when there is not much wind, they keep in the open woods on the high ground. In every situation it was requisite for the hunter to ascertain the coui*se of the wind, so as to get the leeward of the game. As it was necessary, too, to know the cardinal points, he had to observf l-i-i PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. the trees to ascertain them. The bark of an aged tree is thickuf and much rougher on the north than the south side ; and the same may be said of the moss. From morning till night the hunter was on the alert to gain the wind of his game, and approach them with- out being discovered. If he succeeded in killing a deer, he skinned 't and hung it up out of the reach of the wolves, and immediately resumed the chase till the close of the evening, when he bent his coui-se towards his camp ; when arrived there he kindled up his fire, and together with his fellow hunter, cooked his supper. The supper finished, the adventures of the day furnished tales for the evening, in which the spike-buck, the two and three pronged buck, the doe and barren doe, figured to great advantage."* " A place for a camp was selected as near water as convenient, and a fire was kindled by the side of the largest suitable log that could be procured. The ground was preferred to be rather sideling, that the hunters might lie with the feet to the fire, and the head up hill. The common mode of preparing a repast was by sharpening a stick at both ends, and sticking one end in the ground before the fire, and their meat on the other end. This stick could be turned round, or the meat on it, as occasion required. Sweeter roast meat than was prepared in this manner no European epicure ever tasted. Bread, when they had flour to make it of, was either baked under the ashes, or the dough rolled in long rolls, and wound round a stiok hke that prepared for roasting meat, and managed in the same way. Scarce any one who has not tried it, can imagine the sweet- ness of such a meal, in such a place, at such a time. French mus- t'^rd, or the various condiments used as a substitute for an appetite, are nothing to this."f * Doddridge's Notes. f American Pi«>neer. VII. ANN HAYNES. It is mentioned in " The Women of the American Revolution,"* that on the approach of Corn wal lis to Charlotte, the family of Mr Brown sought refuge at the house of James Haynes, who lived upon the road leading north of Cowan's Ford on the Catawba River While they remained here, the British in pureuit of Morgan stopped at the house, plundered it, and made the owner a prisoner. Mrs. Haynes, despoiled of everything in the way of provision, hei-self con- ducted family woi-ship that night, and praying for the restoration of her captive husband, entreated earnestly the interposition of Providence to protect the right. This pious and exemplary matron, whose heart bled for the woes of her oppressed country, and who encouraged her sons to struggle bravely in its defence, was little aware of the extent of the beneficent influence her noble character was to exercise on succeeding generations. The death-bed gift she received from her father — a copy of the Westminster Confession of Faith printed at Edinburgh in lYOY — was bequeathed by her as sacredly to her son, John Haynes, and is kept as a vene- rated relic in his family. Plight of the descendants of Mi-s. Haynes are now ministers in the Presbyterian church, devoted to the expo- sition and extension of the true and simple doctrines of the gospeli ♦ Memoir of Jane Gaston, Vol. III. page 229 7 146 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. while others are engaged in the same good work in other denomina- tions — all carrj^ng out and exemplifying the sterling principles derived from their independent ancestors of the era of Cromwell's Protectorate. One of Mi-s. Haynes' descendants has favored me with some notices of the matron and her family, from the recollections of her widowed daughter-in-law, Margaret Haynes, who was for some years a resident of Cornei-sville, in Tennessee. Her maiden name was Ann Huggins. She was the daughter of John Huggins, a Scotch Presbyterian, who emigrated from the north of Ireland to America about 1730. She married James Haynes about 1748. In a catalogue of the Pioneer Women of the West, her name may well find a place. After her marriage, she settled upon the verge of civihzation, in the county of Dauphin, Pennsylvania, where she was exposed to the frontier troubles of that colony, but stronger attractions soon drew her family to the South. In 1752, James Haynes and two brothers, and many kinsmen with their families, ventured out to the then Far West, in the valley of the Catawba, in the colony of North Carolina. Here, upon the very borders of the hostile Cherokees and Catawbas, they established themselves, building a fort as a defence against Indian incursions, and maintained their position by the strength of their arms. For several yeai-s, cooped up within the limits of a froTitier station, they courageously opposed the marauding parties of the hostile tribes in their neighborhood. It was in this year that the settlement of the upper country, both of North and South Carolina, began. At that time the frontiers of Pennsylvania were east of the mountains ; and Fort Duquesne was a French trading post. The settlements in Virginia were still confined to the Atlantic slope, and it was several years later, when Col. Bird of the British army, advanced into the wilderness, and established Fort Chissel, as a protection to the advancing settlements. Still later, Gov. Dobbs, of North Carolina, succeeded in establishing Fort Loudon, in the midst of the Cherokee nation. Notwithstanding its exposed situation, the •ettlemeut grew rap'dly, so that in a few yeai*s the entire valley of ANN HAYNES. 147 tlie Catawba was occupied. At this time there were so many buffaloes in this region, that a good hunter could easily kill enough in a {qw days, to suj)ply his family for the year. Wild turkeys, bears, deer, wolves, and panthei-s, were also abundant. Every little mountain stream abounded with otters, beavers, and musk-rats. Each pioneer could raise as many head of cattle as he thought proper ; the profusion of canes and grasses, rendering stock-raising BO easy, that the means of plentiful hving was almost to be had without labor. A few skins usually sufficed to purchase upon the seaboard all the necessary supplies of iron, salt, etc., for the year. This kind of life, requiring the daily use of the rifle, and much exercise on hoi-seback, and exposure to the open air in the woods, made these hardy men the best of soldiei-s, and enabled them to cope with the wild warriore of the savage tribes who dwelt on their bordei-s. The axe, and the rifle, and the horse, were their constant companions. Each settler sought a home near some clear spring or stream, convenient to the ranc/e and susceptible of defence against the Indians. In such a settlement the means of education were limited, and but for the religious zeal and pious labors of a few educated ministers who cast their fortunes with the colonists, would have been unattainable. The Rev. Hezekiah Balch, after- wards a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, was one of them. In all the tiials and disordei-s of the transition state of society pecuhar to the frontiers of the West, these pioneers never forgot the principles, nor gave up the practice of those Christian virtues which they had received from their ancestors. Here, in the midst of the solitudes of their deep pine forests, they reared their sons and daughters in the fear of God and in the love of liberty, and when the storm of civil war burst forth, and they were called upon to sustain the cause of an oppressed people, they did not hesitate to send their sons forth to battle for " the rio-ht." An aged citizen of Mai-shall County, Tennessee, often described the appearance of his own father and James Haynes, both prisoners in the hand« of the British the night after Gen. Davidson's death at 148 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Cowan's Ford. He saw these aged men and many other ^risonere driven like sheep into a corn-crib, the door of which was filled with rails, and a sentinel placed over it ; and thus without blanket or fire, they passed a long winter night in 1781. The venerable Mi-s. Haynes survived her husband but a short time. True to the principles of her faith, upon her dying bed she gave to each of her children her parting words of advice with one of the religious books contained in her library. To her son John, she gave the Westminster Confession of Faith ; to another, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress ; to a third, Flavel, etc., works usually found in that day in the hbrary of every Christian. She died about the year 1790. Her husband was no less stern and inflexible in his religious prin- ciples. When the question of the introduction of the new version of the Psalms was agitated in the Church at Centre Meeting-House, after much debate, it was put to the vote, and Haynes was left alone as the advocate of the old version. His brethren tauntingly asked him if he was going to stand out alone. He replied, " yes, as loner as the world stands ; " and so he did to the end of his life. A rude and humble stone now marks the last resting place of both, at their own home, near Centre Meeting-House, Iredell County, N. C, where, more than a century ago, they sat down amidst the dim solitudes of the western wilderness. The old homestead is now the residence of James Sloan, a relative of the family. The three sons, Joseph, John and James, and the son-in-law, Capt Scott, bore arras against the Cherokees, and against the British and loyalists. They were brave young men, of active habits, and accus- tomed to hard service ; rode much about the country, and were always ready for any enterprise requiring txDil and exposure, or skill •nd daring. In proportion as they made themselves useful to the whig party, they were of course pei-secuted by the loyalists. Their irregular life in military service never caused them to do aught con- trary to the strict principles of their faith ; they never travelled, ex- cept when rigid necessity required it, on the Sabbath, being Puritans enough to look upon orofanity and Sabbath-breaking with as mucb ANN HAYNES. 149 •bliorrence as upon hoi-se stealing. They served — John bearing a prominent part — in the first battle fought in North Carolina in which the whigs were victorious, after the suspension of hostilities succeed- ing the fall of Charleston ; that of Ramsour's Mill, in Lincoln County.* Capt. Scott, the son-in-law of Mi-s. Haynes, was killed at Cowan's Ford, at the same time with Gen. Davidson, who had been stationed there by Gen. Greene, with a small force, to delay the passage of the British array across the Catawba. Joseph Haynes barely escaped with his life in this action. Soon after, the British passing, as already mentioned, near the house of the elder James Haynes, stopped and plundered it, took him prisoner, and boasted in the hearing of his family, that they had killed his son-in-law at the Ford, hinting that his sons also were either killed or captured. The old man was over sixty, and m feeble health ; his venerable appearance and Quakei habihments should have secured their respect, but the crime of send ing so many brave sons to battle was not to be forgiven. Family tra- dition, confirmed by the recollection of his daughter-in-law, states that they pulled oflf his coat, overcoat, and silver knee and shoe-buckles, and made him dismount and walk on through mud and water, ui'ged forward by the prick of bayonets ; also that the news of his capture and the pillaging of his house was carried to his sons by his daugh- ter Hannah, who made her way through bypaths for forty miles, eluding the marauding parties scattered through the country, to the American army. Her brothei*s immediately set oflf in pui*suit, found their father at length by the roadside, watched over by a wounded American soldier, and conveyed him home. Another adventure is remembered, in which John Haynes figured^ during that memorable retreat of Gen. Greene. He was sent as a Bcout, with three othei*s, to give notice of the approach of Tarleton'a dragoons. While posted on a hill they were suddenly startled by ihe appearance of a squadron of his light hoi'se turning round a clump of trees close at hand, with the design of cutting oflf their ♦ A description of this battle, communicated by a southern gentleman, haf been rendered superfluous by tiie very full and graphic account contaihed ii BIr. WVeeler's excellent History of North Carolina^ recently publ'shed. 150 PIONEER WOMEN OP THE WEST. retreat. The only point left open was a lane, a mile oi so long', through a wide plantation. The four whigs instantly commenced the race, closely pursued by the British dragoons with their drawn sabres, the parties near enough to hear each other's voices — the roy- alists calling upon the rebel squad to surrender, and now and then discharging a pistol to enforce the order. The hindmost fugitive, one George Locke, was at length cut down by a sabre-stroke, and killed ; the others, hotly pursued, reached the end of the lane, and instantly turned into the thick woods, where they could ride with ease, being practised woodsmen, while the progress of the heavy- armed dragoons of Tarleton was retarded. As they dashed into the cover, they discharged their pistols over their shouldei-s, killing the leading hoi*seman, a subaltern, who had the moment before cut down their companion, and was almost in the act of performing the same office for them. Fearing an ambuscade, the party hastily re- treated, leaving the body of the subaltern where he fell. His uni- form was taken off by a negro, and often worn by him after the close of the war. In his advanced age John Haynes often amused his friends by recounting this and other anecdotes of races with the British troop- ers. On one occasion he was alone, hemmed in by pui-suing horse- men, and driven to the banks of Candle Creek, at a point where the height of the banks and the width of the channel seemed to pre- clude all hope of escape. Being well mounted and a fearless rider, he dashed to the stream, his enemies close upon him with drawn sabres, cleared the creek at a bound, and was safe from his pursuers who dared not make the leap. The two other sons, Joseph and James, were with Gates and Greene, and in many of the most trying scenes of the war. Joseph was one of the first who broke the cane and hunted the buflfalo in the valley of Duck River, Tennessee. He was a brave soldier and an ardent patriot. It was his boast, that of ail his kinsmen who were able to bear arras, there wa** not one who did not fight on the side of the Republic. He survived most of them who served with him, and after a long and useful life in the land to which he had ANN HAYNES. 151 gone as a pioneer, he died in July 1845, at his residence on Silvei Creek, Maury County, Tennessee, in the 96th year of his age. His brother John was born in a fort or station in the valley of tho Catawba, where his family had taken shelter from the incursions of the Cherokee Indians in 1759. All three brothei-s with their fami- lies emigrated to Tennessee in the beginning of the present century, and established themselves in the southern part of Middle Ten- nessee. John Haynes and his sons opened the road from the north side of Duck River, near Cany Spring, to the south side of Elk-ridge, where Cornei'sville now stands. Here father and sons opened farms, aided in erecting churches and school -houses, and soon found them- selves surrounded by crowds of emigrants from Carolina and Vir- ginia. They never forgot the precepts of their venerable ancestor, noi neglected their duty to pander to the taste of a less rigidly moral population. John hved to the age of seventy-seven, and kept his char- acter for rapid riding to the last. It was often averred by his friends that he never rode in a walk, but always in a gallop. He died in 1838, but his widow, Margaret Haynes, survived him many years, dying the 3rd July, 1851, at the residence of her son, James S, Haynes, Esq., in her 88th year. Even at that advanced age, she retained her physical and intellectual faculties so perfectly, as to render her reminiscences of the times of peril and bloodshed both reliable and interesting. She remembered to have heard Rev. James McCree preach the funeral of Gen. Davidson at Centre meeting-house soon after the war, at which were present more than a dozen widows of those who had fallen in defence of their country. Her chief em- ployment was reading religious books and studying the Scriptures. She gave food to the hungry and clothing to the needy, encourag- ing, reproving, and admonishing those around her, and diligently following every good work. There were other children, daughtei-s of James and Ann Haynes, who married worthy men in Rowan and Mecklenburg, North Caro- hna, where most of ihem continued to live. Their descendants are now widely scattered through th»^ West and South, probably num- 152 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. bering three or four hundred, and many of them have been active in the service of their country. Several were engaged in the war of 1812 ; others subsequently in the Florida or Seminole war, and in the recent war with Mexico ; Milton A. Haynes being a subal- tern in the Florida war, and a Captain of Tennessee Volunteers in the Mexican war, and two of his brothers serving as subalterns. One of them lost his life in the service. The Rev. Cyrus Haynes, of Illinois, and the Rev. John Haynes of Mississippi, are the grand- sons, and several other respectable clergymen of different States ar« descendants of the subject of this sketch. vm. RUTH SPARKS. Ruth Sevier was the second daughter of Gen. Jobn Sevie*, by hia second marriage with Catharine Sherrill. She was bo^ — the precise date is not known — at Plum Grove, their residence on the Nola- chucka in that part of North Carolina now known as East Tennessee those settlements then forming the extreme borders of the country inhabited by civilized Americans. During some five and twenty years, the greater part of the time from 1769 to 1*796, the settlers — as it has been seen — were troubled more or less every year by Indian depredatoi-s, and murdei-s and bloody battles were common occurrences. It cannot be wondered at that females born and reared in the midst of such perils should be imbued with a sturdy courage, and a self-reliance acquired only by familial' acquaintance with danger and hardship. Boldness and force of character might be expected, with the occasional manifesta- tion of a daring more than feminine, and a love of wild and roman- tic adventure ; while the cultivation of the gentler graces, and the refinement which is such an ornament to womanhood, might be sup- posed to be frequently neglected. It will not be rational, therefore, for modern judgment to condemn too rigidly what in the mannei's of that period did not accord with the ideas of etiquette in vogue at the present daj The heart and the morals of our ancestoi-s ^^er« 7* 154 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. uncorrupted, and we should not mark for disapproval their non- observance of external properties. " Times change, and we change with them," is an admitted truth ; whether for the better or noi, perhaps it would not be easy to decide. Throughout Western Virginia and North Carolina but few oppor- tunities or advantages were then oflfered for the education of children, and the duty of instructing them, particularly daughters, devolved chiefly upon the mothei-s among the frontier settlers. This duty was in general attended to as diligently as circumstances permitted, and women who had themselves enjoyed in a very limited degree the privilege of schooling, but had graduated under the rough but thorough tutoring of hard experience, did not often fail to impart to their little ones, with a portion of their own energy, pei-severance, and spirit of enterprise, such a knowledge of practical matters at least, as proved sufficient for all purposes of life. Often too, they incited their children to avail themselves of opportunities presented to acquire even what might be termed learning. Such training had the parents of our heroine, and such they gave her ; and thus with- out any regular schooling, she made rapid attainments, having been gifted by nature with a powerful and active mind, a ready appre- hension, and great energy and strength of purpose. The condition of society in those unsettled and eventful times, and the stirring inci- dents in which her parents and their associates were continually forced to participate, had also much effect in forming her character, imparting a force, decision, and promptness which she might not otherwise have possessed. During the Indian wars in which Gen. Sevier commanded the troops and was the leader in so many expeditions and successful encounters, being acknowledged as "the friend and protector of the exposed settlements," Ruth evinced a strong interest in the history and character of those warlike tribes. She learned not only the names of the chiefs, but of many of the common warrioi-s. Some of them she saw at her father's house in the intervals of })eace, and availed hei-self of the opportunity to become well acquainted with .horn, and acquire a knowledge of their mannei-s and customs. She EUTH SPARKS. 155 manifested a particular curiosity to learn as much as possible of then mode of living and domestic habits. All the information she sought was readily communicated to her by the Indians, who were influ- enced by grateful feelings towards her father for his generous kind- ness to the friendly savages who had visited him, and to some thirty prisoners whom he brought to his house and took care of liber* ally at his own expense. These had been selected from about one hundred captives taken in the year 1781. Ten of these thirty re- mained for three years at the residence of Gen. Se\ner. Ruch w.as a great favorite with them all, and not only learned the Cherokee language, but so completely won the regard of every one of them, that on their return to the nation they named her to the chiefs and warriors with such expressions of commendation as amounted to a pledge of safety to the family, in case of any future difficulty, to be considered more sacred than the guarantee extended to other set tiers. The kindness shown by " Nolachucka Jack " and his wife to the captives and other Indians, was mentioned the more frequently, as it gave occasion to speak of " Chucka's Rutha." " She will be chiefs wife some day," was the prediction of many. Mi-s. Sevier had been accustomed to place much confidence in her friends among the children of the forest, which she never found be- trayed. While the captives were at her house she permitted the Indian girls to play with Ruth and accompany her in errands and visits to the neighboi-s. The watchful solicitude they manifested at all times for her safety, and their desire to please her by any little service in their power, convinced the mother that the little girl was entirely secure in their company, while the unlimited trust shf* placed in the savages was returned on their part by gratitude, and a determination to merit her kindly regard. Thus, prisoners as they were, they lived contented and happy, bound to their host more strongly than bonds or impnsonment could have fettered them. The effect of these mutual good offices was seen long afterwards, and repeatedly acknowledged in various negotiations and treaties, where the ivresence and " talks" of Gen. Sevier exercised a decisive influenoe 156 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. in persuading the savages to accede to the wishes of the whites fot the extension of boundaries and the pronootion of peace. Many instances are mentioned which caused alarm to the family of Gen. Sevier and the settlers living on the Nolachucka, in which Ruth's courage and spirit were of service. Once she gave notice of the approach of tories in time for her mother to have the most valuable articles removed from the house, and concealed in an old hme-kiln. On another occasion, while playing or bathing in the stream with one of the captive Indian girls, she fancied she saw enemies lurking near the banks, and hastened to give warning. Once an attempt to cross the river with the same or another Indian maiden, had nearly proved a fatal experiment, when two young men of the same band of Cherokee captives, came unexpectedly to their relief. Ruth learned in her earliest childhood to shoot well with the musket and rifle, and could take a surer aim than many an ordinary huntsman. The prediction of the Indians that " Chucka's Rutha" would become the wife of a chief was fulfilled singularly enough, as we proceed to explain. In the early settlement of Kentucky, when violent and destructive attacks were made on the settlements — dur- ing frequent incm-sions by the tribes living north of the Ohio river, a number of children had been captured, and for the most part carried off to the Indian villages near the Lakes. Among others thus taken, was a child four years of age, who was either captured or purchased by one of the principal chiefs of the Shawanese, upon the head watere of the Scioto River. This Indian had two sons nearly of the same age with the youthful captive, who was adopted as a third son, and immediately placed with them as a companion and brother, rather than as a slave, being treated with unusual kindness and indulgence. He received a new name on his adop- tion — Shawtunte — a cognomen which was changed after his release for that of Richard Sparks ; though whether the latter was his true and original name or not, we have no means of ascertaining. His Indian playmates were Tecuraseh, and his elder brother the Prophet. Both these were afterwards well kcown as c;iiefs of power and RUTH SPARKS. 157 influence, and as resolute and dangerous enemies of the United States. Tecumseh was ambitious, bold and energetic, and withal of a more amiable disposition than his brother ; but neither of them was deficient in the qualities necessaiy to form the brave and successful warrior. By their enterprise and exertions the plan was organized for an extensive combination among the tribes of the West and Northwest, including some of the Southwest, for the pur- pose of a general war upon the Americans. This mischievous con- spiracy among the tribes was got up chiefly through the influence of agents of the British government, and threatened a vast amount of misery and bloodshed to the extensive and exposed American settlements on the frontier. The confederacy was broken up by the victories gained by Gen. Hari-ison at the battle of Tippecanoe, Nov. 6th, 1811, and upon the Miami River, followed by that of the Thames, Oct. 5th, 1813. The British Government had conferred upon Tecumseh the commission of a Major General. He lost his life in the battle of the Thames. To return to Shawtunte. He remained in the family of Tecum- seh about twelve years, till he was sixteen years old, acquiring the habits of the Indians, and becoming a proficient in their language ; for he had, indeed, Httle knowledge of any other. Some time before the victories of Gen. Wayne over the Indians on the Miamies, gained in 1794, he was exchanged or released, and having bid adieu to his Indian friends, returned to Kentucky. Thence he proceeded to the settlements on the Holston and Nolachucka. His relatives did not recognize him, particularly as he could not speak English. His mother only knew him by a mark she remembered. Having heard of Gen. Sevier, and being inspired with profound respect for one who had obtained so high a reputation as a military officer, he ventured at length to seek his acquaintance. The General became deeply interested in the history of the young man, and was anxious to obtain from him some account that could be depended on, of the numbei-s and disposition of the northern tribes of Indiana He desired also an accurate description of the country 158 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. stretching between the Ohn and the Lakes, over much of which Shawtunte had passed in his various travels while domesticated among the savages. He was quite willing to gratify his friend by stories of Indian hfe and adventure, and his accounts of the perils and hardships he had encountered in his sojourn in the wilderness, awakened the lively sympathy of his auditor. It may be supposed that the General was not the only listener on such occasions, to these tales of adventure wilder than romance, as he had without hesitation admitted Shawtunte to the acquaintance and hospitality of his fam ily. The interest expressed in fair faces at his narration, could not fail to encourage vivid details of •' most disastrous chances, Of moving accidents by flood and field," such as might well enchain the hearing of those who had seen enough of Indian life to take an interest in all that concerned their savage neighbors. As an evidence of his regard, Gen. Sevier pro- mised to exert his influence in procuring him a military appointment ; and did so with such good effect that he was honored with a cap- tain's commission. He performed service as a spy, and it is said was very useful in Gen. Wayne's army ; also, that he stood high as an officer and a gentleman. Meanwhile he had been aiming at a conquest of another sort in the family of the Governor-General, having become deeply enamored of his fair daughter, Ruth. Her appearance at this time is described as being very prepossessing. In symmetry of form and grace of attitude she was unrivalled. It was said, "she was never in the least awkward; she never sat, stood, or walked, but with a natural ease and grace that was perfect; and she was always a figure for a painter." She had regular and delicate features, with a complexion extremely fair, blue eyes, and a chiselled mouth, expressive of intelligence and lively humor. Her personal attractions were enhanced by a cheerful and sociable dispo- sition, a self-possessed and unembaiTassed manner, and a faculty of accommodating herself to any situation or circumstances, with powei-s of entertaining conversation which made her society sought RUTH SPARKS. 159 eagerly b} both sexes. It will not be wondered at that slie never failed to make an impression, or that she was an acknowledged centre of attraction ; yet as she was entirely free from vanity or arrogance, and seemed animated not so much by a love of display as by a cheerful and kindly spirit, and a desire to enjoy and contri- bute to the enjoyment of othere, she was not so much envied as loved. It may seem strange enough that the affections of a creature so lovely and accomplished, should be bestowed on one as untutored as the wild Indian; but so it was, notwithstanding the difference be- tween them in education and manners, station and prospects in life. At the time of his marriage with the Governor's daughter, the liber- ated captive was wholly unlettered, not knowing how to read or write. His youthful and charming bride became his teacher, and he soon made such proficiency, that " he might have passed toler- ably in an examination of boys in the spelling-book." His attain- ments, however, were not such as to enable him to spell or read with perfect correctness, or to write with elegance, when he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the United States army, and was ordered to Fort Pickering, on the Mississippi. Here he was stationed in 1801-2. This military station, now the beautiful and flourishing city of Memphis, was established on the bordei-s of the territory of the Chickasaw Indians, as a link in the chain of military defences on the waters of the great river, for the purpose of preserv- ing peace with the savage nation, and protecting emigration. The purchase of Louisiana followed soon after, and Col. Sparks proceeded with his regiment to New Orleans when the country was given into the possession of the American government. After this he was sta- tioned for a short time at Baton Rouge, and for a longer period at Fort Adams, in the Mississippi territory. Mrs. Sparks accompanied her husband to each of these places, and remained as long as it was his duty to s-'-^ay at the post. She always performed the duty of his secretary, keeping his accounts, writing his lettere, and making out his reports to superior officers and the War Department. In Natchez and other towns where there was anything that could 160 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. be called society, the claims of Mrs. Sparks to the respect and admi* ration of social circles, did not fail to be recognized ; she was, indeed, " the cynosure of neighboiing eyes," and her influence became very extensive. During her residence in Louisiana and at Fort Adams, several of the Choctaws were in the habit of calling almost daily at her house, to bring venison and wild turkeys or ducks, receiving in recompense some token of remembrance from the " tyke (wife) of Shawtunte," for they had learned the history of Col. Sparks, and knew his Indian name ; also that Mi-s. Sparks was the daughter of a warrior whose deeds were well known, and whose bravery was highly esteemed by the southern tribes of Indians. After a residence of some ten years in the Southern military Dis- trict, the health of Col. Sparks became so infirm, that he was induced, by the earnest advice of Gen. Sevier, to send an application to the War Department, in consequence of which he was permitted to return to Tennessee. Thence he proceeded to Staunton, in Virginia, at which place, or in its vicinity, he died, about 1815. During this last visit to Tennessee, he passed through Nashville and Gallatin, remaining some days, and recounted some of the events of his cap- tivity to pei*sons who called upon him and Mi*s. Sparks. Among these was Thomas Washington, Esq., who is still living in Nash\ille, and remembei"s many incidents. The gentleman to whom I am in- debted for this memoir, obtained many of the particulars fi'om Mrs. Sparks hei-self, and from her brother, who was from early youth an oflficer in the army ; while her sister, the widow of Maj. William M'Clelland, of the United States' army, who now resides at Van Buren, in Arkansas, confirms every statement. Some of the records pertaining to this portion of the family history, are in the Historical Society library at Nashville. The father of Mi-s. Sparks has been mentioned as " the Governor," although the period alluded to was before the organization of the State of Tennessee. This honorable title had been appropriated to him as governor of the " State of Frankland," from the year 1784 to 1788. When Tennessee was admitted into the Union, he became RUTH SPARKS. 161 her first governor, holding that office, with aL interval of only two yeai-8, for more than eleven yeai-s. Mi"s. Sparks entered into a second marriage with an intelligent and wealthy planter of Mississippi. Her residence was a beautiful and highly improved country seat, within view of the town of Port Gibson, in Mississippi, and the splendid hospitality so remarkable on these secluded plantations, was duly exercised at " Burhngton," where there was a continual succession of visitors. The fair mistress of this stately abode was distinguished by the same cheerfulness, genial kind- ness and attention to her guests as in her more youthful years. She was a model housewife, and everything about her establishment was always in perfect order. In the summer of 1824, while on a visit to some friends at Maysville, Kentucky, her useful life was termi- nated, her faith in the Redeemer growing brighter as the final scene approached. She never had any children, but was at all times ex tremely fond of them, and particularly pleased with the society of foung pei-sons, who always manifested a strong attachment for her. IX SARAH SHELBY. Sarah, already mentioned as the eldest daughter of Mrs. Bledsoo, was born in the firet year of the first settlement of Tennessee. She was veiy young when her family removed from Fort Chissel, Vir- ginia, to East Tennessee. Their residence was then on the frontier, near the island flats, in what is now Sullivan County. Her early education was excellent, considering the circumstances of location and the want of the advantages of instruction which could be en- joyed in older communities. She attended the fii'st and only lessons in dancing, given in 1784, not long before her marriage, at the house of Mr. Harris, twelve miles from Col. Bledsoe's residence. The teacher was Capt. Barrett, an English officer who had served under the roval banner in the war of the Revolution, and then left the service, determined to cast his lot for the rest of his days with the brave republicans against whose liberties he had fought. It was among the singular vicissitudes of life, that a loyal captain who m all probability had served under Col. Ferguson at the battle of Kinfx's Mountain, battlinij to the death aijainst the Tennessee mountaineei'S, should be found afterwards in the wilderness giving lessons to their daughtei-s in this graceful accomplishment! The gentleman who furnishes this memoir quaintly observes, that " not SARAIl SHELBY. 103 being ablo to make the fathers run, ho was content with making the dauii!:htei*s dance." While the family still lived in Sullivan County, Miss Bledsoe was married, in 1784, to David Shelby. Soon after, the young couple, with Col. Bledsoe and his ftimily, came and fixed their homes in the midst of the wilderness of the Cumberland Valley, which Bledsoe and his brother had explored in 1119. The journey by land at that time from East Tennessee was a difficult and perilous one, across mountains and through forests and canebrakes, where it was im- possible to force a wagon. Every article carried had to be packed on horses. The families who formed this pioneer settlement in the Cumber- land Valley were not destitute of means to live comfortably in a region where the necessaries and comforts of Hfe could be procured, but isolated as they were from all advantages of communication or interchange with the fi-iends they had left, they were thrown entirely upon the resources of their own labor and ingenuity. Their dwellings were rude cabins made of logs, sometimes rough and sometimes hewn. For protection against the Indians a number of these cabins were surrounded by pickets bullet-proof, and several families, usually related to each other, or attached as old neighboi*s, Hved within the fenced space. Sometimes the pioneei-s resided in the blockhouses, built in the salient points of these picketed enclo- sures. The upper story of these blockhouses projected over the lower one, with portholes in the floor, so that pei-sons within might shoot an assailant who approached too near under cover of the pro- iection. The terra "station," in the frontier vocabulary of those times, meant a blockhouse, picketed so as to shelter several families. It was usually called by the name of the builder or the owner of the land — as " Buchanan's Station," &c. Some, however, were known by more fanciful designations, as " Bledsoe's Lick," " French Lick," etc. It has been already stated that at the time of Col. Bledsoe's exploration of the Cumberland Valley, no white man lived withm the limits of Tennessee, west of the mountains, except a few French 164 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE A^EST. traders who had become naturahzed among the Indians. After the removal of the family they suffered many hardships, which pressed most heavily upon the women, while shut up within military de- fences in the midst of the forest. No supplies of groceries or dry goods could be obtained in the valley, and all the clothing worn by the pioneers, male and female, was of home manufacture. Not one oi the females was exempted from this labor ; all learned how to spin and weave, and it was the pride and glory of these stout- hearted dames to prepare the material and make up with their own hands the clothes worn by themselves, their husbands and children. Col. Bledsoe was attired in a full suit manufactured by his wife and daughters, when he represented the Cumberland Valley iu the Legis- lature of North Carolina. All articles of consumption which could not be procured in the woods or raised on their plantations, were very scarce. Salt could only be obtained by tedious and dangerous journeys to the Kanawha salt works in Virginia, or to some French salt works in Illinois, then a part of Louisiana. Imported sugar, coffee and tea were almost excluded from use among the families in the valley, by the expense and difficulty of procuring them. For the fii*st two or three years, before the dangers in the midst of which they lived, permitted them to cultivate the soil to any extent, even bread was scarcely to be had. The rifle of the pioneer procured for his family venison, bear's meat and wild turkeys, as well as protected them from Indian marauders. A little sugar was made every spring from the maple ti-ees, which grew in great abundance in the untrodden forest. For this purpose large parties of old and young, male and female, when they had fixed upon a convenient location, assembled and bivouacked, or "camp(id," to use their own phrase, in the woods near the grove of maples, which were soon notched and pierced. The sap was caught in small troughs dug out with an axe, and carried to the camp, where it was boiled down in large pots. In two or three days thus spent, sugar enough was often produced to furnish a year's sup})ly for a family, and the occasion did not fail to afford opportunity for a rustic re-union for all the young people of the neighborhood. SARAH SHELBY. 165 Nothing was known at that time of the culture of cotton. Flax was grown, however, and the prettiest girls in the valley hatchelled, Fpun and wove it ; the forest trees and shrubs yielding ample materials for dye-stuffs, by which a variety of colors might be furnished for ball or bridal costume for the fairest demoiselles of the new colony. A beautiful scarlet was produced from sassafras and sumach, and the walnut furnished a bright brown, of which color were dyed the jeans which formed full suits, elegant enough for the gentlemen's holiday wearing. This material, made in old style, is still a favorite in all the rural districts of Tennessee, the process of its manufacture having been taught, as a hereditary art, by mother to daughter, from generation to generation. If we may rely upon tradition, the women whose time was thus passed exclusively in useful occupations, and whose laboi-s demanded continual exercise, were superior in pei-sonal beauty to their paler and more luxurious descendants. Be that as it may, their ideas of feminine accomplishment and female merit were certainly different from those of modern days. A young woman then prided herself, not on finery purchased with the labor of othei-s, but on the number of hanks of thread she could spin, or yards she could weave in a day on a rustic loom, made, perhaps, by her father or brother. Many a maiden whose father could reckon his acres of land in the wilderness by thousands, has appeared at church or at a country assembly dressed from head to foot in articles manufactured entirely by her self, and looking as bright and lovely in her gay coloi-s as the proud- est city dame who could lay the looms of India under contribution. Mrs. Shelby's husband was the fii-st merchant in Nashville, and perhaps in middle Tennessee. He established himself as such in 1*790, and after two or three yeai-s, removed to Sumner County, where he was appointed to the oflfice of clerk, the fii-st chosen in the county. This office he continued to hold, residinor in Gallatin, till bis death in 1819. He maintained throu^rhout fife a hio-h and ho- norable position among the settlers of the Valley, possessing qualities of mind and heart which would have commanded success and en- ured usefulness in the irost eminent station to which a republican 166 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. could have aspired, in the new State which he and his family aided in building up. But he was not ambitious, and preferred retirement in the bosom of his family, and the unostentatious discharge of the duties of an humble office, husbanding the resources he possessed for the purpose of giving his children a substantial education, and fitting them for lives of usefulness. Mi-s. Shelby has frequently mentioned incidents that occurred on different occasions when she and her husband were compelled to fly from Indians, and narrowly escaped destruction. At one time the savages came to the block-house where she lived, and attempted to shoot through a crack in the chimney. It happened that Mrs. Shelby, feeling a presentiment of danger, had stopped the crevice on the inside by a plank, which the bullets could not penetrate with- out having their deadly force spent. The savages were around the house during the night, as was discovered by their tracks about the place, and the finding of several articles belonging to them, such as pipes, moccasins, etc. The day after the death of Col. Anthony Bledsoe, Mi-s. Shelby went with her husband, son and servants to Bledsoe's Lick, to attend his funeral, although the distance was ten miles, and it was known the Indians were in the forest. The son, now Dr. Shelby, of Nash- ville, remembei*s that his father went in advance, armed with a rifle and holstere, his mother next, and that he followed with a negro, who also carried a rifle. In 1788, while living on Station Camp Creek, in Sumner County, Mrs. Shelby was one day at home with only her Httle children. As usual in the early settlements, they lived in a log cabin, in which open places between the logs served the p.'ace of windows. Her husband was in the fields, some distance from the house. While seated by the fire she was startled by the appearance of au Indian warrior, fully armed, approaching her cabin. Quick as thought^ fehe took down a loaded rifle that hung on the wall, and whispered to her son, then only six yeai-s old, to go out by the back door, and run into the field for his father, which he did quietly, but with all speed. Then placing i >rself near the door, she put the muzzle of SARAH SHELBY. 167 Jie rifle throiisch a crack in the wall, and stood, witli her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot the Indian as he came near, approaching the door. Just at the moment when Mrs. Shelby was about to shoot, with deadly aim, the savage saw the gun, and with hasty strides retreated to the woods. Thus the heroism of the matron saved not only her own life, but the hves of several small children. Soon after the retreat of the Indian, Mr. Shelby and his son reached the house, to embrace the heroic wife and mother, who still stood with the rifle in her hands. The history of Mrs. Shelby and her family, if properly given, would embrace almost the entire history of Tennessee ; nor would it be possible to offer anything like an adequate sketch of the founders of the colony of Cumberland Valley, without writing in detail the his- tory of that eventful period. This may be done by some future his- torian, the scope of whose work will permit him to do full justice to the patient and self-denying toil, and the heroic deeds of those en- terprising pioneers. Whenever this is done, the names of Bledsoe, Shelby, Sevier, Robertson, Buchanan, Rains, and Wilson, cannot fail to shine forth prominently in the picture. These men were neither refugees from justice, nor outlaws from civihzation, but belonged to a band of patriots who came, like Hooker, Haynes, or Roger Wil- liams, to set up the altar of freedom, and find a home in primeval forests, beyond the reach of oppression, where they might live inde- pendently, and in time happily. They came not, as they knew, to an ideal paradise, or happy valley, but to a dreary wilderness, whero a thousand perils environed them ; beyond the paternal care of either state or federal government ; harassed from time to time by a savage fo^. ; destitute of regular supplies of provisions or munitions of war ; depending for subsistence on the forest and the small patches of cornfield they were able to cultivate in the intervals of Indian cam- paigns ; a mere handful of men, \vith a few helpless women and children, and equally dependent slaves ; yet they kept their ground, and year by year increased in numboi-s and strength, till after a struggle of fifteen yeai-s against fearful odds of Indian enemies, the colony numbere' from seven to eight thousand ! During all this tim« 16^ PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. of trial, the armed occupation was maintained with toil and blood- shed, both of men and women, who showed, in times of emergency, that they, too, possessed the Hon will and the lion heart. Thrilling was the story of their adventures, with which, in after years, they held their listeners spell-bound ; and far surpassing the wildest ro mance were their homely but interesting narratives, glowing in the warm coloring of life. They told '• How oft at night Their sleep was broke by sudden fright, Of Indian whoop and cruel knife To spill the blood of babe and wife ; How prowling wolves and hungry bears Increased their dangers and their cares ; How bold and strong these pilgrims were — That feared not Indian, wolf, or bear ; By sickness pressed, by want beset, Each ill they braved, each danger met ; 'Midst want and war their sinews grew, — etc." Among the women of this period, remembered particularly for the energy and cheerful self-denial with which they aided the hardy pioneers, encouraging and animating them, while sharing in their laboi-s, none did her part more nobly, with more womanly grace as well as firmness and resolution, than Mrs. Shelby. Her memory preserved to an advanced age every prominent incident connected with the settlement of East Tennessee and of the Cumberland Val- ley. Every part of the State, within her recollection, was a wilder- ness. Having: lived throuo^h the border troubles and succeeding yeai*s of change, having survived the slaughter of her nearest rela- tives by the murderous Cherokees and marauding Creeks and Sha- wanese, she lived to see that helpless and bleeding colony of the Watauga, increase and multiply and grow up in the midst of the receding forest to a goodly State — it may be said, a nation. This venerable matron died on the 11th of March, 1852, in the eighty-sixth year of her age. She was in her usual health, and occupied wit! ber needle, only three days before her death. She SARAn SHELBY. 169 had long been a member of the Episcopal cliurcli, and gave up her spirit to God with Christian resignation, leaving an affectionate circle of her children and descendants to mourn her departure. She had been in the habit of going to visit hel* relatives in the old county where she formerly resided. The fourth of July, 18.51, was kept by a number of aged pioneei-s in Sumner, assembled to dine together, and many were the interesting recollections called up on that occasion. After 1832, Mrs. Shelby's residence was with her son, Dr. Shelby at his beautiful country-seat, " Faderland," in the vicinity of Nash- ville, now almost surrounded by the new town of Edgefield. It was a pleasure to her to receive and convei-se with all interested in the early history of Tennessee, and she presented in her own bearing and character a noble example of the heroines of those times of trial. The laborious, painful, and perilous experiences of her life withal, never marred the harmony of her nature ; and in advanced age she had the contented and cheerful spirit of one whose days have glided away in undisturbed tranquillity. She was a deeply spiritual Christian, engaged continually, as far as her strength per- mitted, in the dispensation of charities, and exhibiting to those who knew her, the beauty of an humble and earnest "walk by faith." Her husband, David Shelby, died in 1822, leaving several children, who were reared to sustain their part with usefulness in the arena of life, and in the midst of difficulties to exhibit the same energy and patience which had distinguished their parents. Judge Shelby, of Texas, was one of these children. John, the eldest son, was the first white child born in Sumner County, and is one of the oldest and worthiest citizens of Nashville. He determined in youth to study medicine, and was sent to Philadelphia to have the advan- tage of instruction under the celebrated Dr. Rush. He settled early in Nashville, where for many yeai-s he devoted himself successfully to the practice of his profession, being also occupied in the manage- ment of a large pi-ivute business, in taking care of his town j)ro- perty. In 1813, he was a volunteer under Jackson, in the Creek war, and received a wound in the eye in the battle of Enotochopco 8 170 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Though holding the office of surgeon in the army, he took an active part in rallying and leading the troops in this memorable action, and in acknowledgement of his services was honorably mentioned by the General. He is now sixty-seven years of age, and after an arduous and well spent life, is still able to perform the duties of a responsible office, and to manage the business of a large farm. One of bis daughtei-s is the wife of the Hon. George Washington Barrow, late representative in Congress for the Nashville District, and duiing the years 1841-5, Charge d'Affiiires to the court of Portugal. An- other daughter is Mrs. Priscilla Williams, now residing at Memphis, Tennessee. REBECCA WILLIAMS. Walter Scott's Rebecca the Jewess was not more celebrated for her medical skill and success in treating wounds than was Rebecca Williams among the honest borderei-s of the Ohio river. She was the daughter of Joseph Tomlinson, and was born the 14 th of Feb- ruary, 1754, at Will's Creek, on the Potomac, in the province of Maryland. She married John Martin, a trader among the Indians, »ho was killed in 1770 on the Big Hockhocking by the Shawanees, one of her uncles being killed at the same time. In the first year of her widowhood, Mrs. Martin removed with her father's family to Grave Creek, and resided near its entrance into the Ohio, keeping house for her two brothers. She would remain alone for weeks together while they were absent on hunting excursions ; for she had little knowledge of fear, and was young and sprightly in disposition. In the spring of 1774, she paid a visit to her sister, who had married a Mr. Baker, and resided upon the banks of the Ohio, oppo- site Yellow Creek. It was soon after the celebrated massacre of Logan's relatives at Baker's station. Rebecca made her visit, and prepared to return home as she had come, in a canoe alone, the dis- tance being fifty miles. She left her sister's residence in the afu3r- noon, and paddled her canoe till dark. Then, knowing that the 172 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. moon would rise at a certain hour, she neared the land, leaped on shore, and fastened her craft to some willows that drooped their boughs over the water. She sought shelter in a clump of bushes, where she lay till the moon cleared the tree tops and sent a broad stream of light over the bosom of the river. Then, unfastening her boat, she stepped a few paces into the water to get into it. But, as she reached the canoe, she trod on something cold and soft, and stooping down discovered, to her horror, that it was a human body. The pale moonlight streamed on the face of a dead Indian, not long killed, it was evident, for the body had not become stiflf. The young woman recoiled at fii-st, but uttered no scream, for the instinct of self-preservation taught her that it might be dangerous. She wen* round the corpse, which must have been there when she landed, stepped into her bark, and reached the mouth of Grave Creek, without further adventure, early the next morning. In the ensuing summer, one morning while kindling the fire, olowing the coals on her knees, she heard steps in the apartment, and turning round, saw a very tall Indian standing close to her. He shook his tomahawk at her threateningly, at the same time motioning her to keep silence. He then looked around the cabin in search of plunder. Seeing her brother's rifle hanging on hooks over the fireplace, he seized it and went out. Rebecca showed no fear while he was present ; but immediately on his departure, left the cabin and hid herself in the standing corn till her brother came home. In the following year the youthful widow was united to a man of spirit congenial to her own. Isaac Williams had served as a ranger in Bi-addock's army, and accompanied Ebenezer and Jonathan Zane in 1769, when they explored the country about Wheeling, having before that period made several hunting excursions to the waters of tlie Ohio. He explored the recesses of the western wild, following the water courses of the groat valley to the mouth of the Ohio, and thence along the shores of the Mississippi to the turbid watei-s of the Missouri ; trapping the beaver on the tributaries of this river as early as IV 70. His marriage with Rebecca was performed with a REBECCA WILT.IAMS. 173 simplicity characteristic of the times. A travelling preacher who chanced to come into the settlement, performed the ceremony at short notice, the bridegroom presenting himself in his hunting dress and the bride in short-gown and petticoat of homespun, the common wear of the country. In 1V7V, the depredations and massacres of the Indians were so frequent that the settlement at Grave Creek, consisting of several families, was broken up. It was a frontier station, and lower dtjwn the Ohio than any other above the mouth of the Great Kanawha. It was in this year that the Indians made the memorable attack on the fort at Wheeling.* Mr. Williams and his wife, with her father's family, moved to the Monongahela river, above Redstone, "old fort, where they remained until the spring of 1783. They then returned to their plantations on Grave Creek, but in 1785 were obliged to remove again into the garrison at Wheeling. While there, Mi-s. Williams excercised the healing art for the benefit of the soldiei-s, as no surgeon could be procured. With the assistance of Mrs. Zane, she dressed the wounds of one wounded in fourteen places by rifle shots while spearing fish by torchlight, and with fomentations and simple applications, not only cured his w^ounds, which every one thought an impossible undertaking, but saved an arm and leg that were broken. Dr. Hildreth mentions that many years afterwards, while he was attending on a man with a compound fracture of the leg, in the neighborhood of Mrs. Williams' house, she was present at one of the dressings, and related several of her cures in border times. It has been stated that Rebecca Martin, before her marriaorc to Mr. Williams, acted as housekeeper for her brothers for several year3. In considei-ation of which service, her biothei-s, Joseph and Samuel, made an entry of four hundred acres of land on the Virginia shore of the Ohio river, directly opposite the mouth of the Muskingum, for their sister ; girdling the trees, building a cabin, and planting and fencing four acres of corn, on the high second bottom, in the ♦ See sketch of Elizabeth Zane. " Wrnien of the American Revolution.* Vol. II. 174 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Spring of the year 1773. They spent the summer on the spot, oo- cupying their time with hunting during the growth of the crop. In this time they had exhausted their small stock of salt and bread Btuff, and lived for two or three months altogether on boiled turkies, which were eaten without salt. The followincr winter the two bro thers hunted on the Big Kanawha. Some time in March, 1774, they reached the mouth of the river on theii- return. They were detained here a few days by a remarkably high freshet in the Ohio. That year was long known as that of Dunmore's war, and noted for Indian depredations. The renewed and oft repeated inroads of the Indians, led Mr. Williams to turn his thoughts towards a more quiet retreat than that at Grave Creek. Fort Harmer, at the mouth of the Muskingum, having been erected in 1786, and garrisoned by United States troops, he came to the conclusion that he would now occupy the land belonging to his wife, and located by her brothei-s. This tract embraced a large share of rich alluvions. The piece opened by the Tomhnsons in 1773, was grown up with young sap- lings, but could be easily reclaimed. Having previously visited the spot and put up log cabins, Williams finally removed his family and eflects thither, the twenty-sixth of March, 1787, being the year before the Ohio company took possession of their purchase at the mouth of the Muskincrum. In the January following the removal to his forest domain, his wife gave birth to a daughter, the only issue by this marriage. Soon after the Ohio company emigrants had established themselves at Marietta, a pleasing and friendly intercourse was kept up between them and Mr. Williams ; and as he had now turned his attention more especially to clearing and cultivating his farm than to hunting, he was glad to see the new openings springing up around him, and the rude forest chanoringr into the home of civilized man. Settle- nicnts were commenced at Belprie and Waterford the year after that at Marietta ; as vet little beinsx done in cultivating: the soil, their time chiefly occupied in building cabins and clearing the land. A brief account of the progress of this first settlement made in OJ will be interesting, and may here be appropriately introduced REBECCA WILLIAMS. 175 It ie prepared from a large volume of Notes on Pioneer History, by Dr. S. P. Uildreth. The country on the Ohio nver was little known to the Eni^lish till about 1740, after which tradei-s went occasionally from Pennsyl- vania and Virginia, and at later periods attempts were made to make Bettlements in diflferent localities. In 1787 the Ohio company was formed to purchase land and form settlements ; funds were raised and a large number of acres contracted for, and surveyoi-s and boat- buildei"s were set at work. In April, 1788, a company of pioneers started in the "Adventure" galley fi-om Simrell's Ferry, thirty miles above Pittsburgh, on the Yohiogoany, and landed at the mouth of the Muskingum. Vegetation was already advanced in the wild spot selected for their residence ; the trees were in leaf, and the rich clover pastures offered abundant sustenance for their stock. Lots were surveyed, and the new town laid out on the right bank of the Ohio, at the junction of the clear waters of the Muskingum, was called Marietta, in honor of Queen Marie Antoinette, whose friendly feeling towards the American nation had, as it was well known, strongly influenced her royal consort. The location proved fortunate in point of health as well as fertil- ity ; and game being abundant, the emigrants wanted for nothing. The ground was soon broken, and corn and vegetables planted. The temporary regulations for the government of the little community, were written out, and posted on the smooth branch of a large beech tree, near the mouth of the Muskingum. The fourth of July was celebrated by a public dinner set out in an arbor on the bank ; and Gen. Varnum, one of the judges, delivered the oration, while the officers of the garrison drank and responded to the toasts. The bill of fare on this occasion, which has been recorded, presented an array of venison, bear and buffiilo meat, and roast pigs ; and among the 6sh, a pike weighing a hundred pounds, speared at the mouth of the Muskingum. On the 20th July, William Brook, of New Englaudi preached the fii-st sermon ever preached to white men in Ohio, Mo- ravian missionaries having hitherto been employed to spread the •fuths of the Gospel among the savages. It may be interesting to 1 76 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. know what was the text on this memorable occasion ; it was in Exodus xix., 5, 6 : " Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure to me above all people ; for all the earth is mine ; and ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation." On the 20th August, the north-west blockhouse was so far com pleted, that a dinner was given by the directoi-s of the company to Governor St. Clair and the officei"s of Fort Harmer, which the prin- cipal citizens attended, with the wives of many of the officers, and several other ladies, who had thus early ventured into the wilderness. A fine barge, rowed by twelve oai-s, brought the company from the fort up the Muskingum to the opposite bank, from which the appear- ance of the new fort was grand and imposing. The first death is noticed as that of a child, on the 2oth of August, The number of settlei-s this year, after a reinforcement from New England, was one hundred and thirty-two, and Marietta was at this time the only white settlement in the territory now constituting tho State of Ohio. In December, about two hundred Indians came to make a treaty, and the council fire was kindled in a large log-houso outside the fort. Articles were adjusted and agreed to, and the Indians departed well pleased with the settlei*s, whom they pronounced very different from the " long knives " and stern backwoodsmen of Kentucky. During the winter succeeding, the Ohio was filled with ice, and no boat moved up or down till March, which caused a great scarcity of provisions, for nothing could be procured but venison and bear's meat, and it was difficult to find either deer or beai-s in the vicinity of the town. The inhabitants were obliged to live for weeks without bread, eating boiled corn, or coai-se meal ground in a hand- mill, with the little meat they could procure. As soon as the river opened, flour could be purchased from boats trading from Redstone and the country near Pittsburg, and before long a road was cut throuorh to Alexandria. The first marriaofe, between the Hon. Winthrop Sargent, secretary of the North West Territory, and Miss Rowena Tuj)per, daughter of Gen. Tupper, was celebrated on the d*Ji February, 1789, by Gon. Rufus Putnam, judge of the Court of REBECCA WILLIAMS. 177 Common Ple:ia fur Wasliiiigton, the first orj^aiiized county. A pub- lic festival w;v^ appointed for the 7th April, the annivei-sary of the commencement of their settlement, and was observed for many years, till the country became peopled with strangers, who knew nothing of the hardships and trials encountered by the primitive settlers. It is now sometimes kept as a holiday, for picnic excursions or social parties. Flint says he distinctly remembei-s the wagon that carried out a number of adventurers from Massachusetts, on the second emigra- tion to the forests of Ohio ; its large black canvass covering, and the white lettering in large capitals, " To Marietta, on the Ohio." Belprie was a branch settlement made by the direction of the Ohio company; the name taken from "belle prairie," or beautiful mea- dow. After the lots were drawn, the settlers moved to their farms in April, 1789, and when their log cabins were built, commenced cutting down and girdling the trees on the rich lowlands. From the destinctive etfects of frost in September of this year, the crops of corn were greatly injured, and where planted late, entirely ruined. In the spring and summer of 1790, the inhabitants began to suffer from a want of food, especially wholesome bread-stuffs. The Indians were also becoming troublesome, and rendered it hazardous boating provisions from the older settlements on the Monongahela, or hunt- ing for venison in the adjacent forests. Many families, especially at Belprie, had no other meal than that made from musty or mouldy corn ; and were sometimes destitute even of this for several days in succession. This mouldy corn commanded nine shillings, or a dollar and a half a bushel ; and when ground in their hand-mills and made into biead, few stomachs were able to digest it, or even to retain it for a few minutes. During this period of want, Isaac Williams displayed his benevo' lent feeling for the suffering colo- lists. Being in the country earlier he had more ground cleared, and had raised a crop of several hun dred bushels of corn. This he now distributed among the inhabi tants at the low rate of three shillings, or fifty cents a bushel, when at the same time he had been urged by speculatoi's to take a 8* 178 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. dollar for his whole crop. " I would not let them have a bushel," said the old hunter. He not only parted with his corn at this cheap rate, but prudently proportioned the number of bushels according to the number of individuals in a family. An empty purse was no bar to the needy applicant ; but his wants were equally supplied with those who had money, and credit was given until more favorable times should enable him to discharge the debt. Capt. Jonathan Devoll, hearing of WiUiams' corn, and the cheap rate at which he sold it, made a trip to Marietta to procure some of it ; travelling by land, and in the night, on account of the danger from Indians, a distance of twelve or four- teen miles. Williams treated him with much kindness, and aftei letting him have several bushels of corn at the usual price in plenti- ful years, furnished him with his only canoe to transport it home. Like Isaac and Rebecca of old, this modern Isaac and Rebecca were given to good deeds ; and many a poor, sick, and deserted boatman has been nui^sed and restored to health beneath their hum- ble roof. Full of days and good deeds, and strong in the faith of a blessed immortality, Williams resigned his spirit to him who gave it, the 25th of September, 1820, aged eighty-four years, and was buried in a beautiful grove on his own plantation, surrounded by the trees he so dearly loved when living. In spite of treaties, the Indians continued to harass the settlements in western Virginia, and in August attacked a surveying party em- ployed by the Ohio Company in running the lines of the townships. The savages seemed to hold the surveyor's chain and compass in utter detestation. In the winter of 1V90, the governor of the North West Terntory, St. Clair, removed his family from his plantation at " Potts' Grove," in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, to Marietta. One of his daughtei's, Louisa, was long remembered as one of the most disiinguished among the ladies of that day. In strength and elasticity of frame, blooming health, energy and fearlessness, she was the ideal of a soldier's daughter, extremely fond of adventure and frolic, and ready to draw amusement from everything around her. She was a fine equestrian, and would manage the most spirited noi-se with pcfect ease and grace, dashing at full gallop through th6 LOUISA 8T. CLAIR. 179 opeu woodland Burroundiiig the "Campus Martius," and leaping over ogs or any obstacle in her way. She was also expert in skating, and was rivalled by few, if any young men in the garrison, in the speed, dexterity, and grace of movement with which she exercised herself in this accomplishment. The elegance of her person, and her neat, well-fitting dress, were shown to great advantage in her rapid gyrations over the broad sheet of ice in the Muskingum, which for a few days in winter ofiered a fine field, close to the garrison, for this healthful sport ; and loud were the plaudits from young and old, from spectators of both sexes, called forth by the performance of the governor's daughter. As a huntress she was equally distinguished, and might have served as a model for a Diana, in her rambles through the forest, had she been armed with a bow instead of a rifle, of which latter instrument she was perfect mistress, loading and firing with the accuracy of a backwoodsman, killing a squirrel on the top of the tallest tree, or cutting oflf the head of a partridge with wonderful precision. She was fond of roaming through the woods, and often went out alone into the forest near Marietta, fearless of the savages who often lurked in the vicinity. As active on foot as on horseback, she could walk several miles with the untiring rapid- ity of a practised ranger. Notwithstanding her possession of these unfeminine attainments. Miss St. Clair's refined mannei*s would have rendered her the ornament of any drawing-room circle ; she was beautiful in pei-son, and had an intellect highly cultivated, hav- ing received a carefully finished education under the best teachei*s in Philadelphia. Endowed by nature with a vigorous constitution and Uvely animal spirits, her powei-s, both of body and mind, had been strengthened by such athletic exercises, to the practice of which she had been encoui'aged from childhood by her father. He had spent the greater part of his life in camps, and was not disposed to fetter by conventional rules his daughter's rare spirit, so admirably suited to pioneer times and mannei"s, however like an araazou she may seem to the less independent critics of female mannei-s at the present day. After the Indian war. Miss St. Clair returned to her early honae in the romantic gbns of Ligonier valley. ISO PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. It is said that the fii*st woman who came to Marietta was tlie w.fo of James Owen, and that she received a donation lot of one hundred acres from the Ohio company on this account. She gave shelter to a man who had been put ashore from a boat on the way to Kentucky, and took the small-pox from him, which soon spread, and most of the inhabitants were inoculated to preserve them from the terrible ravages of the disease. Hardly was this anxiety over than the great scarcity of provisions already noticed prevailed ; good corn rising to the price of two dollai-s a bushel, and the distress increasing as the summer approached. There were few cows and no oxen or cattle to spare ; hogs were scarce, and the woods were bare of game, the deer and butFaloes within twenty miles having been killed or driven away by the Indians. In this extremity great kindness *vas shown among the settlers, eacli shaidng what he had with his neighbors, and those who had cows dividing their milk The poor obtained supplies of fish from the river. The Indians this year — ;1790 — commenced a new species of warfare, by attacking boats in the rver usually owned by emigrants on the way to Kentucky. Their principal rendezvous was near the mouth of the Scioto, and a favor- ite device to get possession of a boat, was to make a white man stand on the bank and entreat the crew to land and take him on board, saying he had just escaped from Indian slavery and if recap- tured would be put to death. By this mode of appeal to the com- passion of emigrants, the men in several boats were induced to land, when the savages lying in ambush would seize the boat or shoot down the crew from their hiding-place. The decoy was sometimes an actual prisoner, whom they forced to act his part, and sometimes a renegade white who joined them voluntarily for the sake of a share in the plunder. In October a large company of French emigrants arrived at Marietta, coming down the Ohio in " Kentucky arks," or flatboats. Many were from Paris, and wondered not a little at the broad rivere and vast forests of the West. The distress and destitution into which they were thrown by the failure of the Scioto comj)any to fulfil thei contract** and the substitution of lands on the Ohia MASSACRE AT BIO BOTTOM. 181 dek»w the Kanawlia, are mentioned in another sketch. Gen. Rufus Putnam was commissioned by the principal men in the Scioto com- pany to build houses and furnish provisions for these colonists, and did so at great loss, the company eventually failing and dissolving. Indian hostilities commenced in January, 1791, with an attack on the blockhouse at Big Bottom. This building stood on the firet or low bottom, a few rods from the shore on the left bank of the Mus- kingum, four miles above the mouth of Meigs' Creek and thirty from Marietta. A few rods back, the land rose several feet to a second or higher bottom, which stretched out into a plain of half a mile in width, extending to the foot of the hills. Big Bottom was so called from its size, being four or five miles in length, and con- taining more fine land than any other below Duncan's falls. Ex- cepting the small clearing round the garrison, the whole region was a forest. This settlement was made up of tWrty-six young men, but little acquainted with Indian warfare or military rules. Confident in their own prudence and ability to protect themselves, they put up a blockhouse which might accommodate all in an emergency, covered it, and laid puncheon floora, stairs, &c. It was built of large beech logs, and rather open, as it was not chinked between the logs ; this job was left for a rainy day or some more convenient season. They kept no sentiy, and had neglected to set pickets around the block- house, and their guns were lying in different places, without order, about the house. Twenty men usually encamped in the house, a part of whom were now absent, and each individual and mess cooked for themselves. One end of the building was appropriated for a fire-place, and at close of day all came in, built a large fire, and commenced cooking and eating their suppei-s. A party of Indians came into a cabin occupied by a few of the men, near the blockhouse, and spoke to them in a friendly manner, partaking of their supper. Presently taking some leathern thongs and pieces of cord that had been used in packing venison, they leized the white men by their arms, and told them they were pri- sonerft. Another party attacked the blockhouse so suddenly and unexpectedly that there was no time for defence, shooting down and 182 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. tomahawking the men. One stout Virginia woman, the wife ot Isaac Meeks, who was employed as their hunter, seized an axe and /nade a blow at the head of the Indian who opened the door ; a shght turn of the head saved his skull, and the axe passed down through his cheek into the shoulder, leaving a huge gash that sev- ered nearly half his face ; she was instantly killed by the tomahawk of one of his companions before she could repeat the stroke. This was all the injury received by the Indians, as the men wei*e killed before they had time to seize their arms which stood in the corner of the room. While the slaughter was going on, a young man in the prime of life sprung up the stair-way and out upon the roof ; while his brother, a lad of sixteen, secreted himself under some beddins: in the corner of the room. The Indians on the outside soon discovered the former, and shot him in the act of begging them to spare his life, " as he was the only one left." Twelve pei*sons were killed in this attack. The savages had vowed that before the trees put forth leaves, the smoke of a white man's house should not rise north-west of the waters of the Ohio. The inhabitants assembled at the three stations at Marietta, Belprie and Waterford, new blockhouses were built at the expense of the Ohio company, and two hunters were employed to act as spies for each garrison. Gen. Putnam complained to President Washington of the danger in which the settlements stood of being entirely swept away without a reinforcement of troops, and a military force wa8 Bent for their defence in the ensuing summer. The following incident is illustrative: "On a day in March, Rogei-s and Hendei-son sallied out of the girrison at an early hour, to scout up the Muj^kingum. They ranged dili2:ently all day with- out seeing any Indians, or discovering signs of their being in the neighborhood. Just at night, as they were returning to the garrison by a cow-path, and had come within a mile of home, two Indians rose from behind a log, fifty yards before them, and fired. Roorei-s was shot throucrh the heart, and as he fell, Ilender- son attem])ted to support him, but he told him he was a dead man, and he must provide for his own safety. lie turned to escape down thfl INCIDENT. 183 Bide of the ridge, to the bottom, and two more savages who liad reserved their fire, rose and discharged their rifles at him as he ran ; one of the balls passing through the collar of his hunting- shirt, the other throuirh the silk handkerchief which was l)0und round his head, and formed a part of a ranger's dress, barely grazing the scalp. His blanket, folded like a knapsack on his back, pro- bably saved his life, — shielding the vital part by its numerous folds, from the passage of a bullet. The Indians well knew what a protection this would be, and therefore aimed at his head. After running a few hundred yards on the back track, he discovered that the savages had taken a shorter course and got ahead of him, and making a short turn to the right, up a ravine, he crossed the ridge and came out into the valley of Duck Creek, unmolested. While making this detour, he fell quite unexpectedly on the camp of the savages, and saw one busily engaged in kindling a fire, and so diligently occupied that he did not observe the white man. Henderson could easily have shot him, but as his pursuere had lost the direction of his coui-se, he thought it imprudent by firing to give them notice of his whereabouts, and went on to the garrison at the point. The alarm gun was fired, and answered from Fort Harmer and Campus Mai'tius. The story spread through the village that Rogers had been killed, and Hendei-son chased to the garrison by Indians, who were then besieging its gates. The darkness of night added to the confusion of the scene. The order, in case of an nlarm, was for every man to repair to his alarm post, and the women and children to the blockhouses. Some idea of the pro- ceedings of the night may be obtained from the narration of an eye- witness : " ' The fii-st applicant for admission to tke central blockhouse was Col. Sproat, with a box of papers for safe keeping ; then came some young men with their arms ; next, a woman with her bed and her children ; and after her, old William Moultin, from Newbnry- port, with his leathern apron full of old goldsmith's tools and tobacco. His daughter, Anna, brought the china tea-pot, cup« 184: PIONEER WOMEN OF TETL WEST. and saiicei-s. Lydia brought the great bible ; but when all were in, ' mother* was missing. Where was mother ? She must be killed bv the Indians. ' No,' says Lydia, ' mother said she would not leave the house looking so ; she would put things a little to nghts.' After a while the old lady arrived, bringing the looking-glass, knives and forks, etc' " From the commencement of the settlement, the Sabbath had been kept as a day of rest; and from 1789, regular service was performed in the north-west block-house at Campus Martins. The military law required the regular muster of troops every Sunday a. ten o'clock. They were paraded by beat of drum, the roll called, arms inspected, and then the procession, headed by Colonel Sproat with drawn sword, the clergyman and the civil officers, with accom- paniment of fife and drum, marched into the hall appropriated for divine service. The arms of the soldiei-s were placed by their sides, or in some convenient place, ready for use. " One Sunday morning in the latter part of September, Peter Niswonger, one of the rangers, went to visit a field he had planted with corn and potatoes, on the east side of Duck Creek. He had some fattened hogs in a pen, one of which he found killed, and a portion of the meat cut out and carried off. Several hills of potatoes had been dug, and in the loose earth he discovered fresh moccasin tracks; a proof that Indians had done the mischief. Peter hurried back to the garrison at the point, and gave the alarm. It was in the midst of morn- ing service, and the inhabitants were generally assembled in the laro-e block-house. The instant the words, ' Indians in the neigh- borhood,' were heard, the drummer seized his drum, and rushing out at the door, began to beat the long roll ; the well known signal for every man to hasten to his post. The place of woi-ship, so quiet a few minutes before, was now a scene of alarm and confusion. The women caught up their little children and hastened home- ward, and the place of prayer was abandoned for that day. Anxiety for the fate of their brother and husbands, who had gone in pursuit of the dreaded enemy, banished all thoughts but the silent, fervent prayer for their safe return. A party was soon mustered of five or ANECDOTE. l85 %ix of the rangers, several volunteer citizens, ana soldiers from the company stationed at the point. The men went up in canoes to the mouth of Duck Creek, where they left their water-craft. The more experienced rangers soon fell upon the trail, which they traced acrosa wide bottoms, to the Little Muskingum. At a point about half a mile below where Conner's mill now stands, the Indians forded the creek; and about a mile eastward, in a hollow between the hills, was seen the smoke of their camp fire. The rangers now divided the volunteei-s into two flanking parties, with one of the spies at the head of each ; three of their number acting in front. By the time the ' flankei-s' had come within range of the camp, the Indians dis- covered their foes, by the noise of soldiei-s who lagged behind and were rot so cautious in their movements, and instantly fled up the run on which they were encamped ; two of their number leaving the main body, and ascending the point of a hill with a ravine on the right and left. The rangers now fired, while the Indians, each taking his tree, returned the shot. One of the two savages on the spur of the ridge was wounded by one of the spies on the right, who pushed on manfully to gain the enemy's flank. The men in front came on more slowly, and as they began to ascend the point of the ridge, Ned Hendei-son, who was posted on high ground, cried, * Hence ! there is an Indian behind that white oak ; he will kill Bome of you !' One of the white men instantly sprang behind a large tree ; another behind a hickory too small to cover more than half his body, while the third jumped into the ravine. At the instant the Indian fired, he looked over the edge of the bank to see the effect of the shot, and saw the man behind the hickory wiping the dust of the bark from his eyes ; the ball having grazed the tree without doing him any injury except cutting his nose with the splintei-s. At the same time the Indian fell, pierced with several balls." " The first Sunday school was taught by Mi-s. Andrew L?,ke, a kind-hearted, pious old lady from New York, who had brought up a fjiraily of children herself, and therefore felt the more for otiiers ; she took compassion on the children of the garrison, who were 186 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. spending the Sabbath afternoons in frivolous amusements, and established a school in her own dwelling. After pai-son Story's Berxices were finished, she regularly assembled as many of the younger children as she could persuade to attend, and taught them the Westminster catechism, and lessons from the Bible, for about a hour. Her scholars amounted to about twenty in number. She was very kind and affectionate towards them, so that they were fond of assembling to listen to her instructions. Her explanations of Scripture were so simple and childlike, that the smallest of the little ones could understand them, and were rendered very pleasant by her mild manner of speaking. The accommodations for the children were very rude and simple, consisting only of a few low stools and benches, such a thing as a chair being unknown in the garrison. One of her scholars, then a little boy of four years old, who gave me a sketch of the school, says — for lack of a seat he was one day placed by the kind old lady on the top of a bag of meal, that stood leaninor aofainst the side of the room. The seed thus charitably sown in faith and hope, was not scattered in vain ; as several of her scholai-s became prominent membei*s of the church." The offer of lands for military service brought new emigrants from Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the firmness and wisdom of directoi"s and agents, backed by the counsel of old Revolutionary officers, preserved the seltlement in the midst of formidable dangers. Among other inconveniences brought by war, the mills were stopped, and it was necessary to grind the corn in hand-mills, though flour might still be procured at " head-watei-s." There were but two hand-mills in the garrison, and a large coffee- mill, which had once belonged to a ship of war. The hopper held a peck of corn, and it was in great demand. After this impeifect grinding, the finest of the meal was separated with a sieve for bread, and the coai-se boiled with a piece of venison or b(^ar's meat, making a rich and nourishing diet, well suited to the tastes of the hungry pioneei-s. One instance of strict honor, in ihe midst of privation is men PRIVATIONS. 187 Joned of the wife of an officer in the United States' service, and one of the most worthy men in the colony. During the period of the greatest distress, the mother had consented to cook for a young man >vho owned a lot adjoining hers, and ate his meals at his own cabin. While the bread, which was made of musty meal, was baking, she always sent her children out to play, and when baked, locked it immediately in the owner's chest, lest they should see it, and cry for a piece of what she had no right to give them. When a few kernels of corn chanced to be dropped in grinding, the children would pick them up like chickens, and eat them. A few of the inhabitants had cows, for which, in summer, the forest aflforded ample provender. In the latter part of the winter, the sap of the sugar maple, boiled down with meal, made a rich and nutritious food ; and the tree was so abundant, that as large quanti- ties of sugar were made as the number of kettles in the settlement would permit. By the middle of July, the new corn was in the milk, and fit for roasting; and this, with squashes, beans, etc^ put an end to fears of actual starvation. So urgent was the neces- sity, that these difierent vegetables, before they were fully formed, were gathered and boiled together, with a little meal, into a kind of soup much relished. It was even said that the dogs would get at and devour the young corn. Under these discouraging circumstances, the inhabitants contri- buted all the money they could raise, and sent two active young men bv land to " Red Stone," to procure supplies of salt meat and a few barrels of flour. It was a hazardous journey, on account of the inclemency of the weather — it being early in December — and dan- ger from the Indians, who since St. Clair's defeat were more active in harassing the settlements. The young men, however, reached head watei-s, and made the necessary purchases, which they were about sending down the river when it was suddenly closed by ice. Nothing, meanwhile, was heard of them at home, and the winter wore away in uncertainty, some supposing the messengers had gone off with the money, and othei-s that they had been killed by the savages. The ice broke up the last of February with a flood that 188 PIONEEK WOMTN OF THE WEST. inundated the ground on which the garrison was built, and early in March the young men arrived with a small Kentucky boat loaded with supplies, and entering the garrison by the upper gate, moored their ark at the door of the commandant, to the great relief and joy of the inhabitants. The expedition of Gen. Harmar having failed of its object, tho north-west territory was still a battle-ground for confederate tribes from Lakes Erie and Michigan, from the Illinois, the Waba^^h, and the Miamis. The famous chief. Little Turtle, was at their head. This failure ha\nng made a deep impression, there was a demand for a greater force under the command of a more experienced gene- ral ; and Arthur St. Clair was selected as most capable of restoring American affairs in the north-west. His army was assembled at Cincinnati with the object of destroying the Miami towns. Gen. St. Clair's defeat on a branch of the Wabash, November 4th, 1*791, was one of the heaviest disaster in the annals of savage warfare. Its effect was to expose the whole range of frontiej settlements on the Ohio, to the fury of the Indians, and spread so much alarm among the inhabitants, that many talked of leaving the country. Their final determination, however, was to stay and defend their property, and the ensuing winter, in spite of disaster, brought fresh arrivals of colonists. During the continuance of the war, the men were obliged to work their fields with arms in their hands ; parties of fifteen or twenty laboring, while three or four were posted as sentries in the edge of the woods or enclosure. Thus food for their families was obtained at the risk of the rifle or the tomahawk. The year 1791 was more fruitful of tragic events in the vicinity of Marietta than any other. After that time the Indians were occu- pied in defending their own bordei*s, or their villages, against Ameri- can troops, and had little time for hostile incursions. The expenses in which the war had involved the Ohio Company, caused the fail- ure of payment for the lands ; petitions were presented to Congress for donation lots, and those emigrants who came after the termina tion of Indian hostilities obtained better lands, on more favorablfl WOODS IN SPKINO. 189 terms, than those who had undergone all the pnvationa, labors, and Butlerings whicli preceded the priviL^ged season. "The winter of 1791-2," says Spencer in his narrative, " was fol- lowed by an early and delightful spring; indeed, I have often thought that our first western wintei-s were much milder, our springs earlier, and our autumns longer than they now are. On the last of February, some of the trees were putting forth their foliage ; in March, the red-bud, the hawthorn and the dog- wood in full bloom checkered the hills, displaying their beautiful colors of rose and lily ; and in April the ground was covered with the May apple, bloodroot, ginseng, violets, and a great variety of herbs and flowei-s. Flocks of parroquets were seen, decked in their rich plumage of green and gold. Birds of every species and of every hue, were flitting fi-ora tree to tree ; and the beautiful redbird, and the untaught songster of the west, made the woods vocal with their melody. Now might be heard the plaintive wail of the dove, and now the rumbling drum of the partridge, or the loud gobble of the turkey. Here might be seen the clumsy bear, doggedly moving off, or urged by pui-suit into a laboring gallop, retreating to his citadel in the top of some lofty tree; or — approached suddenly — raising himself erect in the attitude of defence, facing his enemy and waiting his approach ; there the timid deer, watchfully resting, or cautiously feeding, or aroused from his thicket, gracefully bounding oflf, then stopping, erecting his stately head and for a moment gazing around, or snuff- ing the air to ascertain his enemy, instantly springing off, clearing logs and bushes at a bound, and soon distancing his pursuei*s. It seemed an earthly paradise ; and but for apprehension of the wily copperhead, who lay silently coiled among the leaves, or beneath the plants, waiting to strike his victim ; the horrid rattlesnake, who more chivalrous, however, with head erect amidst its ample folds, prepared to dart upon his foe, generously with the loud noise of his rattle apprised him of danger ; and the still more fearful and insi- dious savage, who, crawling upon the ground, or noiselessly approach- ing behind trees and thickets, sped the deadly shaft or fatal bullet, 190 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. you might have fancied you were in the confines of Eden or the Dordei"s of Elysiura." The author of " Miami County Traditions," says : " The country all around the settlement presented the most lovely appearance ; the earth was like an ash-heap, and nothing could exceed the luxuriance of primitive vegetation ; indeed, our cattle often died from excess of feeding, and it was somewhat difficult to rear them on that account. The white-weed, or bee-harvest, as it is called, so profusely spread over our bottom and woodlands, was not then seen among us ; the sweet annis, nettles, wild rye, and pea-vine, now so scarce, every where abounded ; they were almost the entire herbage of our bot- toms ; the two last gave subsistence to our cattle, and the first, with our nutritious roots, were eaten by our swine with the greatest avidity. In the spring and summer months, a drove of hogs could be scented at a considerable distance, from their flavor of the annis root." When Gen. Putnam had concluded a treaty with the Indians on the Wabash, fourteen of the chiefs came to Marietta, November 17th, 1792, under the escort of American officei-s. The next day a public dinner was given to them at Campus Martins, to which the officers of the garrison and the citizens of Marietta were invited. The pro- cession was formed on the bank of the Ohio, where the boat landed, and the chiefs were conducted, with martial music, to the north-east gate of the garrison, a salute of fomteen guns being fired as soon as the head of the column appeared in sight. The procession then moved through the gate to the dining hall, a room twenty-four by forty feet large, in the hall of the north-west block-house, where the feast provided had been arranged by the ladies of the garrison. An eye-witness says : " The entertainment was very novel, and the scene peculiar and striking. Shut up in the garrison, and at war with the other tribes of the forest, shaking hands with our red guests, and passing from one to another the appellation of brother ! It seemed to renew the scenes of the fii-st year's settlement, and ruake us almost forget war was upon our border." After the banquet and ceremonies were concluded, the chiefs were SALLY WARTH. 191 again conducted to their lx)ats. The next day they were invited by several gentlt-inen of the stockade gai rison at the point, to smoko the pipe of friendsliip ; after which they proceeded on their jc^urney. Another of the female pioneers whose name tradition has pre- served, is Sally Fleehart, who became the wife of John Warth, a noted hunter and ranger, and lived in one of the barracks. Warth learned to read and write in the intervals of his ranrnno- tokurs, and after the peace settled in Vii-ginia, and served as a magistrate, becoming a wealthy planter and owning a number of slaves. His success was attributable to the education given him by his wife, who had been brought up on the frontier, and possessed not only unusual intellectual cultivation for that class, but all the intrepidity and activity common to women at that day, in a remarkable degree. She could fire a rifle with great accuracy, and bring down a bird on the wing, or a squirrel from the tree, as readily as could the practised arm of her husband. The women resident in the forts had but little respite from anxiety and dread, except in the depths of winter, when the Indians rarely committed depredations, or lay in watch about the settlements. As soon, however, as the wild geese, seen in flocks steering their coui-se northward, or the frogs pipinoj in the swamp, gave token of the ap- proach of the more genial season, the return of the savage foe might be expected. Thus the more timid part of the community, and the elder females never welcomed the coming of spring with the hilarity it generally awakens, preferring the " melancholy days" of gloom and tempest, when they and their children were comparatively safe ; regarding the budding of trees and opening of wild flowei-s with sad forebodings, and listening to the song of birds as a prelude to the warcry of the relentless savage. The barking of the faithful watch- dog at night was another cause of terror, associated as it was with visions of the Indian lurking in his covert ; and it was seldom heard by the timid mother without raising her head from the pillow to listen anxiously for the sound of the distant warwhoop, or the report of the sentry's rifle ; to sink again into uneasy slumber, and dream of some wild deed or feaiful occurrence. Some amusino- iuci- l92 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. dents are related of the alarm created in a garrison by the sudden outcry of pei-sons who were dreaming of Indian assault. This part of the suffering peculiar to those times, can hardly be imagined in our days of peace and security. One instance of the confusion created by a false alg^-m may be given : — " One dark and rainy night in June, while John Wint, a youth of eighteen, was on the watch in the tower of the middle blockhouse, he saw by a flash of lightning a darklooking object climbing over a log, which lay about fifty yards from the fort. A report had been previously circulated of Indians being seen in the neighborhood, and this appeared about the height of a man. At the next flash John hailed and fired the same instant. All remained quiet outside; but the report awakened every body within the gar- rison, and men came running from all quartei-s in great alarm, thinking the savages were already upon them, for no sentinel ever fired without good cause. The women came hurrying along with their screaming children, and the soldiers with their guns ready for service. In the midst of the tumult. Col. Sproat was soon on the ground, and questioned the sentinel closely as to what he had seen or heard. John was rather confused at the disturbance he had raised without being able to state some more definite cause than the dark body bearing resemblance to a man, which he had seen standing on a log. He said he had fired at a white spot he saw above its head by the flash of lightning, and there were many sur- mises as to what it could be; some thinking it must be an Indian, othei-s protesting John had fired at nothing to see the fun of a night alarm, as he was known to be fond of a little harmless sport. No further signs of the enemy were discoveied, as no one would venture out in the dark to reconnoitre for savages. In the morning, after the gates were opened, a party went to the log pointed out by John, and found a laige black dog, which belonged to one of the soldiei-s, with a rifle shot through the centre of a white spot in his forehead." The accuracy of the shot attested the sentry's excellence as a marks- man, though much useless anxiety had been excited by his mistake This is a brief notice of the earliest settlement in Ohio, the germ JANE DICK — MARY HECKEW ELDER. 193 whence has sprung a great and poweiful State. Tlie termination of the Tndiar war, brought about by the victorious campaign of Gen. Anthony Wayne, and the conclusion of the treaty at Greenville in 1795, restored peace to the harassed settlements; mills were erected, roads opened, and the inhabitants who had so long been immured within the walls of forts, went forth to till their grounds and cleai away the forest unembarrassed by the dread of a lurking enemy. Brickell, in his nai-rative of captivity among the Indians, relates a curious anecdote of the escape of Mi-s. Jane Dick. " Her husband had concerted a plan with the captain of the vessel which brought the presents, to steal her from the Indians. The captain concerted a plan with a black man who cooked for McKee and Elliot, to steal Mrs. Dick. The black man arranged it with Mi*s. Dick to meet him at midnight in a copse of underwood, which she did, and he took her on board in a small canoe, and headed her up in an empty hogs- head, where she remained till the day after the vessel sailed, about thirty-six houi-s. I remember well that every camp and the woods were searched for her, and that the vessel was searched ; for the Indians immediately suspected that she was on board, but not think- ing of unheading hogsheads, they could not find her." This hap- pened the summer before Wayne's campaign. Mary Heckewelder, the daughter of Rev. John Heckewelder, whose early labors as a Moravian missionary among the Indians are well known, is said to have been the fii-st white child born in Ohio. The following sketch was sent by her to the editor of the American Pioneer: "I was born April 16th, 1781, in Salem, one of the Moravian Indian towns on the Muskingum river, Ohio. Soon after my birth, times becoming very troublesome, the settlements were often in danger from war parties, and from an encampment of warriors near Gnadenhutten ; and finally, in the beginning of Sep- tember of the same year, we were all made prisonei-s. First, four vl the missionaries were seized by a party of Huron warriors, and 9 194 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. declared prisonei-s of war ; they were then led into the camp of the Delawares, where the death-song was sung over them. Soon after they had secured them, a number of warriors marched oft' for Salern and Schonbrunn. About thirty savages arrived at the former place in the dusk of the evening, and broke open the mission-house. Here they took my mother and myself prisonei-s, and having led her into tue street and placed guards over her, they plundered the house of everything they could take with them and destroyed what was left Then going to take ray mother along with them, the savages were prevailed upon, through the intercession of the Indian females, to let her remain at Salem till the next morning — the night being dark and rainy, and almost impossible for her to travel so far. They consented on condition that she should be brought into the camp the next morning, which was accordingly done, and she was safely conducted by our Indians to Gnadenhutten. "After experiencing the cruel treatment of the savages for some time, they were set at liberty again ; but were obliged to leave their flour- ishing settlements and forced to march through a dreary wilderness to Upper Sandusky. We went by land through Goshachguenk to the Walholding, and then partly by water and partly along the banks of the river, to Sandusky creek. All the way I was carried by an Indian woman, carefully wrapped in a blanket, on her back. Our journey was exceedingly tedious and dangerous ; some of the canoes sunk, and those that were in them lost all their provisions and eveiything they had saved. Those that went by land drove th? cattle, a pretty large herd. The savages now drove us along, thf missionaries with their families usually in the midst, surrounded by iheir Indian converts. The roads were exceedingly bad, leading through a continuation of swamps. " Having arrived at Upper Sandusk} , they built small huts of logs and bark to screen them from the cold, having neither beds nor blankets, and being reduced to the greatest poverty and want ; for the savages had by degrees stolen almost everything both from the missionaries and Indians on -the journey. We hved here extremely poor, often havinc very little or nothing to satisfy the cravings of hun' MARY IIECKEWELDKR. 11^5 ger ; and the poorest of the Indians were obliged to live upon their dead cattle, which died for want of pasture. " After living in this dreary wilderness, in danger, poverty, and dis- tress of all sorts, a written order arrived in March, 1782, sent by the governor to the half-king of the Hurons and to an English officer in his company, to bring all the missionaries and their families to De- troit, but with a strict order not to plunder nor abuse them in the least. The missionaries were overwhelmed with grief at the idea of being separated from their Indians ; but there being no alternative, they were obliged to submit to this, one of the heaviest of their trials. The poor Indians came weeping to bid them farewell, and accompa- nied them a considerable way, some as far as Lower vSandusky. Here we were obliged to spend several nights in the open air, and suffered great cold besides other hardships. April 14th, we set out and crossed over a part of the lake, and arrived at Detroit by the straits which join Lakes Erie and Huron. We were lodged in the bar- racks by order of the governor. Some weeks after, we left the bar- racks with his consent and moved into a house at a small distance from the town. " The Indian converts gathering around their teachei-s, they resolved, with the consent of the governor, to begin the building of a new settlement upon a spot about thirty miles from Detroit, on the river Huron, which they called New Gnadenhutten, and which increased considerably from time to time. Here I lived till the year 1785. when I set out with an aged missionary couple to be educated in the school at Bethlehem." The murder of the Moravian Indians was one of the most atro- cious transactions in the history of the West. They consisted chiefly of Delawares, with a few Mohicans ; had been converted to Christianity through the zeal and influence of Moravian missionaries, and had lived ten yeai-s quietly in their villages of Gnadenhutten, Schonbrunn, Salem, and Lichtenau. Although in friendship with the whites, they fell under the displeasure of the border settlers, who suspected them of aiding and abetting the hostile savages ; an expedition against them was undertaken in March, 1782, after some 196 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WKST. Indifin incursions, by a party of men chiefly from the Monongahela led by Col. David Williamson ; they were induced by assurances of good-will, to assemble at Guadenhutten, and there were dehbe- rately massacred in cold blood. It is said that the number of killed ■was ninety-six, including women and children. Two only of the devoted Indians made their escape. " RuHAMA Greene was born and raised in Jeffei-son County, Vir- ginia. In 1785, she married Charles Builderback, and with him crossed the mountains and settled at the mouth of Short Creek, on the east bank of the Ohio, a few miles above Wheeling. Her husband, a brave man, had on many occasions distinguished himself in repelling the Indians, who had often felt the aim of his unerring rifle. They therefore determined at all hazards to kill him. "On a beautiful summer morning in June, 1789, at a time when it was thought the enemy had abandoned the western shores of the Ohio, Capt. Charles Builderback, his wife and brother, Jacob Builder- back, crossed the Ohio to look after some cattle. On reaching the shore, a party of fifteen or twenty Indians rushed out from an ambush, and firing upon them, wounded Jacob in the shoulder. Charles was taken while he was running to escape. Jacob returned to the canoe and got away. In the mean time, Mrs.' Builderback secreted hei-self in some drift-wood, near the bank of the river. As soon as the Indians had secured and tied her husband, not being able to discover her hiding-place, they compelled him, with threats ol immediate death, to call her to him. With a hope of appeasing their fury, he did so. She heard him, but made no answer. Here, to use her words, — ' a struggle took place in my breast, which I cannot describe. Shall I go to him and become a prisoner, or shall I remain, return to our cabin and provide for and take care of our two children V He shouted to her a second time to come to him, layintr, that if sVe obeyed, perhaps it would be the means of savhg bi? 'ife She no longer hesitated, but left hei place of safety, and RUHAMA GKKKNE. 197 eurreiidered hereelf to his savage captore. All tins took pkce in full view of their cabin, on the opposite shore, where they had left their two children, one a son about three yeai-s of age, and an infant daughter. The Indians, knowing that they would be pui-sued as soon as the news of their visit reached the stockade at Wheeling, commenced their retreat. Mi-s. Builderback and her husband travelled toirether that day and the following night. The next morning, the Indians separated into two bands, one taking Builderback, and the other his wife, and continued a westward coui-se by different routes. " In a few days, the band having Mre. Builderback in custody, reached the Tuscarawas river, where they encamped, and were soon rejoined by the band that had her husband in charge. Here the murderei-s exhibited his scalp on the top of a pole, and to convince her that they had killed him, pulled it down and threw it into her lap. She recognised it at once by the redness of his hair. She said nothing, and uttered no complaint. It was evening ; her eai-s pained with the terrific yells of the savages, and wearied by constant travelling, she reclined against a tree and fell into a profound sleep, and forgot all her sufferings, until morning. When she awoke, the scalp of her murdered husband was gone, and she never learned what became of it.* " As soo" ds the capture of Builderback was known at Wheeling, a party of scouts set off in pui-suit, and taking the trail of one of the bands, followed it until they found the body of Builderback. He had been tomahawked and scalped, and apparently suffered a linger ing death. • Her husband commanded a company at Crawford's defeat. He was a large, noble looking man, and a bold and intrepid warrior. He was in the bloody Moravian campaign, and took his share in the tragedy, by siiedding the first blood on that occasion, when he shot, tomahawked and scalped Shebosh, a iMoravian chief. But retributive justice was meted to him. After being taken prisoner, the Indians inquired his name. '' Charles Builderback." replied he, after some little pause. At this revelation, the Indians stared at each other with malignant triumph. " Ha !" said they, "you kill many Indians— you big captain— you kill Moravians." From thai moment, probably, his death was decreed. 198 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. " The Indians, on reaching their towns on the Big Miami, adopted Mi-s. Builderback into a family, with whom she resided until released from captivity. She remained a prisoner about nine months, per- forming the labor and drudgery of squaws, such as carrying in meat fi-om the hunting grounds, preparing and drying it, making moccasins, leggins and other clothing for the family in which she Hved. After her adoption she suffered much from the rough and filthy manner of Indian Hving, but had no cause to complain of ill-treat- ment otherwise. " In a few months after her capture, some friendly Indians informed the commandant at Fort Washington, that there was a white woman in captivity at the Miami towns. She was ransomed and broucrht 7 o the fort, and in a few weeks was sent up the rivei to her lone) .abin, and the embrace of her two orphan children. She then re ossed the mountains, and settled in her native county. "In 1791, Mrs. Builderback married Mr. John Greene, and in 1798, they emigrated to the Hockhocking valley, and settled about three miles west of Lancaster, where she continued to reside until the time of her death, about the year 1842. She survived her last Husband about ten years."* ♦ Historica Collections of Ohio. XL REBECCA ROUSI. Among other families who ventured on the long and perilous journey from the granite soil of New England, in the year 1788, a year never to be forgotten in the annals of Ohio, were those of John Rouse and Jonathan DevoU. Before the period of the Revolution, Mr. Rouse had followed the vocation of a whaleman and seaman, from the port of New Bedford, and was now living on a small farm in the town of Rochester, Massachusetts, near the little harbor of Mattepoisett. His family consisted of a wife and eight children. Capt. Jonathan Haskell, who also lived in Rochester, and had been an officer in the war, joined him in fitting out the expedition, and furnished a large covered wagon and two of the horses, Mr. Rouse furnishing the other two. An active young man, named Cushing, who wished to settle in the west, was employed to di'ive the wagon. As the journey was a long one, they took as few arti- cles of beds, bedding, and cooking utensils, as they could possibly do with on the road. Their clothing and other goods were packed in trunks and large wooden boxes made to fit the inside of the wagon. The parting from their old neighboi-s at Mattepoisett, was one of much tenderness, accompanied by many hearty adieus and sincere prayers for their welfare on the journey, and their ha[>piness in that 200 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. far away region. No one, at this day, can imagine with what dread and awe a journey to the new territory west of the Ohio, was then viewed by the simple-hearted people of New England. A party of young ladies, on hoi-seback, accompanied the females as far as " The Long-plain," distant six miles. Here they tarried for about a week amongst their kinsfolk and former neigh boi-s ; for at this placti Rouse had lived many years, and here most of the children had been born. The morning they left Mattepoisett, an interesting occurrence took place which shows the strong attachment of the female heart to home and relatives. A rich old farmer of that place, who had taken a great liking to Bathsheba, the eldest daughter, and was anxioua that his son should obtain her for a wife, offered to give her by deed a nice farm and good dwelling-house, if she would stay amongst them and not go with the family to the West. But her affection for her parents, sistei*s, and brothei-s was too great to forego the pleas- ure of their society probably for the rest of her life, and the offer was declined, much to the sorrow of the generous old man. The week flew rapidly away in social intercoui-se with their kindred, and solemn and sorrowful were the greetings of the farewell hour. The distance was so great, and the dangers of the wilderness so many, that they all thought the parting was to be final as to this world ; and so indeed it proved to the larger portion of them. Capt. Has- kell joined them that morning from Rochester, and early in October, 1788, they took their departure from "The Long-plain," and com- menced their arduous journey to Muskingum, as the new settlement was then called. They reached Providence the second day, at even- ing — at which place they were joined by the fiimily of Jonathan Devoll, composed of Mrs. DevoU and five chiklren. Mi-s. Nancy Devoll was the sister of Mrs. Rouse. Her husband had been absent nearly a year, attached to the party of pioneers sent by the Ohio com[)any the autumn previous. He was the naval architect of the " May-flower," which conveyed the first detachment of n ion from Simrel's Ferry, on the Yoliiogany, lo the mouth of the Muskingum, and one of the fii-st who landed the 7th of April, 1788, on the soi) REBECCA ROUSE. 201 of the present State of Ohio. Their large covervAl wagon, with four horses, was fitted up in a similar style to the other, and was driven by Isaac Barker, an only brother of the married females, who had •eft a wife and family in Rochester, till he could return and bring them the following year. After travelling through New England, New Yoi-k, and Pennsyl- vania, early in November the pilgrims reached the foot of the mountain ranges, and commenced the ascent of those rocky barriers which divide the sources of the Susquehanna river from those which tall into the Ohio. The evening after they left Carlisle, they were overtaken by an old acquaintance and neighbor, who was also with his family on his way to Muskingum. He had started about the same time with the othei-s, with an ox team of three yokes, and by dint of steady and late driving, had managed to keep within a day's march of them, and here, by making a little extra exertion, he overtook them. Ox teams were preferred to hoi*ses by many of the early New England emigrants, in their long journeys to the new purchase. Probably one reason for this was their greater familiarity with their use as beasts of draught ; another, that they were much better suited to work among stumps and logs, and were also much less likely to be stolen by the Indians. Their rate of travel was a little slower than that of the hoi-se, but they could make about twenty miles a day where the roads were good. The roads at that day, across the mountains, were the woi-st that we can imagine, cut into deep gullies on one side by mountain rains, while the other was filled with blocks of sandstone. The descents were abrupt, and often resembled the breaks in a flight of stone stairs, whose lofty steps were built for the children of Titan rather than the sons of men. As few of the emigrant wagons were pro- vided with lock-chains for the wheels, the downward impetus was chedked by a large log, or broken tree top, tied with a rope to the back of the wagon and dragged along on the ground. In other places, the road was so sideling that all the men who could be spared w^re required to pull at the side stays, or short ropes attached to 9* 202 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. the upper side of the wagons, to prevent their upsetting. By divid ing their forces with Isaac, they made out to prevent any serious accidents of this kind, although it seemed many times impossible to prevent it. The ground, naturally moist and springy on the sides of the mountains, was now rendered very muddy and wet by the November rains, which had begun to fall almost daily. As they approached the middle and higher ranges, the rain was changed to snow and sleet, which added still more to the difficulties and dreari- ness of the way. From the weight of the loaded wagons and the abrupt acclivities of the road, it fell to the lot of the women and children to walk up all the steep ascents — it being beyond the power of the horses to pull their additional weight up many of the sharp pitches of the mountains. The children often stuck by the way, or lost their shoes in the mud, occasioning a world of trouble to the elder giris, to whose share it fell to look after the welfare of the little »ies. After crossing the "Blue mountain," the "Middle," and the " Tuscarora mountain," late one Saturday evening they descended into the " Ah wick valley," and Mr. Rouse's family put up at the house of an honest German Dunkard, named Christian Hiples ; while the other two teams went to an old tavern stand, well known to the early pack-horeemen and borderers of that region. This was a quiet and tolerably fertile valley, environed by mountains. In it was seated old " Fort Littleton," and under the protection of its walls had sprung up, many yeai-s ago, quite a thriving settlement, with a number of fine plantations. All this part of the country, and as far east as Carlisle, had been, about twenty-five years before, depopu lated by the depredations of the Indians. Many of the present inhabitants well remembered those days of trial, and could not see these helpless women and children moving so far away into the wilderness as Ohio, without expressing their fears at the dangei they would incur from the deadly hate of the Indians. They tarried over the Sabbath, and the following Monday, under the hospitable roof of this Christian Dunkard — whose long white beard, reaching to the waist, greatly excited the curiosity of the REBECCA ROUSE. 203 sliildren. His family consisted of several young wv.»iien, who treated the wayfaring femalas with great kindness ; heating their huge out- of-door oven for them, and assisting them in the baking of a large batch of bread for the journey, with many other acts of true Christian charity. On Tuesday morning, when they departed, they loaded them with potatoes and vegetables from their garden, as many as they would venture to carry, without making any charge. They parted from them with many prayei's and good wishes for their welfare on the road, and the happy termination of their long and perilous journey. The inhabitants generally treated them kindly, and the further they advanced into the cc»nfines of the wilderness, and letl the older settlements, the more hospitality abounded. They received them more readily into their houses, and ra<5re willingly assisted them with their cooking utensils, o: any other thing they possessed, or the wayfarers needed. While the travel lei*s in Rouse's wagon were treated so kindly, Isaac, who was excitable and very headstrong, met with rather rough usage from the hand of the old inn-keeper with whom he put up. This man had been a great bruiser in his younger days, and had lost one eye in some of these frays ; a thing not at all un- common among the early borderers. He was naturally a rough man, and the loss of his eye added still more to his ferocious appearance. It seems that he had placed the rounds of the rack, in his stable, so close together it was next to impossible for the horses to pull any of the hay through, so that, although there was plenty before them, they were none the better for it. Isaac could not stand quietly by and say nothing, when his hard-working hoi-ses needed their food so much ; and then to pay for that thev did not eat besides ! He remonstrated with the landlord on the matter, but received only abuse for his pains. After pay- ing back a little of the same coin, he fell to work and brokt out every other round. The old fellow then fell upon Isaac, determined to give him a sound beating ; but in this he was sadly mistaken, and got very roughly handled himself. The horses, how- •ver, got plenty of hay, and Isaac told him he should ')3 bar>J* 504 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. again in the spring, and if he found the slats replaced, he would give him another and still sounder thrashingr. Three days after lea\nng the quiet valley, with much exertion and many narrow escapes from oversetting, they reached the little village of Bedford. During this period they had crossed " Sideling hill," forded some of the main branches of the Juniata, and threaded the narrow valleys along its borders. Every few miles, long strings of pack-hoi'ses met them on the road, bearing heavy burthens of peltiy and ginseng, the two main articles of export from the reofions west of the mountains. Others overtook them loaded with kegs of spirits, salt, and bales of dry goods, on their way to the traders in Pittsburgh. The fore-horse generally carried a small bell, which distinoruished him as the leader. One man had the charo^e of ten hoi-ses, which was as many as he could manage by day, and look after at night. For many years this was the manner in which nearly all the transportation was done over the mountains. The roads were nearly impassable for wagons till near the close of the Indian war, in 1795. One of their greatest trials was in crossing the Alleghanies. Four miles beyond Bedford, the road to the right was called the " Pitts- burg road," while that to the left was called the " Glade road," and led to Simrel's ferry, on the Yohiogany river. This was the route of the emigrants, and led, as well as the other, across the Alleghany. In passing this formidable barrier, our travellers were belated ; and it was nearly midnight before they reached the house where they were to lodge. The night was excessively dark ; the whole party, except the younger children, were on foot, and could only keep the path by feeling the bushes along the sides of the road. It so hap pened that Michael Rouse and Capt. Haskell, who was their only guide, had gone ahead with the other wagon, and was entirely be- yond hail ; leaving Isaac, with Mr. Rouse and all the females, to pick their way along the miry road in the best manner they could. In the midst of all this gloom, the spirits of the former never flagged in the least ; but the more difficulties increased the louder he sang, and some of his most cheerful ditties were echoed that night from REBECCA ROUSE. 206 the rocky side of the Alleghany. Mr. Rouse, who had been often exposed to winds and storms, could not stand the trudging along, ancle deep, in the mud and dark, without venting his feelings in many a hearty cui-se on the vexations of the night. When about a mile from the house, they were unexpectedly cheered at hearing the lively whistle of Michael ; and directly after, in a turn of the road, espied the light of a lantern brought by Capt. Haskell, who had re- turned after putting up his own team, to meet the stragglers and guide them on the way. A bright fire was blazing on the hearth of the little log inn, the warmth and sparkling of which soon restored their spirits. It was past midnight before they had cooked and eaten their suppei*s and spread their couches on the puncheon floor of the hut. The fatigues of the journey caused them to sleep very soundly, and they awoke the next morning with fresh courage to meet the trials of the day before them. In descending the Alleghany, the children and girls were much delighted at seeing the side of the road covered with the vivid green leaves and bright scarlet berries of the " partridge bush," or " check- erberry." It was a common fruit at " The Longplain," and the sight of it reminded them of their home and the scenes they had left. For a while the little boys forgot the fatigues of the road at the sight of this favorite fruit, and cheered each other with joyous shouts, as fresh patches from time to time appeared by the side of the way. Even the married females were exhilarated by the cheer- ful spirits exhibited by the children, and partook freely of the spicy fruit which they collected in large handfuls. As they descended the western slope of the mountains, the springs of limpid water, which gushed fresh and pure from the earth along its sides, now ran babbling along to join their puny rills with those of the Ohio. This range is the dividing ridge between the eastern and the western streams, and the travellei-s could now see the waters which flowed towards .the end of their journey. After reaching the foot of this picturesque range, they had to cros<» a region called " The Glades," an elevated plateau, which, in many pomt«, bore a strong resemblance to the prairies of the west. The 206 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. soil was dark colored, thinly coated with trees, and covered with coai-se grass. In crossing " Laurel ridge," which bounds the west- ern side of the glades, and is so named from the profusion of rhodo- dendron, or rosebay, and kalmia latifolia, or laurel, which cluster along its rocky sides, the girls and older boys had to walk the whole distance. The labor was the more difficult from the ground being covered with snow, which had fallen to the depth of several inchea on the sides and top of the ridge, during the last twenty-four houi-s ; while at the same time it had been raining in the valley, or table land, between the ranges. The bushes were bent down by the weight of the snow, and partly obstructed the path ; so that long before they got over, their shoes were saturated with water, and their clothes were dribbled and wet half leg high. The " boxberries " still showed their bright scarlet faces, peeping out beneath the snow and ice, as large as common red cherries. At the western foot of the rido-e, their road was crossed by a stream too deep for them to ford ; and the girls being several miles ahead of the wagons, whose pro- gress was very slow, were much rejoiced to find a cabin in which they could rest until the teams came up. The rendezvous for the night was beyond the creek, as this was the only place where they could get feed for their horses. While waiting at this spot, a stout young mountaineer, clad in his hunting-frock and leggins, came dashing along on a powerful hoi-se, and very kindly, as well as gal- lantly, offered to take the girls over the stream, if they would trust themselves behind him on the horse, and conduct them safely to the house where they were to stop. But his uncouth dress and their own natural timidity made them decline the offer, choosing rather to wait the arrival of their friends. Just at dark they came up, and taking them into the wagons, they crossed the stream more to their own liking, if not more safely than under the charge of the young mountaineer. The following day they crossed " Chesnut ridge," tli« last of the mounUiin rantres, so named from the immense forests of chesnut trees that clothe its sides and summit, for nearly the whole of it^ ex- tent in Pennsylvania and part of Virginia. The soil is sandy and REBECCA ROUSE. 207 rocl>y ; and so exactly adapted to the growth of this tree, that no part of the world produces it more abundantly. In fruitful yeai-s, the hogs, from a distance of twenty or thirty miles, were driven by the inhabitants, every autumn, to fatten on its fruit. Bears, wild turkeys, elk and deer, travelled from afar to this nut-producing region, and luxuriated on its bountiful crop. The congregations of wild animals, on this favored tract, made it one of the most cele- brated hunting grounds, not only for the Indians, but also for the white man who succeeded him in the possession of these mountain regions. The children here loaded their little pockets with chesnuts, and for a while forgot the pinching cold of the half frozen leaves and frost covered buri-s among which they were scattered. Not long after crossing this ridge they reached Simrel's ferry, on the Yohiogany river. They hailed this spot with delight, as they were to travel no further in their wagons, but finish the journey by water. They were also glad on another account ; two of the hoi-ses had been failing for some days, were now near giving out, and in fact died before reaching Buflfalo, a small village on the Ohio river. It was now near the last of November, and winter fast appi-oach- ing. In a short time a boat was procured, as they were kept ready made for the use of emigrants. The one they bought was about forty feet long and twelve feet wide, but without any roof, as they could not wait for it to be finished. On board of this they put their wagons, and contrived to make a temporary shelter with their hnen covei-s. The hoi-ses were sent by land across the coun- try to Buffalo, at the mouth of Bufiiilo creek, distant by this route only fifty-three miles from the ferry, but more than a hundred by water. This was a common practice with the early emigrants, as the water of the Yohiogany was too shallow in autumn to float a boat drawing over eighteen or twenty inches. In the stern of the boat w^as a rude fire-place for cooking, and their beds were spread on the floor of the ark. After lapng in a stock of food, they pushed merrily out into the current of the " Yoh," as it was familiarly called by the bord^-rers iJ 208 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. that region, and floated rapidly along, sometimes grazing on the Bhallows, and at otheis grounding on the sandbai-s. By dint of rowing and pushing they made out to get on ; especially after fall- ing into the larger current of the Monongahela, and reached Pitts- burgh in safety on Sunday evening. They were now at the junction of these two noble streams, the Alleghany and Monongahela, and saw the watei-s of the charming Ohio, the object of all their toils and were, apparently, at the end of their journey. Near the point of land where the Ohio first takes its name, they landed their un- couth and unwieldy water-craft, making it fast to a stake on the bank. It was late in the afternoon, and the men went up into the town to purchase some articles needed to make the families com- fortable in their downward voyage. Pittsburg then contained four or five hundred inhabitants, and several retail stores, and a small garrison of troops was kept up in Old Fort Pitt. To our travellers, who had lately seen nothing but trees and rocks, with here and there a solitary hut, it seemed to be quite a large town. The houses were chiefly built of logs, but now and then one had begun to assume the appearance of neatness and comfort. Capt. Haskell and Mr. Rouse, for some cause now forgotten, did not return to lodge in the boat, but stayed at the tavern ; Michael, Isaac, and Gushing had gone overland with the hoi-ses, so that the women and children were left alone in the boat. In the middle of the night, one of the older boys was awakened by the water coming into his bed on the floor. He immediately raised an outcry, and in the midst of the darkness, bustle, and confusion of the moment, they found the boat was half leg deep in the water. Great was the consternation of the older females, who thought, not without reason, that they must all be drowned. It so happened that the water was not very deep where the boat was moored, and as the gunwales rested on the bottom at the depth of two or three feet, it could sink no further. This disaster was occasioned by the falling of the river during the night ; the land side of the boat rested on the shore, while the outer corner settled in the stream until the water ran ♦brough the seams in the planking alx)ve the gunwale — they being REBECCA ROUbE. 209 badly caulked. They hurried on shore as fast as they could. A kind-hearted man, by the name of Kilbreath, whose house stood on the bank near the boat, heard the screams of tlie children, and taking a light came to their assistance. He invited them all up to his house and provided them lodging by a good warm fire ; he then called some men to his aid, and before morning, got the wet articles out of the boat, and assisted the females in drying them. When Mr. Rouse and Capt. Haskell came back in the morning, they wero much chagrined at the accident ; as had they been on board, they thought it could have been prevented. The next morning Mr. Kilbreath gave them all a nice warm breakfast, and like the good Samaritan, would take nothing but their grateful thanks for his trouble. Having baled out the boat and got her once more afloat, they reloaded their household goods, got on board a stock of pro- visions, and prepared to renew their voyage in the course of the day. ft so happened that there was an old trapper and hunter by the name of Bruce, who was familiar with the river, just ready to start down stream in a large canoe, or pereauger, on a trapping expedition for the winter, on some of the more southern watei-s ; him they engaged for a pilot, as was the custom in those early days, although there was but little or no danger from the intiicacy of the channel. His canoe was about forty feet long, and had on board a barrel of flour, some fat bacon, four beaver traps, a camp kettle, two tin cups, and a light axe. These, with his rifle, blanket, and ammunition, formed his stock for the winter. The canoe was lashed alongside the boat, and he came on board as pilot. It was near the middle of the afternoon, on Monday, when they piit out from Pittsburgh. The day had been cloudy and threatened rain from the south. Just at evening the wind shifted to the north- west and blew quartering across the bend of the river in which they were then floating. It soon rose to a complete gale, and knocked up such a sea, as threw the crests of the waves over the side of the boat, threatening to upset, if not sink, the unwieldy craft. In this dilemma, the pilot and all hands exerted their utmost at the oai-s, tc 210 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Dring the boat to land on tne " Federal," or Pennsylvania shore ; but .,he wind and the waves were both adverse. The boat could have been landed on the right, or " Indian shore," but they feared to do BO, lest in the night they should fall into the hands of the Indians, who although it was apparently a time of peace, robbed the boats and killed the straggling whites at every favorable opportunity. The large pereauger bounded and thumped against the side of the boat, threatening to break in the planks, and was cut loose by the hand of the pilot. In this extremity, when every fresh wave threat- ened to overwhelm them, Bruce cried out to his shipmates, in a voice that was easily heard above the storm, " We must put over to the Indian shore, or every man, woman and child will be lost !" Previous to this, the more feeble portion of the passengei-s had kept tolerably quiet, although exceedingly alarmed ; but this announce- ment, to the women and children, sounded like their death knell, and the boat instantly resounded with their screams of despair. Capt. Haskell, who had been accustomed to perils of various kinds, and was a man of iron nerves, did what he could to calm their terrors. Bruce, who was in fact a skilful pilot, as well as a brave man, instantly laid the bow of the boat over to the Indian shore. The tvind and the waves both favored the movement, and with a little aid fi'om the oai-s in a few minutes she was riding in safety undei a high point of land, which sheltered them from, the wind in compaiatively quiet water. The sudden transition from the jaws of death to this tranquil haven, fiVed the hearts of the females with songs of gratitude ; and the boat was hardly moored to the bank before they sprung upon the land, rejoiced once more to tread the solid earth, although it was the dreaded Indian shore. Bruce soon kindled a fire by the side of large fallen tree, and setting up some forked sticks and poles, Btretched some blankets across, in such a way as to make a rude tent. Baieath this shelter they spread their beds, choosing rather to risk tli« chance of an attack fix)m Indians than to trust themselves on the M *ter again that night. From the hunting camp of some white Dttvu, whose smoke the pilot had noticed just before the storm REBECCA ROUSE. 211 came on, he procured a fine fat saddle of venison, and the whole party feasted with cheerful hearts that evening on the nice steaks of this delicious meat. Some they broiled on the coals, while Bruce showed them how to roast it, hunter fashion, on a hickory skewer filled full of pieces and stuck up in the earth before the fire ; this, with a cup of not coffee, furnished a very comfortable meal. They filept undisturbed that night ; though ever and anon, the sighing of the winds in the tops of the trees led the more timid of the females to fancy they heard the stealthy approach of Indians. In the morning, the ground was covered with snow to the depth of several inches, which had fallen while they were asleep. The day following the storm was fine and pleasant, and the smooth, calm surface of the Ohio exhibited a striking contrast to the tumult and uproar which had agitated its bosom only a few hours before. From Fort Mcintosh, at the mouth of the Beaver, to the new settlement at Muskingum, no white man had dared to plant himself on the Indian shore of the river, with the exception of a small blockhouse a few miles below Buffalo, which some huntei-s had built as a place to which they might retreat if attacked by their enemies, while out hunting in the region west of the river. Even here there was little or no cleanng, and all else was unbroken wilderness. They embarked early in the morning and reached Buffalo that eveninor. In the course of the forenoon they found the pereauger of Bruce lodged on tho shore and filled with water. It still contained tho barrel of flour, meat, axe, etc., with all the traps but one. The buoyancy of tho hght poplar wood of which it was made, prevented it from sinking, and the ballast of the traps, axe, etc., fi'om upsetting ; so that, quite unexpectedly, the old trapper recovered his boat and goods, which he had given up as uttei-ly lost. At Buffalo, they were gi'eeted with the loud laugh and boisterous welcome of Isaac, who, with Michael and Shaw, had been waiting one or two days with the hoi*ses for their arrival. The women and children, still impressed with dread lest another storm should overtake them, concluded to lodge on shore, and ac- cordingly took quartei-s for the night on the floor of a small log hut £12 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. that stood At the extremity of the point of land at the mouth of Buffalo creek. In the morning Mi's. Devoll came near losing a part of her bedding. A gaily ornamented new woollen blanket had attracted the attention of Mi's. Riley, the mistress of the cabin, as it lay spread over the sleepei-s in the night, and in the hurry and bustle of rolling up the bed clothes, she adroitly managed to secrete it among her own bedding, stowed away in the corner of the room. Mrs. Devoll soon missed it, and after a careful but fruitless search among her own things, did not hesitate to accuse the woman of se- creting it. She roundly denied any knowledge of the blanket. Being a resolute woman, and determined not to give it up in this way, Mi-s, Devoll made an overhauling of Mi's. Riley's chattels, when much to the chagrin and disappointment of the border woman, she pulled out the lost article, rolled up in her dingy bedding. Thinking they had recovered all the missing goods, they hurried aboard their boat at the exciting call of Isaac, who was ready to depart, and in no veiy good humor with the hospitality of Mi-s. Riley At Wheeling, where they stopped for some milk, they discovered, much to their vexation, that they had also lost a new two-quart measure, which they had brought all the way with them for the purpose of measur- ing the milk they should need to purchase on the road. In a few yeai-s after thi?* adventure, during the Indian war, this family of Rileys, who still hved in the same spot, were all massacred by the savages. At Grave creek they took on board a stout, hearty old man, as a passenger, by the name of Green. He assisted Bruce and their crew, each by taking turns at the oai*s and rowing all night, and with the music of Isaac and the old man, who proved an excellent singer, they made out to reach the mouth of Muskingum just at dark on Thurs- day evening, the fourth day after leaving Pittsburg. Ice had been making in the Ohio for the last twenty-four houi-s, and the travellers were fortunate in arriving as they did, for the following morning the MuskiniTum river was frozen over from shore to shore. Great was the consternation of Mrs. Rouse, who had an instinctive dread of Indians, at seeing the woods and side hill, back of Fort Hairaei REBECCA ROUSE. 213 Bghted up with a multitude of fires, when she was told that they were the camp fires of three hundred savages. They had come in to a treaty, which was held the ninth of January following. It was early in December, and the emigrants had been more than eight weeks on the road. The news of their arrival was soon earned to Campus Martins, the name of the new garrison. Capt. DevoU hur- ried on board, delighted once more to embrace his wife and children, from whom he had been absent more than a year. Their goods and chattels were put into the " Mayflower," which was used as a receiv- ing boat for the emigrants, and with the women and children, landed at the Ohio company's wharf. Devoll had built a comfortable two- story house in one of the curtains of the garrison, to which all were removed that night, and his happy family slept once more under their own roof, in the far distant region of the Northwest Territory. The following spring, a company or association was formed to commence the settlement fourteen miles below, on the right bank of the Ohio, afterwards called Belprie. Capt. Devoll, Mr. Rouse, Michael, Capt. Haskell and Isaac, joined this association. The latter returned to New England, and moved out his family in the fall of 1789. By the time the settlers were about to begin to reap a httle of the fruits of their hard labor, in clearing land, building cabins, etc., the Indian war broke out, and they were all driven into garrison for some five years. Many were the dangers and hardships they here endured, suffering most from the small pox and scarlatina maligna. In the summer of 1790, Bathsheba Rouse taught a school of young boys and girls at Belprie, which is beHeved to be the fii-st school of white children ever assembled within the bounds of the present State of Ohio. The Moravian missionaries had Indian schools at Gnadenhutten and Schonbrunn, on the Tuscarawas, as early as the year 1779, eleven yeai-s before this time. She also taught for several successive summers within the walls of " Farmer's Castle,'* the name of the stout garrison built by the settlei*s sixteen miles below Marietta. After the close of the war the colonists moved out upon their farms. Mr. Rouse and his family remained in Belprie. Bathsheba married, soon after the close of the war, Richard, the sod S14 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. of GrifFen Greene, one of the Ohio company's agents, and a leading man in all public affaii-s. Cynthia mamed the Hon. Paul Fearing, the fii-st delegate to Congress from the Northwest Territory, and for many yeai-s a judge of the court. Elizabeth married Levi Barber, for many years receiver of public moneys, and member of Con- gress for this district during two sessions. The children of these emigrant females, for wealth and respectability, rank among the first of our citizens. Thus closes this sketch of the early emigrants to Muskingum, whose adventures are only the counterpart of other families who crossed the Alleghany ranges in the year 1788. It is in fact a por- tion of the early history of Ohio, and should be preserved for the same reasons that Virgil has preserved the incidents of the voyage of -^neas from Troy to Italy — they were the founders of a new state. Those days of hardship cannot be reviewed with other than feelings of the highest respect for the individuals who dared to brave the difiSculties and uncertainties of a pioneer life.* ♦ The foregoing memoir is much shortened from the original one by Dr Hildreth xn. SARAH WHIPPLE SIBLEY. Sarah W. Sproat was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on th- 28th of January, 1782. She was the only child of Col. Ebenezer Sproat, a gallant and accomplished officer of the Revolution, and the granddaughter of Commodore Abraham Whipple, who also repeated- ly distinguished himself during that war by his activity and braverv. At the commencement of the struggle, Commodore Whipple was wealthy, but had impoverished himself by his advances to Govern- ment in fitting out vessels and men for the public service, for which he was never remunerated, and at its close he found he could no longer sustain the style of living befitting his position in society, and to which he was accustomed. His son-in-law. Col. Sproat, was in the same situation, and both being too proud and high-spirited to conform patiently to their change of circumstances, they determined to join a party of their companions-in-arms, who were about to seek a new home in the yet unexplored wilderness of the West. They were of the advance party who landed in 1*788 at the mouth of the Muskingum, and commenced the settlement of Marietta. Burnet says in his notes — " The early adventurer to the North- western Territory were generally men who had spent the prime of their lives in the war of Independence. Many of them had ex- hausted their fortunes in maintaining the desperate struggle, and *216 ^ PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. retired to tne wilderness to conceal their poverty, and A.-oid compari- sons mortifying to their pride, while struggling to maintain their families and improve their condition. Some were young men de- scended from Revolutionary patriots who had fallen in the contest, or became too feeble to endure the fatigue of setthng a wilderness. Others were adventurous spirits, to whom any change might be for the better." The following year the new settlers were joined by their families. It is difficult now to conceive the extent of the difficulties against which these pioneers had to contend, besides the dangei-s that sur- rounded them. So great was the difficulty of transportation that they were only able to bring the most simple necessaries of life with them. After their cabins were built, some of them were for months without other doors than blankets, and with ^no furniture but the boxes and trunks they had brought, which were converted into seats, beds, and tables as the occasion required ; and just as they were be- coming comfortable in their new homes, the fearful Indian war broke out, and every day brought fresh accounts of horrible murders committed in the immediate vicinity, almost at their doore. Col. Sproat determined to remove his daughter to a place of safety, where she might at the same time receive the necessary instruction which during the existing disturbances she could not enjoy at home. The Moravian school at Bethlehem then bore a high reputation, and in 1*792, when Miss Sproat was but ten years oid, she accom- panied her father over the mountains to Bethlehem, most of the way on hoi-seback ; a journey that would be thought formidable at the piesent day. She remained there three yeai-s, and then went to Philadelphia to receive lessons in some accom})lishments which she had no opportunities for acquiring in Bethlehem. She resided while in that city in the family of a friend of her father's, and became strongly attached to its membei*s. She made many warm friends in Philadelphia, and left it with regret. But her father had become impatient for her return, and went for her in the spring of 1*797. He at that time purchased a ])iano for her in Philadelphia, the firs> taken west of the Alleghany mountains. 8-4 RAM SIBLEY. 217 Oil her return, she found Marietta much changed and improved the inli.'ibitaiits were no longer in fcar of Indian incursions, and many new settlei-s had been added to their number. It had become quite a town, with a very ple:isant society, and tlie danger they had shared" in common had tended to strengthen the bond which ah*eady united the early colonists. The yeai-s intervening between Miss Sproat's return and her mar- riage, passed away swiftly and happily. Being the only child, she was of coui-se much caressed by her parents, and her natural gaiety and affectionate, generous disposition made her a favorite with her young friends. Her father had taken great pains to make her an accomplished hoi-sewoman, and she was the constant companion of his rides. To this habit of exercise she was indebted for the ease with which she made ,the long and fatiguing journeys she was com- pelled to take in after life. After the establishment of the Northwest Territorial Government the General Court" had its sessions alternately at Cincinnati, Detroit, and Marietta. Mr. Sibley was a young lawyer of high standing, who had removed from Massachusetts to Ohio in 179*7, and soon after- wards to Detroit. Judge Burnet says of him — " He possessed a Bound mind, improved by a hberal education, and a stability and firmness of character which commanded general respect, and secured \o him the confidence and esteem of his fellow members." He iX)nstantly attended the sessions of the Court, and was of coui-se fi-equently in Marietta. It was there that he fii-st became acquainted with Miss Sproat. They were married in October, 1802, but she did not go to Detroit until the following spring. The way to Detroit at that time was by the Ohio river to Pitts- burg, across to Erie, and thence by water to Detroit; the least fatiguing but a very tedious route. Being entirely at the mercy of wind and weather, travellei*s were often ten days crossing the lake, and in one instance a family was detained three weeks between Erie and the city of the straits. Mi's. Sibley was warmly welcomed on her arrival by her husband's friends, and so kindly treated that she soon felt at home. The 10 218 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Bociety was delightful at that time. The fort was strongly garrisoneO, and most of the officei*s were Southernei-s, possessing the warmth and ease of manner peculiar to the South. The inhabitants of the town and its vicinity were principally French. Some of these were descendants of noble families in France, and prided themselves upon their superior polish and refinement. For about six months in the year all communication with the rest of the world was cut oflf by ice and snow. At these seasons the people seemed determined to make up for their isolation by increased sociability among them- selves, and every one kept open house. Some very agreeable per- sons resided on the opposite side of the river, families of British merchants who had formerly lived in Detroit, but on its cession to the Americans had removed to Canada. A constant intercourse had always been kept up, and they joined in all the gaieties of the place. In August, 1804, Col. Sproat came to Detroit to take his daugh- ter home to visit her mother. As public business required Mr. Sib- ley's attendance at Washington during the winter, it was arranged that Mi-s. Sibley should return with her father to Marietta, and remain until the following spring. Their journey was made on horseback. The whole of the northern part of Ohio was at that time a dense wilderness, and travellei-s were obliged to camp out at night. Mrs. Sibley often spoke of an incident which occurred on this journey. The hoi*se she rode was one which Ool. Sproat had brought on expressly for his daughter's use, and was a great favorite. He was unfortunately taken sick on the way, and with difficulty they reached a spot suitable to encamp for the night. Everything possible was done for the relief of the poor animal, but all was in vain, and it was most distressing to hear his groans of agony. The woods around seemed to be swarming with wolves attracted by the cries of the horse, and they yelled and howled like BO many demons. The fires around the camp were all that prevented them from rushing upon its inmates. Mrs. Sibley said she never »pent such a fearful night. The poor horse died towards morning. SARAH SIBI.KY. 210 and they left liim with regret. Their joi rney was a long and fatiguing one, but they arrived in safety at Marietta. It was orovidentially ordered that Mrs. Sibley should spend that winter at home, for she was thus enabled to cheer her father's last days by her presence. In February, without any previous warning, he was attacked by apoplexy, and died immediately. He was yet m the prime of life, being only fifty yeai-s old, and was generally regretted. His death was a heavy affliction to his daughter, for the tie had been unusually strong that existed between them ; inheriting many of his traits of character, she had been his companion and had shared with him many daring adventures. He had almost idolized her, and she was equally devoted to him. Col. Sproat had many warm friends among his brother officers. The family still have in their possession a miniature of him painted by Kosciusko. They were intimate friends, and it was taken while they were together in winter-quartei-s during the Revolution. Burr, on his fii-st visit to Ohio, is said to have shed teai*s over the grave of his old fellow- soldier. Mrs, Sibley remained with her mother until the following sum- mer, her husband having in the mean time returned from Washing- ton to Detroit. In June, 1805, that city was entirely destroyed by fire. An extract from a letter written at that time by Mr. Sibley to his wife, will give an idea of the loss of property and the suffering that ensued. "June 16, — We are all, without a single exception, unhoused. The town of Detroit was on the 11th inst. in the course of three hours reduced to ashes. You can readily conceive the consternation and consequent confusion that prevailed. Much per- sonal property, household furniture and merchandize fell a sacrifice to the devouring element. I had, from my situation, the good for- tune to save our property from the fire, but from the bustle that prevailed, and the thefts committed, I have suffered considerably. We have been exerting ourselves since the fire to relieve the distres- sed. They are numerous, and demand every exertion we can make in their favor. The houses up and down the settlement are full, and for want of room many families still remain encamped in the 220 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. open air. The gentlemen from the other side have been Hberal in furnishing provisions, which are still much wanted. '* My own loss, as compared with that of the citizens in general, is so trifling that I have scarcely thought seriously upon the subject. The want of a house, added to the entire suspension of business, is the greatest inconvenience I experience. I believe the present sc^ne presents a phenomenon rarely to be met with ; a whole town burned with the exception of a single dwelling-house standing. What measures will be adopted in rebuilding Detroit it is yet uncertain. A number of us are exerting oui-selves in order that we may procure more room by widening the streets. A meeting will be held at Mr. May's to-morrow, when the subject will be discussed ; the result will be uncertain. What a gloomy prospect for our Governor, etc., when they arrive ! Not a single house for his reception or accommo- dation. Our country was sufficiently poor before the late disaster — what will become of a number of poor pei*sons I know not, unless some benevolent aid is offered from abroad. This last resource ap- peal's doubtful. We are not known in the States, therefore we havo but little expectation that they will interest themselves for oui relief." Mr. Sibley fitted up an old house which was then considered quite a distance from town, a large open common intervening ; situ- ated on the square opposite " the Biddle House," now in the very heart of the city. He occupied the same house until 1835, a period of thirty years. As soon as it was rendered comfortable he went to Marietta for his wife. Michigan had only lately been organized into a territory, and upon the arrival of the newly appointed governor. Gen. Hull, Detroit was a perfect scene of desolation. He was oblificed to build a house immediately, for there was not one for him lo live in. The house he erected was considered a splendid one at that time, and was the same afterwards known as the American Hotel, which was burned in the fire of 1848. On Mrs. Sibley's leturn, she again travelled on horseback, but only as far as San- dusky, from which place they came in a vessel. But few events worthy of note occurred during the interval be SARAH SIBLEY. 221 iween her return and the war of 1S12. She was then the mother of three children, and for their sake, even more than for her own, looked forward with dread to the prospect of another war. The events of that war, as connected with Detroit, are too well known to require a repetition here. Although exposed to so much danger. Mrs. Sibley remained with her husband, and in all the trials and horroi*s of that eventful time, bore hei-self most courageously. At the time an attack upon the town was expected, it was thought advisable to place the women and children for greater secu- rity within the fort. During the terrible day of the cannonade, Mi's. Sibley said that not one woman gave way to fear ; that she never saw so much courage displayed. All seemed nerved by the exigencies of the time, and by the very danger to which they were exposed. They busied themselves in giving the only assistance in their power, making cartridges, and scraping lint for the wounded. Som« dreadful scenes occurred on that day. In the room adjoining that in which the ladies were collected, four officers were shot by one ball. One of these was Mr. Sibley's cousin. When the news was announced of the surrender, the feeling of regret and indignation expressed was intense. They were all prepai-ed for danger, but not for disgrace. As the American soldiei*s were marched out of the fort, Mi's. Dyson, the wife of an officer, collected all the clothing under the charge of the commissary, and threw it out of a window to the soldiei-s as they passed by, declaring that the British should not benefit by it. After the surrender, Mr. Sibley apphed to Gen. Proctor for per- mission to go on with his family to Ohio. It was denied at fii*st, but afterwards granted, giving him only two days to make his pre- parations. Thus hastily thoy left their home, to remain until hap- pier times. The vessel in which they embarked was a very small one, and exceedingly crowded, but there was no alternative ; and with heavy hearts they sailed for Erie. They remained with Mrs. Sibley's friends a year. As soon as Detroit was given up to the Americans they started on their return, but when they reached Cleveland found that it was rather late in the season, the few vessels 222 PIOJvEEK WOMEN OF THE WEST. then on the hike being laid up for the winter ; and as it was injpos- sible to go by land with a family of children they were obliged to remain there all winter. Cleveland was then but a small settlement, and separated by a dense wilderness from the southern towns of Oliio. During the time the lake was closed, the transportation of all articles was attended with great difficulty and expense, conse- quently every thing was enormously high. Mr. Sibley had ex- pected to reach home before the winter, and was little prepared for such a detention. He had lost greatly by the war, and the utter cessation of all business for such a lenorth of time with one who depended upon his profession for the support of his family, had sc crippled his means that his inability to proceed homeward was ex cessively inconvenient to him. The family was treated with much kindness, but had to submit to great privation and discomfort, and they were heartily glad when the return of spring allowed them to return to Detroit. Mi-s. Sibley made but one more visit to Ohio, and that was in 1819. She then received intelligence of the deaths, within a short time of each other, of her aged grandparents, the venerable old Commodore and Mi's. Whipple. Mi-s. Sproat being thus left en- tirely alone, as she had no other relatives in the west, she wrote to her dauorhter that if she could come for her she would return with her to Michigan. Mi-s. Sibley did not hesitate, but leaving her family under the charge of a faithful servant, set out on her journey. She went under the care of a gentleman from Detroit, and to save fatigue went as far as Sandusky in the new steamboat, " Walk in the Water," the fii-st steamboat that ever ran on Lake Erie. They sent their hoi-ses by a servant to meet them at Sandusky. This journey to Mai'ietta was the last ever taken by Mi-s. Sibley on horseback. She remained in Ohio only long enough to complete the pi-eparations for Mrs. Sproat's removal. They returned by stage, as Mrs. Sproat was too old to undertake the journey on horseback. Mrs. Sproat remained with her daughter until her death, which took place in 1832. SARAH SIBLEY. 223 The moat eventful part of Mi-s. Sibley's life was new past. ITenoe- fwrtli ner time was principally occupied with the duties incumbent upon a wife and mother, and these were well and faithfully per- formed. A large family grew up around her, in whose minds it was ever her constant endeavor to instil such high principles as should make them true to themselves and useful members of society. lo her most truly could the scriptural passage be applied, " Her Children shall rise up and call her blessed." It IS dithcult to convey an adequate idea of the actual cxDndition ot this portion of the great Mississippi valley in its transition state, or the important part in the formation of its daily life that fell to the lot of a pioneer matron. Of all these, there was not one better fitted b^ nature and education for the time and place than this noble woman. Blessed with a commanding person, a vigorous and culti- vated intellect, undaunted courage, and an intuitive and clear percep- tion or right and wrong, she exercised great influence upon the society m which she lived. Affectionate in disposition, frank in Oacnner, and truly just as well as benevolent, she was during her wnole married life the centre of an admiring circle of devoied friends. As age crept on, and disease confined her to the fireside, she still remainea the object of profound and marked respect to the people oi ihe city which had grown up around her, and when at length she was " gathered to her fathers," she died, as she had always lived, witnout one to cast a reproach upon her elevated and beautiful cnaracter. A revolution like that of 1776 — tiic surrender upon the altar of their country of the fortunes of the brave men who led the way to freedom — the poverty of the government and its consequent inability to lepay these losses — the resulting necessity of making a home among the savages of a great wilderness, and reducing that wilder- ness 10 a state of law, order, and refinement ; these were circum- stances well fitted to develope the strong traits of character in tlie men and women of the great West. They cannot recur, and tnerefore we cannot expect again to see such a race. They have pa&bud away, and henceforward we may expect what has always 21^4 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. accompanied an age of refinement, the softening down of nr<^nq |x>ints of character, and in too many instances, enervation and etleminacy. The husband of this honored lady, the Hon. Solomon Sibley, was for many yeai-s one of the judges of the Supreme Court oi th<* tenitory of Micliigan. He lived to be not only the last relic ol th«» ancient bar of Michigan proper, dating back to 1798, but also \\\c last remaining link connecting the profession in that State of *he present day witn that of the Northwest Territory, of which he was a member previous to his removal to Detroit. lie was a native of Massachusetts, and was admitted to the bar in Virginia. In 1797, he practised law with his friena Judge l^urnet, of Cincinnati. In 1799, having removed to Detroit, he was elected to the first territorial lemslature of the Northwest Terntorv as representative for the county of Wayne, which then embraced the present vState of Michigan. This body held Its sessions in Cin- cinnati. In the records of the Historical Society of Ohio, jud.qre Sibley is mentioned as " among the most talented men of the House." That he was held in the highest estimation by his fellow- citizens, is evinced by the fact, that as early as 1802 the elector of the town of Detroit voted him the freedom of the corporation " for his eminent services in behalf of the people of the territory " In the uniform, quiet, and unostentatious devotion of his time nnd talents to the interests of his country, Judge Sibley continued to receive marked evidences of univei"sal respect and confidence, fill compelled by physical infirmity to retire from public hfe. In his public relation of United States Commissioner — associated with Gen Cass to negotiate the treaty by which the Indian title lo a large part of the peninsula of Michigan was extinguished ; as delegate reuro- senting the territory of Michigan in Congress ; as District Attornev of the United States, and as Judge of the Supreme Court of Michigan, he won, as he well merited, the aflbction, respect and entire confidence of his contemporaries and associates. AH who were acquainted with him in private life cherished the h'srh^'tit respect and veneration for the character he had so justly acquired SAEAH SIBLEY. 226 Hiul sustained dmin<5 a long and well spent life. In all private rela- tions, he showed himself amiable, pure, and true to the various interests confided to him ; in public ones, faithful, upright, and honorable ; a sound and able lawyer, an impartial, honest, and dis- criminating judge. For several yeai-s before his death, his health being too infirm for public duty, he gave himself up to the enjoyments of a happy home, where, surrounded by friends, he was gathered to his fathei"s, April 4th, 1846, aged seventy-seven. The members of the bar of Detroit, and officei*s of the respective courts assembled to express their legret, and esteem for his noble character, and wore mourning for the ufiual time. XIII. MARY DUNLEVY. Few among the pioneer mothers presented in their lives % mon impressive example of the patient pei-severance, courage, and energy of character which distinguished the matrons of that day, than the subject of the present brief sketch. The materials have been com- municated by one of her family, whose recollections enable him tc describe much of her experience in building a home in the wilder- ness. Mary Craig was of Scottish parentage, and was born on the voy- age from Scotland to America, about the year 1765. The femily then came to settle in New York. At the commencement of tha Revolutionary struggle, Mary was but ten years old, but she could understand that the people were unjustly oppressed, and her feelings were warmly interested in favor of the patiiots. Her father had died soon after reaching the country, and she, with an elder sister and a younger brother, formed the little family under her mother's care. Their circumstances were comfortable, though they were not wealthy, and but for the outbreak of war, they would probably have remained together. The vicissitudes and dangers to which the inhabitants of the city were subjected by the approach of a hostile force, and the occupation of New York by British troops, caused no little alarm to Mrs Craig for the safety of herself and children ; she had few fii^od* MAKY DUNLEVY. 227 in the strange land, and it therefore can hardly l>e wc.idered at that, renewing acquaintance with a gentleman whom she had known in Scotland — now an officer in the British navy — she listened favorabl; to liis addresses, and tinally married him. Her husband, of coui-se was a loyalist, and Mary had by this time become so thoroughly mibued with repubhcan principles, that no kindness on the part of her stepfather could reconcile her to the restraints to which she was subjected in the family, in the expression of political opinions. It was not long before she left her home in the city, and went to reside at the house of Dr. Halstead, in Elizabethtown, New Jei-sey. This proved to be a final separation from the other membei's of her family. Her sister soon after married an Englishman, and went to England ; and when New York was evacuated by the British, her stepfather, with her mother, brother, and an infant half-sister, went with other refugees to Nova Scotia. Mary bore her part, meanwhile, in the apprehension and dangers to which the inhabitants of Elizabethtown were exposed during the war from the frequent incui-sions of the enemy. She repeatedly risked her life in endeavors to save the property of her friends from destruction, which she would do by earnest appeals to the invaders, trusting that her youth would ensure ner own safety. On one occasion a sword was drawn upon her, with a threat that she should be killed if she did not leave the room ; but she persisted, and finally saved the property threatened. She was often occupied during the whole day or night in running bullets, or in attendance upon the wounded or dying. When the better time arrived, she witnessed the triumphal march of Gen. Washington on his way to New York, being one of a number of young girls who strewed the road with flowere as he passed. The disasters of a tedious war were soon forgotten in rejoicings for the establishment of liberty and peace ; but for Mary the anxious part of life's drama was but just commenced. In 1*787 she was married to James Carpenter. The Noi'thwest Territory, and especially the Miami country, was at that time much talked about, considerable excitement prevailing on the subject of emigration to the West, and Carpenter had recently returned from a visit of exploration to the Miami purchase in com- ^^28 PIONEER WOMEN OF Tflk WEST. pany with Judge Symmes and others. He was so mach pleased with the uew country that he determined to settle there, and Mary's inclination corresponded to his own. They left New Jei"sey with the fii-st little colony of Judge Symmes, reached Limestone, now Mays- ville, Kentucky, late in the autumn of 1788, and the men, and a few of the stronger among the women, immediately repaired to Columbia, near the mouth of the Little Miami, five miles above the site of Cincinnati. Here they commenced building a log fort and cabins for the diflferent famihes of the settlers, and laying out fields and gardens for cultivation the next spring, while the feebler mem- bers of the company remained in Kentucky during the winter. In the spring, the fort being completed, all the settlers took up their residence at the locality selected. The families occupied the cabins built for them, but whenever there was an alarm of the ap- proach of hostile Indians, they fled to the garrison, which was de- fended with all the strength of the colony, and the enemy chased away when not in larire parties. Yet, notwithstanding the utmost precaution, the stealthy maraudei-s sometimes succeeded in carrying off property and capturing prisoners, and even in killing several per- sons in the settlement. Mary, whose childhood had been familiar with the terrors of civil war, and whose heart was stout and resolute, was to be tried by the severest of sorrows. Carpenter's arduous laboi-s during the fii-st winter and spring in clearing the ground and assisting to raise the buildings, had caused a hemorrhage of the lungs, the effects of which brought on a decline, terminating in his death in less than two yeai-s. Mary was thus left with two young children, without a relative to protect her, in the midst of a wilderness, surrounded by savage foes ; but her courage and resolution did not falter under accumulated trials. She knew that her children had no dependence except on her care and labors, and trusting in the Pro- vidence whose kindness watches over the widow and the fatherless, she determined to lean, with her helpless babes, on His protection and guidance, and perform with untiring energy the duties that lay be- fore her. She was urged to take up her residence in the tort, as the could not otherwise be safe from the frequent assaults of th« MARY DUNLKVY. 229 Ravages ; but she persisted in remaining in her cabin, notwith.^tand* ing the remonstrances of her neighboi-s, and although her home was several hundred yards from the blockhouse. Her wounded heart preferred solitude to society ; the more so as in the promiscuous company frequently assembled in the garrison, the rough oaths of the soldiei-s might frequently be heard, and she resolved to risk liv- ing alone, rather than be distressed by associations repulsive to hei delicate and sensitive nature. At the same time she planned the measures she would take in the event of dantrer, leavinof the result with Him in whom her trust was placed. Beneath the puncheon tioor laid in every cabin, there was generally dug a small cellar in which vegetables might be kept secure from frost. Every night she lifted one of these pieces of timber, and placed her children in a rough bed she had made in the cellar. As soon as they were asleep, the puncheon was laid down, and the mother took her position where she could see the Indians, when approaching, at a considerable di> tance. Here she would sit during the whole night, engaged, in the hours of wakefulness, in knitting or such housework as could be performed without any other light than from smothered embers not permitted to give out the slightest blaze. When the youngest child ■^aked and required nursing, she would lift the puncheon, and sit on the edge of the opened floor till it was lulled to sleep, then de- posit it once more in the secret bed and close the floor over it. Her resolution was taken, should the Indians attack one door, to make her escape by the opposite one to the fort, give the alarm, and brinor the men to rescue her children before the foe could discover their hiding-place. Her fears were not groundless ; the Indians were often seen by her prowling about the little village, and on several occasions, when all was dark and still, they came to the door of her cabin, and attempted to enter. Finding the door barred, ho ever, they did not, for some reason or other, attempt to force it ; t j that the widow and her children remained undisturbed, while from other parts of the settlement property was stolen and prisoners taken, and one or two individuals were shot in close Nncinitj to the fort. 'Ilie emigrants 'vho established themselves at Columbia, were men 230 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. of energy and enterprise, and the little settlement for two or three yeai-s contained more inhabitants than any other in the Miami pur- phase. The second party destined for the Miami, was formed at Limestone ; they landed the 24th of December, 1788, on the north bank of the Ohio, opposite the mouth of Licking river, and laid out A town, to which the name of Cincinnati was given the following year. The third party of adventurei-s to the purchase, under the immediate direction of Judge Symmes, established a station at * North Bend,' the most northern bend in the Ohio below the mouth of the great Kanawha. The village has since become distinguished as the home of President Harrison, whose tomb, on one of its hills, can be seen from the river. These three principal settlements of the Miami country had one general object, and were threatened by one common danger ; yet, says Judge Burnet, there existed a strong spirit of rivalry among them, " each feeling a pride in the prosperity of the little colony to which he belonged. That spirit produced a strong influence on the feelings of the pioneers of the different villages, and an esprit du corps scarcely to be expected under circumstances so critical and dangerous as those which threatened them. For some time, it was matter of doubt which of the rivals, Columbia, Cincinnati, or North Bend, would eventually become the chief seat of business." The establish- ment of the garrison at Cincinnati, made it the head-quarters and depot of the army. Fort Washington was the most extensive and important military work in the territory. It was said that the removal of the troops from the Bend, which was strenuously opposed bv Judge Symmes, was caused by an attachment on the part of the officer in command, to a beautiful woman, whose departure to reside in Cincinnati opened the eyes of her admirer to its advantages .or a military post, and thus made it the commercial emporium and the Queen City of the West. I shall not hesitate to offer, in different memoii-s, descriptions of pioneer hfe furnished by individuals whose recollections are entirely reliable. Although these may involve occasional repetition, they will enable w to perceive any difference of habits or manners in MARY DUNLEVY. 231 diffi'ient parts of the country, and to appreciate more fully the spirit of entcrj)rise and power of endurance which made the way so much easier to those who succeeded the early colonists. The densely wooded mountain ranges were a formidable barner at that period between the old States and the new territories. The difficulties attending any communication can hardly be imagined by those who enjoy the facili- ties of travelling now, and made the work of the pioneer more arduous and hazardous than in more recent settlements, where the emio^rant has the advantage of public conveyances, at least part of the way. and may find the necessaries of life within a distance readily accessible. Tt was no small undertaking to penetrate the un- broken forest, ascend or descend rivers that had never before been navigated, and carry to a home in the wilderness supplies for a household in a few chests. These usually held the clothing of the pioneer's family, w^hile a few cooking utensils were added to the stock, and occasionally a table or bureau ; though for such articles of furniture, as well as chairs and bedsteads, the settlers generally depended on the rough manufacture of the country. Shelves hewn by the axe supplied the place of bureaus and wardrobes, and two poles fastened in a corner of the cabin, the outer corner supported by a prop, answered the purpose of a bedstead, until better could be had. The pioneer's cabin was indeed a complete example of domestic economv. It was built of unhewn losfs, sometimes in a single day, by the owner and eight or ten of the neighboi-s, who never refused their assistance. The floor was made of split slabs or puncheons, as they were called, dubbed with an adze, or where the r<^ident was over nice, smoothed with the broad-axe on the upper -side. The doors were made of boards riven from a tree of the proper length and thickness, and smoothed with a drawing-knife. The windows, in the earliest settlements, were made by cutting away the under and upper portions of two of the logs of the house, forming thus a square opening of suitable size, in which sometimes upright sticks were placed, covered with white paper, oiled with hog's fat or bear's oil, to admit the light in place of glass, a luxury not thei\ to be procured The fire-place was usually very large, built 232 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. up on three sides six or eight feet with stone, and then topped with "cat and clay," as it was termed. The cabin completed, the next thing was to clear a piece of ground for a cornpatch. A shovel- plow was generally used, as most convenient among the roots. Tho harness consisted mostly of leatherwood bark, except the collar, which was made of husks of corn plaited and sewed together. Rough and uncouth in appearance as were these primitive cabins, they could be made very comfortable, and for health seemed pre- ferable to many more civilized dwellings. One of them, sometimes containing but a single room, with a rude loft reached by a ladder, was the happy home of a numerous household ; the children raised there growing up to usefulness and eminence among their fellow citizens. The children thus raised were generally of powerful frame, and possessed great physical strength ; their height and proportions, it is said, being known, as a rule, to surpass those born after the erec- tion of frame and brick dwellinsrs. Sickness also was rare among them. It is true that these rude habitations had some inconveniences, which might now be considered too formidable to contend with ; and it may be thought strange how a female of cultivation and refinement could bring herself to hve in one of them. Yet it is certain, that among the early pioneers who came to the Miami country, were some ladies of the highest consideration in New York and New Jersey ; and it is no less certain that they readily and cheerfully accommodated themselves to the condition of things around them. The dressing-room and ornamental toilette were lacking ; but they were dispensed with for such accommodations as necessity suggested. Each cabin usually contained two beds in the lower room, and these were separated from each other by full and flowing curtains around one at lejist, answering the purpose of a partition and dressing apartment. The women of those times, it has been often observed, were of a sturdier nature than at the prasent day, and encountered both hardships and dangers with a philosophy and a grace which can now be hardli understood. Most of them undertook the labor o^ MARY DUNLKVY. 283 the liousehold unassisted, requiring no help except when children were born, till the older ones grew old enough to be useful. There were but few single young women in the early settlement ; if any came with friends from the east, they were very soon manned and had their own household affaii-s to attend to. In the summer, l)e- Bides the ordinary housework, the wife of the pioneer spun the wool which formed the winter's clothing for the male part of the family, as well as flannel for hei-self and the girls ; in the winter was spun the flax of which clothing was made the ensuing summer. The buzz of the wheel, therefore, was heard at all seasons in the cabins of the early settlei's, and often in the winter until the approach of midnight. Yet, with all these laborious duties, which were regularly and faithfully performed, the pioneer mothers found time to arrange their houses with the most scrupulous order and neatness, and were not without their social enjoyments. The afternoons of the long summer's day were frequently spent in visiting or receiving visits fi'om neighbor vi'ithin a few miles' distance. No motive could ex- ist for a profession of friendship where the reality was not felt ; and distress in any family never failed to elicit the sympathy and com- mand the aid, so far as it could be rendered, of all the neighbors. Social intercourse was intimate, and the interchange of expressions of good feeling, sincere and constant ; and never could one familiar with these associations forget the smooth winding foot paths which led through the deep forest and tall grass or underbrush from the house of one pioneer to that of another, traversed daily on errands of business or friendship, so that every family was kept acquainted with all the occurrences of the day throughout the settlement. If a fat bear or deer was killed by one it was generally divided, and the portions sent round as a token of kindly regard. Game was abun- dant, and the turkeys, venison and bear's meat which so frequently loaded the rustic tables, might well have been prized by the most fastidious epicures of advanced civilization. On the whole the life of the pioneer, though one of hardship and danger, was one of stu' and excitement, and a perfect freedom so agreeable to the enterprising rover, that it may he questioned 234 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. whether it were not, for him at least, the happiest state of society There was freshness and novelty in the scenery around him and in the adventurous experience of every day ; the keen invigorating air of the wildwood, and the constant exercise required, gave energy and activity to body and mind, and sustained and exhilarated the spirits ; no forms or ceremonious customs constrained or chilled social manners, and no jealousy or bitterness could arise out of diffei'ence in circumstances, distinctions growing out of condition being entirely unknown in those primitive communities. Good faith and honesty in business transactions were taken for granted on both sides, and the lack of them would have been punished by social outlawry. The general prevalence of good health was promoted by the constant exposure which hardened the pioneers to the sudden changes inci- dent to a severe climate, and by their simplicity of diet. The cakes and preserves which nowadays take up so much of the attention of ..vousekeepers in preparing, and are regarded as essential articles of provision in genteel houses, were almost unknown. The Kentucky "hoecake," or the "johnny" or "journey cake," of the Miami Valley, formed the favorite winter bread, and was used during a great part of the spring season. The corn was ground, before mills were erected, in a hand-mill, or pounded in a hominy-block, made by burning a hole in one end of a block of wood, the corn being pounded with a pastle made by driving an iron wedge into a stick of suitable size. When sufficiently pounded, it was sifted, and the finer portion made into bread and mush, the coarser being boiled for hominy. The meat was bear, venison, and wild turkey, as it was difficult to raise hogs or sheep on account of the wolves and bears. The amusements of the men were such as developed physical fetrength and animated to cheerfulness. Tlie chase, the principal one, served the purpose of an exciting and healthy exercise, while it f\irnished provision for the family. The women of course took no active part in this sport, except when the bear hunt roused the whole neighborhood, young and old, male and female, to partake in it with 'ntense interest. A be-v chase was usually commenced by th< MARY DUNLEVY. 235 sounding of a peculiar note on the horn, which reverberated wildly among the hills and woods. Presently the distant howl of the hunter's dogs gave notice that the huntei*s were in pui-suit of the enemy. Every man now seized his rifle and mounted his hoi"se to join the chase, while those who could not do this, ran to see what was done. Sometimes the pui-suit would continue all day, but gene- rally it happened that in a few houi-s the bear was compelled to " tree," as it was called. As soon as the hunted animal had thus taken refuge, the hunter who chanced to be nearest the spot, sum- moned the othei"S by a different note on his horn, and a few rifle shots usually either brought down the fugitive dead, or forced him to descend to escape the shower of bullets. When the bear found it necessary to leave his retreat, his practice generally was to roll himself into a ball-like shape by placing his head between his hind legs, and throw himself from the height. On striking the ground he would rebound several feet, and the instant he touched the ground again, his back was against the root of the tree, while, raising him- self on his hind legs, he stood in an attitude of defiance, ready to do battle with the dogs who by that time were collected and eager for the assault. First with one fore paw and then with the other the bear would despatch the dogs as they rushed upon him. But though he could hold his ground thus bravely, it was not usually lonir before the fatal shot in the head from the hunter's rifle would lay the victim low, and end the chase for the day. The meat was then divided among the hunters, and they returned to their homes, weary and hungry, and perhaps wet with the falling rain or snow. At their cabins warm fires and comfortable suppei's awaited them, and the incidents of the day afibrded material for pleasant converea- tion during the evening. The excitement a chase of this kind always caused throughout the neighborhood can only be imagined by one who has witnessed such an occurrence. 'Jlie wolf made havoc with the few sheep introduced, and the wild deer ; the bear confined himself to hogs. His practice was to spring suddenly upon his victim, grasp him in his fore legs with irresistible force, erect hi'^self upon his hind legs like a man, and make otf 236 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WF^T. in an instant with his load ; the piercing squeal of the hog being the first warning to the owner. A large bear, meeting with no obstruction, would make his way through the woods in this manner, with a hog of good size, faster than a man on foot could follow. The establishment of schools and places for stated religious raeet- mgs was coeval with the formation of every settlement, or at least attended to as soon as the pioneei*s had secured themselves from the savages and provided their families with the means of daily subsis- tence. The schoolhouses, like the primitive cabins, were rousjhly constructed, but in some of them men whose mental endowments and ripe scholai*ship have raised them to eminence in after life, re- ceived the first rudiments of education. It happened in some neighborhoods, it is true, that no schools were established ; but the evil eflfects of such neglect were discernible long afterwards, and in some instances the want of general intelligence is still evident in those portions of the country. The privilege of hearing the gospel preached regularly every Sabbath, could not often be enjoyed, as different and distant neighborhoods had to be supplied, and there were but few pastors ; but service was held, and sermons were read when no clergyman could attend, and the announcement that there was to be preaching would bring the settlei-s together from many miles around. The strength of their attachment to the Sabbath services is shown by the fact that they were not prevented, even when threatened with Indian incui-sions, from meeting in large num- bers, to hear the word preached whenever an opportunity presented itself. While the danger was imminent it was usual for all the men to carry fire-arms and ammunition, as the law among them required every one to do ; sentinels being placed on the watch while service was going on. It was not till after the peace which followed Wayne's treaty at Greenville that the necessity for carrying arms to religious meetings no longer existed, and in the outer settle- ments the custom was kept up for some yeai-s after. It wjjs not an unusual sight to see a file of riflemen with their shot pouches, and arms at rest, stationed around the large congregations which in warm weather were accustomed to assemble in the woods for rehgious MARY DUNLKVY. 237 irorship. When the necessity for this strict guard became less apparent, and the Indians had removed to a greater distance, these forest assemblages on the Sabbath were very large, different neigh- borhoods gathering in one place. It was not in the least uncom- mon for men and women to ride on horseback eight and ten miles to meeting, and the doing so was far from being considered a task or hardship. One of the fii*st schools established in the Noilhwestern Territory was in the settlement where Mi-s. Carpenter lived. The young man who took charge of it, Francis Dunlevy, had served in many Indian campaigns, having, at the early age of fourteen, offered himself for military service, and been received in place of one of his neighbors who had been drained, but who had a family dependent on him for support, and was unwilHng to go. This was in 1777, and from that time to his coming to Columbia, he had been on service in occasional excursions against the savages. He served at the time of the disas- trous defeat of Crawford at the Sandusky Plains in 1782, and after that time had travelled over those portions of the Northwest Terri- tory which now constitute Ohio, Western Virginia, and the northern part of Kentucky. He was not only a man of great courage, spirit, and enterprise, but of such industry and pei-severance, that in the midst of the laboi*s and vicissitudes of numerous campaigns, and the privations to which he was subject in a forest life, he employed the intervals of leisure from military occupations in study, and Jiequired a classical education. Having made up his mind to reside for the future in the North- west Territory, he came to Columbia as teacher of the school in the latter part of the year 1792. He heard the story of Mrs. Carpenter's trials, and the fortitude with wliich she bore them ; he sought her acquaintance, and finding in her a kindred spirit, in due time oflfered his hand and was accepted. They were married in January, 1793. Mr. Dunlevy was afterwards a highly respected member of the legislature of the North-west Territory, and of the convention which formed the constitution of Ohio. He also occupied, for fourteen years, the station of presiding judge in the Court of Common Pleas, 235 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. For many years after her removal, Mrs. Dunlevy heard not a word from any member of her mother's family. In 1804 she received a letter from her brother, directed to her " in the Miami countiy," by which she was informed of her mother's death, and that her brotner had returned to the United States, and was then living near Lake Champlain. In 1806, her sister and her husband came from Liver- pool to New York for the purpose of finding the scattered members of the family, but they learned on their arrival that the brother had died the same year, and that Mary was living in the "far west." A correspondence was held between the sistei-s, and a meeting appointed at Pittsburg, the elder sister insisting that she could not venture to encounter the dangers of entering an Indian country, as she con- sidered Western Ohio ; but before she left New York to proceed that far, she was seized with yellow fever and died. The two children of Mi-s. Dunlevy by her fii-st marriage attained to womanhood and were married. Besides these, she had three sons and three daughtei-s, all of whom lived to maturity. The mother's affection for her children was one which absorbed every faculty of her nature. With a resolution that to the last would never give way before difficulties, she was delicate and susceptible in all her feelings, gentle, retiring, and affectionate, and clinging with absolute dependence to those in whom her devoted affections were centred. The death of her eldest daughter, therefore, though she had been married, and Hved at a distance for some six yeai-s, was a .blow from which she never recovered. Her life was afterwards secluded, and her social intercourse entirely confined to her children. A second daughter in five yeai-s followed the first to the grave, and four years afterwards, her youngest son having been called to a distant part of the country, was attacked by sudden illness and died far from home. Under these accumulated afflictions the spirit which had never fal- tered in the presence of danger, nor shrunk from trial in every other form, sank in the prostration of grief. Mi-s. Dunlevy's health failed after the death of her eldest child, and slowly declined till 1828, when, without any particular disease, but a gradual failure of ner- 70U8 energy, she departed this life, at Lebanon, Ohio, in the sixty- PIONKKK CABIN. 239 third year of her age. Judge Dunlevy survived tier nearly twelve years, and was laid beside her in the burial-ground of the Baptist church, of which they had both long been members. The following sketch of life in the woods is extracted from an article written by John S. Williams, the Editor of the American Pioneer : " Emigrants poured in from different parts, cabins were put up in every direction, and women, children and goods tumbled into them. Every thing was bustle and confusion, and all at work that could work. Our cabin had been raised, covered, part of the cracks chinked, and part of the floor laid when we moved in, on Christmas day ! We had intended an inside chimney, for we thought the chimney ought to be in the house. We had a log put across the who! . width of the cabin for a mantel, but when the floor was in we found it so low as not to answer, and removed it. We got the rest of the floor laid in a very few days ; the chinking of the cracks went or. slowly, but the daubing could not proceed till weather more suit- able, which happened in a few days ; door-ways were sawed out and steps made of the logs, and the back of the chimney was raised up to the mantel, but the funnel of sticks and clay was delayed until spring. " In building our cabin it was set to front the north and south, my brother using my father's pocket compass on the occasion. We had no idea of hving in a house that did not stand square with the earth itself. This ai-gued our ignorance of the comforts and conveniences of a pioneer life. The" position of the house, end to the hill, neces- sarily elevated the lower end, and the determination to have both a north and south door, added much to the airiness of the domicile, particularly after the green ash puncheons had shrunk so as to leave cracks in the floor and dooi-s from one to two inches wide. At both the doors we had high, unsteady, and sometimes icy steps, made by piling up the logs cut out of the wall. We had a window, if it could be called a window, when perhaps it was the largest spot in the top, bottom or sides of the cabin at which the wind could not 24:0 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST enter. It was made by sawing out a log, placing sticks across ; and by pasting an old newspaper over the hole, and applying some hog's lard, we had a kind of glazing which shed a most beautiful and mellow liofht across the cabin when the sun shone on it. All other light entered at the doors, cracks and chimney. " Our cabin was twenty -four by eighteen. The west end was oc- cupied by two beds, the centre of each side by a door, and here our symmetry had to stop, for opposite the window, made of clapboards supported on pins driven into the logs, were our shelves. Upon these shelves my sister displayed in order a host of pewter plates, basins, dishes, and spoons, scoured and bright. A ladder of five rounds occupied the corner near the window. By this, when we got a floor above, we could ascend. Our chimney occupied most of the east end ; pots and kettles were opposite the window under the shelves, a gun on hooks over the north door, four split-bottom chaii-s, three three-legged stools, and a small eight by ten looking-glass sloped from the wall over a large towel and combcase. These, with a clumsy shovel and a pair of tongs with one shank straight, com- pleted our furniture, except a spinning-wheel and such things as were necessary to work with. It was absolutely necessary to have three-legged stools, as four legs of any thing could not all touch the floor at the same time. " The completion of our cabin went on slowly. The season was inclement, and laborers were not to be had. We got our chimney up breast high as soon as we could, and our cabin daubed as high as the joists outside. It never was daubed on the inside, for my sister, who was very nice, could not consent to ' live right next to the mud.' My impression now is, that the window was not con- structed till spring, for until the sticks and clay were put on the chimney we could possibly have no need of a window ; the flood of light which always poured into the cabin from the fireplace would have extinguished our paper window, and rendered it as useless as the moon at noonday. We got a floor laid over head as soon as possible, perhaps in a month ; but when it was laid, the reader will readily conceive of its imnerviousness to wind or weather, when we LIFE IN THE WOODS. 24:J mention that it was laid of loose clapl)oards split from a i-ed oak, BO twisting that each board lay on two diagonally opposite corners, and a cat might have shaken every board on our ceiling. " The evenings of the firet winter did not pass off as pleasantly as evenings afterwards. We had no corn to shell, no turnips to scrape, no tow to spin into rope-yarn, nor straw to plait for hats, and we had come so late we could get but few walnuts to crack. We had, however, the Bible, George Fox's Journal, Barkley's Apology, and to our stock was soon after added a borrowed copy of the Pilgrim's Progress, which we read twice through without stopping. The fii"st winter our living was truly scanty and hard ; but even this winter had its felicities. We had part of a barrel of flour which we had brought from Fredericktown. Besides this we had a part of a jar of hog's laid brought from old Carolina ; not the tasteless stuff which now goes by that name, but pure leaf lard taken from hogs raised on pine roots and fattened on sweet potatoes, and into which, while try- ing, were immersed the boughs of the fragrant bay tree, that imparted to the lard a rich flavor. Of that flour, shortened with this lard, my sister every Sunday morning made short biscuit for breakfast. " The winter was open, but windy. While the wind was of great use in driving the smoke and ashes out of our cabin, it shook terribly the timber standing almost over us. We were sometimes much and needlessly alarmed. We were surrounded by the tall giants of the forest, waving their boughs and knitting their brows over us, as if in defiance of our disturbing their repose, and usurping their long uncontested pre-emption rights. The beech on the left often shook his bushy head over us as if in absolute disapprobation of our settling there, threatening to crush us if we did not pack up and start. The walnut over the spring branch stood high and straight ; no one could tell which way it inclined, but all concluded that if it Lad a preference it was in favor of quartering on our cabin. We got assistance to cut it down. " The monotony of the time for several of the first years was en- . Vened by the howl of wild beasts. The wolves howling around ua seemed to moan their inability to ^rive us from their long and un- 342 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. disputed domain. The bears, panthei"S and deer but seldom troubled us. When spring was fully come and our little patch of corn, three acres, put in among the beech roots, which at every step contended with the shovel-plough for the right of soil, and held it too, we en- larged our stock of conveniences. As soon as bai-k would peel off we could make ropes and bark boxes. These we stood in great need of, as such things as bureaus, stands, wardrobes, or even barrels were not to be had. Sometimes boxes made of slippery elm bark, shaved smooth, and the inside out, were ornamented with drawings of birds, trees, etc. " We settled on beech land, which took much labor to clear. We could do no better than clear out the smaller stuff and burn the brush, &c., around the beeches which, in spite of the girdling and burning we could do to them, would leaf out the fii-st year, and often a little the second. The land, however, was very rich, and would bring better corn than might be expected. We had to tend it principally with the hoe, that is, to chop down the nettles the water-weed, and the touch-me-not. Grass, lamb's-quarter, and Spanish-needles were reserved to pester the better prepared farmer. We cleared a small turnip patch, which we got in about the 10th of August. We sowed timothy seed, which took well, and next year we had a little hay besides. The tops and blades of the corn were also carefully saved for our hoi'se, cow, and the two sheep. The turnips were sweet and good, and in the fall we took care to gather walnuts and hickory nuts, which were very abundant. These, with the turnips which we scraped, supplied the place of fruit. I have always been partial to scraped turnips, and could now beat any three dandies at scraping them. Johnny-cake, also, when we had meal to make it of, helped to make up our evening's repast. The Sunday morning biscuit had all evaporated, but the loss was partial- ly supplied by the nuts and turnips. Our regular supper was mush and milk, and by the time we had shelled our corn, stemmed tobacco, and plaited straw to make hats, etc., our appetites were sharp again. To relieve this difficulty, my brother and I would bake a thin johnny-cake, part of which vi would eat, and leave the rest till LII'E IN THE Y00D8. 243 morning. At daylight we would eat the rest as we walked from the house to work. " The methods of eating mush and milk were various. Some would sit around the pot, every one taking therefrom for himself. Some would sit at table and have each his tin cup of milk, with a pewter spoon, taking just as much mush from the dish or the pot as he thought would fill his mouth, then lowering it into the milk and taking some to wash it down. This method kept the milk cool, and by fi-equent repetitions the pioneer would contract a taculty of cor- rectly estimating the proper amount of each. Others would mix mush and milk tosfether. "To get grinding done was often a great difficulty, by reason of the scarcity of mills, the freezing in winter and the drouo-hts in summer. We had often to manufacture meal in any way we could get the corn to pieces. We soaked and pounded it, we shaved it, we planed it, and, at the proper season, grated it. When one of our neighbors got a hand-mill, it was thought quite an acquisition ,to the neighborhood. In after yeai-s, when we could get grinding by waiting for our turn no more than one day and a night at a horse- mill, we thought ourselves happy. To save meal we often made pumpkin bread, in which, when meal was scarce, the pumpkin would so predominate as to render it next to impossible to tell our bread from that article, either by taste, looks, or the amount of nutriment it contained. Salt was live dollars per bushel, and we used none in our corn bread, which we soon liked as well without it. What meat we had at first was fresh, and but little of that, for had we been hunters we had no time for the chase. " We had no candles, and cared but little about them except for summer use. My business was to ramble the woods every evenincr for seasoned sticks, or the bark of the shelly hickory, for light. 'Tia true that our light was not as good as candles, but we got along without fretting, for we depended more upon the goodness of our eyes than we did upon the brilliancy of the light." Howe relates an anecdote of one Henry Perry, who in the fall of 1803, after getting up his cabin near Delhi, left his two sons and 244 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. returned to Philadelphia for the remainder of his family, but finding his wife ill, and afterwards being ill himself, could not get back till the next June. These two little boys, Levi and Reuben, only eleven and nine yeai-s old, remained there alone, eight months, fif- teen miles from any white family, and surrounded by Indians, with no food but the rabbits they could catch in hollow logs, the remain- der of one deer that the wolves killed near them, and a little corn meal that they occasionally obtained of Thomas Cellar, by following down the " Indian trace." The winter was a sev^ve one, and their cabin was open, having neither daubing, fire-piacc, nor chimney ; they had no gun, and were wholly unaccustomed to forest life, be- ing fresh from Wales, and yet these little fellows not only struggled through but actually made a considerable clearing ! Jacob Fo st, at an early day, when his wife was sick and could obtain nothing to eat that she relished, procured a bushel of wheat, and throwing it upon his shouldei-s, carried it to Zanesville to get it ground, a dis- tance of more than seventy-five miles by the tortuous path he had to traverse, and then shouldering his flour retraced his steps home, fording the streams and camping out nights." Dr. Hildreth says that for many years after the fii-st settlennent of Ohio, salt had to be brought across the mountains on pack-horses. ** Those immense fountains of brine that now are known to exist deep in the rocky beds below, were not then dreamed of; it was supposed that the west would always be dependent on the Atlantic coast for salt, and deeply deplored as a serious drawback on the pros- perity of this beautiful region. Although springs of salt water were known in various places, they were of so poor and weak a quality aa to require from four to six hundred gallons of the water to make a bushel of salt ; and when made, it contained so much foreign matter as to render it a very inferior article. Yet as it could be used in place of the imported salt, and saved the borderer's money, at that day not very plenty, it was occasionally resorted to by the settlers, who, assembling in gangs of six or eight pereons, with their domestic kettles, pack-horses and provisions, camped out for a week at a time in the vicinity of the saline. These springs were generally discovered by huntei-s, and were at remote points from the settlements." XIV. ANN BAILEY. Thb account of the fii-st settlement of Gallipolis, Ohio, forms a curious piece of pioneer history. "When the disturbances of the French Revolution had driven many families from their native country, an office was opened in Paris for the sale of American lands owned by the " Scioto Company," and situated on the west bank of the Ohio river, above the mouth of the Big Scioto in the Northwest Terri- tory. A general prospectus was issued, setting forth that the com- pany owned a million of acres ; the advantages to the emigrant and ultimate value of the land, were glowingly painted, and hundreds rushed to the agents to purchase estates which might be acquired at a very moderate price. Some five or six hundred emigrants, in eluding doctors, lawyers, officei-s, merchants, manufacturers, me- chanics, farmers, gardenei-s, etc., with their deeds in their hands, and eager with hope and expectation, sailed in February, 1 790, from Havre de Grace, five ships being chartei-ed to convey them to Alex- andria, Virginia. They were received with a warm and hospitable welcome by the inhabitants of that town, supplied with portions of their stores, and taught all that was necessary to learn as to the manner of hving in the new country.* ♦ This account is abridged from one prepared by Gen. Lewis Newsom, one of the early residents of Gallipolis, He has also favored me with notict>« of Mrs. Bailey's life. 2i6 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. From a correspondence opened with the Secretary of the Treasury^ of the United States, the emigrants learned that the Scioto Com- pany had failed in their engagements to government, and that the lands purchased from the Treasury Board had reverted and been Bold in 1787 to the ao^ents for the directoi-s of the Ohio Com- pany, pui*suant to an act of Congress passed the July preceding. This was the fii-st knowledge they had of their true situation, and the imposition practised on them. A general meeting was called, and a committee appointed to go to New York and demand indem- nification of the acting agent for the Scioto Company, while another committee was to appeal to President Washington for a redress of their grievances. The result of the application to the agent of the Scioto Company was the promise that other lands should be secured to the emigrants in fulfilment of the engagements entered into, and that the site of Gallipolis should be surveyed into lots, houses erected, with defences against the Indians, and wagons and supplies provided to convey the colonists to Ohio. Notwithstanding this flattering report of their committee, many of them had no hope that the jjromises would be fulfilled, and removed to New York, Philadel- phia, and elsewhere. As soon as wagons could be procured, the others left Alexandi-ia and passed through Winchester to Browns- ville on the Monongahela, where they were detained, as boats were not in readiness to proceed. They had shanties to lodge in, but the fall rains had set in, and they suffered many privations. Their voyage further was not a pleasant one, the river being low, and rshoals frequent ; but after a weary progress they reached the place, of destination, in October, 1790, and landed with great joy. Sur- veyoi-s had been sent to lay out the town, and workmen to build houses, and the first tree had been cut down on the 8th of June, by Col. Robert SafFord. Four rows of twenty cabins, each with a door, windows, and wooden chimney, were put up, and as a better sort of habitation for those of the superior class, two rows of huts of hewn (ogs, a story and a half in height. Block-houses two stories high were also erected, with a high stockade fence, forming a sufficient fortification against attack. In one of tie better cabins was a room ANN BAILEY. 247 used for a ball-room and council chamber. As soon as the quarters of each family were assigned, their massive chests were opened and relieved of the ponderous contents, which were distributed in the community. They entered upon the new mode of life with cheerfulness and a social spirit ; they had soirees, music, and dancing regularly ; some had mingled in the higher circles abroad and had cultivated literary tastes, and there were scientific men who had spent years of study in the fii-st European institutions. Few of them had ever wielded an axe, but they did not shrink from severe labor ; they cleared the forest, prepared the soil for cultivation, and soon changed the wil- derness to a land of more inviting aspect. A corps of hunters brought in regular supphes of game, and flour and grain were pro- cured fi'om Western Pennsylvania. From the commencement of the settlement service was performed by a Catholic priest, which was regularly attended by the emigrants. In a short time different branches of business were commenced, retail stores opened, and manufactures ofiered for sale and carried to other places. In the spring of 1791, a party was sent out to explore the lands from Gallipolis to the confluence of the Big Scioto with the Ohio. A keel-boat was chartered and a crew obtained, with hunters, spies, and scouts, making a formidable appearance with their camp equipage and war accoutrements, while the colonists assembled to bid them adieu. They reached the mouth of the Big Scioto by the aid of poles, pikes, (fee, ascended it about a mile, and encamped near the site of the court-house in Portsmouth. The country was then explored, and the lands examined along the banks of the river ; the huntei*s bringing in abundance of deer, turkeys, and other game. On their return to Gallipolis, their report was joyfully received, and hope was entertained that the Scioto company would yet put the colonists in possession of the lands they had purchased. It was now announced that a hostile band of Indians had been prowling in the neighborhood ; one emigrant was killed and two were taken prisonei-s, while several hoi'ses and cattle were carried oS, A defensive forc^ was organized, and on application to the Secretary £48 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. of War, assistance was sent. Few further depredations, how.-ver, were committed by the Indians, though they came occasionally to peep at the dances of the colonists, and the settlement continued for 60 long a time to enjoy immunity from attack, that it was supposed that the savages entertained unusually friendly feelings towards the French. After the victories of Gen. Wayne and the establishment of peace, a free intercourse was maintained between the residents at Gallipolis and the colonists from Massachussetts living at Marietta. The former soon became convinced that the agents of the Scioto Company could never secure them in the possession of their lands, and after some further endeavors to procure redress by prosecuting their claims, they were obliged to give up the hope of having their rights conceded. In a negotiation afterwards with the Ohio Com- pany, many of the settlers were disappointed, and feeling themselves deceived, left the settlement, reducing the numbers of those remain- ing to about three hundred. A petition to Congress for an appro- priation of lands for their benefit, presented by M. Gervais, resulted in the grant of twenty thousand acres, to be equally divided among the French emigrants living at Gallipolis at a certain time, under conditions that secured their settling there for some yeai-s. Other grants were afterwards made to other colonists opposite and below the mouth of Little Sandy River in Kentucky. Improvements in the lands went on : apple and peach orchards were planted, and the cider and brandy manufactured became a source of revenue. New emigrants came in, and in 1 803, Gallia county was erected, Gallipolis being the county seat. So interesting and romantic is the story of this settlement by the French, that no apology will be necessary for connecting the narra- tive with a brief notice of a remarkable woman, remembered by all the old inhabitants of Gallipolis, and throughout Western Virginia, and known by name to almost every child in the country. She was sometimes called " Mad Ann," and was a terror to refractory urchins. Her maiden name was Hennis. She was bom at Liver- pool, married Richard Trotter at the age of thirty, and came with h'm to the American colonies ; both, on account of poverty, being ANN BAILKT. 249 '' sold out " to service, according to custom, for the payment of the passage money, to a gentleman in Augusta county, Virginia. Having served him faithfully for the stipulated time, they became settlei-s. The frontier having suffered much from Indian attacks, in the Bummer of 17 74, Lord Dunmore, governor of Virginia, collected forces for an expedition against the Indian towns on the Scioto. Gen. Lewis, who had signalized himself in the field of Braddock's defeat, was ordered to march with his division to the junction of the Great Kanawha with the Ohio. Richard Trotter was a volunteer in his force. Lewis halted on the ground now occupied by the village of Point Pleasant, to await further communications from the com- mander-in-chief; but before his men could erect defences, except a few fallen trees, the scouts came into camp with intelligence that an army of Indian warrioi*s was in their immediate vicinity. The troops were put in battle array, and in a very short time, on the morning of the 10th of October, a general engagement took place, in which the Virginians suffered great loss, though the Indians retreated. Among those engaged in this memorable battle, we find the names v>f Shelby, Sevier, and James Robertson. Trotter was killed in this battle. From the period of his death, a strange and wild spirit seemed to possess the widow, who frequently expressed her hatred of the Indians, and her determination to have revenge. The opinion entertained by her neighlx)rs that her intel- lects were somewhat disordered, was confirmed by her entire aban- donment of all feminine employments. She no longer sewed, spun, or attended to household or garden concerns, but practised with the rifle, slung the tomahawk, and rode about the country attending every muster of soldiere. She even in part discarded female attire, and was seen cfed in a hunting-shirt and moccasins, wearing her knife and tomahawk, and carrying her gun. Her manly spirit and resolve to avenge the death of her husband did not prevent her con tracting a second alliance, and it was as Ann Bailey that, several years afterwards, she followed a body of soldiere sent to garrison a fort on the Great Kanawha, where Charleston is now located. The men often practised shooting at a target, and Arn^ ambitious to dis- 11* 250 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. play lior skill, would contend with the best marksmen and some- times carry off the prize. At parade she bandied fire-arms with the expertness of a warrior, and the ritie was her constant companion. Howe, in his historical work on Virginia, mentions that she frequently acted as a messenger, carrying lettere from the fort to Point Pleai^ant, and that she generally rode on horseback, with a rifle over her shoulder, and a knife and tomahawk in her belt. At night she would encamp in the woods, letting her hoi-se go free, and then walkinir back some distance on the trail to escape discovery by the vigilant savages. Marauding parties of Indians were often seen in the valley of the Kanawha, and the Virginians doubted not their intention of making a desperate effort to dislodge them from this favorite hunting-ground. A runner was sent from Capt. Arbuckle, at Point Pleasant, to Capt. Clendenin, the commander of the garrison, with information that a hundred or more Indian warrioi-s had been seen the day prevnous crossinor the Ohio at Racoon Island, some ten miles below. It was supposed their design was to attack the fort at Charleston, or at Big Levels, in Greenbrier county. All the inhabitants around were im- mediately gathered into the fort. At this crisis the terrible fact was announced that their ammuni- tion was nearly exhausted. It was determined to send immediately to Camp Union, now Lewisburg, for a supply ; but few men could be spared from the fort, and none was willing to encounter, with a small party, the perils of a hundred miles' journey through a track- less forest. Mi-s. Bailey heard of the difficulty, and instantly offered her services, saying she would go alone. Her acquaintance with the country, her excellent hoi-semanship, her perseverance, and fearless spirit, were well known, and the commander of the garrison at lenorth yielded to her solicitation. A good hoi-se was furnished her, with a stock of jerked venison and johnny-cake ; she set her face towards Greenbrier, armed with rifle, etc., and resolutely overcoming every obstacle in the ruggednesg of the way through the woods, the moun- tains she had to cross, and the rivers to swim, undaunted by the perils threatening from wild beasts and straggling parties of Indiana, ANN B ALLEY. 251 ihe reached Camp Union in safety, delivered her ordei-s, and being provided with a led hoi-se fully laden, as well as her own, set forward on her return. She used to relate how her trail was followed for hours tosfether by wolves, watching for an opportunity to attack her hoi-ses. When night set in she was compelled to make large fires to keep the wild beasts at bay. To protect herself in slumber from the danger of rattlesnakes and copperheads, which infested the wilderness, she had to construct a pioneer bedstead every night, by driving into the ground four forked sticks about three feet high, adjust upon them other sticks to serve as bed rails and slats, and overlay them with a quantity of green boughs, her blanket serving as a musquito bar. Thus she would sleep amidst the howling of wolves, the screaming of panthei-s, and the buzzing of troublesome insects ; at break of day replacing the loads on her horses, and resuming her journey, her simple breakfast being eaten on hoi-seback. She arrived in safety with her supplies at the fort. It is said that the premeditated attack was made the very next day, and that the Indians were repulsed after a severe conflict. Mi-s. Bailey was actively employed during the siege, and tradition says, fired several times upon the as- sailants. She always insisted that she had killed one Indian at least, and thus accomplished her revenge. The commandant has been heard to say that the fort could not have been saved without the timely supply of ammunition, thus giving the credit to Mi-s. Bailey's exploit, which indeed is scarcely paralleled even among the many instances of heroism that abound in the history of the Revolutionary war. After the troubles with the Indians were over, Mi-s. Bailey still re- tained her singular habits. She spent much of her time in fishing and hunting, and would shoot deer and bears with the expertness of a backwoodsman. In pei-son she was short and stout, and of coarse ftnd mascuUne appearance, and she seldom wore a full woman's dress, having on usually a skirt with a man's coat over it, and buckskin leggina. The services she rendered in the war had greatly endeared her to the people, and her eccentricit'<:« were regarded with an in 252 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. iulofence that would not have been extended to one who hhd no such claims to gratitude. She annually visited many of the people of West Virginia, and received presents in clothing and other articles. Gen. Newsom recollects seeing her in his boyhood, passing from the Kanawha Valley to the counties near the AUeghanies, and returning with her hoi*se laden with gifts from those who remembered her achievement. Thus " Mad Ann " and her black horse, which she called " Liverpool " in honor of her birthplace, were always greeted with a smile of welcome wherever she chose to stop. When her son came to Ohio, where he owned a large body of land, she :ame with him, and lived a few miles from Gallipolis. Here she was ac- customed to wander about the country, received by all as a privileged visitor, and supplied according to her need. She seldom failed, whenever there was a muster of the militia, to attend, armed like a soldier, and march in the ranks. " Not a man of them would have put her out," said the General, in recounting the narrative. She loved solitude, and spent most of her time alone, but often gathered the neighbors around her to relate the story of her adventures. It must be added that among her masculine habits she had that of drinking occasionally, and that she sometimes exercised her skill in boxing, an accomplishment in which she was well versed. She could read and write, and seems to have possessed an unusual share of intelligence for one of her station in life. A gentleman residing in Nashville, said he had seen her frequently near Point Pleasant, about the year 1810 or 1811. She called her gun and canoe " Liverpool," as well as her hoi*se. She often took it upon hei-self to enforce the keeping of the Sabbath by taking up such boys as she found wandering about on that day, and compelling them to sit around her in a cabin, while she opened school exercises for their instruction, greatly to the terror of the delinquents. The gentleman referred to said he was chased by her some distance on one of these occasions, and though lamed by a bruise on his foot, ran as for dear life, having made his escape by jumping out of the window of the hut where she had imprisoned a number of boys. Mrs. Bailey's life was prolonged far beyond the ordinary limits ; ANN BAILEY. 253 according to her own account, she numbered several years over a century. Her death took place in 1825. The place of her burial ia on a lonely hill near her son's residence, in the solitude of the woods, unmarked by a headstone. Gen. Newsom suggests that her remains should be removed by the citizens of Virginia to the spot where the fort stood in Charleston, and honored by a suitable monument. XV. ELIZABETH HARPER Elizabeth Bartholomew, one of the pioneer band who made th« earhest settlement in Northeastern Ohio, was born in Bethlehem, Hunterdon County, New Jereey, February 13th, 1749. She was the sixteenth child of her parents, and had still a younger sister. She was descended on the maternal side from the Huguenots of France, and her ancestoi-s were pei-sons of wealth and respectable rank, firmly attached to the principles they professed, and willing to surrender all, and yield themselves unto death, rather than give up their religious faith. They removed to Germany after the revo- cation of the edict of Nantes ; and there is a family tradition that the grandmother of the subject of this sketch, then a child, was brouo-ht from Paris concealed in a chest. She married in Germany, and in an old age emigrated to America. In 1771, Elizabeth was married to Alexander Harper, one of several brothers who had settled in Harperefield, Delaware County, New Yoj-k. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary war, these brothers immediately quitted their peaceful occupations to enter into the continental service, Alexander receiving a commission to act as captain of a company of rangers. The exposed situation of that portion of country, and the frequent visits of Indians and tories, made it necessary for the whig families to seek the protection of ELIZABETH HARPKR. 255 Fort Scboliarie. Mrs. Harper repaired thither with her fainily, in- chiding the aged parents of her husband. In time of comparative security, she Hved at the distance of about a mile from the fort. Here, when there was a sudden alarm, she would herself harness her horses to the wagon, and placing in it her children and the old people, would drive with all speed to the fort, remaining within its walls until the danger was over, and then returning to her occupations on the farm. As peril became more fre- quent or imminent, the old people were removed to a place of greater security, while Mi-s. Harper, with her four children and a lad they had taken to bring up, remained at home. One night they were startled by the sound of the alarm-gun. The mother took the youngest child in her arms, another on her back, and bid- ding the two elder hold fast to her clothes, set off to escape to the fort ; the lad running closely behind her, and calling to her in gi'eat terror not to leave him. The fugitives reached the fort in safety, and for the present Mi-s. Harper concluded to take up her abude there. She would not, however, consent to live in idlenass, sup- ported by the labor of othei-s, but undertook, as her special charge, the bread-baking for the whole garrison, which she did for six months. During her stay the fort sustained a siege from a party of tories and Indians, commanded by British officers. Messengei's were despatched to the nearest posts for relief ; but while this was slow in arriving, the commanding officer, in opposition to the wishes of all his men, determined on a capitulation, and ordered a flag of truce to be hoisted for that purpose. The announcement of his intention created a dis- affection which soon amounted almost to rebellion. The women, among whom Mi-s. Harper was a leading spirit, had on that day been busily occupied from early dawn in making cartridges, prepar- ing ammunition, and serving rations to the wearied soldiei's. They heartily sympathized in the determination expressed not to surrender without another effort to repel the besiegers. One of the men declared his wilUngness to fire upon the flag which had been ordered to be hoisted, provided the won\en would conceal him. This they readily agreed to do, and as often 256 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. as the flag was run up it was fired at, while the commander wa« unable to discover the author of this expression of contempt for his authority. The delay consequent on this act of insubordination and the displeasure of the soldiers, prevented the capitulation being car- ried into effect, till the arrival of reinforcements caused the enemy to retreat. In the spring of 1Y80, Capt. Harper availed himself of an inter- val in active service, to look after his property in Harpei-sfield. While there with several of his friends, they were surprised by a party of In- dians and tories under Brandt, and taken prisonere, an invalid bro- ther-in-law being killed. Harper and Brandt had been school- fellows in boyhood, and the chief did not fail to show a remem- brance of the days thus spent together. The Indian captor of Har- per treated him with great kindness, taking him, however, to Canada. Here his exchange was effected soon afterwards, but he was not released till peace was concluded ; being offered, meanwhile, large rewards b} the British if he would enter into service on their side. Mi*8. Harper remained in ignorance of his fate during the time of his absence, and supposing him killed, mourned for him, while she did not suffer grief to paralyze her efforts for the protection and support of her family. All her characteristic energy was devoted to keeping them together, and doing what she could towards improving their shattered fortunes. In the year 1797, a company was formed in Harpei-sfield, to pur- chase lands in the country then called " the far west." Besides Alexander and Joseph Harper, the company consisted of William McFarland, Aaron Wheeler, and Roswell Hotchkiss ; othei-s joining afterwards. In June of that year these individuals entered into a contract with Oliver Phelps and Gideon Granger, members of the Connecticut Land Company, for six townships of land in what waa then called New Connecticut, in the Noi-thwestern Territory. Three of these townships were to lie east and three west of the Cuyahoga river. The Connecticut Land Company drew their lands in the name year, and the township now known as Harpei-sfield in Ashta ELIZABETH HARPEB. 257 bula County, was one of those which fell to the company formed Ht the town of that name in New York. In Septem})er commissionei*s were sent out by them to explore the country. They were much pleased with the locality called Har- pei*sfield, and selected it as the township most eligibly situated for the commencement of a settlement. On the 7th of March, 1798, Alexander Harper, William McFarland, and Ezra Gregory set out with their families on their journey to this land of promise. As the winter's snow was upon the ground, they came in sleighs as far as Rome, where they found further progress impracticable and were obliged to take up their quartei*s until the 1st of May. They then made another start in boats, and proceeded to Oswego, where they found a vessel which conveyed them to Queenstown. Thence they pui-sued their journey on the Canada side to Fort Erie, being obliged to take this circuitous route on account of there being no roads west of Genesee River, nor any inhabitants, except three famihes hving at Buffalo, while a garrison was stationed at Erie, in Pennsylvania. At Fort Erie they found a small vessel which had been used for transporting military stores to the troops stationed at the West, and which was then ready to proceed up the lake with her usual lading of stores. This vessel was the only one owned on the American side, and the voyagers lost no time in securing passage in her for themselves and their famihes as far as the peninsula opposite Erie. As the boat, however, was small and already heavily laden, they were able to take with them but a slender stock of provisions. Having landed on the peninsula the party was obliged to stop for a week until they could procure boats in which to coast up the lake, at that time bordered by the primeval forest. After having spent nearly four months in performing a journey which now occupies but two or three days, they landed on the 28th of June at the mouth of Cunningham's Creek. The cattle belonging to the pioneers had been sent through the wilderness, meeting them at the peninsula, whence they came up along the lake shore to the mouth of the stream. Here the men prepared sleds to transport the goods they had brought with thera ; 258 PIONEER WOMEN OF TKF, WEST. the whole party encamping that niijlit on the beach. The nexi morning, Col. Harper, who was the oldest of the emigrants, and waa then about fifty-five, set out on foot, accompanied by the women, comprising Mrs. Harper and two of her daughtei-s, twelve and four- teen yeai-s of age, Mi-s. Gregory and two daughters, Mrs. McFai-land the Colonel's sister, and a girl whom she had brought up, named Parthena Mingus. Their new home was about four miles distant, and they followed up the boundary line of the township from the lake, each carrying articles of provisions or table furniture. Mrs. Harper carried a small copper tea-kettle, which she filled with water on the way to the place of destination. Their course lay through a forest unbroken except by the surveyor's linas, and the men who followed them were obliged to cut their way through for the passage of the sleds. About three in the afternoon they came to the cor- ner of the township line, about half a mile north of the present site of Unionville, Ohio, where they were glad to halt, as they saw indications of a cominor storm. The women busied themselves in striking a fire, and putting the tea-kettle over, while Col. Harper cut some forked poles and drove them in the ground, and then felled a large chestnut tree, from which he stripped the bark, and helped the women to stretch it across the poles so as to form a shelter, which they had just time to gather under when the storm burst upon them. It was not, however, of long continuance, and w^hen the rest of the men arrived, they enlarged and enclosed the lodge, in which the whole company, consisting of twenty-five pei-sons great and small, were obliged to take up their quarters. Their tea-table •was then constructed in the same primitive fashion, and we may be- lieve that the firet meal was partaken of with excellent appetite, after the wanderings and labors of the day. The lodge thus prepared was the common dwelling for three weeks, durina: which time some of the trees had been cut down, and a space cleared for a garden. The fourth of July was celebrated in the new Harpei-sfield by the planting of beans, corn and potatoes* The next thinor vvas to build \os cabins for the accommodation of the diflferent families, and when this was done the company separated. ELIZABETH HAKPKR. 259 The location chosen by Col. Harper was where he first pitched his tent, while his brother-in-law took a piece of land ab the shouldei*s, and in this condition she rcxle the remainder of the way, ai-riving at home before midnight. During the fall there were some accessions to the colony ; Judge Wheeler, who had married a daughter of Col. Harper, came in Oc- tobe- v-^th his family, and Har]>er's eldest son, who had been ou* 264 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. the year before and returned. For a year and a half after the settle- ment was commenced, they were not visited by Indians, though they frequently heard their dogs, and learned afterwards that they had not escaped the observation of their savage neighboi-s, who had counted them and noticed all their occupations and new arrivals. The winter of 1799-1800 was remarkable for the depth of snow upon the ground. In consequence of this, game could not be procured^ and the Indians suffered severely. Some thirty of them, unable to procure anything to satisfy the cravings of hunger, came to the settlement to ask relief, and were treated with the most generous hospitahty. They remained six weeks, sheltered and fed by the colonists, and when the snow was melted they found plenty of game in the forest, which they showed their gratitude by sharing with their white friends. In March, 1800, Daniel Bartholomew brought out his family accompanied by that of Judge Griswold, whose destination was Windsor. They came on the ice from Buffalo, arriving only the day before the breaking up of the ice left the lake clear as far as the eye could reach. In the winter preceding, the whole Western Reserve had been erected into a county, which was called Trumbull, the part of it comprising Ashtabula being then included in one township, and called Richfield. In May there were still further accessions, in con- sequence of which a scarcity was experienced of provisions raised the previous year, and designed for the use of a much smaller number. The settlers were again compelled to send, in June, to Canada in an open boat, for fresh supplies. In August, an election was held foi the purpose of sending a delegation to a convention appointed to be held at Chihcothe in the ensuing winter, for the purpose of taking measures preparatory to the admission of Ohio as a State into the Union. The winter of 1800-1801, passed without any remarkable occurrence, the country being healthy and provisions abundant. In the following June other families were added to the number of inha- bitants, and the summer was signalized by the erection of a horse-mill, the fii"st built in the country, and the only one for many miles round, till othei-s were built in Austinburgh. The sufferings of the settler* ELIZABETH HAKPKR. 2f>5 from scarcity of food and other privations were now ovoj*, the advance of improvement developing the resources of the country • and the farmers were able to enlarge their cleared lands, and culti- vate the soil to better advantage. Their fiiends from the East con- tinued to join them, and Mi-s. Harper had the satisfaction of seeinjr her elder children settled around her. In 1802, a school was estat>- lished in the settlement ; supposed to be the first on the Reserve. The scholai-s came from the distance of two miles and a half, and as the reputation of the institution extended, they were sent fi-om Windsor and Burton, twenty and thirty miles distant. The same year regular meetings were established by the "Lovers of Good Order," and the year following saw numerous accessions. In about three years after the commencement of the settlement, the Indians began to visit them periodically. They were chiefly Ojibways, and belonged to Lake Superior in the summer, but came down eveiy fall in their bark canoes, and landing at the mouth of the streams, carried their canoes on their heads across the portage to Grand River, seven miles from the lake, where they took up their quarters for the winter, returning west in the spring. They mani- fested a friendly disposition towards the white men, and as the pio- neers gave them assistance in sickness and destitution, they endeav- ored to show their gratitude by bringing them portions of such large game as they killed. Many a choice piece of bear's or elk's meat, carefully wrapped in a blanket, has Mi-s. Harper received from her savage friends. One day she saw a party of di-unken Indians com- ing towards her house when the men were absent ; and she had just time to conceal a small keg of liquor under the floor before they came in, demanding whiskey. They were told they could not have any, but insisting that they would, they commenced a search for it, and finding a barrel of vinegar, asked if that would " make drunk conre," as if so, they would take it. Finding it not the right sort of BtafF, they insisted, before leaving the house, on treating the women from a calabash of muddy whiskey which they carried with them. During all the privations, trials and sufferings which Mi-s. Harpei was compelled to undergo, she was never known to yield to des- 2 2f>6 PIONEER WOOLEN OF THE WEST. pondency, bui with untiring energy exerted herself to encourage all within the sphere of her influence, teaching them to bear up against misfortune, and make the best of the home where their lot was cast. Her own family knew not, until the hardships of pioneer hfe had been overcome, how much she had endured — how many houi-s of anxiety and sleepless nights she had passed in the days of darkness and disaster. She found her reward in the affection and usefulness of her children, several of whom filled important stations in their adopted State. Dunng the war of 1812, the country was exposed to all the dang<^*^ of a frontier, liable, on every reverse of the Amer- ican arms, to be overrun by hostile Indians. In time of danger, Mrs. Harper's advice was always eagerly sought, as one whose ex- perience qualified her to decide on the best coui-se in any emergency. Her grand-daughter well remembers seeing her one day engaged at the house of her son-in-law in showing a company of volunteer now to make cartridges. Her hfe was prolonged to her eighty-fifth year, and she died on the 11th of June, 1833, retaining unimpaired until her last illness the characteristic strength of her remarkable mind. " In May, 1*799, Joel and Sarah Thorp moved with an ox-team from North Haven, Connecticut, to Millsford, in Ashtabula county, and were the fii-st settlei"s in that region. They soon had a small clearing on and about an old beaver dam, which was very rich and mellow. Towards the fii*st of June, the family being short of provi- sions, Mr. Thorp started off alone to procure some through the wilderness, with no guide but a pocket compass, to the nearest settlement, about twenty miles distant, in Pennsylvania. His family, consisting of Mi-s. Thorp and three children — the oldest child, Basil, beiiiLi: but eight years of age — were before his return reduced to ex- tremities for the want of food. They were compelled to dig for and m a measure subsist on roots, wl rch yielded but little nourishment The children in vain asked food, promising to be satisfied with the SARAH THORP 2G7 east possible portion. The boy Basil remembered to have seen jome kernels of corn in a crack of one of the logs of the cabin, and passed houi-s in an unsuccessful search tbr them. Mi-s. Thorp emptied the straw out of her bed, and picked it over to obtain the .ittle wheat it contained, which she boiled and gave to her children. Her husband, it seems, had taught her to shoot at a mark, in which ihe acquired great skill. When all her means for procuring food were exhausted, she saw, as she stood in her cabin door, a wild turkey flying near. She took down her husband's rifle, and on looking for ammunition, was surprised to find only sufficient for a small charge. Carefully cleaning the barrel, so as not to lose an) by its sticking to the sides as it went down, she set some apart for priming and loaded the piece with the remainder, and staited in pursuit of the turkey, reflecting that on her success depended the lives of hei-self and children. Under the excitement of her feelinofs she came near defeating her object, by frightening the turkey, which flew a short distance and again alighted in a potatoe patch. Upon this, she returned to the house and waited until the fowl had begun to wallow in the loose earth. On her second approach, she acted with great caution and coolness, ci'eeping slily on her hands and knees from log to log, until she had gained the last obstruction be- tween herself and the desired object. It was now a trying moment, and a crowd of emotions passed through her mind as she lifted the rifle to a level with her eye. She fired ; the result was fortunate ; the turkey was killed, and herself and family preserved from death by her skill. Mrs. Thorp married three times. Her fii-st husband was killed in Canada in the war of 1812 ; her second was supposed to have been murdered. Her last husband's name was Gardiner. She died in Orange, in Cuyahoga county, Nov. 1st, 1846."* The fii*st surveying party of the Western Reserve landed at the mouth of Conneaut Creek, on the 4th of July, 1796. One of the company says — " We celebrated the day in the usual manner, so far aa our means enabled us, by drinking patriotic toasts of pure lake • Historical Collections of Ohio. 86S PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. water from tin cups, and firing the usual number of salute* fiom two or three fowhng-pieces."* The party numbered fifty two per- sons, including two women, Mi-s. Gunn and Mrs. Stiles. The next day the laborers commenced building a house as the dwelling-place of the families and storehouse of their provisions. In their explora- tion the surveyor discovered a fine bee tree. " We encamped, cu. down the tree, and ate to our satisfaction, each man filling his cariteen ; and the residue was put into the bags of flour. Except for two or three days, while our honey lasted, we lived on bread alone. On our arrival at the lake we took the beach, and went east to our camp at Conneaut ; and what was remarkable, on our way we fell in with all three of the parties, who had each finished their lines and joined oui"s. During our absence the house had been completed, and Gen. Cleveland f had assembled there a small tribe of Indians residing a few miles up Conneaut Creek, had held a council with them, made them some presents, and established a friendly inter- course. The General had furnished himself with an Indian dre.ss, and being of swarthy complexion, afforded an excellent likeness of an Indian chief, and was thereafter known in the party by the name of Pagua, the name of the chief of the tribe referred to." The fii*st permanent settlement was not commenced till two years afterwards. One of the early settlers, on his return from Erie, with corn, along the ice on the lake shore, fell into an " ice hole" some distance from the land, and after spending some time in vain efforts to extricate his hoi-se, took the meal, saddle and bridle upon his shoulders, and made for the shore, with his clothes frozen stiff upon him. On the beach he kindled a fire, and after partially drying himself, proceeded on his journey. Some time after nightfall ho came to a stream on the west bank of which stood an empty cabin ; to reach this and spend the night was his desire, but with the Btream he was unacquainted. He built a large fire, and by the light of it ventured to ford it with his load ; fortunately the water * MSS. in possession of John Barr, Esq., of Cleveland, i Mu*es Cleveland, the Director of survey connmenced by the Connecticut Lind (^t qnpany FAMILY AT CONNKAUT. 269 was only about five feet deep, and after miicli danger and difficulty he succeeded in reaching the cabin, where, by building a fire, and running about to keep himself awake, he spent the night. The next day at night he reached home, alnaost exhausted by his load and want of food. In the year 1*798, small settlements, few and far between, sprinkled the Reserve, and a small illbuilt schooner constituted the American fleet on Lake Erie. Subsequently the Indian title to that part of the Reserve lying west of the Cuyahoga, was extinguished, and the lands were brought into market. An apology for a grist- mill had been erected near Cleveland, which had no competitor with- in a hundred miles, and gave general satisfaction, as few had any thing to grind. Five or six log cabins had been built in what was called " the city of Cleveland." Capt. Edward Paine made the first sleigh-track through the wilderness from Cataraugus to Erie, accom- panied by his wife, her sister, and a female cousin, and encamped two nights in the snow. In the fall, business obliged James Kings- bury, the father of one of the families at Conneaut — the first, it is said, that wintered on the Reserve — to go to Connecticut ; and it was the middle of November before he arrived at Buffalo on his return. The snow had fallen to the depth of two and a half feet, and the weather was exti'emely cold. " From this point Mr. Kingsbury must leave the habitation of the white man, and make his way through a wilderness, one hundred and thirty miles, with no road to guide him except for a part of that distance the beach of the lake. He was sensible of the condition in which he had left his family ; that they had but a scanty supply of provisions, and that his absence had already been longer than was expected. These circumstances, with the setting in of a winter so severe, filled his mind with the painful apprehension that his family might be suffering starvation. Having provided himself with such necessaries as he could procure, with which he loaded his horse, he set forth on foot, and leading his horse, pui-sued the beach of the lake. After a fatiofuingr march through the snow, he reached the Indian settlement on the Cataraugus. As from thi« 270 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. place, on account of the bold projecting bluffs, he could no bngei follow the beach, he procured an Indian, by the name of Seneca Billy, to guide him through the trackless forest, and took hii coui*se through the woods, leading his horee as before mentioned. In this manner he toiled through the deep snow, camping each night in the midst of it, for several days, when he reached Presqu' Isle. With much difficulty he was able at this place to procure a bag of corn, for which he paid three dollai-s a bushel. Here he dismissed his Indian guide, and again took to the lake, travelling upon the ice. He had proceeded in this manner as far as the fire spring, near the mouth of Elk Creek, when his horse broke through the ice, and though he extricated him, he was so badly injured that he was obliged to leave him ; and taking the bag of corn upon his own back, he reached his home, but not such a home as could afford him consolation after his excassive toil and suffering. He found a family perishing for want of food. His wife had given birth to a child, not only without any of those comforfes which in such cases are usually deemed indispensable, but destitute of even the coarsest food, herself and family being in nearly a famish- ing state. The father soon after his arrival was doomed to see the child expire of starvation. "The infant was, I believe, the first white child born on the Reserve. Some three or four months afterwards, Mrs. Stiles, of Cleveland, presented her husband with one more fortunate, not only as to life, but the means of sustaining it ; to wit — a donation of land by the Company — at least so said rumor. "As the su|)ply which Kingsbury had brought would last but a short time, it became necessary that he should procure more. The Connecticut Land Company had stored the provisions for the use of their surveyors at Cleveland, and Kingsbury knew that of this some barrels of salt beef still remained. Having lost his horse, as before mentioned, and being destitute of any other, it was fortunate that the severity of the season, which had contributed to the suffering of hi» family by making the ice excellent, facilitated at this tims the means of supplying their wants. Taking advantage of this, he wen^ MRS. WALWOKTH. 271 to Cleveland, (seventy miles) and procuring one of the barrele of beef, drew it home upon the ice on a hand-sled, in which he was assisted by a man then at Cleveland. When they arrived Lhey found the first shanty erected by the Company, occupied by Capt. Hodge and family." The wife of Hon. John Walworth, one of the earliest settlers of Lake County, shared with him all the toils and privations attendant upon a settlement in the wilderness. An old pioneer writes of her, ** In our pioneer days she went hand in hand with her husband in all that was kind, hospitable, and generous ; and to her winning and attractive manner, and her sprightliness and vivacity, we must m part attribute the resort to their house of the polished and respect- able part of the community. Twice has that lady travelled from this country to the furthest part of Connecticut and back, on hoi-seback : I mention this to show her resolution and pei*severance." Early in 1800, Mr. Walworth brought his family in a sleigh to Buffalo, where they waited two weeks for a sleigh to come from Presqu' Isle, then proceeded on the ice till they came opposite Cataraugus Creek. Leaving the sleighs and hoi*ses some fifty or sixty roods out, the party went to the shore and encamped under some hemlock trees, and partook of a repast seasoned with hilarity and good feeling. The next afternoon all arrived in safety at Presqu' Isle, whence Mr. Wal- worth went back to Buffalo for his goods. Mr. Walworth's nearest neighbors east of his new purchase, were at Harpei'sfield, fifteen miles distant. His family reached their new home April Vth, 1800, and lived in a tent for two weeks, during which time the sun was not seen.* On the 4th July, 1801, the fii-st ball was given in Cleveland, at Major Carter's log cabin under the hill. The company consisted of a dozen ladies and from fifteen to twenty gentlemen. The dancera kept time to Major Jones' violin, on the puncheon floor, and occa- sionally refreshed themselves with a glass of sling, made of maple Bugar and whiskey ; and never was the annivei-sary celebrated by "a more joyful and harmonious company, than those who danced • MS. of J. Barr, Esq. 272 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. the scamperdown, double-shuffle, western swing, and half-moon* in that unostentatious place of assemblage. The first school opened in th* town was taught, in 1802, ly Misa Anna Spaftbrd, also in a rotm of Major Gaiter's cabin. This ** thorough pioneer " appears to have been foremost in every advance of improvement. An incident in which his wife was concrn-ned, showing something of the spirit of the times, I take from the MSS. referred to: — " In the summer of 1803, Mi-s. Carter observed John Orric and another Indian lad in her garden, breaking some small fruit trees. Upon her reproving them, young Orric knocked her down with his war-club and seriously injured her. The lads fled immediately to the west side of the river to their fathers' lodges. Several days afterwards. Major Carter, who was on the watch, observed these lads, with others, amusing themselves with playing ball and swimming on the beach of the lake. He went there and took the lads pnsoner, secured them with ropes, and took them to the Indian camp on the side hill, telling them he was going to hang them. Not finding Orric's father at the lodge, he released the other lad, and directed him to go and tell him he had John a prisoner and was going to hang him for striking his wife. The lad did the errand faithfully, for the Major soon heard the Indian whoop of alarm, followed speedily by the war-whoop from the different lodges on the west side of the river. John's father soon arrived, much excited, and with all the savageness of his nature depicted in his face, -with his tomahawk uplifted ready for deadly revenge. He con- fronted the Major, giving him one of those fierce, gleaming stares, so significant in the Indian brave ; but the eyes of the Major met his and did not quail. The injured husband and the enraged father stood and gazed long in silence, each glancing defiance at the other ; at length the eye of the savage turned from the calm, fearless look of the white hunter, and he enquired the cause of his son's capture. Carter told him of John's assault upon his wife, and his determination lo have him punished. By this time, tradei-s and other Indians had arrived and proposed to arrange the matter. John's father sent him with twenty dollars to give to Mi-s. Carter, and ask her forgivenea? MRS. CARTER. 273 for the injury he had done ; the Major agreeing to nothing unless Mrs. Carter was satisfied. Mrs. Carter indignantly refused the proffered money, and ordered John out of the house ; he returned crestfallen to the council and reported the failure of his mission. By this time Carter became much enraged, and notwithstanding he was iu the midst of over forty Indians, most of them well armed, it was with great difficulty he could be prevailed upon not to kill John upon the spot. After a long parley, however, he agreed that the affair might rest for the present ; but on this condition, that if John was ever caught on the east side of the Cuyahoga River he should certainly hang him." XVI. ELIZABETH TAPPEN. Elizabeth Harper was the second daughte' of Alexander and Elizabeth Harper, and was born February 24th, 1784, in Harpers- field, New York. She was in the fifteenth year of her age when she accompanied her parents to Ohio, in 1798, and was the oldest daughter who went with them, her elder sister having been married some years and remaining in their old home. The laboi-s and perils of commencing a settlement in an almost unbroken wilderness, encountered by all who took part in this ad- venturous enterprise, were shared without a murmur by the young girl, to whom fell, of course, no small part of the work of the house- hold and the care of the younger children. The novelty of their mode of living, and the wild forest scenery, with incessant occupa- tion, caused the time to pass speedily and pleasantly through the first summer ; but with the approach of a more rigorous season, their hardships commenced, and the death of her beloved father brought before the bereaved family the realities of their situation, far from eariy friends, and isolated from the comforts of civilization. Eliza- beth suffered much at this time of gloom and distrust, with a long- ing for home, and feai-s for the future ; but the fortitude and resolu- tion with which Mrs. Harper sustained herself under the pressure of ELIZABETH TAPPEN. 275 calamity, had a due influence on the minds of her children, and the feelinir of discontent was soon subdued. Duriiiir the absence of James, who went to Canada, as mentioned in the preceding sketch, to procure provisions, another son, William, broke his leg. The other boys were seven and nine yeai-s old, and as they could gj nothing of consequence, the work of providing firewood for use in the house devolved entirely, for some four weeks, upon Elizabeth and her younger sister, Mary. It was no easy task to cut, split, and bring home all the fuel consumed, as the cabin was very open and large fires were required. The prospects for the approaching winter were very dark, owing to the scarcity of provision and the want of comfortable quartei-s; and Mi-s. Harper thought it best to send her younger daughter to stay with some friends at a settlement in Pennsylvania. She determined not to accept the invitation for herself, and Elizabeth decided to stay with her mother. The winter proved one of un- usual severity, and the settlei-s suffered greatly from the want of provisions after the wreck of the only vessel on the southern shore of Lake Erie, their supplies having to be brought from Canada. Twice the little community was reduced almost to the point of star- vation, having to relieve the cravings of hunger with strange substi- tutes for wholesome food. On the last occasion, when the men sent for supplies returned, they brought with them a small quantity of coaise Indian meal boiled, which was called samp. Mrs. Harper warmed a portion of this, and making some tea, called her family to partake of the simple meal, then a luxury privation had taught them to appreciate. Most of the children felt sick from absolute want, and disinclined to touch the food, but after tasting it, they were so eager for more that it required all the mother's firmness to restrain them from taking more than they could bear in so weakened a state. It has been mentioned that a quantity of wheat raised in Penn- sylvania, was brought on hand-sleds a distance of fifty miles on the ice to the settlement, and ground in a small mill belonging to one of the families. It was EUzabeth's work to grind that required foi 2T6 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. her fami.y. She would take a peck of wheat and walk two milet and a half to grind it, then carry home the meal and make it into bread. The mill would grind no more than a bushel of grain in a day when constantly in use, and three families were to be sup- plied. The men being occupied in bringing the wheat and attend- ing to other necessary duties, the grinding was chiefly done by the women. Many of the cattle belonging to the settlers died this winter, and some of the oxen disappeared, supposed to have been killed and carried off by the Indians. The disaster that caused so much in- convenience the following season — the breaking of the httle mill which had been so useful, set them upon the invention of a sub- stitute. A hole was burned and scraped in the top of an oak stump, large enough to hold a quantity of corn which was then pounded as fine as possible with a pounder attached to a spring pole resembhng a well-sweep, the heavy end being fastened to the ground. This contrivance was called a mortar. Their ovens were equally primi- tive. Ab neither brick nor stone was to be had, a stump was hewn perfectly flat on the top, and a slab hewn out and laid upon it. On this the women spread a layer of clay, and placed upon it wood heaped up in the form of an oven, covering the whole except a small opening at one end, with a thick layer of clay. It stood a short time to dry, and then the wood was sot on fire and . burned out. The oven thus manufactured proved an excellent one for use, and served as a model for all the ovens in the country for some years afterwards. In the autumn of the second year of the settlement, Mrs. Wheeler, Mrs. Harper's eldest daughter, came with her husband and fanfily, and they took up their residence in a cabin they built half a mile from that of the widow. They were joined by several other families soon afterwaids. Some anecdotes of their encounters with the wild beasts of the forest are remembered in family tradition. One summer evening in the third year, when William Harper was returning about dusk from Judge Wheeler's, his attention was arrested by the sight of 9 ELIZABETH TAPPEN. 277 bear just in the path before him, engaged in devouring a hog he had just killed. William fired at the aniaial without apparent effect, and was hastily reloading his gun, when the bear desisted from hia meal, and started in pui-suit of the new enemy. Fortunately, a large tree was near at hand, which the young man ran round, the bear closely following and tearing oflf pieces of the bark in his fury. William contrived, while dodging him, to load his gun, and fired eleven times before the enraged animal fell to the ground ; then, com- pletely exhausted by the efforts he had made to keep the foe at bay, he hastened homeward, and met his brother, who alarmed by hearing reports in such rapid succession, had come to look for him. On going to the spot the next evening, they found the bear quite dead, with ten of the eleven balls in his body, the tree being entirely strip- ped of bark as high as he could reach. It was not long after this that Elizabeth, while staying with her sister in the absence of her husband, was alarmed by an attack from one of these ferocious animals. A crazy woman belonging to the set- tlement had come to stay the night in the house. Late in the even- ing they heard a noise among some fowls roosting upon the project- ing logs of the cabin, and going to the door they distinctly saw a large bear standing on his hind legs, trying to reach the fowls, that crowded together in their terror above the range of his paws. It required all Elizabeth's presence of mind and energy to prevent the lunatic from rushing out ; but by alarming her feare she pei-suaded her to be quiet, and fastened the doors. A more severe encounter took place some years afterwards, in the house of her brother. A hungry bear broke into the yard and attempted to catch a goose wandering on the premises. Mrs. Harper, the sister-in-law, hastily called to her children to come in, and barred the door ; but the fierce creature had heard the sound of her voice, and bent on secur- ing his prey, sprang through the open window and attacked her. Her clothes were much torn, and her arm badly scratched ; but her husband and a man who chanced to be with him cominor to the rescue, they beat oflf the beai* with clubs, and killed him, Th< 278 PIONKER WOMEN OF THE WEST. fright of Mrs. Harper had such an effect upon her that she suffer*^ n health for many years. When the school was established in 1802, the earliest on the Reserve, Elizabeth Harper was employed to teach it. The follow- ing winter Abraham Tappen was appointed to take charge of it, and some of the scholai-s came from distant settlements. The school was taught alternately by Tappen and Miss Harper during the winter and summer, for some years. Religious meetings were established about the same time. In 1806, Elizabeth was married to Abraham Tappen, then engaged as a surveyor, and employed in equalizing the claims of land-holdei-s. His duties compelled him to be absent from home during a great part of the time, and after they were settled, the labor of superintendmg the clearing of a new farm devolved upon the wife. The work was done, however, with an energy and cheer- ful spirit worthy the daughter of such a mother ; and a substantial foundation was thus laid for future comfort and prosperity. For a few years the youthful couple lived in a small log hut containing but one room, in which it was necessary very frequently to enter- tain company, as Tappen's acquaintance and business associations with land ownei-s and land agents brought strangers continually to his house, and the duties of hospitality were esteemed sacred in the most primitive settlements. Mrs. Tappen was often obliged to spread the floor with beds for the accommodation of. her guests , and the abundance of her table, and the excellent quality of her cooking, could be attested by many who from time to time were the chance inmates of her cheerful home. At that early period an unaf- fected kindness of feeling, poorly replaced in a more advanced state of society by the conventionalities of good breeding, prevailed among the settlei-s, and some families were sincerely attached to each other Good offices were interchanged between neighboi-s every day, and a friendly intercoui-se maintained by frequent visits. These were often paid from one to another, even when a journey of fifteen miles on horseback, occupying a whole day, had to be performed. The alarms and accidents to which a new settlement v» liable, tended ELIZABETH TAPPEN. 279 also to bind the emigrants together for mutual assistance and pro- tection. One of a number of similar incidents which occuiT<^d ia 1811, caused much trouble to the Harper family. A son of Mi-s. Wheeler, nine yeare of age, had gone out alone to gather chestnuts. The afternoon was sultry, and he was thinly clad, but it was not long before a terrible storm of wind and rain came on, prostrating acres of the forest, and swelling the streams in a little while to torrents. Just before dark, Mrs. Tappen received a hasty summon? to go to her sister, whom she found half frantic with feai-s for the missing boy. The alarm quickly spread, the neighbors assembled, and people came from a distance of fifteen and twenty miles to aid in the search, which was continued through the next day and the following one, without success, till near the close of the third day, when the child was found in so exhausted a state that in attempting to rise he fell upon his face. His limbs were torn and filled with porcupine's quills. Not very long afterwards, another boy belonging to the settle- ment was lost in the woods, and the members of his family, in the search for him, called his name aloud repeatedly. It may not be generally known that the panther, which at this time came frequently near the dweUings of man, emits a cry resembling a human voice in distress. The calling of the boy's name was several times answered, as his friends supposed, and after following the sound and hallooing some time, they discovered that the voice was not human. In a state of torturing anxiety and apprehension, they were obliged to wait for day -light, when I he boy made his appearance. He had wandered in an opposite direction from the panther's locality, and had found shelter at a house, where he remained all night. The experience of Mrs. Tappen during her residence in the back- woods was full of such incidents. But the forest around them gradually receded before the axe of the enterprising emigrant, the country became cleared and cultivated, and with the progress of improvement the condition of the early settlei*s became more safe and comfortable. Judge Tappen and Mi-s. Tappen still reside on th*^ same farm which they fii-st reduced to cultivation, about half a 280 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEt^. mile from the spot where her father fixed his dwelling on his first removal to the country. The little village of Unionville, in Lake County^ Ohio, has been built partly on Judge Tappen's farm, and partly on the land formerly owned by his wife, the county line rim ning through it. xvn. REBECCA HEALD. It was the lot of this matron to have the story of her Hfe associated with one of the most remarkable and melancholy events recorded in the annals of border warfare. She was the wife of Capt. Heald, commandant at Fort Dearborn, Chicago, and bore a part in the scenes of the massacre that took place there on the 15th August, 1812. A brief notice of her will be an appropriate introduction to an account of that memorable occurrence. Rebecca Wells was the daughter of Col. Wells of Kentucky. Her uncle, with whom she resided in early hfe, was Capt. William Wells. The story of this brave man, who forms so conspicuous a figure in our frontier annals, was a singular romance. When a child he was captured by the Miami Indians, and became the adopted son of Little Turtle, the most eminent forest warrior and statesman between Pontiac and Tecumseh, and the leader of the confederated tribes. When old enough, the captive was compelled to do service, and took a distinguished part in the defeats of Harmar and St. Clair. It is said that his sagacity foresaw that the white men would be roused by these reverses to put forth their superior power in such a manner as to command success ; and also that a desire to return to his own people influenced him to abandon the savages. " His mode of announcing this determination was in accordance with the 282 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. simple and sententious habits of forest life. He was traversing the woods one morning with his adopted father, the Little Turtle, when pointing to the heavens, he said, ' When the sun reaches the meri- dian, I leave you for the whites ; and whenever you meet me in battle, you must kill me, as I shall endeavor to kill you.' The bonds of aflfection and respect which had bound these two singular and highly gifted men together were not severed or weakened by this abrupt declaration." Wells soon after joined the army of Gen. Wayne, who had taken command of the troops after the resignation of St. Clair, and by his knowledge of the forest, and of the Indian haunts, habits, and modes of warfare, became an invaluable auxiliary to the Americans. He commanded a verv effective division of spies, of whom were the best woodsmen on the frontier, served faithfully and fought bravely through the campaign, and after Wayne's treaty at Greenville in 1795 had restored peace between the Indians and the whites, rejoined his foster father, Little Turtle, their friendship remaining uninterrupted till the death of the chief. Gen. Hunt mentions an incident which may show the sanguinary spirit of the border warfare. Capt. Wells made an excui-sion with Lieut. McClenan and eleven men into the enemy's country, following a trail of Indians for two days. They came in sight of them just as they were about encamping for the night, and waited till it was dark to make their attack. Wells, having then assumed the dross of an Indian warrior, advanced with his men, who, on the first alarm given by the savages, threw themselves on the ground, whilo the Captain continued to approach. Supposing him a friend, the Indians met and took him into their camp, he taking the precaution to seat himself on the extreme right of the war-party, and witliin view of McClenan. He then announced himself as from the British fort Miami, aTid commenced giving the paity, consisting of twenty- two Indians and a squaw, the news from their British allies. Tha squaw meanwhile placed over the fire a kettle full of hominy, and as it Vjpgan to boil, stirred it with a ladle, when the party of wliite men, mistaking her motions for the concerted signal of attack, fired upon the savages. The poor squaw received a shot, and fell across KEBKCOA HEALD. 283 the fire ; the Captain saw that his life depended on prompt action, and grasping his tomahawk, commenced the work of slangliter, while his men rushed into the midst. All the Indians were killed except three, who made their escape. Both the Captain and Lieu- tenant were wounded. In consideration of his services, Capt. Wells was appointed Indian agent at Fort Wayne. At this post he continued until the war of 1812, soon after the outbreak of which he departed for the purpose of escorting the troops from Chicago to Fort Wayne. The gentleman* to whom I am indebted for much of the infor- mation contained in this sketch, visited Capt. Wells at Fort Wayne in 1809, and there formed an acquaintance with his niece. One of his juvenile amusements was setting up a target for her to shoot at with a rifle. She and Capt. Heald were accustomed to go out with their rifles to shoot at the bunghole of a barrel at a distance of one hundred yards, and from continual practice Miss Wells had be- come extremely expert in that soldierlike exercise. The Captain was at that time evidently a candidate for the favor of the fair markswoman, and took great pleasure in instructing her in every species of military accomplishment which she took a fancy to learn. Shortly after this period they were married; and in 1812 Capt. Heald was in command of the garrison at Chicago. This, it will be remembered, was at that time a remote outpost of the American fi'ontier, scarcely to be called a settlement, as the only inhabitants without the garrison were a few Canadians and the family of a gen- tleman engaged in the fur trade, who had removed from St. Joseph's in 1804. He was a great favorite among the Indians, who called him by a name signifying " the Silverman," from the circumstance of his furnishing them with rings, brooches, and other ornaments of that metal. His influence with the tribes wherever his trading-posts were dispei*sed, made him an object of suspicion to the British, and being at length taken prisoner, he was detained in captivity till the close of the war. The peninsula of Michigan was then a wilderness, peopled onh * Gen. John E Hunt, of Maumee City, Ohio. 284: PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. by savages ; and intercourse between the posts of Fort Wayne, Detroit, and Chicago, was carried on by such hardy travellers as ven- tured occasionally to encounter the perils and fatigues of the journey, guided by a devious Indian trail, encamping at night beside a stream, or seeking shelter in some hospitable wigwam, or eVen lodging among the branches of the trees * The fort at Chicago was con- stiucted with two blockhouses on the southern side, and a sallyport or subterranean passage from the parade-ground to the river, de- signed either to facilitate an escape, or as a means of supplying the garrison with water during a siege. The chief officers at this time, besides Capt. Heald, were very young men ; the command num bered about seventy-five men, not all of whom were able to do service. The garrison had maintained a constant and friendly inter- course with the neighboring Indians, and as the principal chiefe of all the bands in the vicinity seemed to be on the most amicable te^ms with the Americans, no interruption of their harmony was anticipated. After the fatal event, however, many circumstances were recol- lected, which should have opened their eyes. One instance may be mentioned. In the spring previous, two Indians of the Calumet band came to the post, on a visit to the commanding officer. As they passed through the quarters, they saw Mrs. Heald and another lady playing at battledore, and one of the savages said to the interpreter, "The white chiefs' wives are amusing themselves; it will not be long before they are hoeing in our cornfields." This speech, then regarded as merely an idle threat, or an expression of jealous feeling at the contrast with the situation of their own women, was remem- bered mournfully some months afterwards. The fii-st alarm was given on the evening of the Tth of April, 1812. Near the junction of Chicago river with Lake Michigan, directly opposite the fort, from which it was separated by the river and a few rods of sloping green turf, stood the dwelling-house and trading establishment of Mr. Kinzie. This gentleman was at home, * I have availed myeelf throughout this sketch, cf a narrative of the mas sacre printed at Chicago in 1844 ; eaid to be written by an accompliahed lady residing in that city. REBECCA HEALD. 285 playing the violin for the amusement of his children ; they were dancing merrily, awaiting the return of their mother, who had gone a short distance up the river to visit a sick neighbor. Suddenly the door was thrown open, and Mi-s. Kinzie rushed in, pale with affright, and hardly able to articulate—" The Indians ! The Indians ! They are up at Lee's place, killing and scalping 1" This was a farm inter- sected by the river, about four miles from its mouth. Mrs. Kinzie, when she had breath enough to speak, informed her startled family that while she had been " at Burns', a man and boy were seen run- ning down on the opposite side of the river ; and that they had called across to Burns' family to save themselves, for the Indians were at Lee's place, from which they had just made their escape." The fugitives were on their way to the fort. All was now consternation. The family were hurried into two old pirogues moored near the house, and paddled across the river to take refuge in the fort, where the man — a discharged soldier — and boy had already told their story. In the afternoon, a party of ten or twelve Indians, dressed and painted, had arrived at the house, and according to the custom among savages, entered and seated them- selves without ceremony. Something in their appearance and manner had excited the suspicions of one of the family — a Frenchman — who observed, " I do not Uke the looks of these Indians ; they are none of our folks. I know by their dress and paint that they are not Potto- wattamies." Upon this the soldier bade the boy follow him, and walked leisurely towards the two canoes tied near the bank. Some of the Indians asked where he was going ; on which he pointed to the cattle standing among the haystacks on the opposite bank and made signs that they must go and fodder them ; and that they would return and get their supper. He got into one canoe and the boy into the other. When they had gained the other side of the narrow stream, they pulled oome hay for the cattle, making a show of collecting them, and when they had gi-adually made a circuit, so that their movements were concealed by the haystacks, they took to the woods near, and made for the fort. They had run about a quarter of a mile, when they heard the discharge of two guns, an*? 2S6 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. when they came opposite Burns' they called to warn the family of their danger and hastened on. A party of five or six soldiers, commanded by Ronan, was sent fi-om the fort to the rescue of Burns' family : they went up the river in a scow, took the mother with her infant scarcely a day old, on her bed to the boat, and conveyed her with the rest to the fort. The same afternoon a corporal and six soldiei-s had gone up the river to fish. Fearing that they might encounter the savages, the commanding oflBcer at the fort now ordered a cannon to be fired to warn them of danger. Hearing the signal, they put out their torches and dropped down the river in silence. It will be borne in mind that the unsettled state of the country since the battle of Tippecanoe the preceding November, caused every man to be on the alert, and the slightest alarm was sufficient to ensure vigilance. When the fishing party reached " Lee's place," it was proposed to stop and bid the inmates be on their guard, as the signal from the fort indicated danger. All was still around the house, but they groped their way, and as the corporal leaped the fence into the small enclosure, he placed his hand upon the dead body of a man, who he soon ascer- tained had been scalped. The faithful dog stood guarding the life- less remains of his master. The soldiers retreated to their canoes, and reached the fort about eleven o'clock. The next morning a party of citizens and soldiers went to Lee's and found two dead bodies, which were buried near the foit. It was subsequently ascer- tained, from tradei-s in the Indian country, that the perpetrators of this bloody deed were a party of Winnebagoes, who had come into the neighborhood determined to kill every white man without the walls of the fort. Hearing the report of the cannon, they set ofi" on their retreat to their homes on Rock river. The inhabitants of the place, consisting of a few discharged soldiei-s 4iid some families of half-breeds, now entrenched themselves in the " agency house," a log building standing a few rods from the fort. It had piazzas in front and rear, which were planked up ; portholes were cut, and sentinels posted at night. The enemy was supposed to be still lurking in the neighborhood, and an order was issued for- REBECCA HEALD. 287 bidding any soldier or citizen to leave the vicinity of the garrison without a guard. One night a sergeant and private who were out on patrol, came suddenly upon a party of Indians in the pasture adjoining the esplanade, and fired upon thena as they made good their retreat. The next morning traces of blood were found, extend- incr some distance into the prairie. On another occasion the savages entered the esplanade to steal the hoi-ses, and not finding them in the stable, made themselves amends for their disappointment by stabbing the sheep and then turning them loose. The poor animals ran towards the fort ; the alarm was given, and parties were sent out, but the maraudei*s- escaped. These occurrences were enough to keep the inmates of the fort in a state of apprehension, but they were no further disturbed for many weeks. On the afternoon of August 7th, a Pottowattamie chief arrived at the post, bearing despatches from Gen. Hull, at Detroit, which announced the declaration of war between the United States and Great Britain ; also that the island of Mackinaw had fallen into the hands of the British. The ordei-s to the commanding officer, Capt. Heald, were " to evacuate the post, if practicable, and in that event, to distribute all the United States' property contained in the fort and the United States' factory or agency, among the Indians in the neighborhood." After having delivered his despatches, the chief, Winnemeg, requested a private interview with Mr. Kinzie, who had taken up his residence within the garrison, stated that he was acquainted with the purport of the communications, and earnestly advised that the post should not be evacuated, since the garrison was well supplied with ammu- nition and provision for six months. It would be better to remain till a reinforcement could be sent to their assistance. In case, how- ever, Capt. Heald should decide upon leaving the fort, it should be done immediately, as the Pottowattamies, through whose country they must pass, were ignorant of the object of Winnemeg's mission, and a forced march might be made before the hostile Indians were prepared to intercept them. Cajjt. Heald was immediately informed of this advice, and replied 288 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. that it was his intention to evacuate the fort ; but that, inasmuch as he had received orders to distribute the United States' property, he would not leave till he had collected the Indians in the neigh- borhood and made an equitable division among them. Winnemeg then suggested the expediency of marching out and leaving all things standing, for while the savages were dividing the spoils the troops might possibly effect their retreat unmolested. This counsel, though 6trongly seconded, was not approved by the commanding officer. The order for evacuating the post was read the next morning upon parade, and in the coui-se of the day, as no council was called, the officers waited upon Capt. Heald, and urged him to relinquish his design on account of the improbability that the command would be permitted to pass in safety to Fort Wayne by the savages, whose thirst for slaughter could hardly be controlled by the few indi\idual9 who were supposed to have friendly feelings towards the Americans. Their march must of necessity be slow, as a number of women and children, with some invalid soldiere, would accompany the detach- ment. Their advice, therefore, was to remain, and fortify themselves as strongly as possible, in hopes that succor from the other side of the peninsula would arrive before they could be attacked by the British from Mackinaw. In reply to this remonstrance Capt. Heald urged that he should be censured for remaining when there appeared a piospect of a safe march, and that on the whole he deemed it most expedient to assemble the Indians, distribute the property among them, and then ask of them an escort to Fort Wayne, with the promise of a considerable reward upon their safe arrival, adding that he had full confidence in the friendly professions of the savages, from whom, as well as from the soldiei-s, the capture of Mackinaw had been kept a profound secret. The project was considered a mad one, and much and increasing dissatisfaction prevailed among the officei*s and soldiere. The In- dians became every day more unruly. Entering the fort in defiance of the sentinels, they often made their way without ceremony to the quartei-s of the officers. On one occasion a savage took up a rifle, and fired it in Mi-s. Heald's parlor. Some supposed this & signal REBECCA HEALT). 289 foi an attacK, as there was vehement agitation aniontir tho old chiefs und squaws ; but the manifestation of hostile fet-ling was suppressed, and the Captain continued to feel confidence in such an amicable dis- Dosition among the Indians, as would ensure the safety of his troops on their march to Fort Wayne. The inmates of the fort, meanwhile, suffered greatly from appre- hension, scarcely daring to yield to sleep at night, and a general gloom and distress prevailed. The Indians being assembled from the neighboring villages, a council was held with them on the 12th, Capt. Heald alone attending on the part of the military, as his offi- cei-s refused to accompany him. Information had secretly been brought to them that it was the intention of the young chiefs to fall upon them and murder them while in council, but the Captain could not be persuaded of the truth of this, and therefore left- the garrison, while the officers who remained took command of the block-houses which overlooked the esplanade on which the council was held, opened the port-holes, and pointed the cannon so as to command the whole assembly. " In council, the commanding officer informed the Indians of his intention to distribute among them, the next day, not only the goods lodged in the United States' Factory, but also the ammunition and provisions with which the garrison was well supplied. He then requested of the Potto wattamies an escort to Fort Wayne, promising them a hberal reward upon their arrival there, in addition to the presents they were now to receive. With many professions of friendship and good-will the savages assented to all he proposed, and promised all he required. " After the council, Mr. Kinzie, who undei-stood well, not only the Indian character, but the present tone of feeling among them, waited upon Capt. Heald, in the hope of opening his eyes to the present posture of affairs. He reminded him that since the trouble with the Indians upon the Wabish and its vicinity, there had appeared a settled plan of hostilities towards the whites ; in conse- quence of which, it had been the policy of the Americans to withhold f'-om them whatever would enable them to carry on their 13 290 PIONEER WOMEN OF TUE WEST. warfaie upon the defenceless settlei-s on the frontier. Mr. Kinzie recalled to Oapt. Heald the fact that he had himself left home for Detroit the preceding autumn, and receiving, when he had pro- <;eeded as far as De Charme's,* the intelligence of the battle of Tippecanoe, he had immediately returned to Chicago, that ho might despatch ordei"s to his traders to furnish no ammunition to the Indians ; all that they had on hand was therefore secreted, and such of the tradei-s as had not already started for their wintering- grounds, took neither powder nor shot with their outfit. " Capt. Heald was struck with the impolicy of furnishing the enemy, (for such they must now consider their old neighboi's,) with arms against himself, and determined to destroy all the am- munition, excepting what should be necessary for the use of his own troops. On the 13th, the goods, consisting of blankets, broadcloths, calicos, paints, etc., were distributed, as stipulated. The same evening, part of the ammunition and liquor was carried into the sally-port, and thrown into a well, which had been dug there to supply the garrison with water in case of emergency the remainder was transported as secretly as possible through the northern gate, and the heads of the barrels were knocked in, and the contents poured into the river. The same fate w^as shared by a large quantity of alcohol which had been deposited in a ware- house opposite the fort. The Indians suspected what was going on, and crept as near the scene of action as possible, but a vigilant watch was kept up, and no one was suffered to approach but those engaged in the affair. All the muskets not necessary for the march were broken up and thrown into the well, together with bags of shot, flints, gun-screws, etc. " Some relief to the general despondency was afforded by the arrival, on the 14th of August, of Capt. Wells, with fifteen friendly Miamies. He had heard at Fort Wayne of the order for evacuating Fort Dearborn, and knowing the hostile determination of the Pottowattamies, had made a rapid march across the country to prevent the exposure of his relative, Capt. Heald, and his troops "• A trading estabhshmenl — now Ypsilanti. REBECCA HEALD. 291 to ct^rtain destruction. But he came too late. When lie reached tiie post, he found that tlie ammunition had been destroyed, and the provisions given to the Indians. There was therefore no alternative, and every preparation was made for the march of the ti'oops on the following morning. "On the afternoon of the same day, a second council was held with the Indians. They expressed great indignation at the destruction of the ammunition and hquor. Notwithstanding the precautions that had been taken to preserve secrecy, the noise of knocking in the heads of the barrels had too plainly betrayed the operations of the preceding night; and so great was the quantity of liquor thrown into the river, that the taste of the water, the next morning, was, as one expressed it, ' strong grog.' Mur- mui-s and threats were everywhere heard among the savages, and it was evident that the fii-st moment of exposure would subject the troops to some manifestation of their disappointment and resentment. " Among the chiefs were several who, although they shared the general hostile feehng of their tribe towards the Americans, yet retained a pei*sonal regard for the troops at this post, and for the few white citizens of the place. These exerted their utmost influence to allay the revengeful feehngs of the young men, and to avert their sanguinary designs, but without effect. On the evening succeeding the last council, Black Partridge, a conspicuous chief, entered the quartei-s of the commanding officei-. ' Father,' said he, ' I come to deliver up to you the medal I wear. It was given me by the Americans, and I have long worn it, in token of our mutual friendship. But our young men are resolved to imbrue their hands in the blood of the whites. I cannot restrain them, and I will not wear a token of peace while I am compelled to act as an enemy.' Had further evidence been wanting, this circumstance would have sufliciently proved to the devoted band the justice of their melan- choly anticipations. Nevertheless, they went steadily on with the necessary preparations. Of the ammunition there had been reeerved but twenty-five rounds, besides one box of cartridges, contained ir 292 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. the bago^age-wagons. This must, under any circumstances o' dan- ger, have proved an inadequate supply, but the prospect cf a fatio^uing march forbade their embarrassing themselves with a larger quantity. " The morning of the 15th arrived. All things were in readi- ness, and nine o'clock was the hour named for starting. Mr. Kinzie had volunteered to accompany the troops in their march, and had entrusted his family to the care of some friendly Indians, who had promised to convey them in a boat around the head of Lake Michi- gan, to a point* on the St. Joseph's river ; there to be joined by the troops, should the prosecution of their march be permitted them. Early in the morning he received a message from a chief of the St. Joseph's band, informing him that mischief was intended by the Pottowattamies who had promised to escort the detachment ; and urging him to relinquish his design of accompanying the troops by land, promising that the boat which should contain himself and family, should be permitted to pass in safety to St. Joseph's. Mr. Kinzie declined accepting this proposal, as he believed that his pres- ence might operate as a restraint on the fury of the savages, so warmly were the greater part attached to himself and family. The party in the boat consisted of Mrs. Kinzie and her four younger children, a clerk, two servants, and the boatmen, besides the two Indians who acted as their protectoi-s. The boat started, but had scarcely reached the mouth of the river, when another messenger from the chief arrived to detain them. " In breathless expectation sat the wife and mother. She was a woman of uncommon energy and strength of character, yet her heart died within her as she folded her arms around her helpless infants, and gazed upon the march of her husband and eldest son to almost certain destruction. " As the troops left the fort the band struck up the dead march. ♦ The spot now called Beitrand, then known by the name of Pare aux Vaches, from its having been a pasture-ground belonging to an old French fort in that leighborhootl. REBECCA HEALD. 293 On they came in military array, Capt. Wells taking the lead, at the head of his little band of Miamies — his face blackened, in token of nis impending fate,* and took their route along the lake shore When they reached the point where commences the range of sand hill intervening between the prairie and the beach, the escort of Pottowattamies, in number about five hundred, kept the level of the prairie instead of continuing along the beach with the Americans and Miamies. They had marched perhaps a mile and a half, when Capt. Wells, who was somewhat in advance with his Miamies, came riding furiously back. " ' They are about to attack us,' shouted he, ' form instantly, and charge upon them.' "Scarcely were the words uttered when a volley was showered from among the sand-hills. The troops were hastily brought into line, and charged up the bank. One man, a veteran of seventy years, fell as they ascended. The remainder of the scene is best described in the words of an eye-witness and participator in the tragedy — Mrs. Helm, the wife of Lieut. Helm, and step-daughter of Mr. Kinzie. " 'After we had left the bank and gained the prairie, the action became general. The Miamies fled at the outset. Their chief rode uy to the Pottowattamies, and said, ' You have deceived the Amer- icans and us ; you have done a bad action, and (brandishing his tomahawk) I will be the fii-st to head a party of Americans, and return to punish your treachery ;' so saying, he galloped after his companions, who were novv scouring across the praii-ies. " 'The troops behaved most gallantly. They were but a handful, but they resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Our boi-ses pranced and bounded, and could hardly be restrained, as the balls whistled among them. I drew oft a little, and gazed upon my * Col. Johnson says that Capt. Wells seeing all was lost, and not wishing to fall into the hands of the Indians, wetted powder and blacked his face ia token of defiance, provoking the Indians, in the heat of the action, by taunts and jeers, to despatch hinn at once, instead of attenapting to take hji) prisoner. 294 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. husband and father, who were yet unharmed. I felt that my hour was come, and endeavored to forget those I loved, and prepare myself for my approaching fate. WTiile I was thus engaged, the surgeon came up. He was badly wounded. His horse had been shot under him, and he had received a ball in his leg. Every muscle of his countenance was quivering with the agony of terror He said tome, ' Do you think they will take our hves ? I am badly wounded, but I think not mortally. Perhaps we might purchase our lives by promising them a large reward. Do you think there is any chance V " ' Doctor,' said I, ' do not let us waste the few moments that yel remain to us, in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In a few moments we must appear before the bar of God. Let us endeavor to make what preparation is yet in our power.' ' Oh ! I cannot die !' exclaimed he, ' I am not fit to die — if! had but a short time to pre- pare — death is awful !' I pointed to Ensign Ronan, who, though mortally wounded, and nearly down, was still fighting with despera- tion upon one knee. " ' Look at that man,' said I ; ' he at least dies like a soldier !' " ' Yes,' replied the unfortunate man, with a convulsive gasp, ' but he has no terroi*s for the future — he is an unbeliever !' "'At this moment, a young Indian raised his tomahawk at me. By springing aside, I avoided the blow which was intended for my skull, but which alighted on my shoulder. I seized him round the neck, and while exerting my utmost efforts to get possession of his scalping-knife, which hung in a scabbard over his breast, I waa dragged from his grasp by an older Indian, who bore me, struggling and resisting, towards the lake. Notwithstanding the rapidity with which I was burned along, I recognised, as I passed them, the lifeless remains of the unfortunate surgeon. Some murderous tom- ahawk had stretched him upon the very spot where I had last seen him. "' I was immediately plunged into the water, and held there with A forcible hand, notwithstanding my resistance. I soon perceived, KEBECCA HEALI). 295 hrwever, that the object of my captor was not to drown me, as he held me firmly in such a position as to ])lace my head above the water. This reassured me, and rei^ardino- him attentively, ] soon recoi»:nised, in spite of the paint with which he was disguised, The Black Partridc^e. " ' When the firing had somewhat subsided, my preserver bore me from the water, and conducted me up the sand-banks. It was a burning August morning, and walking through the sand in my drenched condition, was mexpressibly painful and fatiguing. I stooi)ed and took oft" ray shoes, to free them fi-om the sand with which they were nearly filled, when a squaw seized and carried them off', and I was obliged to proceed without them. When we had gained the prairie, I was met by my father, who told me that my husband was safe, and but slightly wounded. They led me gently back toward the Chicairo river, along: the southern bank of which was the Pottowattamie encampment. At one time, T was placed upon a horse without a saddle, but soon finding the motion insup- portable, I sprang off; Supported partly by ray kind conductor, and partly by another Indian, who held dangling in his hand the scalp of Capt. Wells, I dragged my fainting steps to one of the wigwams.' " At the comraencement of the action Capt. Wells was riding by the side of his niece. He ^aid to her that he was satisfied there was not the least chance for his life, and that they must part to meet no more in this world, then started away to charge with the rest. It is said that Mrs. Heald saw him M\ from his horse, struck by several rif.3 balls. Another account states that after the surrender, while an Indian was cruelly butchering some white children, Capt. Wells exclaimed, " then I will kill too," and set off" towards the Indiau camp near the fort, where their squaws and children had been left. Several pursued him, firing as he galloped along. He laid himself flat on the neck of his hoi-se, loading and firing in that position, but was at length severely wounded, and his horse killed. Two friendly Indians who met him endeavored to save him from his enemies, and tupported him after disengaging him from his horse, but he received 296 l*IONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. his deatli-blow from one of his pui*suers, who stabbed him in th« back. The charging of the troops drove back the Indians a considerable distance into the prairie, where the Captain ordered his men, dimin- ished by more than two thirds of their number, to halt, and after a parley with the savages, agreed to surrender, stipulating that their lives should be spared, and that they should be delivered at oie of the British posts, unless ransomed by tradei-s in the Indian country. It appeared afterwards that the savages did not consider the wounded piisonei's as included in the stif^ulation. The lady whose narrative has been quoted, says, after she was taken to the wigwam, " the wife of a chief from the Illinois river was standing near, and seeing my exhausted condition, she seized a kettle, dipped up some water from a little stream that flowed near, threw into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up with her hand, gave it to me to drink. This act of kindness, in the midst of so many atro- cities, touched me most sensibly, but my attention was soon diverted to other objects. An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or excited by the sanguinary scenes around her, seemed ])ossessed by a demoniac ferocity. She seized a stable-fork, and assaulted ono miserable victim, who lay groaning and writhing in the agony of his wounds, aggravated by the scorching beams of the sun. With a delicacy of feeling scarcely to have been exjpecied under such circum- stances, the chief stretched a mat across two poles, between me and this dreadful scene. I was thus spared, in some degree, a view of its horrors, although I could not entirely close my eaj-s to the ci-ies of the sufferer. The following night five more of the wounded prisonei's were tomahawked. " The heroic resolution of one of the soldiei*s' wives deserves to be recorded. She had from the fii-st expressed a determination never to fall into the hands of the savages, believing that their prisoner were always subjected to tortures woi-se than deatli. When, there- fore, a party came upon her, to make her prisoner, she fought with desperation, refusing to surrender, although assured of safe treatment REBECCA UEALD. 297 Mid literally suffered herself to be cut to pieces, rather than become tiieir captive. " The horse Mrs. Heald rode was a fine, spirited animal, and the Lidians were desirous to possess themselves of it unwounded. The^ therefore aimed their shots so as to disable the rider, without injur- ing her steed. This was at length accomplished, and her captor was in the act of disengaging her hat from her head, in order to scalp her, when young Chandonnai, a half-breed from St. Joseph's, ran up and offered for her ransom a mule he had just taken, adding the promise of ten bottles of whiskey, so soon as he should reach his vil- lage. The latter was a strong temptation. ' But,' said the Indian, * she is badly wounded — she will die — will you give me the whiskey at all events ? ' Chandonnai promised that he would, and the bar- gain was concluded. Mi-s. Heald was placed in the boat with Mrs. Kinzie and her children, covered with a buffalo robe, and enjoined silence as she valued her life. In this situation the heroic woman remained, without uttering a sound that could betray her to the savages, who were continually coming to the boat in search of prisoner, but who always retired peaceaVjly when told that it con- tained only the family of Shaw-ne-an-kee. When the boat was at length permitted to return to the mansion of Mr. Kinzie, and Mi^. Heald was removed to the house for the purpose of dressing her wounds, Mr. Kinzie applied to an old chief who stood by, and who, like most of his tribe, possessed some skill in surgery, to extract a ball from the arm of the sufferer. ' No, father,' replied he, ' I cannot do it — it makes me sick here ! ' placing his hand upon his heart. " From the Pottowattamie encampment, the family of Mr. Kinzie were conveyed across the river to their own mansion. There they were closely guarded by their Indian friends, whose intention it was to carry them to Detroit for security. The rest of the prisonera remained at the wigwams of their captors. The following morning, the work of plunder being completed, the Indians set fire to the fort. A very equitable distribution of the finery appeared to have been made, and shawls, ribbons, and feathers, were seen fluttering about In all directions The ludicrous appearance of one young 13* 2D8 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. fellow, who had an-ayed himself in a muslin gown, and the bonnet of the commanding officer's lady, would under other circumstances have afforded matter of amusement. " Black Partridofe and Wau-ban-see, with three others of the tribe, having established themselves in the porch of the building ai^ sentinels, to protect the family of Mr. Kinzie from any evil, ali remained tranquil for a short space after the conflagration. Very Boon, however, a party of Indians from the Wabash made their appearance. These were the most hostile and implacable of all the bands of the Pottowattamies. Being more remote, they had shared less than some of their brethren in the kindness of Mr. Kinzie and his family, and consequently their sentiments of regard for them were less powerful. Runnei-s had been sent to the villages, to apprise them of the intended evacuation of the post, as well as the plan of the Indians assembled, to attack the troops. Thirsting to participate in such a scene, they burned on, and great was their moriification, on arri\ing at the river Aux Plaines, to meet with a party of their friends, ha\ing their chief badly wounded, and to learn that the battle was over, the spoils divided, and the scalps all taken. " On arriving at Chicago, they blackened their faces, and pro- ceeded towards the residence of Mr. Kinzie. From his station on the piazza, Black Partridge had watched their approach, and his fears were particularly awakened for the safety of Mi-s. Hflm, who had recently come to the post, and was pei-sonally unknown to the more remote Indians. By his advice, she assumed the ordinary dress of a Frenchwoman of the country, a short gown and petticoat, with a blue cotton handkerchief vrapped aroimd her head ; and in this diso-uise she was conducted by Black Partridge to the house of Ouilrnette, a Frenchman with a half-breed wife, who formed a part of the estabhshment of Mr. Kinzie, and whose dwelling was close at hand. It so happened that the Indians came first to this house in their search for prisonci-s. As they ap])roached, the inmates, fearful thni the fair complexion and general appearance of Mrs. Helm might betray her for an Americarv raised the large feather bed and REBECCA HEALD. 290 placed her ander the edge of it, upon tlie bedstead, with her face to the wall. Mi's. Bisson, the sister of Ouilmette's wife, then seated hei-self with her sewing upon the front of the bed. It was a hot day in August, and the feverish excitement of fear and agitation, togt'ther with her position, wliich wa.s nearly suffi^cating, were so painful, that Mi-s. Helm at length entreated to be released and given up to the Indians. * I can but die,' said she, ' let them put an end to my miseries at once.' Mrs. Bisson replied, ' Your death would be the signal for the destruction of us all, for Black Partridge is resolved, if one drop of the blood of your family is spilled, to take the lives of all concerned in it, even his nearest friends, and if once the work of murder commences, there will be no end of it, so long as there remains one white person or half-breed in the country.* This expostulation nerved Mrs. Helm with fresh resolution. The Indians entered, and she could occasionally see them from her hid- ing-place, ghding about and inspecting every part of the room, though without making any ostensible search, until, apparently satibtied that there was no one concealed, they left the house. All this time, Mi"s. Bisson kept her seat upon the side of the bed, calmly assorting and arranging the patchwork of the quilt on which she was engaged, although she knew not but that the next moment she might receive a tomahawk in her brain. Her self-command un- questionably saved the lives of all present. '* From Ouilmette's the savages proceeded to the dwelling of Mr. Ki.-zie. They entered the parlor, in which were assembled the faiiiily, with their faithful protectors, and seated themselves upon the floor in profound silence. Black Partridge perceived, from their moody and revengeful looks, what was passing in their minds, hut dared not remonstrate with them. He only observed in a low tone fo Wau-ban-see, ' We have endeavored to save our friends, but it IS 'n vain — nothing will save them now.' At this moment a friendly w^^oop was heard from a party of new comei-s, on the op}>osite bank of the river. Black Partridge sprang to meet their leader, as the canoes in which they had hastily embarked touched the bank, and bade him make all sneed to the house. Billy Caldwell, for it wa* 500 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. he, entered the parlor with a calm step, and without a trace of agi- tation in his manner. He deliberately took oflf his accoutrements, and placed them with his rifle behind the door ; then saluted the hostile savages. " ' How now, my friends ! A good day to you. I was told there were enemies here, but I am glad to find only friends. Wliy have you blackened your faces ? Is it that you are mourning for the friends you have lost in the battle ? (purposely misunderstand- ing this token of evil designs) or is it that you are fasting? if so, ask our friend here, and he will give you to eat. He is the Indians' friend, and never yet refused them what they had need of.* " Thus taken by surprise, the savages were ashamed to acknow- ledge their bloody purpose ; they therefore said modestly, that they came to beg of their friend some white cotton, in which to wrap their dead before interring them. This was given them, together with some other presents, and they took their departure from the premises. " Little remains to be told. On the third day after the battle, the family of Mr. Kinzie, with the clerks of the establishment, were put in a boat, under the care of Francois, a half-breed interpreter, and conveyed to St. Joseph's, where they remained until the follow- ing November. They were then carried to Detroit, under the escort of Chandonnai and a trusty Indian friend, and together with their negro servants, delivered up as prisonei-s of war to the British commanding officer. It had been a stipulation at thesurrender of Detroit by Gen. Hull, that the American inhabitants should retain the liberty of remaining undisturbed in their own dwellings, and accordingly this family was permitted a quiet residence among their frien»ls at that place. Mr. Kinzie was not allowed to leave St. Joseph's with his family, his Indian friends insisting upon his re- maininor to endeavor to secure some remnant of his scattered pro- j>erty, but anxiety for his family induced him to follow them in January to Detroit, where he was received as a prisoner, and paroled by Gen. Proctor. "Of the other prisoners, Capt. and Mrs. Ileald had been saiiA RRDKCCA IIEALD. 301 across the Lake to St. Joseph's the day after he battle. Capt. Heald had received two wounds, and Mi-s. lleald seven, the ball of one of which wjis cut out of her arm with a pen-knife by Mr. Kinzie, after the engagement. " Capt. Heald was taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee, who had a strong pei-sonal regard for him, and who, when he saw the wounded and enfeebled state of Mrs. Heald, released his prisoner, that he might accompany his wife to St. Joseph's. To the latter place they were accordingly carried by Chandonnai and his party. In the meantime, the Indian who had so nobly released his captive, returned to his village on the Kankakee, where he had the mortifi- cation of finding that his conduct had excited great dissatisfaction among his band. So great was the displeasure manifested that he resolved to make a journey to St. Joseph's and reclaim his prisoner. News of his intention being brought to the chiefs under whose care the prisonei-s were, they held a private council with Chandonnai and the principal men of the village, the result of which was a deter- mination to send Capt. and Mrs. Heald to the island of Mackinaw, and deliver them up to the British. They were accordingly put in a bark canoe and paddled by the chief of the Pottowattamies, Rob- inson, and his wife, a distance of three hundred miles along the coast of Lake Michigan, and surrendered as prisoners of war to the commanding officer at Mackinaw. " Lieut. Helm, who was likewise wounded, was carried by some friendly Indians to their village, on the Au Sable and thence to St. Louis, where he was liberated by the intervention of Thomas For- syth, a trader among them. Mi-s. Helm accompanied her father's family to Detroit. In the engagement she received a slight wound on the ancle, and had her hoi-se shot under her. " The soldiei-s, with their wives and children, were dispersed among the different villages of the Pottowattamies, upon the Illinois, AVa- bash. Rock River, and Milwaukie, until the following spring, when they were for the most part carried to Detroit, and ransomed. Some, however, were detained in captivity another year, during which 302 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. peri<»d they experienced more kindness than was to have been ex pected from an enemy in most cases so merciless." Gen. Hunt adds, that some months after the massacre at Chicago, he met Capt. and Mi-s. Heald, walking in the street in Detroit. They had just come from Mackinaw in a vessel, and were much pleased to see their old friend. Mi-s. Heald had recovered from her wounds, and appeared to be as well as she had ever been. •It is probable that, after the termination of the war, her life was one ol quiet usefulness, like that of her sister pioneei-s ; the occurrences in which she had borne so prominent a part serving to relate as truth more strange than fiction, to those whose fortunes had led them into less stirrinor scenes. Mrs. Helm was the daughter of Col. McKillip, a British officer attached to one of the companies who in 1794 were engaged in sus- taining the Indian tribes in Northern Ohio against the government of the United States. He lost his hfe at the fort ^t the Miami Rapids, now Perrysburg. He had gone out at night to reconnoitre, and returning in a stealthy manner, was mistaken for an enemy, fired upon, and mortally wounded by his own sentinel. His widow afterwards became the wife of John Kinzie, with whom, in 1803, she removed to Chicago, then a mere trading post among the Pottowattamies. At the age of eighteen, the daughter was married to Lieut. Lina J. Helm, of Kentucky. Her death took place at Watersvnlle, in Michigan, in 1844, and was very sudden. She had just risen from the tea-table — one of the company having read to her a newspaper paragraph relating to Henry Clay ; and she said, " I hope I shall Hve to see that man President." Scarcely were the words uttered, than she fell backwards into the arms of an attendant and almost uistantly expired. Her interest in the great statesman is an evidence of the patriotic feeling for which she was always remarkable. She was generous, high-minded, and disinterested; possessing a calm strength of nature, and was energetic and indefatigable in action. Her piety was pure and ardent, yet wholly untinctured with fanaticism; the faith and love by which the true Christian lifts his heart to God MRS. HKLM. 303 «n(l with a sincerity and devotion rarely equalled, did she obey the precept, " thou shalt love thy neij^hbor as thyself." Our wonder may well be excited at the heroism and the sufferinfrs ))orne with such sturdy fortitude, of the pioneer women whose lot was cast in the midst of the troubles upon the frontier. Yet their attachment to this wild, unsettled life was still more remarkable ; for jis tiie country became settled, they would encourage their hus- bands or sons to "sell out," and remove still further into the wilderness. During the time of the possession of Detroit by the British, after the surrender of Gen. Hull, the frontier settlement suflfered much from Indian depredation. The capture of the family of Mr. Snow, taken by the Ottawa Indians from their home on Cole Creek, in Huron County, may illustrate the experience of many unfor- tunates whose names tradition has not preserved. Mr. Snow chanced to be absent, when his house was surrounded by a hostile party, and his wife and nine children were made prisonei*s. The sa- vages immediately started on their return, and had gone about five miles, travelling on foot, when it became evident that Mrs. Snow, whose health was delicate, could not drag herself much further. A brief council was held among the savages, and it was decided that she must be killed. Two young men were appointed to put the cruel sentence in execution, while the rest of the party moved for- ward ; the victim being ordered to keep her seat upon a log. Here her lifeless body was found by her husband and the men in pursuit. It is a somewhat curious circumstance, that one of the Indians who killed the unfortunate woman, afterwards expressed his remorse for the deed, and said he knew the Great Spirit was angry with him, for that the ground had trembled when she screamed, and his right arm had become completely withered by a rheumatic aftection. His death might have been deemed also a judgment for the crime ; in a fit of intoxication he fell into the fire and burned himself so severely that he expired in a short time. "On a beautiful Sunday morning in Detroit," continues ray in- formant, " I heard the scalp whoop of a war paj'ty coming up the 304 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. river. When they came near, I discovered that they were carrying a woman's scalp upon a pole, and that thoy had with them, as prisonei-s, a family of nine childi-en, from three yeai-s old up to two girls full grown. These little captives had nothing on their heads, and their clothes were torn into shreds by the brushwood and the bushes in the way by which they had come. I went to meet them, brought them into my house, gave them and their Indian captoi-s a meal, with a few loaves of bread for further use, and told the children not to be frightened or unejisy, for that my brother would buy them from the Indians when he should return from Canada, whither he had gone to spend the Sabbath with his father- in-law. The next day the prisoners came again, accompanied by about five hundred Indians. My brother paid five hundred dollars for their ransom, and sent them home. The girls informed me that they had been treated by the Indians with kindness and respect. Indeed, it may bo recorded, to the praise of the Indian chaiacter, and in extenuation of their cruelties, that an instance has not been known of improper conduct towards a captive white woman. Their apology for the murder of Mi-s. Snow was, that they feared her release might lead to their discovery by the whites in pui-suit." The Rev. J. M. Peck of Illinois mentions the name of Catharine Lemen, as a pioneer who came to that region as early as 178G, with her husband and two children. The family were exposed to Indian depredations dunng the whole period of the border troubles ; and many instances are remembered in which she exhibited a heroic and Christian spirit. She had ten children, four of whom became ministei-s of the gospel. Mrs. Edwards, the wife of Governor Edwards, is also mentioned as a matron distinguished for lofty and heroic traits of character. She sustained her husband through his public life, having the entire management of his large estate and its settlement after his death. xvni. ABIGAIL SNELLING. Thomas Hunt, the father of the subject of the present raeraou was a Revolutionary officer, and a native of Watertown, Massachu- setts. He entered the American army as a volunteer, and wjis sooni commissioned in the regular service ; was in the expedition against Ticonderoga commanded by Ethan Allen, and one of the party who made themselves masters of Crown Point. He was with Gen. "Wayne at Stoney Point, among the volunteei-s of the " forlorn hope," and was there wounded in the ankle. In 1794, he joined the army under Wayne against the Indians, and served out the campaign, returning then to his family residence at Watertown. In 1798, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the fii*st regiment of infantry, and ordered to Fort Wayne, where he remained until the death of Col. Hamtramack at Detroit, when he became Colonel, and took the command of that post, remained there some time, and afterwards went to Mackinaw. Our heroine was but six weeks old when the family left Water town, and was carried on a pillow in such a vehicle as was then used for stages, over very rough roads, for many miles only ren- dered passable by logs placed side by side, forming what are termed corduroy roads. The severity of the exercise, as may be remembered b those who have travelled over such roads in a ne^ 306 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. country, always caused an outcry on approaching them, from man, woman, and child, with petitions to get out and walk ; frequently at the i-isk of being bitten by rattlesnakes which were ofton conceal- ed between the logs. Wlien they arrived at Mackinaw, they went to the Government House, which they were to occupy. The Enirhsh commander had left it with the furniture, even the window curtains suspended from the windows, and there was an air of com- fort in and about the house. The Fort stood on the height, the town was small, the streets were very narrow, the houses built in the old French style, and the town was enclosed with pickets, with a srate at each end. One of the little girl's earliest recollections was visiting in the family of a Scotch gentleman. Dr. Mitchell, who had married an Indian wife. She dressed hei-self in silks and satins when at home, but resumed her native dress when among the Chippewas, her own people. She would sometimes be absent many months, purchasing fui-s to send to Montreal, for her agent there to sell ; and in this way she amassed a large fortune for her husband. At one time, after she had been absent more than six months, it was reported that she had been killed by some rival trader. She heard on her way home that such news had been received, and when her flotilla ap- peared m sight, threw hei-self on the bottom of her birch canoe. Her husband, with spy-glass in hand, was on the beach, eagerly looking to see if indeed his wife was not there, and was about turn- ing away with a heavy heart, when she leaped fi-om . her bark ex- claiming, " Not dead yet !" Her two daughters were sent to Mon- treal to be educated, and returned home highly accomplished and very beautiful women. One of them afterwards married an ofticer. Abigail was about seven yeai-s old wlii n her parents left Mackinaw ♦-C return t) Detroit, on their way to St. Louis. The troops liad left Detroit but a short time when the town was burned to save them. The captain then announced thai his anchor dragged ABIGAIL SNKLLING. 323 and he feared would not liold the vessel. Soon were seen preparrv tioiis to man a boat ; it pushed off from shore and approached tho shoals ; then was the greatest danger ; it passed over and reached tho vessel. Capt. Hunt came to his sister and said, " Abby, wliat will you do ; remain here in so much peril, or go in the boat, whore thei'e is perhaps greater ?" She replied, " I will go." She waa taken upon deck ; the waves were terrific ; the boat would now rise on the summit of a huge billow, now j)lunge into a deep abyss, and it seemed impossible that the lady and her child could be placed in the boat. But in spite of peril, she hardly knew how, she was seated in the boat with her child and her brother, and after a few minutes gained courage to look back towanls the vessel, of which she could only see the top of the mast. At the moment they reached the shoals, a huge wave broke over them and half filled the boat. Some of the men bailed while others plied the oai-s with re- newed energy. When they touched land Mi-s. Snelliiig was taken fainting from the boat and conveyed to an inn ; and it was several days before she recovered trom the terroi-s of that storm. Great was the joy that prevailed in the heart of every wife at the return of peace. In the following spring, Snelling under the peace organization, was Lieut. Colonel of the 6th infantry, and ordered to Governor's Island, Col. Atkinson commanding. He remained there with his family over a year, when the regiment was ordered to Plattsburg, where they had resided about four yeai-s when an order cama for St. Louis, en route for the Upper Mississippi or Missouri ! Mi-s. Snelling had then three children, and her youngest sister and one of her brothei-s, a graduate from West Point — Lieut. Wel'jng- ton Hunt, then a married man — were with her family. The troops went up to the barracks at Bellefountain, where she visited the graves of her parents, finding them in good order with the exception of the railing which enclosed the mounds. Her youngest child, fifteen months old, was then very ill ; he had been named Thomas, after his grandfather. He died and was buried beside his brave ancestor. During tJie winter of their stay there, the sis 824 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. ter, Eliza M. Hunt, was married to Mr. Soulard, a French gentleman of great worth. In the following summer, Snelling was promoted Colonel of the 5th regiment, and ordered up the Mississippi, to relieve Lieut. Colo nel Leavenworth, who was also promoted to another regiment. He had conducted the 5th regiment from Detroit to within eight miles of the Falls of St. Anthony. The journey was exceedingly tedious and disagreeable, in a keel boat laboriously propelled by men with long poles, placed against their shouldei-s, along a gangway on each side of the boat. The weather was very warm and the muisquitoes numerous day and night. The cabin was very low, confined, and uncomfortable. It was three weeks or more before they arrived at Prairie du Chien, during which time very little sound sleep was obtained by the young mother, from fear of the Indians, the Sac and Fox, the most savage looking and ferocious she had ever seen. They seemed to be very fond of dress, and their faces were painted of all colors ; the hair cut close to within an inch of the top of the head, and that decorated with a variety of ribbons and feathei-s, and often a small looking-glass suspended from the neck. Many of them were certainly great beaux, but they looked hideous, and were terrific objects to a timid woman. When the voyagei-s arrived at Prairie du Chien, they found Gov. Cass and his party ; he held councils with the Indians, for the pur- pose of bringing about a peace between the Sac and Fox tribes. Chip- pewas and Sioux. Our friends were detained there several weeks by • court-martial, of which Col. Snelling was President. They had till three hundred miles to go before they reached the encampment of the 5th regiment, and there were several Indian villages on the route. The magnificent scenery of this river has been often described. Lake Pepin is a beautiful expansion about twenty-four miles in length, and from two to four broad. At length they arrived safe through many fatigues to the end of their journey, and received a hearty welcome from friends they had never seen before, and from Capt, Gooding and his wife, whom they were again delighted to meet ABIGAIL 8NKLLINO. 325 Their daugliter had been married a few days previous to the Adju- tant of tlie regiment. Great solicitude was felt to have a temporary garris3n erected with such defences as could be then made, before the long and severe winter set in. The traders brought news that the Indians werft very insolent, and it was said a white man had been killed on the St. Peter's river. A council was called and the murderers were demanded, hostages being taken from the council until they were delivered. They were confined in the guard room, and narrowly watched. All felt that the little community was exposed and almost at the mercy of an enemy, and great exertions were made to com- plete the temporary barracks for the winter with blockhouses and other defences. Indians meanwhile were collecting in great numbers, and would sometimes show themselves at a distance. The tradere in the vicinity often came in, and said the friendly Indians had gone in pursuit of the murderei*s, and no doubt would succeed in taking them ; but if they did not, the friends of the hostages would attempt to rescue them. Scouts were accordingly kept out every night, and the troops slept on their arms. For the mother — trembling for her little ones more than herself, no sooner would she close her eyes at night, than she would start, thinking she heard the war whoop of the savages. The wolves too, half-starved, were extremely dar- ing, and if the cook happened to leave a bucket of swill at the back door, they were sure to empty it of its contents. As soon as the log barracks were finished, the families moved into them. They were built in four rows forming a square, a block- house on either side ; and situated where the village of Mendota now stands. The Indian hostages were now put in greater secu- rity. They were evidently becoming impatient of restraint, and perhaps had doubts as to the result. One morning as usual, they were taken a short distance into the woods under guard, when sud- denly one of them (there were three) started and ran for his life. Those behind set up a yell and the guard fired at him, but he was beyond reach. The othei-s were immediately taken back to the gu?"d-howse, and an interpreter sent for, who enquired of them if it 826 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. was a pveconcerted plan of the whole ; they declared it was not, atd that until the fugitive started to run, they were ignorant of his de- sign, and supposed it merely a sudden desire for freedom. They said further that he would no doubt urije the immediate surrender of the guilty parties, and laughingly said the lad was so fat, from being so well fed, they were surprised to see him run so fast! Col. SnoUino: and the Indian anient thouf^ht it advisable to send the murderei's to the agent at St. Louis, as soon as they should be brought in and before navigation closed. At length they came, conducted by a large number of their own tribe. There were two, but only one was sent to St. Louis, as there was but one white man killed. It was represented to the Indians in council, that when one white man killed another, his life paid the penalty ; and since one of their people had killed a white man his life must pay the forfeit, unless their great father in Washington should pardon him. The savages signified assent by a " ugh !" As soon as the criminal was gone quiet was restored among the Indians for the winter. In September, 1819, Mi-s. Snelling's fifth child was born. Her sick room was papered and carpeted with buffalo robes, and made quite warm and comfortable. There were three ladies besides her in the garrison, and they were like one family, spending their time in- structing: their children, and receivino; instruction in the French lanofuasre from a soldier who it was said had been an officer in Buonaparte's ai-my. Mi-s. Snelling, Mrs. Clark and an officer, com- prised the class. Dui-ing the winter, parties of men were sent off to cut down trees, hew timber, &c., for the permanent fort, which was to be built on the high point of land between the mouth of the St. Peter's and Mississippi, a point selected by Gen. Pike when he explored the river, as a good site for a fort, and on which Col. Snelling: at once decided it should be built. There was a* tre^ standing at the extreme point, with the name of Pike carved on it by his own hand. Strict ordei^s were given " to spare that tree;'' for it was looked upon by the officer as sacred to his memory, and was carefully guarded, but the care was in vain. One morning it was found cut down, and great was the lamentation. It never was ABIGAIL SNELLINO. 327 •cnown who had done the deed ; there was a mystery ibout it that Iras never solved. The tii-st row of barracks that were put up, were of hewn lof^, the othei-s of stone. The fort was built in a diamond shape, to suit the ground at the extreme point. Where the tree had stood, was a half-moon battery, and inside this was the officei-s' quartoi-s, a very neat stone buildinir, the front of cut stone ; at the opposite point a tower. The fort was enclosed by a high stone wall, and is weli represented in the drawings of it. At the expiration of two years, the regiment moved into the fort, although not completed. The families of the officei's occupied quarters in the row assigned to them. It was just before this time that Mrs. Snelling lost her youngest child — thirteen months old. In June, 1823, the first steamboat made its appearance at the fort, much to the astonishment of the savages, who placed their hands over their mouths — their usual way of expressing astonishment, and ealled it a " fire-boat." A salute was fired from the fort, as it was expected that the Inspector general was on boai'd ; and it was returned from the boat. The Indians knew not what to make of it, and they were greatly alarmed, until all was explained. Additions were made to the society of the garrison ; several oflicei's, who had been absent, returned to their regiment, bringing wives and sisters, so that at one time the company numbered ten ladies. There were six companies, which fully officered, would have given eighteen or twenty -officei's, but there were seldom or never that number present at one time. An Italian gentleman came on the boat, who pro- fessed to be travelling for the purpose of writing a book, and brought letters of introduction from Mi's. Snellinoj's friends in St. Louis. The Colonel invited him to his house to remain as long as he pleased, and he was with them several monihs. He could not speak English, but spoke French fluently, and seemed much pleased when he found his fair hostess could speak the language, she having learned it when a child at St. Louis. A French school was the firet she ever attended, and she thus early acquired a perfectly correct pronunciation. S le lamented on one occasion to Mr. Bel ti ami, thai 328 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. her teacher had received his discharge, and was abont leann^, and he poHtely offered his services in that capacity. She was then translatinir the Hfe of Caesar in an abridijed form, and from the emo- tion betrayed by the foreigner at a portion of the reading, it was concluded he had been banished from the Pope's dominions at Ixome, and that the lesson reminded him of his misfortunes. The passport he showed, gave him the title of " Le Chevalier Count Beltrami." About this time, Major Long's expedition arrived, to explore the St. Peter's river, and when they left Beltrami accompanied them. When his book was published at New Orleans, he seat Mi-s. Snelling a copy. While at the fort he was busy in collecting Indian curiosi- ties. One day he brought a Sioux chief into Mi*s. Snelling's room, who had on his neck a necklace of bears' claws highly polished, Baying, " I cannot tempt this chief to part with his necklace, pray see what you can do with him, he will not refuse you." " He weai-s it," answered the lady, " as a trophy of his prowess, and a badge of honor ; however, I will try." After some time, Wanata said, " On one condition I will consent ; if you will cut off" your hair, braid it, and let it take the place of mine you may have the neck- lace." All laughed heartily at his contrivance to get rid of further importunity. One day a call was heard from a sentinel on the river bank, to the corporal of the guard, that a child had fallen into the river, and several ran in the direction the sentinel pointed. The gardener who was at work at a short distance, cried out, " It is the Colonel's son, Henry ! Save him !" His mother heard the cry, " A child is drowning !" and ran out upon the battery to see and hear what was the matter. She saw them draw the boy out, place him on a blanket, and hasten up the hill ; they approached her house, when the Colonel hastened towards her saying, " We came near losing our child !" and she saw it was indeed her own. He was pale aa death, but soon recovered, and lives to tell the story of an immense catfish dragging him into tlie river while fishing. In 1823, news was brought by the tradere that two white chit ABIGAIL SNELLINO. 329 inm were with a party of Sioux, on the vSt. 1 eter's. Ft appeared from what they could learn, that a family from Red River — vSelkirk's settlement — had been on their way to the Fort, when a war part) of Sioux met them, murdered the parents and an infant, and made the boys prisoner. Col. Snelling sent an officer with a party of sol- diei"s to rescue the children. After some delay in the ransom, they were finally brought. An old squaw, who had the youngest, was veiy unwilling to give him up, and indeed the child did not wish to leave her. The oldest, about eight years old, said his name was John Tully, and his brother, five years old, Abraham. His mother had an infant, but he saw the Indians dash its brains out against a tree, then kill his father and mother. Because he cried, they took him by his liair, and cut a small piece fi'om his he^l. which was a ruiiuinir sore when he was re-taken. Col. Snellinor took John into his fjimily. Major Clark the other, but he was afterwards sent to an orphan asylum in New York. The eldest died of lockjaw, occasioned by a cut in the ankle while using an axe. His death- bed convei-sion was affecting and remarkable. One day, after he had been ill several weeks, he said, " Mi-s. Snelling, I have been a very wicked boy ; I once tried to poison my father because he said he would whip me. I stole a ring from you, which you valued much, and sold it to a soldier, and then I told you a lie about it. 1 have given you a great deal of trouble. I have been very wicked. I am going to die the day after to-morrow, and don't know where I shall go. Oh, pray for me." His benefactress answered, " John, God will forgive you, if you repent ; but you must pray, too, for youi-self. God is more willing to hear than we are to pray. Christ died to save just such a sinner as you are, and you mast call upon that Saviour to save you." All his sins appeared to rise before him as he confessed them, and he seemed to feel that he was too great a sinner to hope for pardon. Mi-s. Snelling read to him, and instructed him. He never had re- ceived any religious instruction, except in the Sunday school taught by Mrs. Clark and hej-self, and being accustomed to say his pray era with her children, and always to be present when she read the 330 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. church service on Sundays. The next morning after the above con vei-sation, when she asked him how he had rested during the night, he said, " I prayed very often in the night ; I shall die to-morrow, and I know not what will become of me." For several hours he remained tranquil, with his eyes closed, but would answer whenever spoken to ; then suddenly he exclaimed, " Glory ! glory T' His friend said, " John, what do you mean by that word ?" " Oh ! Mi's. Snelling, I feel so good — I feel so good ! Oh ! I cannot tell you how good I feel." She knew not that he ever heard that word unless from her prayer-book. He lost all consciousness on the day he said he should die, and expired at the succeeding dawn. During this year the commandant was visited by Gen. Scott anc suite, and the fort was completed. Heretofore it had been called Fort St. Anthony, but Gen. Scott issued an order giving it the name of Fort Snelling. He expressed his approbation of the construction and site of the fort, etc., spent a week with his friends, and visited the falls and a chain of lakes where they were used to amuse them- selves fishing, and where the water was so clear they could se-e the fish playing about the hook. One of the lakes Mi*s. SneUiug named Scott Lake. Another of her amusements was riding on hoi-seback. When a child she had been accustomed to ride every morning with her father, and acquired great confidence in the management of a hoi-se. Her husband seldom would ride with her, but Capt. Martin Scott was in the regiment, and often accompanied her. One day they saw a wolf; the dogs gave chase, and they followed until they ran down the poor creature, the bonnet of the fair huntress having fallen back, and her hair streaming loose in the wind. In 1825, the family left Fort Snelling to visit their friends in Detroit. It was late in the season, October, before they set out homeward, by the way of Green Bay, where Mi-s. Snelling's brother, Lieut. Wellington Hunt, was stationed. They spent a week in his family, and when they reached Lake Pepin the ice was running so rapidly th<'v were compelled to stop ; the ice had cut through the flftbin so that it leaked. A small log cabin wi«s put up, and an AinOAIL SNIXLING. 3Hl express sont to the fort, one hundred miles, for sleighs to convey them thither, and provisions, as they had nothing hut C(jrn, wliieb they boiled in ash-water with a little salt. Fears were entertained by Col. Snelling that the express might not reach the fort, and another was sent a week after. One day, after two weeks, there was a sound of sleigh bells, and Heiny, who was the first to hear, ran to meet them, and soon returned with two loaves of bread, which he threw into his mother's lap, crying, " eat, mother, eat." The child- ren ate bread as if famished, and even the little Marion, but eight months old, partook of the general joy. They had seen no Indians, who had all gone to their winter grounds. Some of the officei-s came to meet the Colonel's family, and they were soon on the move again. They were welcomed back joyfully by all their friends, and many of their favorite Indians came to see them. One poor savage, who always furnished them with game, came leaning on his staff, look- ing pale and emaciated ; he was very sick, he said, and came to see them once more before he died. He could scarcely crawl back to his lodge, and the next day expired. At this time a party of the Chippewas and Sioux held a council with the Indian accent. There had been war between the two nations for a long time ; the agent desired to act as mediator between them, and sent for them to meet him. After the council the two parties smoked the pipe of peace. The Chippewas killed a dog, made a feast, and invited the Sioux to their lodges, which were under the guns of the fort. In the evening, about nine o'clock, the firing of guns was heard ; the sentinel called " corporal of the guard" repeatedly, in quick succession. The wild cries of women and children were heard, for the Chippewas had their families with them, and several Indians came rushing into the hall of the commanding officer, trying to tell what was the matter. The officer of the day reported that the Sioux, after partaking of the hospitalities of the Chippewjis, and being apparently good friends, had some of them returned, placed their guns under the wigwams, and fired, killing some and wound- ing others. The wounded were conveyed into the hospital to have their wounds dressed. Other particulars of this occurrence with 532 PIONEKR WOMEN OF THE WEST. the determination of the Chippewas to have vengeance, the action of the commanding officer, and the surrender and punishment of the perpetratoi-s of the deed, are related in another memoir. TI16 tradei-s said the Sioux were perfectly satisfied, much more so than if the offenders had been imprisoned a ad sent to St. Louis. In 1826, Capt. Thomas Hunt, who was residing at Washington, wrote to his sister, urging her and the Colonel to send their two eldest children to him to be educated. Their daughter Mary was now fourteen, and as Capt. Plympton and his wife were going, her parents got her in readiness to accompany them. Her mother thought not it would cost so many tears to part with her child ; but when she returned home from the boat, she told Mrs. Clark it " seemed like a death in the family." Soon an opportunity offered and they sent Henry also. In 1827 the Indians began to show signs of hostihty near Prairio du Chien ; they murdered two white men and a young girl, the daughter of one of them, and attacked two boats with supplies for Fort Snelling, killing and wounding several of the crew. Col. Snel- ling ordered out as many of his command as could be spared from the fort, and with his officei-s descended the river to the relief of Fort Crawford, or to attack any hostile force of Indians he might meet. There were two large villages of Indians between the two forts, and it was expected, when they approached, they would be attacked, but there was not an Indian to be seen. When they cached Prairie du Chien, they ascertained that the outrage had been committed by Winnebagoes and not Sioux. When Gen. Atkin- son heard this at St. Louis, he sent and seized the chief, Red Bird, and one or two others, who were tried, convicted, and executed. After an absence of six weeks, the party returned without being obliged to fire a gun. One day soon after his return, the Colonel came in to tell his wife the ex])ress had brought them a mail, holding in his hand a letter sealed with black. She exclaimed, " My Mary is dead." " No,** said her husband, " the letter is from Detroit." It brought the ititel ligence of her much loved brother Henry's death. lie was iniicb ABIGAIL SNKLLINO. 333 loved and respected by all who knew him ; was mayor of the city and MARY MoMILLAN. 34? taken the precaution to put tiie furniture in the cellar, out of the intrudei-s' way, they had crossed the river to seek protection from the neicfhboi-s on the other side. On another occasion Mi-s. McMillan suffered from Indian depreda- tion. A large part)'^ from the diflerent tribes was on the way to Toronto, and in the coui*se of a single day some two hundred of them stopped at her house, plundering it of all it contained. McMillan was still absent, and the mother did not dare to interfere for the rescue of any portion of her property, lest she should draw down vengeance upon herself and her innocent chil- dren. The work of spoiling went on, therefore, while they stood quietly aloof. A fine flock of geese, which she had raised with care, was on the grass before the door, and the Indians soon com- menced execution amona^ them. Mrs. McMillan started forward to save her favorites ; but a gim was instantly levelled at her, with the threat of shooting, if she ventured to interrupt the sport. Like many other matrons of that day, she prided hei-self on a handsome set of pewter dishes and plates, which her industrious scouring kept as bright as silver. Their poHsh and beauty pleased the Indians, who tried them by biting, to ascertain if they were real silver, and the whole stock speedily passed into the possession of the depreda- tor, who left only a knife and a tin cup in the house. When the last of the enemy had passed over the river, the terrified family found themselves in safety, but exhausted with hunger, while nothing in the shape of food was left about the place. They were compelled to fast till supplies could be brought from a distance of several miles. When the war was over, and comparative quiet established, McMillan and his family, with two or three others, removed to Detroit, ascending the river on a large raft. The trials of the wife were not ended. Straggling bands of savages were still lurking in the neighborhood of the city, ready for any deed of robbery or bloodshed. One eveninor when McMillan had left his home for a short time, the silence was broken by the report of a gun, which caused some alarm to his ?vife and children, though they were far 348 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. from anticipating the extent of their calamity. The father's pro longed absence caused apprehension, which was terminated by fata, certainty ; during the night his hfeless body was brought home. This blow was severely felt by the bereaved wife, but a sense of dut) to the loved ones dependent on her, prevented her from being utterly overwhelmed. It may be imagined, after this sad tragedy, how anxiously passed the nights in her lonely dwelling. In the middle of one dark night, the roar of the alarm guns was again heard. The affrighted mother sprang up, gathered her children hastily together, and knowing well there was no safety within doors, hurried with them from the house. The house of a friend at a considerable distance, offered shelter, but the darkness was intense ; the fugitives lost their way, and ere long found themselves in the midst of the deep mire for which the roads of Detroit were formerly so celebrated. More urgent peril, however, was behind them ; they struggled on, leaving their shoes in the mud, and man- aged to escape to the house of their fi-iend, where they were received with kindness. The mother's quick eye, scanning her rescued group, now discovered that her son, eleven years of age, was missing ! The alarm was given, and the next day men were sent in every direction about the country to search for him ; but all in vain. It was too certain that he had been captured, and the dis- tracted mother feared he had been murdered by the relentless savages. For four long months she endured the tortures of sus- pense. She then learned that her boy had been taken prisoner, and was still held in captivity at some distance from the city. The sum demanded for his ransom was speedily sent, and he was restored to the arms of his mother. During his captivity he had fared hardly, subsisting chiefly on buds and roots, and never having even a piece of bread. This son is now living at Jackson, Michigan. After the termination of the Indian troubles, Mi-s. McMillan maintained her family by her exertions, giving each of her children a substantial education, with such training as to fit them for every duty and vicissitude of life. She made enough to purchase a valu able piece of land rear the Presbyterian church, with a large framed MARY MCMILLAN. 349 house, wliich is now known as the Temperance oi Pui-ay's Hotel. Mi-s. McMillan resides in the city with one of her sons, and is often Bolicited by those who have heard something of her romantic history, to relate her adventures in detail, and describe the life led by many who like her, encountered the perils of war in a uew XX. CHARLOTTE A. CLARK. This lady accompanied her husband, who was commissary to the United States troops, in November, 1819, to a military station on the Upper Mississippi, situated on the St. Peter's side of the river. S'^.veral persons went with them from Prairie du Chien ; the voyage being made in keel-boats, and the watei-s so low that the men were obliged frequently to wade in the river and draw them through the Sana. Six weeks were occupied in passing over the distance of three hundred miles, one week of which was spent at Lake Pepin. Having reached the place of destination, the company were obhijed to live in their boats till pickets could be erected for their protection against the Indians, who not undei-standing the object of this inva- sion of the wild, or the display of arms and ammunition, might fall upon them in some unguarded moment. Huts also had to be built, though in the rudest manner, to serve as a shelter during the winter from the rigors of a severe climate. After living with her family in the boat for a month, it was a highly appreciated luxury for Mra. Clark to find herself at home in a log hut, ]>lastered with clay, and "chinked '' for her reception. It was December before they got into winter quarters, and the fierce winds of that exposed region, with terrific storms now and then, were enough to make them wish to keep within dooi-s as much as possible. Once, in a violent tem- pest, t\ 3 roof of their dwelling was raised by the wind, and partiallt charlottp: a. clark. 351 tiHcl off; there wjis no protection for the inmates, out the baby in the cradle was pushed under the bed for safety. Notwitlistanding these discomforts and perils, the inconveniences they had to en- counter, and their isolated situation, the little party of emigrants were not without their social enjoyments. They were nearly all young married pei-sons, cheerful and fond of gaiety, and had their dancins: assemblajres once a fortniocht. An instance of the kindness of the commanding officer. Col. Leavenworth, deserves mention. One of the other officers having been attacked with symptoms of scurvy, and great alarm prevailing on that account, the Colonel took a sleigh, and accompanied by a few friends, set off on a journey through the country inhabited by Indians, not knowing what dan- gei-s he might encounter from their hostility, or the perils of the way, for the purpose of procuring medicinal roots. The party was absent several days, and in the meantime collected a supply of hem- lock and spignet, which they used with excellent effect in curing the disease. ■ In the ensuing summer, when Col. Snelling had the command, Fort Snelhng was begun. St. Louis, distant nine hundred miles, was at that time the nearest town of any importance. After the erec- tion of the fort, Mi-s. Clark says — " we made the first clearing at the Falls of St. Anthony, and built a grist-mill." The wife of Capt. George Gooding, of the 5th regiment, was the first white woman who ever visited those beautiful falls. She afterwards married Col. Johnson, and went to reside in St. Louis. The daughter of Mrs. Clark, now Mrs. Van Cleve of Ann Arbor, was born while the troops were stationed at Prairie du Chien. At that time Col. Leavenworth received orders to go up to the place where, in the follow- ing summer, Fort Snelling was built. He went, though he had at this time no wholesome provisions ; even the bread, it was said, was "two inches in the barrels thick with mould ;" no vegetables were to be had, and several of the men were perishing with scurvy. The Sioux Indians were in the vicinity, and they were mutually suspi- cious of each other, so that no game could be bought ; nor was there a prospect of matters being mended till more amicable rela 352 PIONEEK WOMEN OF THE WEST. tions could be established. The prices of such fresh edibles as couirapet/>nce in those days, and were of excellent char/vo- 364 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. ter and industrious habits; being of respectable stock, and training up their children to become useful members of the community Their care and efforts were required for a large family ; and those who live within reach of all the advantages of civilization, can hardly uiidei-stand the difficulties in the way of improvement which existed in a pioneer settlement. There were no public schools, no churches, nor did there seem to be any Sabbaths, judging from observation of the habits of some of the backwoodsmen. The fii-st Sabbath schoc»l gathered together in this place, was in the summer of 1828. That same year a small school was kept in a log room some twelve or fourteen feet square, by a young woman whose education hardly fitted her for the employment. Mi-s. Bryan, with a few other women of the settlement, took a great interest in the Sunday school, and s' me other efficient plans for benevolent effort were set on foot through her active agency and cooperation. She was directress of the fii-st benevolent society in that part of the country. The new emigrants at that time suffered much from sickness peculiar to the region, and often whole families were prostrated at once by the fever of the country. Mrs. Bryan did not spare herself when her aid or nui-sing was required by her neighbor ; day and night found her at the bedside of the suffering, or in the shanties of the poor, and many an invalid who had no comfortable shelter has been taken to her own home, provided with everything requisite, and waited upon with all the tenderness and care of a mother. As the children grew older, the want of a good school was more sensibly felt ; and as there was none in the vicinity, Mrs. Bryan appropriated to the purpose the best room in her house, and engaged a young man of good education, who was in want of a comfortable tiome, to teach her children, with othei-s in the village who were permitted to join them. Thus was a good foundation laid for the advantages afterwards enjoyed, and each member of their large family received a substantial English education. Some of them have since attained to distinguished excellence in the higher departments of literature. The eldest daughter, now residing in Illinois, was equalled by few srholai-8 »f the time in various branches of study, particularW SARAH HUVAN. 3G5 mathematics ; and the second dauglitcr is now Mi-s. Lois "B. Adams, with whose high reputation as a poet and prose writer many Ameri- can readers are acquainted. Her first poetical effusions appeared in the Kalamazoo Telegraph, in which paper Mr. Adams had an interest at the time of her marriage. She now resides in the south- ern part of Kentucky, where she has charge of a female seminary. In 1835 or '6 Mr. and Mi-s. Bryan removed from Ypsilanti, and at present are living in Constantine, Michigan. They had eight children at the time of their removal, and all have grown up to re- spectability and usefulness, having in early life had the judicious training of a religious mother, who watched over them in love, guid- ing them by precept and example, and by her affectionate and cheer- ful spirit diffusing perpetual sunshine in her home. A lady whose family lived in Livingston county, one of the most recently settled in Michigan, and inhabited generally by poor peo- ple, says their range of what might be called society was limited to less than half a dozen families, the nearest distant about four miles, and some ten or more from each other. They had left a large circle of friends in the city of New York, and as it may be supposed, felt the change to the wild country ; yet were they contented and cheer- ful, pining only when prevented by inclement weather from wander- ing through the woods or fields in summer, plucking the wild flowei-s which grow in such profusion and beauty in the openings. The annual fires kindled by the Indians and fii-st settlei-s to destroy the old grass, and prepare for an early and abundant crop in spring, are said to have produced many of the openings, the flames extending often beyond the marshes or prairies. The fiirmei-s were in the habit of ploughing trenches round the outside of their fences to ensure their safety ; yet sometimes the fire did serious damage among hay- stacks, wheat or barns, to which the wind carried it. In consequence of this danger, severe legal penalties were attached to the act of set ting fire to mai-shes, yet it continued to be practised for years till they became private property, sadly marring the beauty of the view, destroying the trees, and preventing the growth of the young oaks The bushes which sprang in a season from their roots, called " oak S66 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST grubs," arc difficult to remove from the soil. A poor man whos^ means just sufficed to remove his family, and perhaps keep one cow, had often to work out many days before he could afford to hire a " breaking up team," which was a plough constructed for the pur- pose, and from five to seven yoke of oxen. The wife picked and dried bernes in the fall, often in mai-shes so wet that she was obliged to wear her husband's boots. By the sale of cranberries, she fur- nished herself with manv little comforts she could not otherwise have procured. Flour could always be had at the mills in exchange for this article. By such industry and patient pei-severance was the way prepared for the occupation of those lands by an intelligent, enterprising, and :;(0w prosperous people. Not the least of the sufferings of th^ primitive settlei-s aiose from sickness, whole families having to pass through the terrible acclimating, often at the same time, and the ravages of disease sometimes leaving desolate the widow and the orphan, far distant from kindred or early friends. At such time the sympathy and kind offices of neighboi-s were never withheld, even though they might also be suffering and almost des- titute. Physicians were few and far apart in the inland counties, and even when their attendance could be had, their want of know- ledge of the local fevers was often the source of mischief rather than good. A change nas now passed over the face of the country. How progressive has been the expression " the far West !" Many years since it might have meant the western part of New York, as a resi- dent of its metropolis once said she had been " out west" to visit her sister, who lived at Pennyan, in Yates County ! A young woman of Skeneateles was engaged many years — her friends being unwilling to let her marry and go so far away as the Ohio ; and wher« finally the knot was tied, she remained three years under the parental roof V^efore she could be permitted to take so long and perilous a journey. From the Ohio the foot of emigration bore " the far West" farther; it settled for a while in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, then passed to Iowa and Wisconsin, and now is wavering beyond the Mississippi in Minnesota, with the cry for Oregon and MRS. CHAPIN. 3G7 California. Ami not long since, we not'.ced a jocular proposition to erect a toUgate at the boundary of the domain of the United Statea, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Sylvia Chaptn, the wife of Dr. Cj'renius Chapin, was the oldest p.oneer among the first settlers of Buffalo. In all the vicissitudes she experienced, she well and faithfully discharged the duties that lay before her, as wife, mother, neighbor, and Christian woman ; exhibit ing, with the high qualities of firmness and energy, a quiet dignitv, gentleness and kindliness which won the affection of those who knew her best, as well as commanded the respect of her acquain- tances. Her " patient continuance in well doing," has met its re- ward in the comfort and respectability of her advanced age, passed among her children and descendants. Dr. Chapin came to Buffalo with his family in 1805. It is stated in Turner's "Pioneer , History of the Holland Purchase of West<;rn New York, etc.," that in 1806 there were but sixteen houses in the place, and those located on what is now called Main Street. It will be remembered that in December 1813 the town was burnt by the British, who had crossed near Black Rock. On hearing their firing, Chapin, who commanded a portion of the citizen soldiery, went to meet the enemy, and holding up his cane, with a white handkerchief fastened to the end, obtained a parley, and finally a promise that the town should be spared. Mi-s. Chapin at this period of anxiety was compelled to leave home to assist in the care of her daughter's sick husband, but before her departure instructed her two other little girls to sleep always with a bundle of necessary clothing under their heads, and in case of alarm, to go oft with the rest of the citizens if necessary. The agreement not to molest the town was violated. Dr. Chapin was on duty, and of course unable to attend to his children. Louisa related how thr/^ were waked at dead of night with the noise and confusion in Uk . uee'iA. 368 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. hurriedly made their simple preparations, and stepped out of doors to join the crowd. In the darkness, amid the severity of winter, women and children took up their doleful march. The first glim- mering of day mingled with the lurid glare from their burning dwellings, and at almost every step those who fled from their homes encountered the wounded and fusntives from the action below. In the pressure and confusion of the crowd hurrying onward, mothers were separated from their children, and lost sight of each other, being in many cases for days ignorant of the fate of their beloved relatives. On, on our fugitives went through the dark deep woods, continually within hearing of the savage yells around them, and trembling with fear, for they could not tell where the Indians were, and they seemed to be coming upon them. Finally, after a travel of some houi-s, the little girls halted with the rest, and were refreshed with a drink of milk at a farmhouse. In the mean time, while thi? was going on in the neighborhood of Butfalo, Mi-s. Chapiii was overwhelmed with anxiety about her husband and children. The sick man she nui-sed had died, and she was for weeks uncertain of the fate of her children, and for some days of that of her husband, for she knew there had been an engagement. One woman of masculine bearing, Mi-s. St. John, pei-sisted not- withstanding the general alarm, in staying with her young daughters to protect their property, and succeeded in obtaining the fovor of having the house she occupied exempted from destruction. It was the only building saved except the stone jail, which resisted the efforts to set it on fire. The house was afterwards presented to Mrs. St. John by the authorities. A neighbor on the opposite side of the street, a Mi"s. Lovejoy, was less fortunate. It was supposed that fear had driven her into temporary insanity ; she made no attempt to solicit mercy or protection, but barricaded her doors and windows, and thus awaited the intruders. For a while she was unmolested, till an Indian, bent on plunder, effected his entrance then, instead of submitting to what was inevitable, the loss of her goocls, Mi-s. Lovejoy attemj)ted to rescue them, and defended her- •elf with a large carving knife. In a contest for a red merino 'ong ANECDOTES. 366 ibrtwl she wounded the savage, nearly sevenng his thumb from hia hand. The Indian ran across the way to Mrs. St. John, whom he ordered to bind it up ; then hurried back, she knew too well for the purpose of vengeance. The next thing she heard was a scream, and j)resently the savage appeared again, a scalp with a woman's lonir hair hano-inc: from his belt. Mi-s. Chapin preserved several pieces of plate which were at ihat time in her possession. A silver pitcher in her house bears the inscription : — " Presented by the citizens of Buffalo to Colonel Cyrenius Chapin, the brave soldier, the good citizen, the honest man." Tradition isays that Tecumseh often caused much annoyance to one lady in Detroit, by cutting the air with his tomahawk close to her daughters' heads ; also that her ingenuity devised a scheme of revenge on one occasion, when her children had the measles, and the chief had laid himself on her floor to sleep. She gave him the pillow from under the heads of the sick ones, hoping he would take the disease ahd lose his hfe by following the Indian practice of junn> ins: into the water in case of fever. There was no time to te-st the success of hei plan, for shortly after this occurred the battle of the Thames, in which Tecumseh lost his life. A woman m one of the remote counties of Michigan told one of her neighbors, that after her removal to her new house, when the few provisions they had been able to bring were exhausted, and the roads so wretched through the heavily timbered land that it was scarcely possible to bring supplies from Detroit, her family had lived on potato tops, boiled with a little salt, till something better could be raised. In the early settlement of Wayne county a family hav- ing succeeded in getting a pig, penned it up and began to fatten it for slaughter, when the matron one day, at home alone with her children, was alarmed by the sight of a huge bear helping himself without ceremony at her out-of-door larder. Fortunately, she was acquainted with the use of a rifle, and having wounded, succeeded in driving away the bear ; he was afterwards tracked by the men, and his thie\ ing career ended with his life. 16* 370 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. The story of Lucy Chapin — no relative of those mentioned — is mentioned amonir the reminiscences of this period. A New Eng- land family, sensible, well-educated, and accustomed to all the ad- vantaofes found in Ions: established communities, from a flaw in the deed securing their farm, found themselves suddenly homeless. One of the brothei-s, who had learned the carpenter's trade, went with his sister Lucy to Hamburg, near Bufialo, and purchased land, which he set about cleaiins: to make a home for his mother and the rest of the family. He built a rough log hut, which was for some time without a window, the opening being closed when it was cold or stormy, and the room left in darkness. The brother was obliged to work out at his trade, for means to carry on improvements at his own place, and meanwhile the sister was often left alone for three weeks at a time. She became so nervously sensitive, that the slightest noise would alarna her, and but for a determined spirit, and her brother's cheerful temperament, she thought her reason would have given way. On one occasion, a weary old man called at the house to ask for a cup of wafer ; Lucy, territiod she knew not at what, ran off, and was found by her brother on his return after one of his long absences, sitting on a stump weeping. He encouraged her, and both returned home, where they found the stranger waiting quietly. Their neighbors lived at a considerable distance, and were all poor and illiterate ; they found no congenial society, avoided all association wath othei-s except what neces- sity and civihty required, and led a life of hermit-iike seclusion, Lucy assisting to piovide necessaries by sewing whenever she could get any work to do. It was not long before a family by the name of Russell, agi-eeable, intelligent, and kind-hearted, came to live in their vicinity ; they had been banished by change of fortune from their early home, but were cultivated, and had books, and their arrival was joyfully welcomed by the emigrants. Miss Chapin afterwards kept house in Bufialo for her brother Roswell, who 'vas eno-aged in the practice of law, and many anecdotes are told of ner economy, industry, and ingeimity. She described, among her ex- periences in the backwoods, her suffi^rings during an illnoKs when ANECDOTES. 371 *he snow-wreaths often lay upon the coverlet of her bed ; their onl^ security for the door, till it could be hung, being to push the wash- tub against it. She would never allow her friends at home in Ney England to know the trials she endured. " They can never know the half," she used to say. The loneliness, anxieties, and liardshi|>i5 she suffered so long, seriously impaired her health in after life. An anecdote illustrative of female quickness of apprehension and presence of mind, is related of the housekeeper of Gen. Porter, at Black Rock. Early one morning, before the General had risen, a party of Indians in the British service, who had crossed from the Canada side, came to the door, demanding to see him. The house- keeper, without betraying the least surprise or alarm, informed them that the General had just gone up to Buffalo, pointing to the road which led thither by the most circuitous course. As the savages hurried away, in hopes of overtaking the object of their pui-suit, she gave the alarm to the General, who lost no time in mounting his hoi-se and riding by the shortest way to the town, where he arrived in time to make preparation for the enemy. Mr. Turner relates a story of " a night with the wolves," which is worth mentioning as an incident of pioneer life. One of the early settlei-s of Niagara County had just finished building a log hut — the door only wanting — in the woods, for the occupancy of his fiimily. It was so far to go to mill, that when it was necessary to fetch a supply of flour, he was always obliged to be a night away from home. One night, in his absence, the wife heard wolves snarling just at the door, which was only defended by a blanket. Terrified for the safety of her young children, she forgot all fears for herself, and stood with axe in hand at the opening, keeping guard during the long houi-s of that night, till the howling died away in the dis- tance, and she was satisfied the fierce creatures would return no more. "The early settlere in Farmei-shill, Cataraugus, drew up a code of rules for their mutual advantage, from which the following curious section is extracted: ' If any single woman over fourteen veax^ of age shall come to reside in our village, and no one of this 372 PIONKEB WOMEN OF THE WEST. eonfederacy shall offer her his company within a fortnight thereafter, then in such case our board sliall be called together, and some one shall be appointed to make her a visit, whose duty it shall be to peifcrm the same, or forfeit the approbation of the company and pay a fine sufficiently large to buy the lady thus neglected a new dress. Few towns," continues Turner, " in the Purchase have been more prosperous ; and it is quite likely that this early regulation aided essentially in the work of founding a new settlement and speeding its progress As an offset to the above, the same writer gives an account of a bachelor's settlement in Orleans County, which, as might be ex pected, turned out a failure. A cotemporary says : " They began m a year or two to go east and get them wives." This broke up the establishment, and most of its bachelor founders became Benedicts and heads of families. " By perseverance I succeeded early one morning in getting to the old burial place of the Senecas. The Indian church— now used as a stable, with hay protruding from the windows and ma- nure heaps outside — arrested my attention, and I stopped opposite the lane leading from the main road to the spot I sought. At the end of this lane, leaping over a broken rail fence, and following a little foot-path running by the side of a potato patch, a few steps brought me to one of the most beautiful and quiet nooks in the world ; a pleasant opening, rather more elevated than the rest of the field with which it was enclosed, and shaded here and there by laro-e oaks, the branches of which were now swaying in the wind, and sighing a requiem to the memory of the red man. Graves were thickly sown around — some marked by boards, othei-s only by the swelling of the turf. There were four marble slabs ; two in a picketed enclosure were monuments of white children ; one of the daughter of a clergyman, probably the local missionary. The most prominent, which was not enclosed, bore the inscription, ' In memory of the white woman, Mary Jemison, daughter of Thomas Jcmison and Jane Irwin, born on the ocean between Ireland and Philadelphia in 1742 or '3, taken captive at Mai-sh Creek, Pa. in Miis. ani:eks()N. 873 i.755, earned down the Ohio, adopted into an Indian family in 1759, removed to Genesee River, naturalized in 1817, removed to this place in 1831. Having survived two 'husbands and i5ve (hlN dren, leaving three still alive, she died Sept. 19th, 1833, aged about ninety-one yeai-s, having a few weeks before expressed a nope of pardon, etc.' A Httle beyond Mary Jemison's grave, was that of Red Jacket, the celebrated orator and chief." The stone was much mutilated, being broken off so as to deface the inscription. Mrs. Anderson, whose house was visited by depredator, boldly faced them for the protection of her property. Seating her- self on a trunk they were about to carry off, she told them they might shoot her, but should never possess it while she lived. The Indians, with a significant " ugh" left her, saying she was too much of a man to be robbed. One of the early settlei*s in Plymouth, Wayne County, Michigan, showed a more timid spirit and fared worse, it being her practice at first to yield imphcitly to their demands. Once she was compelled to hand out of the oven the rolls she had just baked for supper. One evening, her husband having gone to a neighbor's a quarter of a mile distant, her child lying asleep in the bed, and she occupied in sewing, the door was softly opened, and an Indian entered, " with the stealthy tread peculiar to the moccasined foot." He made signs that he wanted whiskey. After going around the house as if in search of the article, followed by the savage, she took up her child, and making him understand that it was to be had at the neighbor's house, motioned him to follow her, and walked the whole distance through the woods with him to the place of safety, where she arrived breathlesik wiih terror and agitation. 374 PIONEER V/0JI?:N of rilK WEST. Eliza Bull, afterwards Mrs. Sinclair, visited the capital of Wia- consiii in 1846 or '47, and describes the country as very new, and the society extremely limited. The scenery of the locality was wild and picturesque, and from the window of her room at the inn Mi-s. Bull could frequently see as many as thirty-six prairie fowls going to roost in a single tree. Every evening in the winter the sound of men stunning fish by striking on the ice was plainly to be heard. One large room in the capitol was appropriated to public gatherings of all descriptions, and in the course of a single week would be used for dancing assemblies, public lectures, funeral services, and preach- ing by the Methodist congregation. At the balls, the belle of th« company was usually the chambermaid of the tavern which was tho place of entertainment, a young lady of ash-colored complexion, and locks of similar hue, whose faiiy feet were graced with red morocco boots. The party was often enlivened by the presence of membei-s of the legislature. These, with a respectable attendance of their constituents, shuflBed around the room with great energy, having cigai-s in their mouths, and for the most part wearing their hats. If their boots or shoes were found inconvenient in their Terpsicho- rean evolutions, they were kicked off without ceremony, and the figures completed in stocking-feet. When supper was ready, the company rushed pell-mell through a dark passage to the " pro- vender," on which they fell to work without mincing. Near Madison are four small lakes, beside one of which, on " Sauk Prairie," then quite removed from the neighborhood of civilized residents, stood the dwelling of an Austrian named Haraz- thy. He was said to be a count, and his wife's mannei*s indicated that they had been accustomed to cultivated society. It was rumored that his voluntary banishment from his country had been caused by political difficulties, and that he wished to seclude himself from the sight and society of men, having been made misanthropic by disappointed ambition. His father — who was called a geneial, and always wore his military dress, came out with the family. The elder Mi"s. Hara/thy did not long survive her removal, but died of very home sickness. The younger used to relate how many year^ MRS. HARAZTIIY. 375 before, a gipsey fortune-teller had foretold that they would remove to a far country, and that the count's mother would die in their new home. Mi's. Sinclair described this foreiijjner as a fino, tall and " rosy-faced" woman, with very pleasing manners, and convei-sation made the more interesting by her foreign accent and imperfect com- mand of English. For months after her removal she refused to receive visitore, but often at twilight would sit at her window look- ing out upon the wild and strange scenery, watching sometimes whole droves of wolves coming down to the lake to drink. Her family was once startled in the night by piercing cries, and found at their door a poor woman with a child in her arms ; she had been terrified by what she took for signs of a meditated Indian attack, and had run twelve miles barefoot through the snow to seek protec- tion, her husband being absent. Her alarm proved groundless, but she had endured as much as if flying from a troop of enemies. The Austrian mentioned kept a variety store for th^ Indians and the few settlei-s who hved in that portion of country. His log dwelling- house was picturesquely situated on the margin of the lake and the fora»t. XXII. MARY ANN RUMSEY. The perils and privations incident to the occupation of the land* in Michigan by the fii-st settlei-s were not, indeed, so terrible or sc romantic as those encountered at an earlier period, when the adven- turous few who penetrated the wilderness were exposed to the fury of a savage foe, and assaults far more to be dreaded than those of the wild beasts of the forest. Yet the later pioneei-s, if they had not to dispute the possession of the soil at the risk of their lives, had their trials and sufFerinors — their dangrei's too — not the less dif- ficult to endure because the narration is rather amusinor than thril- ling. They had also to struggle with that feeling of isolation and lonehhess which presses heavily on those who have severed all the endearing ties of home, where cluster those fond attachments only formed in youth. Many a sad hour was passed in remembrance and regret by the young wife in the absence of her husband, when she had no sympathizing friend in whose bosom she could pour her griefs. Little given to repining as she might be, faithful to her duties, and disposed to make the best of everything, still thoughts Df the loved ones from whom she had parted for life would weigh on her spii-its, and fill her eyes with teai-s, brushed hastily away while she busied herself a)K)nt her household employments. A touching instance of the heart's yearning for companionship occura MARY ANN RUMSEY. 377 tc memory, mentioned by one of the female pion^■)NEER WOMEN OF THE WF^T. The second " Ann " who gave the village of Ann Arbor its name, ti\me to Michigan in October, 1824, with the parents of her hus- band, and his brother, James Turner Allen, who has ever since re- sided there and raised a large family. The Aliens were from Augusta county in Virginia, and well to do in the world ; they brouorht several hoi-ses and other stock with them, a useful accession to the means of the little settlement. The women performed nearly all the journey on hoi-seback, Ann Allen carrying her infant child in her arms. This child is now the wife of Dr. Waddell, and is living in Virginia. Mi-s. Allen entered with a ready spirit of enterprise into the laborious duties required of the wife of a settler. As the community increased, her husband was called to fill official stations of importance. He was afterwards twice elected Senator to the legislature, but the roving habits of his early hfe, like those of Daniel Boone, were in the way of his living contented in a settle- ment that could no longer be termed " wild," when lands further west were yet unexplored. He went to California when the gold fever was at its heio-ht, and died there. His widow returned to Virginia. Her bearing and mannei-s were those of a well-bred lady ; uniformly gentle and quiet, and marked by the ease and refinement which evince habitual acquaintance with good society. Her maiden name was Barry ; she was left an orphan at an early age, and sent to Ireland to be reared under the care of a maiden aunt. Her education was completed at Baltimore, undei the charge of her maternal uncle, Mr. Keim. She was quite an heiress, and was married fii-st to Dr. McCue, of Virginia. Hei many admirable qualities and winn-ing traits of character, are remembered by all her former neighboi-s in the village. Ehzabeth Allen, her mother-in-law, still lives at Ann Arbor. The character of this excellent matron, who is often described as the ideal of a pioneer, is so remarkable a& to call for a brief notice. Cominor so early to the backwoods, she had to encounter not a few dano-ei's as well as inconveniencies from the frequent visits of savages, as yet not used to the sight of civilization. In her youth she was eminently handsome, and even at the age of seventy-six ELIZABKTH ALLRN. 383 lelains a iiost prepossessing appearance, having a tall and syinme* trical figure, but slightly bent, with a complexion showing the freshness of habitual health. Hers was a proud and happy bridal in the Old Dominion, and she was fondly attached to the country where her best yeai-s had been spent ; but she murmured not when it became her duty to follow her husband to a distant land. He now lies buried near the spot he chose for his home, with many relatives around him ; and by the widow's direction, a place beside him is reserved for her. Her religious faith, always sound and bright — for she had made it the staff and guide of life — has been strengthened by the chastening sorrow she has been called to endure ; and the humility with which she has submitted to every painful dispensation, offei-s a salutary lesson both to the afflicted and the prosperous. She has always been noted for the strong practical sense which fits its possessor for every event and vicissitude, in every station of life ; yet is her heart open and kind, her benevolent im- pulses withal being regulated at all times by sterling judgment. She is one of those persons of whom it can be said, " Place her in any situation, and she will appear well." In her reminiscences of those early days, Mi-s. Allen often speaks of two young women in particular, who did much to enliven the society of the place. One of them. Miss Hopy Johnson, undertook the charge of the school kept in a small log house, to which she was frequently obliged to walk quite a distance from down the river. The exposure in all weathers, and with but indifferent protection against the cold and wet, injured her health, and one evening she informed the school she should not be able to teach any longer James, one of Mi-s. Allen's grandchildren, then under her care, came running home, so out of breath that he could hardly speak, and entreated his grandmamma to take the teacher to live in her house. She promised to decide after consulting her husband, who was then busily engaged in making " Michigan bedsteads" of tamarack poles stripped of the bark. Plenty of beds had been brought from Vir- ginia ; but some arrangement might be necessary for the accommo- dation of another inmate. However, the child's entreaty was so 384 PIONEER WOarEN OF THE WEST. urgent for an answer before Miss Johnson should have dismissed her pupils and gone home, tliat his grandmother bade him " tell her she may come and take us as she finds us." He ran back delighted, and presently returned with the teacher, so grateful for the otFer of a home which enabled her to continue her beloved occu- pation, that when the little boy led her in with — " Grandmamma, here is Miss Johnson," she sank upon a seat and wept for joy. This little incident throws an interesting light on the mannei-s of that (lay. When asked how they enjoyed life in the privation of so loany comforts and of the society of old friends, Mrs. Allen would 'cply : " We were all brothers and sistei-s then. When ray son Turner was married, he said, ' You have always given the othei children a good wedding ; I want you to do as well by me ;' and so we invited everybody in the village, and had as good a supper as could be got up." True to the habits of a matron of the olden time, Mrs. Allen has always shown a delicate sense of propriety in her deportment and convei-sation. She looks back with some pride to the days of her bellehood, and speaks occasionally of the sixteen ofFei-s received before she was eighteen ; but with her characteristic regard for decorum, tells of the reproof she once administered to one over forward suitor. In the mountainous parts of Virginia, where carriages were but little used, the men and women were accustomed to travel altogether on horseback. Miss Tate (afterwards Mrs. Allen) was one day in at- tendance at a funeral, after the conclusion of which the newly bereaved widower rode up to the side of her hoi-se, and to her extreme surprise, expressed a wish that she might be induced to con- sent to fill the place of the dear departed one whose mortal remains had just been laid in the grave. The young lady regarded him with astonishment and displeasure, and sternly forbade him to name that subject to her again under a year. Just a year from that day he proposed in due form, and was rejected ! Mrs. Allen is accustomed to express hei-self at all times in a man- ner so forcible and decisive, and at the same time with so much dig- rity, as to evince talent of no ordinaiy kind. Frequently her ELIZABETH ALLEN. 385 language rises almost to the poetical, without the least design of ornamental expresiion. Speaking of a grandchild who was extremely cold in her manner, she said, " I loved her much, that is, all she would let me get at to love." At another time, when a young mother, showing her little daughter, apologized for the dirt on her hands, as she had been playing in a sand heap, the matron replied, " It will do her no harm ; there is always rain enough in the heavens to wash such clean ;" thus unconsciously using a phrase nearly identical with the words of Shakspeare, a poet with whom she was by no means familiar. Being once asked if she had not reared a large family, she answered, " Oh, no, I have only bad seven children. I laid out to have no less than a dozen ; but the grandchildren left motherless whom I have brought up, perhaps make out the number." She has reared five of these, and has lived to see the third generation. There was a single piano in the settlement, owned by a Miss Clark, now Mi-s. Kingsle/ ; and seldom did she touch the keys without unexpected listenei-s. Often, as a shadow darkened the window, could she observe the form of a Pottawattcraie Indian, ac- companied perhaps by two or three squaws with their papooses. This patriarch of pianos is still extant, and stands as prim as ever upon its thin legs, a type amongst the scores that have succeeded it^ of a bygone age, and representing something of the stately polite- ness and formal breeding of the ladies and gentlemen of its own date. Some, with an obstinately rustic taste, seemed to prefer the rudest articles of furniture used in the infancy of the settlement, to the modern improvements afterwards introduced. A housewife in Michigan, finding the men of her establishment too busy clearing to lend her much aid, set about contriving a press in which she could make cheese. She succeeded in making one in the corner of a rail fence ; and it was observed that, thrifty as she was, she could not be induced without gi-eat reluctance, to exchange this press of her own contiivance for one of more pretension, though adopted Rud praised by all her neighbors. 17 386 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Among tbe privations of the early settlers, not the least was the difficulty of hearing from the friends they had left at " the East.** Not only were the mails slow and uncertain, but the postage of a letter was twenty-five cents ; a fourth of a man's pay for a h^rd day's work. So expensive a treat could not be often indulged in, and accordingly it seldom happened that more than one or two letters were exchanged in the coui-se of a 'year by a single emi- grant family. The burning of the marshes often running far into the upland, which was done every year by the Indians and old huntei*s, was sometimes attended by accidents, the fire extending to the open- ing and overrunning the land to the destruction of oak-grubs and tall trees. An entei-prising andindustrious young emigrant had built a comfortable house in a pleasant opening for himself and his sistei-s, one of whom had charge of it. One day while she was alone, the brother being absent on business, she discovered that the grass was on fire, and that the devouring element was rapidly approaching. All her efforts were bent to keep it from the premises ; but finding she could do nothing to check its progi-ess, and that the outhouses were in imminent danger, she ran to the door of her dwelling for her bonnet, threw in her apron which she pulled oflf hastily from a w^oraan's itistinctive impulse of neatness, and without looking back, hurried to the nearest neighbor's, some three miles oflf, for assistance. As soon as possible she returned with help ; but they were greeted by a melancholy sight. The burning of the grass, it was evident, had not extended to the house; but the building was in flames, and past the hope of saving even an article of furniture. The poor girl then discovered that the fire must have originated from her apron, which probably concealed a spark when she threw it in ; and thus she had the chagrin of knowing that her very eagerness had been the means of depriving herself and family of the only shelter they could call their own. The mention of fire reminds us of another curious anecdote recorded in the annals of Detroit. There was at one time a town ordinance that every house should be provided with a butt of water ANECDOTES. 3S7 foi- use in case of fire, the owner being subject to a fine in case of dis- obedience. A widow whose neglect had been passed over several times by the inspectors, one day saw them coming on their asual errand, and resolved that they should not have it to say they bad found her cask empiy^ jumped into it hei-self. The stratagem so plea.sed the men that, laughing heartily, they fetched water and filled the butt for her. Some other incidents illustrative of the times, are mentioned by the old settlers. One tells how a large sleigliing party went at night to Dexter, and how Judge Dexter figured as a seer, and told the fortunes of the company. They were very merry returning, though it was near morning, and intensely cold. A sudden breakdown took place, and one of the gentlemen was obliged to go back some distance to borrow an axe to repair the damage. Those left waiting, fearing that without some precaution they should perish with cold, spread the buffalo skins on the hard snow, and had a lively dance upon them ; till the sleigh being mended, they returned to Ann Arbor without further hindrance. The inhabitants of Detroit may remember a remarkable old woman, Mi-s. Ohappel by name, a true "Betty O'Flanagan," who followed in the rear of Wayne's army, and afterwards kept push- ing away from civilization. At the time my informant knew her, she kept a small tavern on the Pontiac turnpike, much resorted to by the young men of the town, it being just distant enough for a pleasant ride. As the hostess was very homely, they were ac- customed to call her in jest " Old Mother Handsome ;" listening often to the reminiscences with which she was wont to interlard her preparations for supper. When grumbling at the trouble given her, she would declare that she should have been better off had " Mad Anthony" lived. She would have been a fine character for a romance, and deserves more than a mere mention, as a representative of the spirt of her day among the ruder class of settlei-s. xxin. HARRIET L. NOBLE. In 1824 there was almost as great an excitement in Western New York about going to Michigan as there has been recently in regard to California. One of those enterprising settlers, the wife of Nathaniel Noble, has favored me with some of her recollections, which present a graphic picture of early times in this State. No language cou be so appropriate as her own. " My husband was seized with the mania, and accordingly made preparation to start in January with his brother. They took the Ohio route, and were nearly a month in getting through ; coming by way of Monroe, and thence to Ypsilanti and Ann x\rbor. Mr. John Allen and Walter Rumsey with his wife and two men had been there some four or five weeks, had built a small house, moved into it the day my husband and his brother arrived, and were just pre- paring their fii-st meal, which the newcomers had the pleasure of partaking. They spent a few days here, located a farm a little above the town on the river Huron, and returned through Canada. They had been so much pleased with the country, that they imme- diately commenced preparing to emigrate ; and as near as I can recollect, we started about the 20th of September, 1824, for Michigan. We travelled from our house in Geneva to Buflfalo m wagons The roads were bad, and we were obliged to wait in HARRII-rr L. NOBLE. 389 Buffiilo four days for a boat, as the steamboat ' Michij^an' was the only one on the lake. After waitini^ so long we found slie had i)ut into Erie for repairs, and had no prospect of being able to run again for some time. The next step was to take |)assage in a schooner, which was considered a terrible undertaking for so dangerous a voyage as it was then thought to be. At length we went on board * the Prudence,' of Cleveland, Capt. Johnson. A more inconve- nient httle bark could not well be imagined. We were seven days on Lake Erie, and so entirely prostrated with seasickness, as scarcely to be able to attend to the wants of our little ones. I had a little girl of three years, and a babe some months old, and Sister Noble had six children, one an infant. It was a tedious voyage ; the lake was very rough most of the time, and I thought f we were only on land again, I should be satisfied, if it was a wilderness. I could not then realize what it would be to hve with- out a comfortable house through the winter, but sad experience afterwards taught me a lesson not to be forgotten, " We came into the Detroit river ; it was beautiful then as now ; on ttie GarraoH skle, in particular, you will scarce perceive any change. As we approached Detroit, the ' Cantonment' with the American flag floating on its walls, was decidedly the most interest- ing of any part of the town ; for a city it was certainly the most filthy, irregular place I had ever seen ; the streets were filled with Indians and low French, and at that time I could not tell the difference between them. We spent two days in making preparations for going out to Ann Arbor, and during that time I never saw a gen- teelly-dressed person in the streets. There were no carriages ; the most wealthy famihes rode in French carts, sitting on tlie bottom upon some kind of mat ; and the streets were so muddy these were the only vehicles convenient for getting about. I said to myself, ' if this be a Western city, give me a home in the woods.' I think it was on the 3d of October we started from Detroit, with a pair of oxen and a wagon, a few articles for cooking, and such necessaries as we could not do without. It was necessaiy that they should be few as possible, for our families were a full load for this mode of 390 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. travelling. After travelling all day we found oui-selves but tec miles fi-om Detroit (at what is now Dearborn) ; here we spent the night at a kind of tavern, the only one west of the city. Our lodg- ing was the floor, and the other entertainment was to match. The next day we set out as early as possible, in hopes to get through the woods before dark, but night found us about half way through, and there remained no other resource but to camp out, and make GUI-selves contented. The men built a large fire and prepared our supper. My sister and myself could assist but little, so fatigued were we with walking and carrying our infants. There were fifteen in our company. Two gentlemen going to Ypsilanti had travelled with us from Bufi^ilo ; the rest were our own families. We were all pretty cheerful, until we began to think of lying down for the night. The men did not seem to dread it, however, and were soon fast asleep, but sleep was not for me in such a wilderness. I could think of nothing but wild beasts, or something as bad ; so that I had the pleasure of watching while the othei-s slept. It seemed a long, long night, and never in my life did I feel more grateful for the blessing of returning day. We started again as early as possible, all who could walk moving on a little in advance of the wagon ; the small children were the only ones who thought of riding. Every few rods it would take two or three men to pry the wagon out of the mud, while those who walked were obliged to force their way over fallen timber, brush, &c. Thus passed the day ; at night we found ourselves on the plains, three miles from Ypsilanti. My feet were BO swollen I could walk no further. We got into the wagon and Tode as far as Woodruff's grove, a little below Ypsilanti. There were some four or five families at this place. The next day we left for Ann Arbor. We were delighted with the country befoi-e us ; it vas beautiful in its natural state ; and I have sometimes thought that cultivation has marred its loveliness. Where Ypsilanti now Btands, there was but one building — an old ti-ading-house on the west side of the river ; the situation was fine — there were scattering oaks and no brushwood. Here we met a large number of Indians : and one old s(juaw followed us some distance with her papoow). HARRIET L. NOBLE. 39 X determined to swap babies. At liUst she gave it up, \ii(l for one 1 felt relieved. " We pjissed two log houses between this and Ann Arbor About the middle of the afternoon we found oui-selves at our jour- ney's end — but what a prospect ? There were some six or seven \og huts occupied by Jis many inmates as could be crowded into them. It was too much to think of tusking strangei-s to give us a place to stay in even for one niirht under such circumstances. Mr. John Allen himself made us the offer of sharing with him the comfort of a shelter from storm, if not from cold. His house was large for a log one, but quite unfinished ; there was a ground floor and a small piece above. When we got our things stored in this place, we found the number sheltered to be twenty-one women and children, and fourteen men. There were but two bedsteads in the house, and those who could not occupy these, slept on feather beds upon the floor. When the children were put in bed you could not set a foot down without stepping on a foot or hand ; the consequence was we had music most of the time. " We cooked our meals in the open air, there being no fire in the house but a small box-stove. The fall winds were not very favorable to such business ; we would fi-equently find our clothes on fire, but fortunately we did not often get burned. When one meal was over, however, we dreaded preparing the next. We lived in this way until our husbiMids got a log house raised and the roof on ; this took them about six weeks, at the end of which time we went into it, without door, floor, chimney, or anything but logs and roof. There were no means of getting boards for a floor, as everything must bo brought from Detroit, and we could not think of drawing lumber over such a road. The only alternative was to split slabs of oak with an axe. My husband was not a mechanic, but he man- aged to make a floor in this way that kept us from the ground. I was most anxious for a door, as the wolves would come about in the evening, and sometimes stay all night and keep up a serenade that would almost chill the blood in my veins. Of all noises I think the howlino; of wolves and the yell of Indians the most fearful ; at 892 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. least it appeared so to me then, when I was not able to close the door against them. I had the greatest terror of Indians ; for I had never seen any before I came to Michigan but Oneidas, and they were very different, being partially civilized. " We had our house comfortable as such a rude building could be, by the first of February. It was a mild winter ; there was snow enough to cover the gi'ound only four days, a fortunate circumstance for us. We enjoyed uninterru})ted health, but in the spring the ague with its accompaniments gave us a call, and by the middle of Auofust there were but four out of fourteen who could call themselves well We then fancied we were too near the river for health. We sold out and bought again ten miles west of Ann Arbor, a place which suited us better ; and just a year fi-ora the day we came to Ann Arbor, moved out of it to Dexter. There was one house here. Judge Dexter's ; he was building a saw- mill, and had a number of men at work at the time ; besides these there was not a white family west of Ann Arbor in Michigan terri- tory. Our log house was just raised, forming only the square log pen. Of coui-se it did not look very inviting, but it was our home, and we must make the best of it. I helped to raise the raftei-s and put on the roof, but it was the last of November before our roof was completed. We were obliged to wait for the mill to run in order to get boards for making it. The doorway I had no means of closing except by hanging up a blanket, and frequently when I would raise it to step out, there would be two or three of our dusky neigh boi-s peeping in to see what was there. It would always give me such a start, I could not suppress a scream, to which they would reply with ' Ugh !' and a hearty laugh. They knew I was afraid, and liked to torment me. Sometimes they would throng the house and stay two or three houi-s. If I was alone they would help them- selves to what they liked. The only way in which I could restrain them at all, was to threaten that I would tell Cass ; he was governor of the territory, and they stood in great fear of him. At last we g >t a door. The next thing wanted was a chimney ; winter was closfi at hand and the stone was not drawn. I said to my husband, * J HARRIET L. NOBLE. 393 think I can drive tlie oxen and draw the stones, while /ou dig them from the ground and load them.' lie thought I couhl not, but consented to let me try. He loaded them on a kind of sled ; 1 drove to the house, rolled them off, and drove back for another load. I succeeded so well that we got enough in this way to build our chimney. My husband and myself were four days building it. I suppose most of my lady friends would think a woman quite out of * her legitimate sphere' in turning mason, but I was not at all par- ticular what kind of labor I performed, so we were only comfortable and provided with the necessaries of life. Many times I had been obliged to take my children, put on their cloaks, and sit on the south side of the house in the sun to keep them warm ; anything was preferable to smoke. When we had a chimney and floor, and a door to close up our little log cabin, I have often thought it the most comfortable little place that could possibly be built in so new a country ; and but for the want of provisions of almost evei*y kind, we should have enjoyed it much. The roads had been so bad all the fall that we had waited until this time, and I think it was Decem- ber when my husband went to Detroit for supplies. Fifteen days wer« consumed in going and coming. We had been without flour for three weeks or more, and it was hard to manage with young child- re© thus. After being without bread three or four days, my httle boy, two years old, looked me in the face and said, ' Ma, why don't you make bread ; don't you like it ? I do.' His innocent com- plaint brought forth the first tears I had shed in Michigan on account of any privations I had to suffer, and they were about the last. I am not of a desponding disposition, nor often low-spirited, and having left New York to make Michigan my home, I had no idea of going back, or being very unhappy. Yet the want of society, of church privileges, and in fact almost every thing that makes life desirable, would often make me sad in spite of all effort to the contrary. I had no ladies' society for one year after coming to Dexter, except that of sister Noble and a Mrs. Taylor, and was more lonely than either of them, my family being so small. ** The winter passed rather gloomily, but when spring came, every- 17* 394 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE Wi:ST. thing looked delightful. We thought our hardships nearly at an end, when early in the summer my husband was taken with the ague. He had not been sick at all the first year ; of coui-se he must be acclimated. He had never suffered from ague or fever of any kind before, and it was a severe trial for him, with so much to do and no help to be had. He would break the ague and work for a few days, when it would return. In this way he made his garden, planted his corn, and thought he was quite well. About August he harvested his wheat and cut his hay, but could get no help to draw it, and was again taken with ague. I had it myself, and both my children. Sometimes we would all be ill at a time. Mr. Noble and I had it every other day. He was almost discouraged, and said he should have to sell Ris cattle or let them starve. I said to him, ' to-morrow we shall neither of us have the ague, and I believe I can load and stack the hay, if my strength permits.' As soon as breakfast was over, I prepared to go into the meadow, where I loaded and stacked seven loads that day. The next day my hus- band had the ague more severely than common, but not so with me ; the exercise broke the chills, and I was able to assist him whenever he was well enough, until our hay was all secured. In the fall we had several added to our circle. We were more healthy then, and began to flatter ourselves that we could live very comfort- ably through the winter of 1826; but we were not destined to enjoy that blessing, for in November ray husband had his left hand blown to pieces by the accidental discharge of a gun, which confined him to the house until April. The hay I had stacked during the summer I had to feed out to the cattle with my ovi^n hands in the winter, and often cut the wood for three days at a time. The logs which I alone rolled in, would surprise any one who has never been put to the test of necessity, which compels people to do what under other circumstances they would not have thought possible. This third winter in Michigan was decidedly the hardest I had yet en- countered. In the spring, Mr. Noble could go out by carrying his hand in a sling. He commenced ploughing to prepare for planting his corn. Being weak from his wound, the ague returned again, HAKKIET L. NOBLE. 395 but he worked every other day until his corn ^^^a planted, lie then went to New York, came back in July, and brought a nephew with him, who relieved mo from helping him in the work out of dooi-s, Although 1 was obliged to stack the hay this third fall, I believe it was the last labor of the kind I ever performed. At this time we began to have quite a httle society ; we were fortunate in ha\nng good neighboi-s, and for some yeai*s were almost like one family, our interests being the same, and envy, jealousy, and all bitter feelings unknown among us. We cannot speak so favorably of the present time. "When Hook back upon my life, and see the ups and downs, the hai'dships and privations I have been called upon to endure, I feel no wish to be young again. I was in the prime of life when I came to Michigan — only twenty-one, and my husband was thirty-three. Neither of us knew the reaUty of hardship. Could we have known what it was to be pioneei-s in a new country, we should never have had the courage to come ; but I am satisfied that with all the disad- vantages of raising a family in a new country, there is a consolation in knowing that our children are prepared to brave the ills of life, I believe, far better than they would have been had we never left New Yoi-k." In view of the formidable journey described by Mrs. Noble from Detroit to Ypsilanti, it should be mentioned that it is thirty miles by railroad, and ten miles thence to Ann Arbor ; Dexter being still ten miles further. As a confirmation of her remark about the awe in which the Indians stood of Cass, an incident may be mentioned. One summer's day, accompanied by his negro man, he rode up, on his way from the West, to the door of one of the early settlei-s in tins county, to get a draught of water from the well. As he wfis about going on, a party of a hundred Indians on their way from Detroit, stopped also, and began stacking their guns by the side of the house, evidently intending to make a long stay. The woman, who chanced to be alone, was very much frightened, and as the Bavagee paid no attention to her request that they would go on, ibe begged Gov. Cass to interfere. He spoke a few words to tbem 896 PIONEER woarEN of the west. in their own lanjruage, and as soon as they knew him, tney should ered their weapons and were " marching off in double quick time." The old picturesque looking windmill on the American side of the Detroit river, is the one to which all the people in western Michigan, some thirty years ago, were obliged to come for tl>eir grinding. It is now dismantled of its wings, and the tower in a ruinous state. The lady whose narrative is quoted is, it will be acknowledged, " a pioneer indeed." She is, moreover, an interesting and charming woman, and admirable in all the relations she has filled. Her man- ner is described as being remarkably attractive, and her portraiture in conversation of the hardships and peculiarities of pioneer life, as being vivid and thriUing. " She talks with so much spirit," says one of her friends, " that I know she can make a more sprightly narrative than any I have read." Her children have prosp ered and are most highly respected, and neither they nor their descend- ants will be likely to forget how deeply they are indebted to a mother so enterprising and energetic, and so aflfectionately mindful of their interests. The village of Dixboro' in Washtenaw County, Michigan, was first laid out by Mr. Dix of Massachusetts, and was once somewhat flour- ishing, though now a miserable looking place, owning scarce a dwell- ing that is not in a state of dilapidation. The inhabitants are not remarkable for superstition ; yet it is curious to notice how strong is the current belief even to the present day, in an old ghost story. " To doubt it," says a resident, " is to offer a pei-sonal insult." The inh ran briefly thus : A new settler by the name of Van Wart, a relative of one of the captoi-s of Andre, who had taken up his quar- tei-s in a house recently occujMed by a widow then deceased, testified to the nocturnal visits of an apparition, whom the neighbors sup posed to be no other than the woman's ghost. From what trans- pired during these visitations, it was supposed she had been murdered FRANCES TRASK. 397 hv her brother-in-law for the sake of concealing some crime com- mitted years before. The matter was made the subject of legal investigation, and Van Wart's testimony taken in full, under oath, by the magistrate before a jury. The grave was opened and the body examined to ascertain if her death had been caused by poison ; probably the only instance in this century at least of a corpse being disinterred upon the evidence of a ghost ! The appearance of the dead was startlingly like the description given by the ghost seer, who had never seen her living ; but nothing was found to justify con- demnation of the accused, who was accordingly released and left the country. The Scotch physician who attended the woman in her last illness, and was supposed to be implicated in the deed, also quitted the community. The old log house is still standing, with the room called Tophet, because appropriated to the use of the sick as a hospital — now in a sadly tumbledown condition, but once the seat of cheerful hospitality. In the olden time, many a merry com- pany from Ann Arbor was wont to resort there, spending the even- ing in dancing and festivity. Ypsilanti and Dexter were also favor- ite places of resort for sleighing and pic-nic parties. The latter village was laid out by Judge Dexter, brother to the celebrated lawyer of that name in Boston. Miss Frances Trask was a cousin of Mi-s. Dix, and figured promi- nently at that day in the little community as a belle somewhat on the Amazon order. She had much talent, with a degree of cultiva- tion that caused her to be looked up to with respect as a person of unusual accomphshments ; she possessed, moreover, real worth and good qualities of heart ; but her eccentricities and unfeminine de- fiance of general opinion in many trifling mattei-s, often startled her quiet neighboi-s, and made it necessary for those who loved her most to defend her from censure. She was much admired by the men ; her piquancy of wit, force and decision of character, and a sort of happy audacity, setting oflP to advantage her personal attractions. Yet she was not wanting in fitness for the usefulness peculiar to woman ; in cases of sickness she could do more than any one else, and would watch for many nights together, bearing fatigues under 3&S PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. whicn an ordinaiy constitution must have sunk. In emergencies that required prompt action, her energy was praised with enthusiasm by her own sex. Finally, when pecuniary embarrassments made it necessary for Dix and his family to leave their home, and the wife, a gentle, ladylike creature, was overpowered with gnef, and could do little to expedite preparations, Frances was the nerve of them all She packed up everything, dressed the children one by one the last morning, placing each on a chair when in readiness, with orders not to move, and with cheerful alacrity arranged everything for their departure. She had accustomed hei-self to firing at a mark, and was considered one of the best shots in the country, besides being able to ride a hoi-se with any racer. It was said she could cut ofl a chicken's head at an almost incredible number of rods, and that she often went out deer hunting ; but this last tradition does not vouch for. She was the hfe of pic-nics or pleasure parties, and seldom let pass an opportunity of making a smart or satirical speech, some- times at the expense of delicate regard for the feelings of others. A certain Judge Thompson, who had held ofitice at Batavia at the time of Morgan's abduction, as sherift" of the county, and had earned a notoriety in no wise enviable, chanced to be helping her at a pic-nic on one occasion, and began to rally her on her penchant for meat ; " Yes," she retorted, " I am fond of flesh ; you of blood ;" a rejoin- der which w'as keenly felt by the mortified official. On another occasion the lady seems to have met her match, being excessively annoyed by a gallant who chose to vex her- by pretend- in(r to mistake her name, calling her " Miss Trash," and then cor- recting himself with an apparently confused apology. She used to laugh heartily in mentioning a speech meant to be particularly ill- natured, levelled at her at a dinner party at Ypsilanti by a lady of her own stamp, who had become irritated beyond forbearance by Bome of her sallies. Looking significantly at Miss Trask, she gave her toast, saying, ** When Boston next takes an emetic, I hope it will turn its head towards the ocean." It may well be imagined that those to whom Miss Trask chose to be amiable, liked her much, while she was thoroughly detested FRANCES TRASK. 899 by those wlio liad siifFered from the arrows of her wit. Strange aa it may seem, she wjis held in high esteem by many of her own sex, notwithstanding her boldness of carriage, from which it may be inferred that she affected to be more lawless than she was in reality. 8he accompanied Mr. Dix and his family when they removed to Texas. Some two yeai-s since, when she returned on a visit to Michigan, the manifest change and improvement in her bearing and mannei*s were the subject of general remark. She had grown abso- lutely quiet and dignified ; so that those who had heard only of her early fame, expressed some disappointment at not finding her the dashing, sprightly creature she had been represented. Time and the trials and labors incident to life in a new country had tamed her wild spirit ; she had mourned the loss of a brother in the Texan service, and had undergone a second term of the difficulties and privations of pioneer life. The government of Texas, however, had shown that they appreciated her ser\nces by voting her a large tract of land in compliment to her opening the first seminary for young ladies in that State. This possession, with the portion of land assigned to her deceased brother, made her a wealthy woman. Among the curiosities she brought from her new home, her Mexican blanket attracted great attention from its novelty, elegance and rchness. Some said it had been valued in Boston at a thousand dollai-s. A story had gone about, the details of which were denied by the heroine, that during the struggle in Texas, a Mexican attempting to force his way into the house at a time when Mr. Dix was too ill to act on the defensive, had been shot by the intrepid Bister-in-law. It may be conjectured that Miss Trask had many admirei-s. She had been engaged at Dixboro' to Sherman Dix, a relative of her brother-in-law, and somewhat her junior; but they quar- relled, it was said, upon one occasion when she was suffering fi'om an attack of ague — about some trifling matter, and the Buitor was peremptorily dismissed. When the family removed to Texas some yeai-s afterwards, the young man followed, and re- mained a bachelor ; whether on account of a lingering attachment iOO PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. to the fair inconstant, or some other reason, it has not been recorded. Miss Trask's matrimonial destiny at length overtook her ; she mar- ried at Austin a Mr. Thompson, and was left a widow in a few months. Her nephew by marriage is Secretary of State in Texas^ and a son and daughter of Mr. Thompson reside at Chicago. Among the early settlei*s of Michigan who deserve a notice, should be numbered Mrs. Hector Scott, the daughter of Luther Martin, tha lawyer who so ably and successfully defended Aaron Burr. She came to the State before 1837, and is still residing in Detroit. She has passed through man^;* severe reverees and trials ; but her intel- lectual ability, energy, and firmness of character, have sustained her, constraining the admiration and respect of all who enjoy her acquaint- ance. Like her, Mi*s. Talbot, once a celebrated beauty, retain? the dignified mannei-s of the olden time. She was the dauofhter of Commodore Truxton. She still resides on her farm near Pontiac ; the ancient log house embowered in eglantine, and showing evidence within dooi-s of a refinement of taste which can invest with elegance the homeliest materials. At Union City, in the southern part of Michigan, hves Mi-s. Mosely, daughter of the missionary, Bingham, and the fii-st white child born in the Sandwich Islands. The fii-st child born at the Falls of St. Anthony was Mrs. Horatio Van Cleve, the daughter of Maj. Nathan Clark. Orren and Ann White, descendants of the New England pilgrims, came to Ann Arbor the second year after its settlement, and still reside on the place they purchased, about two miles from the village. Mrs. Goodrich, one of the pioneers, who -ame with her hit^band and family to Michigan as early as 1827, prides herself somewhat on a thrifty grape vine which ornaments her beautiful garden, brought by her from New England, and a shoot from those vines at "Bloody Brook," the tempting clusters of which enticed the uD' fcrtunate young men whose massacre gave name to the locality ANECDOTES. 401 Miss Hoit, who lived in the northern part of Living«*ton County, when the country was covered with thick forests, wandered one day 80 far, wliile gathering wild flowers, that she entirely lost her way. In her distress she heard the tinkling of cow-bells, and following the sound, remained with the cattle till evening, when she went hom^i in safety under their escort. The wife of a pioneer who had Hved in " the bush " nearly tliree years without seeing anothei* white female face, has spoken of the delight with which she found a dandelion in bloom near her door- step. Probably the seed of the golden flower had been brought with that of the " tame grass," as they called " timothy " in dis- tinction from the native marsh grass ; and its unexpected ap- pearance brought back so vividly her old home associations and remembrance of the beloved ones there, that she could not resist the impulse to " sit down and have a good cry." " I felt less lonely," she said, " all that day, and ever since. My dandelions are the only ones in the settlement, and I take care that they and the white clover, which has since made its appeai-ance, shall not run out." Another in Illinois, who had for a long time lived without windows, found herself at last able to indulge in the luxury of glass panes, and had a small window set, so that she could see to sew in the day-time in winter. All the fii-st day, while plying her needle, she found hei-self continually looking off, to wonder at the novelty of what she had been formerly used to regard as an indispensable conve- nience. The dwellei-s on the heavily timbered land, which unlike the pleasant "openings" where the sunshine falls, afforded no relief except the "clearing" marked with blackened stumps, were sub- jected to dangei-s as well as inconvenience. Mrs. Comstock, de- scribing her primitive home in Shiwasse County, says, — " We had previously had a log house erected in the woods, but we came up in a boat by the river, and when we reached the spot, were obliged to have a road cut before we could get to our home. Here for a long time I never dared trust our children outside the enclosure for fear of the beai-s ; for those animals would often come close about as, even to the fence." 402 PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST Many of the families who had removed to Detroit before the n^at of 1812, returned east previous to its outbreak, being in dread of attacks fi-om the Indians in the neighborhood, who were known to be in British pay; and made frequent demonstrations of hostility ; sometimes encamping near the houses of residents in numbei-s of three or four hundred. Captives brought to Detroit by the savages, were often purchased there to save them fiom a more terri- ble fate. A young girl who had been thus taken into a family, one day seeing a party of Indians pass by, uttered a piercing shriek, and fell senseless to the floor. On recovering consciousness, she declared that she had seen her mother's scalp in possession of one of the savages, recognizing it by the long light braid of hair. Her story was confirmed by a pei-son who had seen the mother and daughter brought with other prisoners from near Sandusky, Ohio. The mother beingr in feeble health, and unable to travel as fast as was required, was tomahawked, her daughter being hurried on in ignorance of the cruel murder. At the time of Hull's surrender, the women expressed much in- dignation. A Mi*s. Woodward, since well known in Detroit, men- tions a hairbreadth escape. One morning during the war, she had risen, dressed herself as usual, and was sitting by an open window which looked upon the Canada side ; suddenly a cannon-ball whizzed past her face and buried itself in the side of the house. She avera tbat it actually straightened the curls of her hair. The preceding notices may serve to show something of the priva- tions and perils encountered by female pioneers in Michigan, and the heroism, patience, and energy with which they were met, as well as afford a glimpse into the peculiar character which, mark- ing the early setthi"s, has in some degree been transmitted to theii cbUdren, XXIV. Even as late as 1835, the emigrants who poured into Michigan, often building their homes in the dense forest or on wild prairie land, are entitled to be called pioneers. An idea of the scenery of por- tions of the peninsula at that period, and the mode of living among the early settlei-s, may be given best in the language of one who has had opportunity of observing them. For this purpose, I am permitted to make a few extracts from a manuscript journal kept by a highly gifted and accomplished lady, now residing in the western part of New York, who travelled in that year on hoi-se- oack through the lower peninsula : "BroDson (now Kalamazoo), May 28th, 1835. Owing to the iniform progress of journeying day after day from Jacksonburgh ,o Marshall, a distance of thirty-six, and from Mai-shall hence, of 'thirty-seven miles, 'the httle lines of yesterday' have well-nigh faded without being noticed. The memory of the beautiful, and oi such beauty — a forest in its wildness — is so much more power- 'iil than distinct, and having the same characteristics, presents so jiuch uniformity that but httle record caa be made. On our route we passed over some twenty miles through the wild woods, without seeing a human being. The foliage was just bursting from its numberless sheaths iirto rich drapery our pathway was literally i[)4: PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WEST. Btrewn with flowers, the hoi-ses pressing them at every step, while the birds in their leafy homes, deluged the otherwise unbroken stillness with wild and delicious melody. The silence of the deep forest, during the brief intervals of these untaught lays, seems strangely oppressive ; yet ere you can analyze its unwonted power, earth's lyre, with its myi-iad tones, is struck again, and you are roused to the liveliest sympathy. I had somewhat the feeling of Milton's Eve, ditil-rently applied. She asked, ' Wherefore all night long . shine these ?' My heart-query was, ' Wherefore all this wealth of varied note and strain ?' But the same heart answered, * These feathered songsters know of home, and love, and sweet companionship, and joyously give thanks for the gift of being, tell- ing to each other, and to Him who made them, of the blessing of hfe.' " This day we fii-st saw the Kalamazoo River — a narrow, dark stream. We stopped at a small log cabin, which on its shingle sign advertised ' Entertainment for man and beast ;' doubtless after the fashion of the settlements the proprietoi-s had left, and we were grateful for any shelter from the noonday sun. I noticed, while sitting in an inner room, to which, as a lady traveller, I was cere- moniously conducted, that the landlord eyed my husband with sin- gular, yet irresolute attention. I did not fancy, however, that ho had ever seen him before. He was an odd-looking pei-sonage ; rather slight in his general proportions, and short in stature ; he had lai-ge, prominent features, ovei-shadowed by a shock of coarse yellow hair, faded and worn, that gave him a wild and savage aspect, particularly as this hair and his complexion seemed scarcely to vary a shade in tint. After repeated advances, accompanied with stolen and hurried glances at my husband, he rushe