USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County, Michigan, with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, palatial residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories > Part 95
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ning from point to point, sometimes in close proximity to each other, and in other cases two or three miles apart. They avoided both, as they were closely watched by Indians. At night they would turn at right angles from their general course, travel a mile or two, and encamp. By doing this they would escape the Indians who might be following.
" They reached the Portage river without difficulty, but the stream was bank full, and how to cross it was the question. They were below both the road and the trail, the latter being nearer them, and they approached the trail with great caution, and discovered between it and them two Indians watching the ford. They retreated down the river unobserved by the Indians, who were watching in an opposite direction. They found a fallen elm which had broken in two parts, one part being still held to the stump by a splinter, which they could not break. The detached part was carried to the river, cross-pieces and bark procured for fastenings, and then the other part was cut from the stump with a hatchet, mak- ing a noise which seemed to them as loud as the boom of a cannon. They made quick work in finishing the raft and crossing the stream, and no delays were in order until they were several miles distant from the place where they had made such a noise. It was just night when they crossed the river, and they traveled two hours before encamping.
"The next morning they turned their course towards the trail and crossed it. A party of Indians had passed on so recently that the bubbles still stood on the water, which flooded nearly the entire country. They traveled a short time between the trail and road, then crossed the latter, and here too they found that a party of Indians had passed along, all going towards Fort Meigs. They came into the neighborhood of the fort the same day (May 5, 1813) that the twelve hundred Kentuckians, under General Clay, through a disobedience of orders, were so cut to pieces and slaughtered by the Indians .* The Indians, emboldened by this success, immediately closed in and around the fort as before the fight. Judd and Rose lay concealed while a second sally was made from the fort to drive them off. The lines of the foe were cut, and he was driven up and down the river. As soon as the gap was of sufficient width, Judd and Rose hurried through it towards the fort. On the bank of the river, a little below the fort, were standing in line about one hundred and fifty soldiers. The two managed to keep behind trees and brush so as not to be seen by them until they reached an old log fence, about twenty rods from the line. As they jumped this fence they were discovered by the soldiers. The order was given, 'Left face! make ready!' Judd and Rose had no flag to hoist, but they immediately reversed their arms, and marched rapidly toward the soldiers. One of them they heard say, 'By God ! they are Indians !' ' Well,' said the officer in command, 'two Indians will not kill us all.' The escape from the fire of the troops was a narrow one, as the officer told them when they came up. They were taken into the fort, delivered their dis- patches to General Harrison, and gave him all the information they were in pos- session of besides.
" Frequent rains were falling, horses, beef-cattle, and every thing else were crowded inside the fort, and the mud in many places was six inches deep. Judd remained in Fort Meigs one night and one day, and the next night started on his return to Fort Stevenson. Rose was used up by the fatigue of the trip, and could not return. Judd's company was to be twelve friendly Indians and one white man. He complained to the general of the character of his company, but was assured by him of their perfect trustworthiness, and consented to the arrange- ment. About midnight an Indian led off, followed by the two white men and the other Indians. Before the coming of the morning, Judd discovered that they were traveling in circles, as there was a certain plum thicket they had passed through twice and were entering the third time. He told the leader of the fact, and they sat down and waited for the morning-gun of the fort, and found they were not more than a mile away, and going directly towards the fort. They turned their backs to it, and traveled fast, and before daylight were in the Black swamp. The Indians were first ordered to Upper Sandusky, then to Lower San- dusky, and they took the direction of the former place. As soon as it was light, Judd showed the leader by his compass that his course was not right. He turned in the right direction a short distance and then resumed his former course. Judd fell back, and asked the white man to go through with him. He consented, and they started together, leaving the Indians. Judd's companion, who was not a soldier, but only a teamster, proved to be a troublesome customer. He had not acquired the skill of a noiseless step, and went crashing through the woods re-
* The twelve hundred men were commanded by General Clay, and had come down the river in flat-boats, but he, with four hundred of them, fought his way into the fort, while eight hundred, under Colonel Dudley, crossed to the left bank and captured the British batteries upon the point. Instead of spiking the guns and returning to the fort, he suffered his men to skirmish with the Indians until Proctor was able to cut them off from their only chance of retreat. Taken by surprise and in disorder, they became an easy prey, and but one hun- dred and fifty succeding in escaping .- Annals of the West.
THOMAS WHITFIELD
MRS. THOMAS WHITFIELD.
WILLIAMS LAKE
A.G. SNELL, DEL.
FARM AND RESIDENCE OF THOMAS WHITFIELD, WATERFORD, MICHIGAN.
PUB. BY L. H. EVERTS & CO. 716 FILBERT ST, PHILA.
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
gardless of the noise he made. Judd felt it necessary to put him in the rear, just within sight. On one occasion his companion lost sight of him and hallooed. This so enraged him that he could hardly reconcile himself to continue longer in his company, and he told him he would surely leave him if he repeated the in- discretion. He adopted the same plan in returning that he did in going through,- following neither road nor trail, as both were well picketed by Indians. At the Portage river they were fortunate enough to find a raft, on which they crossed, and finally reached Fort Stevenson in safety, after an absence of eight days.
" This, Mr. Judd said, was the hardest jaunt of his life. The country between the two places, for three-fourths of the way, was swamp, and the water from shoe- deep to waist-deep all over it, with current enough towards the lake to guide them on their course without the aid of a compass. Many times it was difficult to find dry ground to sleep on, or, rather, ground above the water, for dry ground was out of the question, as it rained almost continually. Two nights they had to perch themselves on little knolls that had been made by trees being turned up by the roots, and then there was barely room enough for them to lie down. They kept from rolling into the water by placing pieces of logs on each side of the knoll. At no time during the journey did they dare kindle a fire to dry or warm themselves by, or cook their food by. Raw pork and bread formed their only provisions, and those they had to carry with them from fort to fort. Game they dare not shoot, if they saw it.
" Directly after his return to Fort Stevenson, Judd was transferred to Cleve- land, where he was furloughed and sent home sick. He was still sick when the attack on Fort Stevenson was defeated by Colonel Croghan, and also during Harrison's campaign into Canada.
" One incident, showing his faithfulness as a soldier to orders and to duty, is worth relating : An artillery company was stationed at Cleveland, composed of large, strong men from the southern part of the State, who disregarded all the rules of the camp. Judd was put on guard between the camp of this company and the boat-landing, with strict orders not to let any one pass without a written order from the officer of the day. 'What shall I do,' said he, ' if those lawless fellows attempt to pass ?' 'Our orders must be obeyed,' said the officer. He had not been on guard long before one of them appeared with his canteen under his arm. He was ordered to halt, and was told that he could not proceed without a written pass from the officer of the day. ' I have a pass,' said he, holding up a paper, 'and by God, I am going where I please !' He started on, stepped one foot on the line, the other over it, and stopped, seeing that the sentinel had his gun cocked and a good sight on him. He did not raise his foot off the line, but turned and went back. The next night but one this man was shot through the leg by a boat guard at the river for disobedience of orders.
"Many of those who resided in Oakland County, Michigan, thirty-five or forty years ago, will recollect an old soldier by the name of Christopher Knowl- ton, better known as ' Uncle Chris,' who had a lame leg. This soldier applied to Morgan L. Drake to procure a pension for him, alleging that his leg was crippled in breaking cavalry horses while in the service. Mr. Drake applied to the sentinel above mentioned, who was then also a resident of Oakland County, to ascertain what he knew in regard to Knowlton, knowing that they were both stationed at the same place. He told Drake he was quite sure he knew him, but did not like to be positive ; that if his memory served him correctly, he was a disorderly soldier who attempted to pass his line once, and had he taken one more step in the direction he was going, he never would have applied for a pension ; and instead of being crippled in breaking cavalry horses, he was shot by a boat guard for disobedience of orders.
" Not long after his fruitless attempt to secure a pension, a step-son of Daniel S. Judd (Jesse A. Mathewson) found Uncle Chris pretty drunk, and telling of being stationed at Cleveland. 'Did you know Father Judd there ?' asked Mathewson. ' Yes,' said he, ' the old cuss like to have shot me once.'
" Judd's hunting experiences, if all preserved and printed, would make a volume of amusing reading, but few of tl m can find place here. His faithful dog, which he brought with him to Michigan, was said to have been one of the best hunters of his kind. This one, with one owned by another hunter, named Holmes, it is said would bring any bear to bay they pursued. In those times the loss of such a dog was quite an affliction. He lost his in this way : An Indian, having tracked a bear into a windfall, went round it, and found the brute had not left it, and informed the two white hunters of the fact. They took their dogs, and posted themselves on the opposite side of the windfall from where the bear entered, and the Indian went in to drive him out. If the bear took the direction of the hunters, he was to halloo; if any other, he was to fire his gun. The gun was fired, and the dogs let go, but Bruin just emerged from the fallen timber and then turned back again. Soon Holmes' dog returned, all bristled up, evincing great terror. The bear soon came out with the other dog in his mouth. The hunters both fired, and the bear fell, but still held the dog. Judd went up and
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fired his second barrel (his was a double-barreled rifle) before the bear let go of the dog, which was now dead. On going into the windfall it was found that the dogs and bear had met just as the latter had jumped upon a large log, and the dogs springing one on each side, Judd's became entangled in some grape-vines, thus becoming an easy prey to the bear.
"In February, 1817, Mr. Judd was married to Nancy M. Mathewson, a widow, with two children, Jesse A. and Lorton S., born respectively in 1805 and 1812. Her maiden name was Nancy Bacon, and she was born in Massa- chusetts, June 17, 1780. Lorton Mathewson died in La Grange county, Indiana, in 1853; Jesse now resides in Harvey county, Kansas.
"The fruits of Mr. Judd's marriage were two children, Daniel M, born Janu- ary 17, 1818, and Martha, born July 23, 1821. The former owns and occupies the farm purchased of the United States by his father in 1832 ; the latter lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
" In the spring of 1818, Judd, Noah Wirt, and Samuel Miller started from Chagrin (now Willoughby) in a small open boat, and went down the river with traps, provisions, etc., for a trapping season up at the Portage river. A single incident only renders this trip memorable or worth relating. A day or two before the trappers were ready to leave, three Indians came to their camp and spent some time, examined everything with scrutinizing eyes, and seemed much pleased with a double-barreled shot-gun belonging to Wirt. They bought some powder, giving in exchange for it a wild-goose, and as they were about to depart Wirt treated thein to some whisky. In the carly part of the following night the two dogs of the trappers rushed out from the camp into the darkness, barking furi- ously for some minutes. Judd arose and stirred up the fire, the dogs came back, and soon, all being quiet, he lay down again. In a little while out went the dogs again as before. He arose a second time, took Wirt's gun, which was loaded with swan-shot, cocked both barrels, and pointed it in the direction the dogs were barking, thinking he would fire it off as soon as the animals were out of range, for he was quite sure that Indians were prowling around the camp, watching for a chance to steal something. While waiting for the dogs to come back the thought occurred to him that the shot were heavy enough to kill an Indian, and he did not care to kill one there, so he concluded not to shoot. Wirt roused up once and asked what the dogs were barking at, but Miller slept through the whole disturbance. The dogs quieted down about midnight, and nothing further trans- pired. The next day passed without incident, save some preparations to return home. The next morning, being the second day after the disturbance, an old In- dian came up the river in a canoe, landed, and came into camp. He undertook to tell them something, but they could not understand him, and he finally left and went down to the mouth of the river. When the trappers arrived there on their way home the same day, they found the old Indian there, interviewing Lieutenant Tupper, who was an interpreter. From Tupper Judd and his companions learned that two trappers named John Wood and George Bishop, who were encamped about two miles below their camp, had been tomahawked by Indians the same night they had been disturbed. But for the dogs, Judd, Wirt, and Miller would probably have shared the same fate.
" Lieutenant Tupper sent for an old Indian chief named Sussaw, who was near by, and told him of the murder. Sassaw suspected the three Indians who had visited Judd's camp, as before related. They had been encamping up the Portage river several miles. He went up to the place, found their three canoes sunk in the river, and their camp deserted. Taking some Indians with him, he went over on the Maumee and captured the three transgressors, and brought them back to Sandusky, where they were tried and the oldest two hung. The third was only eighteen years old and was set at liberty, being forced to do what he did by the other two.
" The confession of the Indians after being captured was as follows: After drinking the whisky Wirt had given them they felt like killing somebody, and determined to kill Judd, Wirt, and Miller, and take possession of their furs and guns. Being baffled in this undertaking, they resolved to kill a man who was en- camped alone about a mile below, but he had left the place the day before. Then they concluded to kill Wood and Bishop, and in this succeeded. Wirt had treated the Indians as an act of generosity, and to secure their friendship, yet how near the three came to losing their lives by it, and two others did lose theirs by this indiscretion !
" With regard to the murdered men, a coroner was sent for over on the penin- sula below Sandusky bay, and an inquest held over the remains. The trappers had previously searched the lake-beach both up and down for pieces of board, slabs, or other material from which to construct a box, however rude. Finally it was made, and after the inquest was over the remains of the murdered men were deposited in it and decently buried.
" Their trip homeward was now resumed down the lake. The first day their sus- picions were somewhat aroused by the appearance several times on shore of two
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
men, but their camp at night was arranged to meet emergencies. None occurred, and they reached home in safety.
" On the occasion of one of Judd's hunts with his brother Philo, the tracks of a drove of elks, some twenty-five or thirty in number, were discovered just at night. about two miles away from their home. Preparing for it, the next morning early they left home, and taking the track started the elk at daylight, killed one, dressed it, and hung it up. Still farther east, in Geauga county, they killed an- other. dressed and hung that up. Crossing a public road soon after, they met the celebrated but uncouth and eccentric Methodist preacher, Billy Brown, told him where the elk was to be found, and gave it to him. The drove turned about, and in the after-part of the day went westward. A little before sundown the men found the elk were making towards the Chagrin river, and they started on a run to catch them while crossing it. Daniel came up first, and shot one while they were crossing the stream. Philo came up just as they had crossed and were standing on the opposite bank. drew up his gun, and then lowered it. 'Why don't you shoot ?' asked Daniel. ' I don't know which to shoot at,' was the reply. He did shoot. however, and both men were within sight of home.
" During the day the hunters saw one section corner twenty miles in a direct line from their home, and they estimated that in their meanderings since they left home in the morning they had walked and run at least sixty miles.
" On another occasion Daniel came across a bear track late in December, when the bears were nearly all burrowed up. followed it and found where the animal had made several attempts to burrow, but failed to find a tree large enough to hold him. until it finally went up a large whitewood-tree, and entered a hole made by the breaking off of a limb. Below this was a smaller hole, evidently made by the Indians. He tried a shot into the small hole, and Bruin started up and presented his nose at the orifice, and Judd fired again. The bear climbed along up with much difficulty, the place being so small, drew himself out at the upper hole, and began to hitch down the tree, making its complete round every ten or twelve feet. When about half down he received the contents of one barrel of the rifle, but still kept hitching down. Judd tried his other barrel, which snapped and then flashed. By this time he began to be somewhat excited, as the bear showed no signs of being hurt. He primed his gun anew, and as he looked up the bear fell over backward. letting go with his fore paws and kicking with his hind ones as he left the tree, which caused him to land about ten feet from its roots, the shock of his fall making the earth fairly quake. The ball had passed directly through his heart, and he had held on to life with great tenacity, but was finally obliged to ' give o'er the struggle.' The animal was very fat, and the meat from it, free from bone. filled a cask that would hold three hundred pounds of pork.
" In 1826 the three brothers, Daniel, Thomas, and Philo, started from home in a canoe they made for the purpose, went down the Chagrin river, thence coasted up the lake-shore to the Huron river, in Michigan, ran up the river to rapid water, left their canoe, went inland to Ann Arbor, thence to Detroit, back to their canoe, and down the lake home again, consuming about two months' time.
" In 1827 the two brothers, Daniel and Philo, started again for Michigan, this time taking passage on a steamer from Cleveland to Detroit, from which latter place they came on foot to Pontiac. They were advised to call on Uncle Oliver Williams .* living on the shore of Silver lake, about three and one-half miles north- west of Pontiac. They did so, and were shown various tracts of public land, finally selecting the southeast quarter of section 14, township 3 north, range 9 east, ( Waterford township). The whole of said tract was taken in Daniel's name, but the west half was for his brother Philo. The entry was made on the 20th day of October, 1827, and signed by John Q. Adams.
" The farms of the two brothers in Mayfield, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, had been sold previous to this purchase, but possession was reserved till the following spring.
"On the 15th of April, 1828, the two families moved to Cleveland, sixteen miles distant, with ox-teams. A steamer had just left for Detroit, and no other was expected to leave for some days, so the families the next day took passage in a small schooner. Its size can be inferred from its complement of hands, viz. : captain, mate, and one sailor, with the captain's boy, a lad of fourteen years, as cook. Fair time was made in crossing the lake, but when Detroit river was entered it was no go. Head winds baffled all efforts to get up the river. There were no tugs at that time, to tow sailing craft. Once they tried beating against the wind, but after shooting across the river a few times they dropped anchor ten or fifteen rods below their starting point. Favorable winds at last brought the little schooner to Detroit, where they landed the 1st of May, having made the trip from Cleve- land in two weeks.
"The family and a few necessary articles of the older brother were moved from Detroit to their new home by that veteran pioneer teamster, Diodate Hubbard. The younger brother was moved by an Irishman, who proved tricky and mean.
The remainder of the goods and provisions (making two wagon-loads) and a two- horse wagon were left at Gillett's warehouse, and the last load remained there nearly two months, yet this kind-hearted, generous man would take but one dollar for storage. He was the father of Mrs. Henry W. Lord, of Pontiac.
"Spring crops were put in on shares on the farm of Ephraim S. Williams (son of Uncle Oliver), who was at Saginaw with his brother Gardner, trading with the Indians, and in whose house the two families resided until log houses were erected on their own farms.
" In due time the two step-sons of Daniel S. Judd-Jesse and Lorton Matthew- son-arrived with the cattle, consisting of two yokes of oxen, three cows, and some young cattle. One yoke of oxen and one cow belonged to Philo Judd.
" The boys left the old home as soon as the feed would permit, having rigged a dray on which to carry a box of provisions, a change of under-clothes, some blankets, and an axe. Lest some of the readers of this may think the dray in ques- tion was a wheeled carriage, a description of it may not be out of order. Take a sapling large enough for a sled tongue, with a good crotch, cut the crotches four or five feet long, bore a hole in each about midway, put in two pins fifteen inches long, tack a board to the pins for a back and another to the crotch above the pins, for a bottom, leaving the body of the sapling long enough for a tongue, and the dray is ready for use. The load had to be lashed fast. When worn out another was made. It answered a good purpose except in crossing streams. They came via Toledo, camping out about half of the time.
" The first summer a log house was built and six acres cleared and broken up, and about the 1st of August sickness made its appearance. First the head of the family was taken down with intermittent fever, then the son, Daniel M., then Jesse, then the mother, and then Lorton, who was taken about one hour before he finished dragging in the wheat, but completed his work before quitting. The daughter, a girl of seven years, was the only well one in the family She could bring water in a small pail from a spring thirty rods distant about as fast as the rest could drink it.
" There was but one doctor in Pontiac, William Thompson, and he gave calomel for all diseases ; so none was employed, but all got well when cool weather set in.
" Philo Judd's family were all sick, which so discouraged him that he sold out the next spring to Jesse Mathewson and moved back to Ohio. A few years after- wards, while the Mormons were flourishing there, he joined them, moved to Jack- son county, Missouri, was driven out with the rest of the Mormons by the Missourians, settled in the eastern part of Iowa, and died in 1840.
" The next summer (1829) sickness again visited the family (Daniel Judd's), but was not as severe nor protracted as it had been the first summer. Rations, too, were short ; or if not short the variety was not great, bread being the only food for at least one-third of the season. Both of the cows brought from Ohio died, one by being hooked, and the other by getting into the mire, so that milk and butter were out of the question, only as a little was secured at times as pay for labor. The pork, too, was gone, and the only dependence for meat was the killing of a deer occasionally ; but the father being sick all the latter part of the summer, that was not often done. When fall came and he recovered there was no more suffering for meat.
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