Miami County, Ohio - The whole text, 1880 (part 4 of 23)

NewjtrsfTeXtm.^dT al'tbe old State8,in the Unio"- Those frem linas and Groroiawe^ predominant, but the Carothe Friends and the anti 0] rel)res?nted in the southwest part of the county by sprinkling of New Finrlanrf' 61^ ^fv'K5nts ^rom the South, and there was quite a They a".d Y«*«. with several families from Delaware, log-mllinjw-lwh,*/»i? UtUal d ,d ass,stance in the erection of log cabins, and at NewSanm ' burtben to man3* of the early settlers, their families Thov tbeir land and built a cabin before removing puncheo^rs,)liInLkTrrt CUt th**>&ot the desired length and number, have a day, invite tho f°r floors, and four-feet split clapboards for roof, and appoint wood to be plastered ^ "lcl°sed> tlie floor laid, and perhaps a chimney of a comfortable tenempnf ^ ' ?nd made habitable, all in one day. They then made

He usually naid « ^ *IS famil3' when he returned with them in the autumn, reach of tL? «^ntb°Uu $4° bl,lIding tlle cabin, and felling the timber within would be dm* i? 01 §Tound run *nto eight or ten years, but, as the timber that is, bumS'in .*^d3' burned after being "niggered," as they termed it, was larcre thm* . »tbs of ten or twelve feet. Sometimes, where the family apart. -i rnnfri would build double cabins, that is, two cabins, ten or twelve feet was used fnr ' fche whole, the space between serving as a hall, and one cabin for virion* Km= a°d eat'ng in, the other as a sleeping apartment, and the hall the erection 111 ua* who had the enterprise to secure a mill seat, and set about Portance - h f fymid ^or grinding and sawing, was looked up to as a person of imance of Ida fn> ^or the want of means, he would require the gratuitous assistother wort nei® . which was freely rendered, in the erection of a mill-dam, and primitive - Per^'ning to the establishment. These early-erected mills were quite Ul*cd in t/0 tllcir 8tructure and material. The millstones were generally manufactie count}*, often in the immediate vicinity of the site where they were to be used, of single stones, worked out of the large bowlders which were to be found on the surface of various parts, of the county. Very little iron, except the spindles, gudgeons and a few bands, was used, wood being exclusively used for all other purposes, iron being expensive and difficult to obtain. These mills, from these circumstances, were very simple structures, calculated for grinding corn principally. The first grinding of wheat for flour was very imperfectly done. In some, at first the bolt was turned by hand, a somewhat laborious operation, but, wheat bredd being a rarity, the labor was willingly performed. As for lumber, there was usually a saw-mill connected with the " com-craeker." But, from the simplicity of the dwellings, there was little demand for lumber, and it was obtainable at comparatively low prices ; log stables and barns were exclusively in use. At the time of the organization of the county (1807), there were six or seven of these miffing^tablishments in operation. They were Mordecai Mendenhall's, on Honey Ureek, Henry Gerard's, on Spring Creek, John Freeman's and John Manning's, on the Miami River, Moses Coates', on Ludlow Creek, Mast's, Weddel's and Empire's, on Stillwater.

trfe of the early settlers was generally a laborious and hard one, being any source of supply of some of the essentials of life in new settlements, particularly salt and iron, which were exorbitantly high, and, money being very scarce, most of the trade being by barter, salt at $2 per bushel, and poor at that, iron 15 to 20 cents per pound, and no cash market for any produce, with the exception of supplying new-comers.

. .,.*n autunJn months, the settlers were much afflicted with intermittent and ouious fevere and rheumatic affections, which often disabled them for months, aud ,e e Joggle for life a hard one. But in general they were healthy and W' assisting each other in house-raising, log-rollings and cornhuskings. Most neighborhoods had their withnnt Tr**1** tbe 8timulating fluid deemed essential on all these occasions, and 11HP f - If*1 no one could have obtained the required aid, and the general fatal pff-nfQ f excessive use was not more common, and the at total ahaH^J688' rJ*11 t?e Present daJ- There were occasional moves made the iurfopfl nf t£e !^e lexers in this matter, who was, by-the-by, one of little reflection ho ^leAvas pledged to abstain from drinking whisky. After a ^d lteTt ann LV? * of hSht bread> and soaked it in thf tin cup of whisky the present day. Linsev of a UffhtTnfl"'1 t*;0nolny not sufficiently appreciated at with linen underclothes Vnrt Indigo blue was common men's wear for winter, sidered an Saf«^ to IT*'? a,Bma11 The loom was conwould see a hunter dressed in^f ftoi /?mdy of any size. Occasionally you of the two independent riflp pninn -^0^11 8mt moccasins. The uniform hunting shirt, with cape the\hole'frin£ ^ c®un1y consisted of light-blue linsey pe, me whole fringed and coming half-way down the thigh, tafe knife and tomahawk or war of 1812. I have wen Got Mrim "S*1 TU.suD.fbrm was much worn in the this hunting shirt while on «m frontiS duShafw^' "d ®ttier official8 wear neers. The^o^dlit were ^nkno^n in the days of the piosels. Often one skfllet would be used to ^5* cabinfire, in few plain cast-iron vesmeal. The Dutch-oven ^ - °°? "ore .than ODe article for the same to spread the corn dou<di on a cla1^^1 ®orueJ:imes called " hoe-cake," was wide ; the dough an inch thick andtb'ituf fee£ «ng' hy six or eiSht inches better than dodger-cake baked 'in «n ?*ke * be1foreT^he fire- This was sweeter and to a family of urchins in sections of ve£se1, * hav® often seen this distributed a tin cup of milk in the other thpv ,*8lX a?*? Wlth tbis in one hand and with the settlers. A cow tl^nffcltu!ied imPortaut articles of food with many of classes, and coffee and tea^but v^v- ^ a8^!}k waf largely used by all nal. As to towns and merHmnf P f}lttIe - and then frequently of domestic mateone, with no external trade exceot'tha/n^1^ ***' T?e C^U.nty being an interio1* the farmer, to save the percental procuring salt and iron from Cincinnati, unable to keep a wLon^ toko h out ? .waSon (for many of the fanners were nati, purchase the remdrL^ t,?eir Pr<>vlsions and feed for the trip, go to Cinciniug a quarter of a dollar Settiers retVirn in or ten daJs without spendselves, consenuentiv tiiorp woul(1 exchange or sell commodities among themthe county. UeUt ^ there WaS no central Point of trade of any particular note in - demand for mouev to imltf n °aSh onethird or more less would be taken. The cratum, and often paymen^ °,n Government land was the great desidselling wagons and ^ ^ T* would have to be made to meet them, such as for less tlum itSstSST^11 T °r sometimes selling their improvements .things in the davs of ^eria» a new tract. Such was the condition of have given place to the thr^ A dat'b°at and keel-boat propeUed by a pole, paths, mud roads and 'decked floating palace propelled by steam. Blazed The old dandy waffon diaJ^1118 have been replaced by pikes, canals and railroads, the long-snouteii^rootor PPe?ra be{0re^he elliptic-springed phaeton. Instead of rooster. The lmr-nnl^' WG iav? the Berkshire, blooded cattle, and Shanghai place ; and in their ' ,cran® and trammel no longer hang in the capacious firebutch oven skillot 1 7 ,hav,e the " Earb* Breakfast " and base burner. The ginseng and slinnprv ofL 1X>t l1.^8 bave retired also. Pennyroyal and sage tea, . and the suroeoS^knifi !l?vc\a11 disaPPeared before sugar-coated pills, fire. breechd^in, - .The,old flint-lock has been exchanged for the central without a 3' sixteen-shooter, We cannot review these transformations were effected - ° °u veiJeratlon f°r those brave spirits, through whose efforts they 8avages to W « changed a wilderness swarming with wild animals and ng fields and flourishing cities ; from the howl of the wolf and

We have now endeavored to give the settlers of this county, from the earliest up to the year 1800. W e have also undertaken to give a brief review of the customs, privations, etc., of those days, and touch upon the changes that have taken place from that time till the present We shall now begin with the year 1800, and perhaps we may discover some stragglers that belonged to an earlier age, and if so, we shall place them where they belong. Yes, we are not out of sight of the

L. ,Iear 8 c.ajup> until we see, John Hilliard and his wife, and Father Michael Williams, with a family of nine children, coming, the former three years, the latter one year behind us. John Hilliard was temporarily located at Mill Creek, and, as soon as he thought he could venture out without losing his scalp, came into

Ij^.n' tbe hardships of pioneer life proved too great for his shattered wrwiL k®800 j £ave UP ghost, and was laid away in a lonely spot in the fit deTat? burial in that part of the country. Michael Williams, with -J *y°hj|> Henry, Michael, Jr., and two daughters, Fanny and Elizabeth, opening a home in the wild Wb° Graved the perils and hardships incident t( in giving a brief sketch of thrSf' rP ^ year 1800> we shft11 now toke Pleasun iscencea? David HH«1^ ? have been abte *> gl«"> "J remia

Pennsylvania. Robert Crawfnrd A?ne' Samuel Morrison was a native oi Commissioners to superintend thP l ^°m ^enn8yl vania, was appointed by the sale of town lots, bnK^ 8er ^TUg'°^ °f the <* Tio/ind also in the from Pennsylvania, was one 0f thp iPT' ?e re?1^ned- John H. Crawford, also served two terms. ar8b Associate J udges of the county, and

One pleasant morning in the <mrinc» a re^u^ar attendant on Divine worshin settlement (among whom was the^a^^w* ^Uth had started from the Dve crossed a creek branch whS? tu to attend meeting. They ted *£?

8"PPoeed to have been in the neighladmn trader, and toadS to tots kif ^"V11618- He waa «** 8 note! drove many a sharp barafc wfth toe Tnlf kmd .of tavern. He was shrewd, and ltlS reP°rted thathe demanded ofthe'r 5" 8tock of "eedles once getting jng as an excuse, that th*» no^i and, of the Indians a coonskin for a needle civ

? presumed hem'ajJ mone^i* ^ had died- flnd he could get no^ore ^It firat ^"^were held in his howJt. °<llng' f°r at the OI*»nization of the county, the to to^KntemPlate i^R^ntoZ What a 8'ght for an old bachto toe fifth generetion^with on^hn!>!ree^Un?^d and sixty children ranging down / 'he settlers who came toTtonnti^ a"d f°rtJ,,Ib,uried' John Gerard was one ci^T of the county. He was a -^aS 006 of tbe first Associate citizen; and a primemovot i?f "an of strict integnty, energy and a valuable the "font county. e er>' enterpnse looking toward the development of

Henry Gerard, son of Nathaniel, was also one of the ninety-niners, and was one of the most usefhl men in the county. While his father was the first to prepare the hides of the animals for their feet, he was the first to erect machinery for preparing the grain for their stomachs, and lumber for their houses and fkrniture. Previous to this, he had been employed by John Cleves Symmes as his agent in superintending matters in connection with the northern part of his purchase, for which he was to be compensated in land ; but as he was often heard to say that he never received anything, it is supposed Symmes failed with him, as well as with the Government

We learn of an Irishman, by the name of George Kerr, who settled on Section 8, in Monroe Township, about the year 1800. He cleared out a little farm, and became an industrious and permanent settler of this count}'. At this time, also, a few families came from South Carolina, and settled in the vicinity of Kerr, cleared lands, and raised large families ; many of whom are now living on the farms of their fathers. Among those worthies we may mention Joseph Layton, Jesse, Amos, and David Jenkins ; the last of whom was elected Justice of the Peace in 1818, the duties of which office he honorably discharged until his death in 1858. About thi8' time, also, came a family of Pearsons. Samuel, was a wi«.n who could indulge his ingenuity in almost any direction, could with equal facility mend a plow, or pull a tooth, make a singletree, or cut off a finger, fix a clock, or administer worm medicines to a squalling baby ; in fact make himself usefhl at almost anything, and therefore was indispensable to the immigrants. £noch Pearson was one of the first preachers in the county, and held many meetings in the woods, where he preached the honest doctrine of the Friends, to which denomination he belonged.

As h® wafi one of the earliest to proclaim the Word of God, so was he one of the first taken to the fold above. His remains lie buried in the family graveyard.

Thomas Furnace came to this county from South Carolina in the year 1800 and located on the form now owned by Newel Kerr, in Monroe Township. Mr. Furnace was a prominent, man in the county and wore some of her highest honors, having been elected Sheriff, and afterward represented Miami in the State Legislature. The now flourishing county owes an everlasting debt of gratitude to those brave men who supported her in her infancy, and gave her the strength of their own heroic manhood. Not only does she owe a debt of gratitude to these men, but equauy as much to the true-hearted and noble-minded women : who aided their brothers, Uieir husbands, their fathers, with their own hands : and, by their presence ana punty, rendered the house in the wilderness a place of happiness, to which their husbands, brothers and fathers, wearied by the hard day's toil, could retrace 810" lighter, as they approached the abode where woman's ous °P dewberry, in South Carolina, famished numerneMeT^T^rn?.h^8 y dan.n« the yews 1801 to 1805 Georgia and Tenand left their native oounfcrv^0*1' °f w^om belonged to the denomination of Friends, ana leu tneir native country on account of their extreme aversion to the institu-

Tho b hT' by him w^otaSd Sfltiliwater" By him £ he Though he came there yo^rhe ^d not^f' .the flr8t 8eeds west of the river tands, much less a rail^ad ® He L -' ** » turnpike passing through Us oldest, was a surveyor .nl T ' they followed other occupations. Henry, the s*w-mil], and jS ;h" d 4180 a magistrate for many yeare. Abraham rku a members of the si^offif Waf a ffj?01 ^ber. They were aU bom society of Friends, and intelligent thinking men. Of his ten

The old gentleman was very economical, and his wife, Sarah, being a woman of great piety, industrious, and an excellent manager, through the combined efforts of each, they succeeded in treasuring up a very handsome competency . for their children. He having died nearly forty years ago, his lands are now mostly in the hands of strangers, who plow and reap, little caring for the privations and toil required to wrest the now beautiful fields from the dense forests of 1802.

Caleb Mendenhall

settled with his family just north of Waggoner a few months later in the same year. The first night of his arrival was passed in preparing for the comfort of his little family of six children. On the morrow, he awoke and found himself the happy father of a seventh. This little forest maid was named Tamar, the significance of which - palm-tree - was in harmony with the surroundings during her advent into the world. She is now living in Montgomery County, the mother of eight children. Caleb was industrious, economical and, withal, a man of taste and refinement, and to him the credit is due of building the second brick house in Union Township, and among the first in the county. Though possessed of but a limited education, he took a deep interest in, and encouraged, all literary and educational interests. By his wife, Susannah, he had eleven children, all of whom lived to be married, but now only two are living. A rather remarkable feature of this family was, that all the eleven children were born within a period of nineteen years, and the oldest was married shortly before the birth of the youngest, while the remaining ten lived with their parents till 1819. Living adjoiningthe old West Branch Friends' Church, his house was a favorite resort during their quarterly meetings. When the division in the Church, caused by Elias Hicks, took place in 1828, Caleb took up with the Hicksites, but his wife remained. This severed his connection with the church at West Branch. Subsequently he sold his farm and removed to Indiana, where, about 1850, he died. In the early settlement a project was set on foot to obtain a public library . Caleb was one of five who readily responded, the others being Frederick Yount, Elisha Jones, David Mote, and John Abbott. The price per share agreed upon was three, dollars, which, aggregating only fifteen dollars, was considered too little, and solicitors were sent to the nearest neighbors to increase the stock. One man went to Joseph Mendenhall, but failed to get his support, informing Caleb that he believed he would have subscribed had he not been such a mummy. Upon this, Caleb asked him if he knew what a mummy was ; this was a poser, and Caleb chuckled over his superior scientific attainments. He had, perhaps, the largest orchard in the whole county ; the trees in course of time interlocking each other, and protecting each other from frosts ; he would have an abundant yield when others failed, often, amounting to three or four thousand bushels.

Only two of his grand-children are living in this county, the oldest and youngest , the one_sixty-five, the other five, a disparity in cousins most remarkable.

S' ^^denhall, who married Caleb's wife's sister, settled immediately north of hun, in Section 28, but also owned land in Section 32. That portion on which <5 resided, had two excellent springs, but the greater part is so boggy that it has been used for nothing but pasture for seventy-five years. Though these brothers N°nh Carolina here, they were born in Georgia. About the close of Rf17olutlo?» the Creek Indians made an inroad into their country, hi« lifts, "°^er' an(^ took Joseph prisoner ; being a robust boy, they saved a warrior Out of him. Adopted into a family, he became

179?Tneni- Citizen of this county ; was her ftat Shlrfff3 uMr D*e waa 1793, he enlisted under Gen Scott rf iT Sh"lff> 8erv,nS eight years. In the beautiful scenery, and Wt wa^7^i ?°88e8 PGCUliar fractions from numerous magnificent spring risin^n /^ Ie8^n?mg in &*** from the »nd pouring in a pure and *7 counfclY beyond, uniting their waters

^ater for some time, finally made iTeSo^V^ ^YelinS UP and down Still the cardinal rwr\;n+n Is- i_ ? . e a selection: but, while examinino- mAim

Jw, his hat was brushed off hi a t- 6 ? through the woods at night near Frenkw the morning, while PMsin^a wl^ "0t ^din* ** readily, he rushed on, and rommg to attend to their hiLt i r ' tavern beheld two plain-looking men just with incentives more toan^Tam ' ^ev'ng 18 hs ifearthat one of them was R. F.. mettle, and never stooped t.ill to! ° S h^Sten-s 9utt>' Sark> he put his horse to his initials of Bobert p^^a s^uaLlTheda "'"'t The Otters R. F. were . the csnsed the loss of his selection. ^ fr°m South Carolina, whose extreme precaution

Proceed^ S?di^ly^^"f'^jC!" was P"rohased in his name, John Mast four daughters of John Msatm! - T' be,n? ®"« of the first in the county. The Jacob Curtis and David M Jon^'^MT^r ely-'/^derick Yount> Je88e Friend> ned again, but resided non, a- - Mr. Masts wife dying m 1813, he never mardeath in 1832, at the advanced n mi*wlth 80,116 orphaned grandchildren, until his somewhat taciturn. ancefi age of seventy-nine. He was low in stature, and kind, he was at the same time firm in character, and inflexible in purpose. He was an -inveterate talker, and relished a joke, and was never happier than when surrounded by congenial spirits. Sometimes he would so far forget himself as to cause serious concern of his friends for his safety ; for when "The Sou ter tould his queerest stories ;

" If the Judge had any foible in his character, it was possibly, he was a little too much inclined to good company. He hardly knew how to tear himself away when surrounded by kindred spirits. As an illustration of that fact, he came into the house about the middle of the forenoon one day, and told Mrs. Barbee she need not hurry up dinner, as he had to ride over to Lexington, and would not be back for early dinner. Dinner was kept till a late hour, but Mr. Barbee did not come ; he was not there at supper ; breakfast over, and the second dinner on the table, but the husband and father mysteriously absent. Late in the afternoon Mrs. Barbee could stand it no longer ; she ' knew that he had been thrown by the young horse, and killed.' She little knew that he had met ' his ancient, trusty, drouthy ?roi^y whom Tam lo'ed like a vera brither.' She started on the road toward Lexington, expecting to meet messengers bearing his corpse, when lo ! she met her darling husband so fhll of laughter that he shook in his boots. Mrs. Barbee was in a different mood. There she stood,

Sim turned a wrathfhl battery upon him with a will. ' You thought I was killed, did you, said he. 'Yes, I knew the colt had thrown you, and broke your neck,' said she. . 'And you are very mad because he did not do it,' retorted Mr. Barbee. Ihe occasion of delay was, when Mr Barbee got to town he met Mr. Breckenbridge, and fell into a discussion on the slavery question. Mr. Breckeiibridge was proa j Barbee was an ultra Abolitionist. The discussion grew so warm that they did not note the flight of time."

Mr. Barbee was a philosopher ; not a book philosopher, but a mental philos- ?Pner- there were any works on natural philosophy published at that early day, they had not reached the far West He could prove without the use of books to if °LUS bo78> that if a mosquito were to light on the mantle-piece,

. e °r to prove that persons always did what they supposed would 5"^ When there was no preacher present, he often ?e oft?n amplified at great length the proposition that one ^ to 8. faith- Another subject that he delighted to elabdiscussina a JU8t 88 much religion as he desired to have. In in Detooit6 to^rf*^!^ 812, Hen. Hull surrendered the American army westei^^to ^°tor and hi8 TIndian allies, thus exposing the whole northshe "w \^S * India* 5 for Great Britain, unmindftil the Bevolution did nnf h ^ employing these ruthless dogs of war, during frontiers. ' esitate again to let them loose upon our now defenseless

Recovery. On the aftem^n nf Ptlf - ' 2"d L* Wa® determined to march to Ft. move, the captain was nowhere hr> departure, when all were in readiness to with munmirines at his ahspnop ft* ^ f°Un/' ®urPns^ ^ wonder, intermingled little band sSrch * T '"P0^111 a moment, took possession of the of September While^h^ Cant^h^"!!0" re,mained at P>qua until the 6th Department with hia i1Q i ' j. Barbee obtained a position in the Oommissarv monetary condition w«« J*6. adv®llt. ®ver.V family, the social, commercial, and comfort of those to v1"?royed' anda steP toward the ease and of immigrants The mn iv^ g?ia,ed' wlllc'h of course, caused, the rapid increase of the pristine forest - the <?ounfcr^ was changing, the savage wildness tie sketch oTjohnT Tid/i* r° ,"^ncn^ *8°*- We shaU initiate by a litin 1805, and through thi l l/11 old and worth3' pioneer of this county, who came many interesting hf«ti! ^ k.iadn4e8® of whose daughter Mary, we are enabled to glean He toys: '^n his 88 weI1 83 that of Dr Asa Coleman, and sister stonneH JTtm °^1805, wlfen our family came to Miami, father, mother a hut in a buiwVw - V Batter8.on 8> and the wagon, stock and boys came on to the morning al/thl*1? ^ 1 f a. miIe we8t of Dayton, where we spent the night In farm ; from thenep * ^reak ln the forest was Stephen Dye's improvement, Bates , we next arrivpH «f 7° m?VS through a dense forest to Staunton ; passing on, ing crossed th« w JosePb s' where we stopped for the night, and in the mornten feet BotHipn o Vier an« Put f°r the settlement,' which we found to be a cabin ford was living - ^ 81x /eet high, covered with real clapboards. A Mr. Shackelhad built fthm5 la when we arrivetl, but moved into a camp which he some of thp a 4 eigilty rods distant. And now we found ourselves at home, but horses m/i UI?* Were m^ss*ng. We had no stable into which we could put our the dam hv ti? °a * P^ture was not fenced ; but we could prevent their following native but tr» ?e Uf e roPes which we brought for that purpose. We had no alter- 8hamefullv ^ tke b°nesty of horses and cattle ; but alas, our confidence was nowhere.' Firewood was plenty, and what, in our circumstances was better, it was very cheap." On the west side of the river the population was very scarce. Ten miles from Dayton, and the same from Troy, stood the solitary cabin of Samuel Freeman. On the north was Reuben Shackelford's camp, and near this, William Barbee's cabin ; still further north one mile was the clearing of Robert Mackey. On the Satler. farm were the old folks, and a family of healthy Dutch boys ; and a few squatters in Piqua. One cold day in 1805, Mr. Tullis says he and his brother Joel had been sent to Henry Gerard's mill, on Spring creek, and on returning had to cross the river angling down stream. The ice floating down against the horse from behind, caused him to plunge, and throw Joel off into the river. He wore a great-coat which flew over his head, and, becoming saturated with water, was so heavy he could not rise to his feet. While he was in this condition, and his horse floundering by his side, Mrs. Hamlet happened to go to the door, and, seeing his precarious situation, called to her husband who was in the house. He ran to the river, and, observing the comer of Joel's coat, plunged in and rescued him from a watery grave, just as he had relinquished all hope, and made up his mind to die, and was going down the last time.

In this year, 1805, Mr. Youst, Mr. Peck, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. McJimpsey, settled near each other just below town, and Mr. Gahagan located on what was subsequently called Gahagan's Prairie. At the toll-gate below town Mr. Orbison began a clearing. These immigrants were all men of small capital, and had sold their farms in the East and come West to buy cheap lands for their children. In the spring of 1805, the tide of immigration flowed unremittingly into this county. The Miami Valley seemed to be the Mecca of their desires. Preachers and exhorters led the van ; among the former, Armstrong Brandon, who is described as being a dashing young clergyman, endowed with force and energy of character. Of the latter class, we may mention Thomas B. Kyle, and a younger brother, Samuel, both licentiates. So that, in an ethical direction, the little settlement had superior advantages. To these were added at the season of germination many noble plants, such as Mathew Caldwell, Alexander McCullough, James Marshall, Alexander Telford, Henry Orbison, James Orr, Joseph McCorkle and John Johnston, all with the exception of Orbison, locating on the west side of the river. Mrs. Mary Reeves Beedle, with her family, emigrated from Kentucky to this county about this time. Having lost her husband thirteen years previous, she depended for support mainly upon her son Daniel, then only thirteen, who, by is energy and industry, proved that she did not lean upon a broken staff Amid tne privations of a life in the wilderness, he bravely encountered and overcame every obstacle. Actuated by love for his mother, and indomitable will, sustained y a robust physique, he willingly endured every hardship, undertook any labor necessary to the comfort and support of those dependent upon him. Without a murmur would he go barefooted through the midwinter snow to cut wood to keep ° y.armu recorded of him that he had a great aversion to riding, and r^ii °Ug V "or8e a?d 8addle were at his command, walk even to Greenville

. JJJl ^stance of fifty miles. His moral qualities seemed to be commenwrote w, th ins physical, and, in addition to men, .ana in corpore sano, we may well

SoLdS to bthin£C%heCtt' .P^8e^ing a high ""ae of honor, he never conde- °fba?®r 8tu9L He married Elizabeth Lindley, by whom he had four tom and ^o^hters His wife died in December, 1855, and he, August and lwltert inh MW °f 85' . £lexander Telford emigrated from Kentucky in 1806, Countv mnvhiuwi ^pnnty ; remaining only one year, he came to Miami

^ ^Came a Permanent ietUer, rearing a large family. ColeiZ' ^ JLSS** Wh° Ca,me "tth him, studied nmffictae with Dr. Asa throSTin ht^l !," an «*ly day, in this county. He was very philanstramrlimr fnv o ' aJ!d was °f incalculable assistance to many young men

^v&s offl^oSn- H!* 8terling integrity created many lim Mends, ana various offices of trust were heaped upon him unsolicited, as evidences of the

Cornelius Westfall Finl ,Ant1r.<''v I).VI'>J1'- John Christian and Benjamin Gera"'. Simon l7au( rrUri ;i1R ,;U| Lo",^ Th?"as Sayers, Peter Felix, jZ '- ,,r,al, B,ue- Baroabas and James Blue, Jonathan Hollins,

Shadrach Hudson, John, Samuel and Lewis Winans, Abner, Henry and Nathaniel Gerard, Riehard Winans, John Orbison, Joseph. Charles and Samuel Hilliard, Benjamin Hamlet, William Knight, John, Joseph and John Webb, David and John Knight, Richard Palmer, John Wallace, William Brown, Joseph Coe, Stephen Winans, Abram Hathaway, William Carter, Bennett Langley, Caleb Hathaway, William and James L. McKinney, John and Jacob Mann, Lewis and Obadiah Winters, Philip Sailor, George Williams, Jacob Sailor, Christ Prillman, John Batterall, Peter Harmon, John Flinn, James McCambell, Ralph French, Samuel, James and Lewis Deweese.

On the west side of the Miami, on the north, we have John Johnston, Indian agent, Frank and* James Johnston, Benjamin Leavel, Hugh Scott, Mr. Hendershot, -Armstrong Brandon, John and Enos Manning, Alexander Ewing, Joseph McCool, Matthew Caldwell, the Statler family, Beedle family, father and several sons, James Brown and William Mitchell, Alexander McCullough, Robert Mackey, William Barbee, Sr., father of Judge Barbee, James Orr, Reuben Shackelford, Aaron Tullis and his sons, John, Aaron, William, David, Joel, John T. and Stephen, Henry and Peter Kerns, Samuel Kyle, Thomas and Samuel Kyle, Jr.; William Adams, Abraham Thomas, Robert McGimsey, William, Adam and Samuel Thomas, sons of Abraham, William Gahagan, John Peck, John Orbison, James Knight, Jesse Gerard, George Kerr, James Yourt, George F. Tennery, Joseph Layton, Frederick Yourt, Jesse Jenkins, Andrew Thomson, Amos and David Jenkins, and David Jenkins, Esq., Samuel Freeman and his sons, Samuel, Darn^ John, Noah and Shrylock, Samuel and Enoch Pearson, Peter Oliver and sons William and Thomas, Arthur Stewart, Andrew Wallace, James Yourt, Willlam 7?row?' Thomas W. Williams and Joseph Furnas, Joseph Evans, John Mote, Jonathan Mote, Benjamin Pearson, Robert and Joseph McCool, William, Thomas and John Coppock, Samuel, Jesse, John and Moses Coates, Thomas Hill and his sons Nathan and John, Michael and George Williams, William Long, Robert k ! r ron2» Jaoob Ember, Jonathan Mills, David Patty, Abiather Davis, Caleb Neal, John Mart James Nayton, Samuel Davis, Jonathan Jones, Samuel Teague, Samuel Peirce, Robert McConnell.

Fi*i,iiILthr8 00nne<£<m> we teg to note a few additional facts, in regard to Gen. rn rWffri ,OUfoin eected to the State Legislature, October, 1809, and thl^^? m 18qao The number of votes cast in the county, then more extensive u93a; " 1819» 250 The wife of Louiy, as has been said, was a Smi?' W£° re8ided near Cincinnati, on the Ohio. Smith was a nerio^nlJ^0^ and a man of great wealth, having at an early

Burr conspiracy, for which he was tried, he soon left and moJ^^T^18- ?nancial and political ruin in Ohio, which State 1815 therewere Imto o *° lj°ul8iana- At the close of the war with England, in served on the due tbe volunteers and drafted men, who had

Jesse Hunt of OinomnnH Government being very slow in paying them, one with Mr. Lourv then a mAr^h*0 fWail Paymaster, conceived the idea, in conjunction did, for fiftv^nts on th a of ^^Hg UP the claims, which they accordingly mous profit This thomrh Tf for tbe aam® in merchandise, at an enormen who risked their^wJ?r^^i!egi' caused a strong impression that the brave the Supreme Court, County Rennn^ ^pGr^ Common Pleas Court, Clerk of after the first year.' OfflcE ^±r/°8tmMte^ and Director of the ^ fore not so much sought after and «« J^8 WGFG not 80 remunerative as now there ^tasnow. Itis £id S whito f were not£ fhZ thoroughlj understood the art nf n-' Was .not a man of much energy he was very marvelous how Mr Westfall hn|U^mf^ /^ coteinporary says of him : "It He could not have had acertfif S SST aed.t^have1allthe Ninths county A**0**' He could uoTSthe^J ** "V be seen by the bad discussed the .i, " gmnS <*em music on her piano. After we instrument, took oAHiot anronand Th °t i?® t*y' th® ,ady r08e' Put back her before her, on which she shook the shives out of it (the leaves lying

Christian graces did exist at that early day, though the process of combination came at a later period. There was nothing like aristocracy, or assumed superiority, on account of owning more acres, or being better born " Fustest families of Virginny," - nothing of caste to mar the free intercourse of all on the common platform of equality. It cannot be disguised, however, that there were certain semioracles, who commanded more deference on acccount of superior intelligence and culture than others whose opportunities had not been so favorable.

The intercourse among the young folks was of the most agreeable nature. Though they met on the level and parted on the square, there were some of the young men more than others " ladies' men," and some of the young ladies belles of a high order, yet there was nothing of jealousy or envy engendered.

Balls and parties of modern style had not been introduced ; indeed, there was too much work to be done, both in the house and in the field, to think of amusements. There was always meeting on Sunday, and the young folks would go and come together as often as convenient Meeting was generally held at Mr. Hathaway's, or Josey Coe's, and Mr. Barbee's was a central point at which to rendezvous, being a pleasant walk from there to meeting. Carriages and buggies, be it remembered, had not been introduced, and could not have been easily used on account of bad roads. When the distance was too far to walk, they traveled on horseback ; a boy in the saddle, and a girl behind him. All parties enjoyed that mode of traveling hugely, (the idea suggested itself to us to leave off the " e "). Young gentlemen then were called boys, and young ladies girls. It was but seldom that there would be preaching before Brandon and the Kyles came 'out, which must have been in 1806, as Thomas B. Kyle and Lucy Barbee were married in April,

First Preaching

Perhaps the first preaching in the county took place in Stephen Dye's bam in the summer of 1806, by Rev. Mr. Carmel, a Baptist minister. A company of twenty or more went from west of the river, among whom were James Orr and John Johnston, and Lucy Barbee, who was the acknowledged belle of the neighborhood. Jimmy and John were and neither dare ride with Lucy in presence of his rival. Coming home, upon one occasion, just as they arrived at Coe's Ford, Johnston's nose began to bleed, and he was obliged to get off his horse and wait till it stopped. During his delay the company had all crossed the river. The river was very high to ford, but, having a large, powerful horse, he started in at a trot In the center of the stream his horse broke down and landed him in the water. The current was strong, and the river deep, and, being encumbered with heavy velvet wrappers, while he could rise to his feet, he could not navigate. This seemed a favorable opportunity to Jimmy to get nd of his rival j but he was the first to ride in and assist him to the shore. lUther an amusing anecdote is related by Mr. Tullis, in which John and Lucy were Dipal e8Peci.aUy the latter. It seems John had a very peculiar gait ; s ppea very short and quick, and worked his head and arms vigorously meanwhile, ne ay when the old folks and John - who boarded there - were from home, and 8he' ^uided by the spirit of fUn, and, without the fear of to rooDa' put on *** cl°the8, came down into the yard, and began u118 ln imitation of John's peculiar gait ; while in ths midst 85e ?et John face to face, which caused the show to break up in consternation, and she to retire to female habiliments again.

McCullough families came to the count nize with the other troduced. The neighbors east of the river did not frate e m this enterprise. The first school organized comprise ment was a little different then - th 0 . n<* ^Gt ]t was 8oft and musical. The arrangehighest female voices ; the nextorcofntor P WaS ?Ued treble- and sung byTe was tenor then, sung L thTiond'^ T» ^ the ^ female ; the Perhaps the counter wabettmuini loudest male voices, and the bass as now mg the face of a white woman aWl'ti?0'*!1 Amenca for nearly a year without seeelevation. We found our inM* *- the effect was not at all conducive to our moral winism. Fortunately ^ 'T** ^nesToS

McCorekle, as he was familiarlv c/ltod not suffer m this direction. Old Joe daughters, who, on short notice we^'J^0 Carolina with four buxom May Leavel, a merchant by the' n^Z !?P{?pnated b>' Armstrong Brandon, name is unknown to histon- H"ree> and the other by a man whose the fox in the fable took T ,i,.T n Tere 1" due lun6 disposed of. Mr. Kyle like "mver got to wear John's h.?r two contending rivals, and she ®feck on hand was getting fownM ntlP^? <i?l j,,.as she had literally. As the an mdispensibleX'icte"1 It couMonfv h^hi gatherings, whisky was always When a settler would - i?-0Uic* onv be obtained, at a very early dav at Davton ^vendoth^^anS^-agon to mill he Would t7ke hilj^'and l^ly Henry Orbison^roml^^f^^h 8 "fifr - ^ 1807, a man bjthe name of ^qua. It is ^ that ^ a distillery at the east side of the river at

{muse loft, when the bovs 'dJare8: u^®* of them keP' il in the milktheir heart's content A n^th "ld knock out 11,6 bun£> and with a straw imbibe to jjwer, back of Mr. BenjaTto jaiZ? "rt ^ bj Gaha8an' the bank of the femily arrangement Mr On'ld^ n k 9°pper 8tl118 were also used as a kind of manufactured quite a good a machine of this kind with which he

''®6> hut soon hisXsWnJ? 8"P6rmtend «t All things progressed finely for a *othont malt, neither Sd if be?me dlsturbed. He could not make whiskv ' When he would go into !?- b* ®u^.e malt w,thout stirring the grain on Sunday, would whisper ir/his M, f.'u ma,t-liouse on Sunday to stir his malt, conscience did he becomA^if'.A .R6member the Sabbath day to keep it holy." So dis- , hat he tore down his foresee, dischaiged the young man, and advocated the cause of temperance. Mr. Orbison used to relate a little anecdote connected with his distillery. One evening after he had shut the fire off of the worm, and was comfortably seated at bis fireside, a neighbor called with a pint flask to be filled with whisky, as he was suffering the agonies of total abstinence. Mr. Orbison expressed his sympathy, but he could not fill his flask. It was dark, raining, and very muddy ; and the still-house some distance off. His customer replied : " It's a bad condition of things, I know, but my case is desperate ; come, get on my back, and I'll carry you to the still-house." The task accomplished, and ^ the flask having been filled : " Now, your health," said his customer, " Not yet, ' replied Orbison. " It was for your benefit that I came here, now you shall go back for mine. I'll carry your bottle, and you'll carry me." Without more ado, the customer picked him up and toted him back.

__ drawing a contrast between the past and the present, we arc led to inquire, What have all the refining influences of Christianity and civilization done to elevate the standard of the female sex to a higher position in society ? Suppose a youth of eighty years ago should call to pass an hour or so with his lady love and find her m frizzles, spit-curls, etc.,* playing on the piano or reading the last novel, while her P<x>r old mother was bending over the wash-tub ; conversely, let us suppose a youth of to-day , with his fancy livfery turnout, button-hole bouquet, patent-leather ww^gd-headed cane, blue silk rag dependent from his coat pocket, cigar, gold - or plated- - chronometer, etc., should call to take his inamorata dulcina out driving, and should find her pulling flax, or in the bam swingling the same, dressed in insey, her feet unpramped by side lace, her hair unconfined, " wooed by every wind. What would be the result in each case ? Let the reader draw the conclu- Pioneer times, the family had to be clothed, and the clothing manufactured from the raw material ; no muslin in the first decade of the nineteenth cen- T ®**PPbe~ th® place of home-made linen. The men generally sowed the flax, gaered and broke it, then left to the women the succeeding steps in its transit a J;«ni .mto,wef ring material, viz. : pulling, spreading to water, rolling, taking thu u' kao^ing, spinning, weaving and making into garments. With all in* one-half for J"ei?*l*)or' ^*ey m8et early in the morning and divide the clear- SfidTth^o^n^ .. ^^1 "d the other ttf for the afternoon ; then they sub- $2 £?ttv^Z? ^ dm<^ U"h"d8. up their hats and jackets, " Mss description of an eve-witneftR^o^' w?8 t?e fir8t built in the county. From the were not what they are now ' the facUities for literary attainments through the woods to the old w jq! Ll h° °W °Ur ci.cerone alon£ a blazed Path nor says, " Come in : " we Dun^h^L^?8® ; raPPin& a Yoi<* from the far mteschoolmaster to take a seat* whin)^ latch-stnng, enter, and are requested by the e a seat, which we at once proceed to do, settling down on a aid of figures to make her caleirLfmn ^ ^dw.eU wa?.a weaver> and required the Web, and had ir G_i _ cu atl?n for warping. If she were outturn in an 800 a boy eould^t up a spirit "T® and confhsion ; and, moreover, that }?ws. Some^y^at^^^ ^P^ation by stentorian competition with his feltions were over and tha whj688' uUti1<; was agreed by all that, when the recitacould spell the loudlt shdSd «t^dT 7*7?* th<? BpeUiDg le880D'> tbe *** th&t toe end of the bench atJnZi Btan£ head' -lt was mteresting to see the boys at for the master to say "noon^n*1 e^ery muscle in a quiver, waiting says the uses and abu^of^w^t11?' Mr' a^9 WaS fche PrinciPai speaker. He ances for literary pulses Who ^have undeiKone as great changes as the appli- ^ere tales in eariv timM^/i ^bat we, in this age of refinement, call auctions, to commence, thecri^^UnU th® a"ctl?neer crier. When the sale was about and invite competition moiJ?t a h01' with a bottle of whisky in his hand, hlm- It would We WnWayS °Fenng a "dram" to the next bidder to inspire or busk a crop of " P/cppsterous to have attempted to cut a field of wheat, cradles were introdn^ ^sky. The wheat was cut with sickles, before

Corn-Hu8Kjng

The modus operandi with com was for all hands to go to the field and jerk off and throw in heaps until dinner ; after dinner, to take out the wagon and haul it home. It was either thrown in one long pile, or, what was better, in two piles ; and, when the crop was gathered, all the neighbors came together for a night husking ; two captains would be appointed to divide the hands, and, if the com was all on one pile, a rail was laid so as to divide it equally. One captain had first choice of hands, the other choice of heaps. Then all went to work with a will. The cry would frequently be heard, " It's a great while between drams." When one party would get done, they would put the bottle into the hand of the captain, and two stout men would take him, one by each leg, and " hoist the captain " and carry him over to the other side. The swinging of hats, and the shouts of victory, " made the welkin ring," and then all would drink. It was not always the best huskers that were the first choice, but one who could hide most com in the husk, in the husk-house, was sought after.

John- S. Williams, of the Pioneer , says that he and his brother went to a Friends' settlement to a husking in 1804 ; as usual, the heap was divided, and they were chosen on opposite sides. Peach brandy flowed freely. He thought to be a man he must drink when men drank, and the consequence was, he got most gloriously drank. The last remembrance of the husking he had was throwing com in the husk.' Total abstinence from all remembrance overtook him till they let him fall in carrying him to the house. Again he relapsed into total forgetfulness till 3 o clock, when he awoke with the chimney at the wrong end of the house, his brain turned topsy-turvy, and his feelings otherwise much worse than when he took the quack medicine 'above described. His brother had gone home ; he followed him at daylight, and joined him at work. He expected the Friends would disown him, and was afraid to go to meeting or see an overseer for months.

Game And Hunter8

- afforded sustenance and delightftil retreats for every species of game ; from fish to otter; from the squirrel to the cougar and bear. The scream of the " painter " a**d u16 squall of the wildcat, mingled with the sweet song of the thrush and .°^ wo^» drowned the melodious notes of the mocking-bird, while stolid brain roamed the woods, with no ear for music, except the squealing of the pioneer hog. The rifle was an inmate of every household, in the use of which our forefathers were very familiar, and who were very solicitous in keeping it in perfect working condition. Those who could afford it, kept two rifles, one for large forty pound, and a smaller, or squirrel rifle, running

120 or 130 or 140 bullets to the pound. The powder-horn was made from °i th? °X' 5°Ued' "ld scraped so thin as to transmit the rays of light, a ^ of wood neatly fitted to the bottom, and a plug inserted in the smaller of 1816, whose quarters are S' hit "JtlJle!Lby Hem7 Kerns in the fall Dr. Coleman, who ateaSi^! 400 P°unds- It was seen by to its extSiLiy ^ZnditZ Z Sf toi*« immense size, as well Z inches of fat Whited Zre C0Ve/ed with ^m three to four in an early day, very plentiful Tn «*-« ly scarce, deer, on the contrary, were, not unusual to seeLPZnv L ^".a J°Tey fro.m StiUwater to the Miami, it was approached on horseback* \Z? to 8ometl®es ^ore, very tame, and easily quantities w Zt"! cornin' former .,mode was made use of when mils high, and covered and an nnenin i a U^r^ralj D®n was imd up, about ten corn was sown : the turkeys in nielrino' *be h0**0®) al°ng which a train of and, as a turkey wLn Pfag ,up 'he corn> would foll<>w it into the pen, from four directtona adZS^ - f®r.the °?mPanJ- of ab°ut 150 men to come in before any shooting 'was allow^,nV°^ard/ common center, of one mile square, limits, the shwtiM bM^ andZe11*^ the game within the prescribed tion. The cireleZsiHr^!!! the crock of nfles could be heard in every direcmenced. The deercould °Sed *2 a mde 8<luare> and the firing re-comevery direction Zd Zlr M?* fr?m side.to side, turkeys running in five to the prof^fonaf f the county treasury. Thts was a powerful incencaput on every exenrator.hU«teifcfud Lupus was in continual danger of losing his was one Tom Rowers wh2 aftjr ^hmutton. One of his most inveterate enemies sins, buckskin by nature to his calling. Six feet high, with moccabehind, lOTgbl^^' WJT,UB' ?olfakin °?P. the tail hanging down heavy rifle pouch and he d beard, leather belt, with large knife and tomahawk, ciateofwolvCbL^ldZr^ co.n8pired *? «»der him in appearance a fit ass£ he was not soon forgotten**^ ^enize118 of ^orest '> ***&, once 86611 by his fellows, used as stoKs-hn^^0^ Afferent stations along' his line of operations, which he the secondare venison, turkeys, coon-skins, and wolf-scalps, and for to town twin** o ' an7 °theF ^ame was slain simply for food. Tom generally came with him othor *° e^change his wolf-scalps for their price in cash, bringing advantaap IUr8i 8UC" 93 coon-skins, mink, and an occasional otter. He took wolf and G P?^3110^ that delightful perfhme, asafoetida, in attracting the 816 lost in wh' l l^ge quantities of it to use on his traps. Although records the samp Wtl tbe numl)6r of wolf-scalps were kept, with the amount paid out for In thf w*Wf a^f assure<l that Tom drew largely therefrom, was the dpli Jk* p' u wc!ul^ spend a few days in the settlement, at which time he gut of the circle of men and boys who eagerly listened to his many tales of contests with wolves and bears while alone in the forest, none of which, unfortunately, have been preserved. Tom was exclusively a hunter, and never invested his earnings in public lands. He was known as Old Tom Rogers for forty years, during which time his domain was invaded by the settlers, his game driven off or killed, and Tom, at the age of nearly fourscore, retired from active duties and sought rest and shelter in the County Infirmary, in which he spent the few remaining years of his life, meditating upon and, recounting the scenes of his many adventures, and finally, in about three years after his admission (1859), passed from earth.

Coons were very numerous, and generally hunted with dogs, at night, when the deep baying of the hound was sweet music to the pioneer boy, as well as frill-grown man. The flesh of the coon was relished by the Indians, but to the white man the skin was of value as a general currency at from two to four bits, according to value.

Pigeon Roosts

It was stated by the earliest settlers, that in 1803 there was a pigeon-roost back of Staunton, extending about two miles in length to Spring Creek, and half a mile in width, where the pigeons congregated by the million during the breeding season, constructing as high as a hundred nests in a single tree-top. The noise of tiiis place, made by the continual fluttering, and breaking ofiimbs, could be heard for quite a distance, and each morning, it is said, the ground was strewn with dead aJ1")WOUn^e^ birds, so that the pioneer in the vicinity had pigeon without gun or

As late as 1818 there was another pigeon-roost, twelve miles east of Troy. Dr. ixueman says he visited this roost with a party of men at night. They arrived at the locality about sunset, as the pigeons began to come in. The noise of the pigeons coming in was like the roar of a cataract, for an hour and a half, till some time after night. It being moonlight, they experienced no difficulty insecuring at ul supply of the feathered game. Since the beech timber has been cut away, and thegpigeon harvest destroyed, they have become scarce.

On account of their continual inroads upon the corn-fields, the gray squirrel the settlers. The large amount of dead timber leit standing afforded them an asylum from which they could invade the corn-fields, for w " amPk store ; for they are very provident and Indus, fP Pg' when their little stock of nuts was growing scarce, they would dig up the cron^ fw,m fh! t^e*r principal ravages were committed on the growing as sometime* Wl8 *** mdb *U1 matured : and they were so numerous district None but expSt? com *<^P8 dunng a hunt of six day® V1 tbe rifles, a loader scalner^ajiri for the prize, each killer was allowed two the other s,de and pass on their <Swie 8eno.U8 1088 of lives, land on bers were slam, the boys and men knopfrin^fi?^ Migrations immense num- The stampede of 1828 lasted 111 tlle bead wi^h clubs.

square, left open on top Meat wn « t Jnodeni <laad trap, with a hole about two feet ^ up the sloping skies and *he" PIaced lnside, and the wolf would climb with meat and his t&SStaSS ^ the bole, but, when he hASnThe

! those days, and to be made the -ei^ b^ means insignificant affaire become envied by the disannrtmwf ^^7 rfclPlent of one on mail day was to stamped envelop Ed not V taSE? " not been 80 lunate. The finely scented note nanor ho?611 /?ventec^' an<* 8u°b a thing as delicately tinted

O the day. C Am^oU^d £ ** th® most "^3 b^nk Page ; the necessity " mucifo« f!f' ,'he ""Inscription written on a »d sealing-wax answered b^wn, inasmuch as a wafer or

"usious lookers-on a look of han^ht^ ^jd-camer, who, giving the crowd of exchanged, then, with tL inifference' waited till its contents were

They started with bright anticipations of fine sport in killing squirrels. As the older was quite proficient in the use of the rifle, he was allowed to take his father 8 can, and the little nine-year old boy, with a good rest, could bag hwsquirrel at I brother George with it" These loving words were the last ever addressed to her sons by that mother in Greenbrier County. As her longing gaze followed their al the south. The old men, women and children fled westward, in the direction or Stillwater, and the captive boy, George, fled with them, leaving his white ^jenas behind. The cause of alarm was the army of Gen. G. R. Clarke, who invaded the Miami country in 1782 and set fire to the Indian villages and carried general consternation and destruction wherever he went. Camping near the present site or Piqua, he kept up a continual skirmish with the Indians during the night, and in the morning he burnt the village, destroyed their com and returned. The marks of a six-pound shot used against the Indians on this occasion, were plainly visible in a red-oak tree that stood near the spot in which the family of Col. John Johnston now lies buried, in Upper Piqua Cemetery, forty-five years after the battle.

During the night of this battle the captive, George, was dodging through the brush in the direction of Stillwater, with no exalted opinion of soldiers who would expel defenseless women and children from their homes to wander, hungry and | half naked, in the woods. Severe as this was to George, it was the indirect means of his restitution to his parents. Through other prisoners, who were either recaptured or escaped during Clarke's expedition, Mr. Moffltt obtained knowledge of the whereabouts of his lost boy, and soon after effected his release. Let us go back to the bereaved parents when they learned that their children were captured. The father sold his possessions in Virginia, and moved to Blackford Co., Ky., hoping thereby to be nearer, and more easily learn the fate of his lost ones. John Moffitt s captivity continued more than two years after his brother was restored, the details of which we are unable to give. He was ransomed, it appears, at Detroit by French traders, who had been employed b\T the father ever since their capture 1 skin, cut df a ^uAhere f^°ffltt hu"S >t up, skinned and dressed it, tied up the and, biddW hfof^lPVe hC rema,nder to p-> shouldered his venison, and rifle, killed an ifdten fhMlTrnln^' 8tar^dhome. George used to tell how he once head he and an Tn «' 6 if CHi)t,lve' . Before the Indian hair had grown on his bare with pebbKnWHt g re^Skm pere'sted m pecking him on his bare skull was a captive and whaTw!^11 S°re' Mo54[ gre,w vei7 W bnt. knowing he much larger and stmnatr Th , "T Powerful sedative, the young savage was tunity hewaited tinTi? t °l?n *6' Smotbenng his anger, and watching his opporinstruments offo^il^ T"dla" wf stooping down near the water's edge for more fair and whe" he threw a large stone with all his might, hitting him again b>m sprawling into the deep water fifteen feet below, never to rise was found tnd *be ^nsaction, and George was silent on the subject. The fortunate! v ri. hls deatb was supposed to have been the result of accident, and, exception are ®evenJlau?hters to the age of maturity, who, with one to the memorv resting m four different States. While we pay a tribute the noble wnl! th,fSe P1<5heer fathers, we think equal praise and honor is due to We cannot s??n,4.- ° ®liared all the privations of pioneer life as wife and mother, of a woman c.ose tb*8 sketch without a brief notice, however imperfect, circumstfmn^)!!|eSSiln?Vin an eminent degree, those innate qualities that, under all life was ^fr8 the true lad3r> noble woman and devoted wife. Though her ronndinJTarS1 *2 the rude loo_cabin of the pioneer, that humble abode, in its surradiant with d, 1 "Comments, evidenced the neat mistress that made its rude walls blessed th* ®fteer> a"d the seven fair daughters, modest, intelligent and industrious.

Townshin ih i?' fnd cleared out a forest home in the woods of Newton whosp nil At,out this time two more families strengthened the feeble colony, Present oif ^a^an and John Hill, also from Carolina, settling near the ini? a nma Pleasant Hill. Joseph Culbertson located in Troy in 1808. Keceivbauled th^t ot *n WOO(ls fr°m ^r- Gahagan, he cut logs, Peter 'well cabin in uu 18 ^ot' an(*> w^b the assistance of his neighbors, soon ere ted a commod t * a*nf ma<*e bats f°r the settlers ; also paying for his house in this up b us in1 ^ a u 8uPe^8e<llng coon and rabbit-skins, he lost his trade, and wound that hant^f/* 8a^S °f that he was an excellent hotel keeper ; he had none of teur that would repel a rustic traveler ; no pomposity or ostentation.

When he was addressed, either by a near neighbor or Gen. Harrison, with " How do you do, Mr. 0 ? " his answer invariablj* was, " 0 do' n'ow - -jest midlin' - how is't yourself ? " Like And}* Johnson, he rose from humble life to an honorable position.

When Staunton was in her glory, he held an honorable position among the yeomanry. A man of leisure, though not inactive, he spent his nights in a bark canoe, hunting deer in the Miami. Placing a bright light in the bow of the canoe, and secreting himself* behind a screen, when he would see a deer in the water, he would noiselessfy approach, and the deer, totally absorbed in looking at the light, would remain motionless until shot by the unerring rifle of the hunter. This afforded but a meager support for his wife and two children, John and Suze. When Troy became the county seat, embryo politicians sprang up like mushrooms, and citizens increased rapidty. Mr. Overfield caught the fever, and resolved to improve it by his hotel. He bought a lot of Loury & Westfall, for $95, and gave a mortgage on the premises, fifteen bushels of corn, one barrel of whisky, one mare and colt, one cow and calf, one yearling bull, seventy -eight hogs, three beds and bedclothes, four bedsteads, two tables, one chest, one spinning-wheel, one corner cupboard, ten splint bottom chairs, three kettles, two Dutch ovens, one tea kettle, one pot, one frying-pan, and all the queensware and glassware, and, not " coming to time on the payment, his mortgage was renewed, and a few more articles added, which he finally redeemed.

Mr. Overfleld was a political economist, and, learning that tea was coming up, he came over to the store one day, and stepping up to the proprietor said, " Have you any good tea ? Being answered in the affirmative, and asked how much he wanted, he replied, " O do' n'oow, it's no use to be comen every day for a quarter, three pounds, received his tea, and as he left remarked to a friend, "he don t know tea s gone up."

From 1808 till 1811, the immigration was so rapid, and improvements so many and the changes so various, that we are compelled to leave the field of specific minutiae and ascend to broad generalities. We shall therefore, to a great extent, leave henceforth the individual settlements to be discussed under the Township mstory , and deal with subjects of general application. Rumors of Indian troubles oame trembling through the distant settlements during the year 1809 andsucceed- ^ ^creased, the pioneers began to take precautionary measures for the protection of their families and themselves. By this time towns had

to °yer,t«e COun> Pi<lua> Wd out June 29, 1807, was rapidly t^P°?U at10? wealth. In September, 1807, the Commissioners appointed to select a spot for the location of the and northeast quarter of Section 28, Township 5, reSrt drtSd W WS^lu,e drawn ^ ^ mouth of the Great Miami. The JoseDh Lamb as rv,' was signed by Jesse Newport, Daniel Wilson and wlpurcfil of site atout 120 acres, which

Troy, but not quite eaual tn^fhf i°fr£v<dry between the cities of Piqua and Staunton, the oldest to it 5** war, of which old Homer sang, century, and first known as the n t**?' a?' .was l*"* out early in the nineteenth of Justice. The town of Milton "on'InJ10'!' and' *" 1807, became the first Seat Joseph Evans. t0n' 0,1 StlUwater, was laid out May 6, 1807, by seeds of dissension, war and bloodshed amo^g thd^ brethr^' !?winf the of which were soon to burst upon the unprotected frontteL "^u!en ;theL effects seh, SnaSKTtl? Indlat during ^ «*» of Tecumof the United States, he would Derhansfhe thTf ? 14 76re not for the v'cinity rival in gloiy either Mexico or ^ni Jv? foIu"der1°/ a". empire that would he has been in content motion v' N° docilities deter him. For four yearn short time hear of him on the shores nfT .^^day on the Wabash, and in a of the Mississippi, and wherever heli^, or.M,chl^". or on the banks purpose. He is now nnon th2 w g ,h® makes a" impression favorable to his I hope/ however Wo^fhb. LTfs1'.40 pUt a finishing stroke to his work, aquiline teeth lsnm. ai,j 1 r with a forehead foil and high, his nose slightly arched brows which incr^^th^ penetrating and overhung with heavy, countenance ' He is renr^^d^K naiform £ gra'e and severe expression of his ably flnfrlTOkii^ man *^1 ^ 'u08* who. kne.w him to have been a remarkpersonal presence The Indians^-1' ^Ut Deait *" h*8 dress, and of a commanding colored decorations of d ' "* very fond of gaudy and highthe spoUs of war were often *0 Tecumseh was an exception. Although

He even gave awav Xe^lff heal.ways wore a deerskin coat and pantaloons, great aimwas neither ti^ y ^ ^ "^""d h'8 Person by Gen. Brock. His a woman n^med Man Ji lu "°fr. vai" 8how, but glory. He was married at 28, to and mentally ^*5?^ SnfoJta tha" himself, who, it appears, was, both physically A panfoeS^p^' - H" °n'y Ch"d' a 8°D' was named Pugeshashenwa and foflmflTOkiWn He was kind ""d attentive to the aged when winter annmfew^ - y the,lr. comfort;> repairing their frail wigwams ing with them^the eho^' ?mng them skins for moccasins and clothing, and sharwere these acts^of k^dT ' *0! wh*ch woodB "d *»» reasons afforded. Nor but, on the contrar^ llf 688! be*t°"'e1d exclusively on those of rank or reputation, charity and in « 3' - , mace *t his business to search out the humblest objects of never Med inwLq«let' "nostentatious manner, relieve their wants. Tecumseh was his illnatrirw liquor, and was opposed to the torture of prisoners, as of Gener^lTandW^^rrlfiniy °ne °/ n,atures noblemen, whether seated at the table his iMn^. _?d f"? ?.h officers of the highest rank, or around his own camp-fire, vulgarity ^ indicated true dignity, ease and grace, devoid of coarseness and dent of thpUR ^ ^ia 'humanity and dignity, we beg leave to subjoin an inciis a strono- !25? Jort1Me,jgs- It is invested with double interest also, as there volunteers proDabl,lt^ that it was participated in by some of the Miami County

The plan was for Clay to descend the river in flats ; Clay was to detach 800 men, who should be landed on the left bank of the river, where they were to attack the English batteries, spike the cannons and destroy the carriages, then retreat to the fort, while the remainder of the troops were to land on the side next to the fort and cut their way to it through the Indians. When Clay approached the fort, he detached Col. Dudley to attack the batteries. To divert the attention of the English and Indians, Gen. Harrison ordered Col. Miller, with his famous Four Regulars, to make a sortie on the side of the river on which the fort stood. He attacked the batteries, spiked the cannon, and, though the English outnumbered him, he took about forty prisoners and completely routed them. Col. Dudley raised the Indian yell, and captured the batteries on the opposite side of the river, but, neglecting to spike the cannon, and lingering on the spot,' his scouts were fired upon by Indians in ambush. Indians began to swarm around him ; Tecumseh swam the river and rushed with his savage hordes upon his rear ; Col. Dudley fell by the tomahawk, and scarcely 200 out of the 800 men reached the fort. The American prisoners were taken to the old Fort Miami, in which they were confined. Here the infamous Proctor allowed the Indians to butcher the Americans with the tomahawk and scalping-knife, and torture them as their fancy suggested ; he is said to have witnessed the massacre of over twenty prisoners in this place. Tecumseh now made his appearance, ignorant of what was going on inside of the fort A British officer described his conduct, on this occasion, to an American. He said that suddenly a thundering voice was heard, speaking in the Indian tongue ; he looked around and saw Tecumseh, riding as fast as his horse could carry him, to a spot where two Indians had an American killing him ; Tecumseh sprang from his horse, and, catching one Indian by the throat and the other by the breast, threw them to the ground. The Chief then drew his tomahawk and scalping-knife, and, running between the prisoners and the Indians, brandished the weapons madly and dared an}' of the hundreds of Indians around him to touch another prisoner. His people seemed much confounded. Tecumseh exclaimed, passionately, " Oh, what will become of my Indians ! "

He then inquired where Gen. Proctor was, when, suddenly seeing him at a short distance, he demanded of the commander why he had allowed this massacre.

Through the eloquence, energy and skill of this wonderful Indian, combined with the efforts of his crafty brother, the Prophet, the most of the tribes were induced to join the English against the Americans in the war of 1812. The Miamis, and part of the Shawanoes, remained friendly to the Americans through the influence of Little Turtle and Black Hoof, but, on the death of the former, the Miamis yielded to the fiery eloquence of Tecumseh and joined his band, and thus the frontiers were again plunged in an Indian war. In October, 1811, Gen. Harrison led his army, consisting of the Fourth United States Infantry, under Col. Miller, and three or four mounted regiments of Kentucky Volunteers, through Troy, to meet the combined armies of the Indians under Tecumseh and the Prophet, at Tippecanoe. On the 17th of November following, the decisive battle of Tippecanoe was fought, which resulted in the defeat of the Indians and the loss of the Prophet's control m'JQds ?f his red brethren, he having, previous to the battle, th6m th/' the 0reat SPirit h«l promised them certain victory, destroyed, and several forts were built for the protection ' ".ulCn quletS1 the Indians for a time ; but, in the meantime, our araGnBribin were alarming shape, and war was on our vessels, impressed our seamen and treated us our neonle An*L+ ,1 n'ier' untl a sP>"t of military retaliation took possession of and amiroved hv tha 7&T "gainst Great Britain was passed by Congress ch®8Jers command, and a reDetition fl P611111**11^ tbe butchery of Gen Win rebuke by Tecumseh, ^^TmoFo FolVT atk Fort Meigs^nd tosse^ere ericans, and served to excite in the hi*. * ^ be, are too well known to ail revenge, which was manifested^ sever^S^ a bitter spWt o^ Having cursorily set out thA * 8 .^uent occasions. H

^ the - y ^ xpedltlon mth°ut any further demonstramencementtf *^^1" ?*«» the Indians at the compere generally allied, correspond "Ind .f?UowmS summer, with whom they toon through Canada. ?uPP,ie8 of arms and ammunC m a somewhat uneasy 000^1^ calc,uated to beep frontier settlers had> in 'be spring before I; Z?J^- elt fSUred of safety, as the organized a military force at n.T " declaration of war, on June 15 1812

Mrttn^T1?8 ""d Defiance. After' tJj°m °f ta^"g the route n®rth ^ft to Urbana, and took the nZir a three daJ8 consultation, they turned intention of the Govemnentto^iZ111? route ^ the Maumee.' It was the declaration of war, but from thl diiZLtbl3 force at Detroit at the time of the tbej did not arrive as exacted Th^7 movemente and difficulties encountered, became informed of the e^Stion^nV consequence was, the British and Indians command of the lake mdC IT^ prepared to meet it The British, having been sent by water from m ^ar£e portion of the army supplies, which had ?*d Indians, to resist anv *2?. assembled a considerable force of British

* "ot my intention to^telTe e^^a^r *» Canada, as intended. It it proved most disastrous The whei V**8 camPal#n> Ihrther than to state that August following ; and with it tb. k f surrendered to the British in

Ohm, as far east as the Reseree^eiYw8 ?u JJIohlSan Territoiy, and Northwestern "hies. The British were ' ff- m<? the bands of the British and their Indian session of all the settlements, 1fnactl!'e after this success, but took immediate posted on the site oltoe old BH^r^;^ the Maumee BaPids- where theyforpeat gloom and excitement in* Hh ^r- T^r "ews of Cen- Hull's disaster produced stationed there, under Capt. Ray, an old, worn-out Revolutionary officer, with little energy, and with difficulty restrained from surrendering. There was at this time a regularly organized regiment of militia, with two small independent companies of riflemen, in Miami County. The whole country north and west of the present limits of Miami County was open to even* depredation the Indians might attempt. Immediately preparations for the defense of the frontier were made. The two companies of riflemen of Miami were stationed at Greenville to form a military fort. Soon word came that the British and Indians, under Tecumseh, were penetrating th$ country by the Maumee River, and next that Fort Wayne was besieged by the allies. Tins increased and extended the excitement, and several regiments of militia from counties below were assembled at Piqua, Gen. Meigs and other principal State officers being present After a day s consultation, a regiment of 700 or 800 volunteers from the various regiments was organized, equipped and started for the relief of Fort Wayne, military stations being established at Loraimie, old Fort St. Mary's and Shanesville. A slight correspondence was maintained by an adventurer running the blockade. Stephen Johnston, brother of Col. Johnston, father of Maj. Stephen Johnston, of Piqua, who had been acting as subagent at Fort Wayne, was killed by the Indians in attempting to run this blockade.

A line of military posts was established along the frontier, consisting of blockhouses and stockade inclosures. The principal of these stations were : Greenville, one at the mouth of Greenville Creek (now Covington), one at Piqua, one at the mouth of Turtle Creek, and one on the Miami River. The two companies t>f riflemen of the Miami regiment were stationed at Greenville, under the command of Major Charles Wolverton, Greenville being considered an important fort at this time, though there were but a few families within what are the present limits of Darke County. Upon the approach of the forces sent to the relief of Fort Wayne, the British and Indians retired from the siege of the fort down the Maumee River. It is not my intention to make farther allusions to the war operations in the north which followed the disaster of Hull's surrender, of the large force sent north, nor of the alternate victories and defeats for the next two years, and which only ended with Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie on September 10, 1814, and soon after the re-capture of Detroit, and the defeat of the British and Indians at the River Thames. I will merely state some matters of interest relating to Miami County during the war. Much credit is due to Col. John Johnston, Indian Agent, for his influence with a portion of the tribes of his agency. By direction of the Government, as many of the tribes or parts of tribes as could be induced to maintain peaceable relations were, in the spring of 1813, called in and assembled near the agency, at Upper Piqua, to the number of some five or six thousand men, women and children, and fed by the Government, with a view, in part, to their protection, and to keep them from the influence of the more hostile tribes. During the first year of the war many councils were held with such Indian chiefe as b® induced to come into the agency, in order to secure friendly relations with as many of the tribes as could be induced to remain at peace ; but, notwithstanding the influence brought to bear upon the Indian tribes of the Northwest, the greater part of them remained hostile during the war. These councils were of excittng interest at the time. Gov. Meigs, and United States Senator Jeremiah Moirow, and Thomas Worthington, were present at some of them, in the autumn ol 181 A These councils were generally held at the village of Washington, B wnter was at some of them, and also several times visited the Indian encampment referred to. There was usually some amusement f ndihL°Wo l^0?VUch as wrestling, foot-races, etc., between the red-skins the T£e In?lan8 were generally the fleetest on foot, but in wrestling afternoon - « fff °*tenest .uppermost There were frequently Indian dances in the this lin«» 'fiAma P u£® °P tobacco would procure an interesting entertainment in a circle on thp Indians, in a half-nude state, would assemble in services of the friendly IndL winriore » t V ^ deCh?ed offer of 'he Indian character, and there was ' but . °f inactmty did not suit the them in the great contest going onTh^tkL**' 'f °m Govenunent did not employ P"rty- Finally, after ^ch c^un^lin^ ' a /0Ung men would S° *0 the British given to employ Tnw;nr. warriors^ d Government conference, authority was »d Quipped & riSeme J m^ed frZS? tT?.°r "mpanies were raised front, and were reported to have nerfiwLoX wtute?' ""d "a* to the command in remainder of the war. performed very important service during the the fiunily were teL to ?he fort k/J/ name 5 KiUbuck' The Remainder of Indian Agent, Col Johnston k pt !-or some time, and sent under guard to the ville, and ordered the r^toretion ofP^P y ret"raed tbem Penally to Greenand then sent them to their tribe * tbe'r ProPerty> made them some reparation,

Killing 0 F Dilbone And Wipe

Indians, one a lad half i^P' fled' , Xt aPPears that in this foray there were two just before night Dilh«frdWn' and on^ kad one rifle. These murders being afternoon, and^e writ^^K- f°U.nd tiI1 *?ext morning. He lived till thf these parties passed nrivnffi* f£m Tto ki8 death. It was ascertained that diately went on north to t^V^w1 tblS Indian e^P at the agency, and imme- Indians who committo^^6 Bntlsj1 to f6061^ their reward for the scalps. The e^oe from the Indio n 686 murder8> it was supposed, came down the river in a of three or four Tnd?QnfnCampment£ under the Suise of a ^ng party, as a party the river, near thp tbe ^ter of this article, among others, on

P^ed rather mysteriouslyf Spnng Creekj the evening previous, and they disapftumom°0f these persons, great alarm took place along the frontier.

upon the frontier settlers was apprehended. Quite a number of block-houses were erected by settlers, as places of retreat in case of an attack, a few families associating in lie erection of each. There was much excitement, and apprehension of Indian troubles during the remainder of the year 1813, and men in considerable numbers were kept in the line of the frontier for its protection. Three or four persons were killed by the Indians in the vicinity of Greenville, but no ftirther outbreaks of consequence occurred during the war.

Difficulties being arranged with the tribes immediately on the north and a large force in the northwest the assemblage of Indians at the agency was removed to their own homes, thus relieving this portion of our great cause of apprehended danger. During these troubles the greater number of the friendly Indians, who had not been influenced by Tecumsch and the Prophet, were assembled in the vicinity of Piqua, under the control of CoL John Johnston, Indian agent The tribes which claimed and received protection from the United States, were the Shawanoes, Delawares, Wyandots in part, Ottawas in part, a portion of the Senecas, the Munseys and Mohicans. A few remained at Zanesfleld, Toledo, and Upper Sandusky, under the control of Maj. B. F. Stickney. The number at Piqua perhaps amounted to not less than 6,000. These, so long as they remained friendly, were a bulwark to the frontiers. But the sagacious Tecumseh, urged on by his noble British coadjutors, sent his emissaries into their camps and sought every means to win them over ; but there was an insurmountable barrier in the presence of Col. John Johnston, whose influence more than counterbalanced all Tecumseh's specious arguments and the high price offered by the British for American scalps. Knowing that so long as Johnston was alive they could not effect their object, therefore various plots for his assassination were devised. Surrounded by Indians, a price upon his head, rising in the morning with no assurance of living till night, retiring at night expecting to be murdered in his bed, he remained at his post, though often warned by the friendly chiefs of certain death, and by them advised to seek safety elsewhere. The Government had placed him there, his duty required his presence; and honor and his country, and the safety of his companions on the frontier, forbade his leaving the post. His wife, with true womanly devotion, and heroism characteristic of the women in those days, remained with him, while his family papers and valuable effects were removed to a place' of greater safety. On several occasions his life seemed to have been under the special care of Divine Providence.

Once, while he was passing near a cluster of plum trees, on his way to the Indian camp, he was accosted by a friendly Delaware woman, who told him that hostile Indians were there secreted to murder him. The alarm soon spread, and the would-be murderers fled.

Shortly pnor to this, the Indians had made an unsuccessftil attack on Fort amson, after having attempted to gain admission by sending their women and children to the fort under pretense of begging food. Failing in this, they set fire 1 , and endeavored to storm it, but met a bloody repulse from Capt. Zachary Mexi<*? famf* with revenge, and stung by defeat, a large por* toon of them, partly under the lead of Pashetowa, a chief noted for his cold-blooded CTuelty, made a descent upon a little settlement called Pigeon Roost, killing twenty- "°.men "d children. The taste of blood had excited them into a 18 Air that the Chief Pashetowa, with two or three followers, ing bv secreton teem^.lhey w?1 Dilbone and his wife, the children onlyescap- ^tefbrthSdo^^ emsehres m the weeds and high grass. It is said that three ttey accused of committing CoT Eh*1* T" "jat p,ace> who" immediately pushed forward in advaZ^f .u ^ohnson (not John Johnston) company, and, on arriving at f .the regiment, with Captain Coleman s emhfT' rith much candor and promDtitude^haft^n0^' -^n<1 had been assured embtoil them with their white h tbat. the British were attempting to depredations in their vicinitv in th^I aend'ng hostile Indians to commit to them. Two mutdere ffiCh* eXpeCtatlon that the whites would charZ t the Shawanoes at Wo^gtonat StoK^h"®" ^'a bl^-house%ud previously passed that place bv tbe.^Sent tbat a hostile party had

^continual anxiety to the Government be Indians around the agency were a source Resident Monroe refused to ISthem a 8pint "f® humane tba" Politic, possession, we could have reHedonthZfidr'6 "ST* fIth their families in our white flags to pass them through thelinlw' Thougb they were supplied with militia basely fired on them though '- H°W® S.a/S tbat. on one occasion, the wounded a third, took the ^ "g \wh,te fla«. hilled two Indians, Possessed, conveyed them to EL Z® p' and-.f*r robbing them of all they onged They brought "hem to^? T h Greenville to which post the party betake them back to Greenville AndZjt**118^11' at Gl)per Piqua, who decided to

J»"riiey, but he could « obto ' u Td at Piqua for a ?uard dT the commander if he would go wfto hZ i?d,®r £ "T"' bim- He then told the five miles, through the foZsT Th0U]d/°' but-aa the distance was twenty-

Wled two girls fear GreeZille hEfit - ^^.who had shortly prior to this evil impression it would nrmto 6 bhewise refused. Col. Johnston, viewing the Mounting his horeT biddiZZ,Z^'be ¥endly Indiaps- decided' to goZone charge he started on his lonelv an f® ad.l,eu' 't appeared for the last time, with his dangers, heZched to to Greenville- which, despite could be trusted nam®1^.®11 ?b® par*' °f the Indians showed that some of them ""der the infamous 68 b®ga~ *° thicken along toe frontier ; the British, holding out other if duZZata f®.^®^ large rowards for American scalps, and committed Col T«h ¥®nl®nt8 to tbe Indians under our protection. Murders were » tionnston was each momentin danger of assassination, Dilbone and his wife were killed and scalped, Gerard was slaughtered, the excitement was intense, all the men capable of bearing arms were scouting or in the army, the women and children were huddled together in the house of a Mr. Hart, defended by only twelve men, the entire male population at home at that time. It is said the heroic women ran tears and bullets into the same mold. Six of the twelve men did picket duty, while the other six acted as a garrison. Something must be done with the Indians around the agency. About the 20th of June, Gen. Harrison held a council with the chiefs of the friendly Delaware, Shawanoes, Wyandot and Seneca tribes ; informing them that a crisis had arrived which required all the tribes who remained neutral, and who were willing to engage in the war, to take a decided stand either for the Americans or against them ; that the President wanted no false friends ; that the proposal of Gen. Proctor to exchange the Kentucky militia for the tribes in our friendship indicated that he had received some hint of their willingness to take up the tomahawk against the Americans ; and to give the United States a proof of their disposition ; they must either remove with their families into the interior, or the warriors must accompany him in the ensuing campaign and fight for the United States. To the latter condition the chiefs and warriors unanimously agreed ; and said they had long been anxious for an invitation to fight for the Americans. Gen. Harrison exacted a promise from them to fight as white men, and not slay women and children, old men or defenseless prisoners, for by their conduct he could tell whether the British could restrain Indians ; for if he could restrain them, the British could restrain theirs. Gen. Harrison humorously told them that he had been informed that Gen. Proctor had promised to deliver him (Harrison) into the hands of Tecumseh if he succeeded against Fort Meigs, to be treated as that wamor might think proper. " Now," continued he, " if I can succeed in taking Proctor, you shall have him for your prisoner, provided you will agree to treat him as a squaw, and only put petticoats upon him ; for he must be a coward who would kill a defenseless prisoner." The subject being brought before the Government, authority was given to enlist them, and the sequel proved that,. " a strong corps of Indians fought under the American standard, and were uniformly distinguished for their orderly and humane conduct." Thus was the agency at Piqua relieved °f ' * wearisome burden, and the indolent warriors utilized, who, by their orderly military discipline, proved the contemptible perfidy and cowardice of Proctor. Previous to the open attack upon Fort Wayne, but while it was closely watched by hostile Pottawatomies, Stephen Johnston, father of Maj. Stephen Johnston, of Piqua, who was a clerk in the United States factory store erected near the fort for the purpose of supplying the Indians with agricultural implements, feeling apprehensive as to the safety of his wife, whom he had sent to the frontier in delicate health, m company with Peter Oliver and a discharged militiaman, attempted to run the Indian blockade and visit her. Leaving at 10 o'clock at night, they had not proceeded far before Johnston was fired upon by six Indians and instantly killed j while tiie other two retreated to the fort before the Indians could reload their guns. An Indian was hired for $20 to bring in the body of Mr. Johnston. After this, the Indians disclosed their hostile designs by open acts of hostility. At a subsequent Pottawatomie Chief, denied the killing of Johnston by . fc orbited his base treachery by his efforts to massacre the garrison . uyiug any hostility. We subjoin an exhibition of personal bravery, which, ? enacted in this county, deserves a place in this connec- ^nr«^^lvheil8t °f ASep'?mber [History of Fort Wayne], a most interesting A Y*,teT "f1 and four Indians arrived at the fort on horseforenuMt * Indian yell of triumph. The white man, who was accomplish it, or lose his life in the efforf Wbf?P* i*,nt.he had determined to him he observed that he 'shoSd not ^ him Sn/0"' Ham80nahook ^dawith other Indians, the next moraine- thpv except ^ogan and the journey, with the common iern of hA their homes, and pursued their occurrence, untU thev came wiZ? Ia,dlaas' and without any remarkable determined to enter the in of the fort- Oliver had the road, far'the^urpo^8^' '8^.Vered that 'he enemy was concealed along to reach the beleaguered fort °-ff re"e"forcemente that might attempt across to the MaS Kvfr^iJ ^,n£ the "ain troad> cautiously movld toward the fort, in order fr! craf bo!??s 111 a thicket, and advanced on foot it still held ouf^i^^etoffa^ °f * and a8certein' if P088*'6- whether Fullv satiafvino- XI.

Particular juncture ^av1^^^ °^the- fort' " Tbe safe arrival of Oliver at that later, would no doubt fnifacuIou8- One hour sooner, or one hour which Mr. Oliver arrivwi ^ f??8 and nights, preceding or following the hour at So cSiS1^ would have afforded an opportunity for any safety." on which they had to thei,ndl^' tbat> in pacing, they saw the beds officer had been dmnir Wbd? OI}. ^Jar^-. Oliver learned that the " commanding men, entirelv unfit ^ u6?! ^ tbe. and the two Lieutenants, inefficient Prepared a letter - d ^"missions of any grade." Oliver immediately the perilous to Harrison his safe arrival at the fort, and Worthington whil* *!* tbe farn8oni an<I started the Shawanoes with it to bis comnaninna fltAi remamed at the fort At a favorable moment, Logan and Indians soon detected th 1 from, tbe fort in safety, but the watchful eye of the with bated u "bom, and they were hotly pursued. The garrison waited announced te tin* - x so?n tbe exu^tant yell of triumph set up by Logan Indians now ho«! lnmat^8' that they had passed harmless through the lines. The garrison himw^11 a , nous attack upon the fort, but were repulsed by the little > yed up by the knowledge of approaching aid. When Harrison

H18T0Ry Of Miami County

The faithful Shawanoes met the advancing army at Piqua, Ohio, and the message of Oliver was delivered to Harrison, who, upon reading it, assembled his men, and, addressing them, said, in part ; " If there is a man under my command who lacks the patriotism to rush to the rescue, he, by paying back the money received from the Government, shall receive a discharge, as I do not wish to command such." A man by the name of Miller, of the Kentucky militia, responded to the proposition. The narrator says that as he received his discharge, on the morning of the 6th, " his comrades, not willing to let him return without some special manifestation of their appreciation of his course, put him on a rail, earned him around the lines to the music of the Rogue's March, and down to the Miami, where the) took him off the rail, led him into the water, and baptized him in the name of King George, Aaron Burr, and the devil." As he came out of the water, the men stood on the bank and threw handfuls of mud on him ; then, forming into two lines in an adjacent lane, made him run the gauntlet, each one throwing a handful of dirt on him, and then let him go."

The army left the same day and camped in the woods about twelve miles from Piqua. When in the vicinity of Fort Wayne, the Indians endeavoredto surprise them in the night, but finding them prepared, reported to the main body that the " Kentucks were coming as thick as the trees.". The Indians soon raised the siege, and the army entered the fort amid the shouts of welcome from the beleaguered garrison to Gen. Harrison and the brave boys of Ohio and Kentucky. As a resume of the war of 1812, in which our county was concerned, we append an interesting letter, written by James Harvey Buchanan, and handed to us. Mr- Buchanan says that in the spring of 1812, Indian murders, burnings and thefts were common occurrences near Greenville, Piqua and Troy.

Gen. Munger, Col. Ewing and Maj. McCorkle called for a company of volunteers. The citizens readily responded to the call. On the 3d of May, at Staunton, fifty names were put on the roll, volunteers to be armed and ready to march for Camp Wayne by sunrise the 6th of May, 1812. An election forthwith, by the officers in command, was held, and, on counting the ballots, George Buchanan was elected Captain of the volunteers, John Bobo, First Lieutenant, and John McLary, Second Lieutenant, or standard bearer. Men that could not go sent their arms or substitutes. Many of the early citizens were wild with affright, and were fleeing from their homes.

Money was scarce, but patriots could rally forward to the charge without it. All arrived at Camp Wayne, a little before midnight, May 6, and in a few days rebuilt and fortified old Camp Wayne, at Greenville, Ohio - scouting the thickets and the swamps, daily taking prisoners, mostly old men, squaws and papooses? and sending them to Upper Piqua, to the Indian agent, John Johnston, residing there. ^

Guard and military operations were vigorously pushed until the first of September. The sickly season approaching, and Capt. Nesbit, Capt Brier, McLormic and Van Cleve arriving, Capt Buchanan and his company asked

Muuger to be relieved from their old position, and sent to some new place, witn the pnvilege of making new defenses. Whereupon Gen. Munger and the War Department ordered that Capt. George Buchanan and his command remove house 0rt (Covington), make defenses, place pickets and build a block-

1^93>Gen- Wayne moved his army from Fort Washington (now to Duayton' there to furnished with small boats, rafts, skiff* and canoes, to carry his cannon and mditary stores up the West Branch of the Great