USA > Ohio > Allen County > A standard history of Allen county, Ohio : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development > Part 22
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a hearing with the tribe. Owing to the death of a child, another period of debauch followed, and the missionary was delayed still longer.
After about ten days' delay Mr. Bacon secured a hearing for his cause, which he eloquently presented. But he found many objections. One of the most potent was that they would subject themselves to the fate of the Moravians, if they should embrace the new religion. One objection, says he, "I thought to be the most important, and the most difficult to answer. It was this: That they could not live together so as to receive any instructions on account of their fighting and killing one another when intoxicated. Two had been killed but a few days before at the trader's above; and I found that they seldom got together without killing some; that their villages were little more than places of residence for Fall and Spring, as they were obliged to be absent in the Winter on account of hunting, and as they found it necessary to live apart in the Summer on account of liquor; and that the most of them were going to disperse in a few days for planting, when they would be from 10 to 15 miles apart, and not more than two or three families in a place." Becoming convinced that any further attempt he then might make would be fruitless, Mr. Bacon abandoned the field and journeyed on to Mackinac.
The Presbyterian Church was the next denomination, in order of priority, to send missionaries into Northwest Ohio. At the opening of the nineteenth century, the Rev. Thomas E. Hughes made two mis- sionary tours throughout these regions. On one of these journeys he was accompanied by James Satterfield, and on the other by Rev. Joseph Badger. One of these early missionaries in speaking of the Indians on the Lower Maumee writes as follows: "My interpreter advised me to go with him to see them that evening; and I had a desire to be present as I supposed I might acquire some information that might be useful. But I thought it would be imprudent to be among them that night as I knew some of them were intoxicated and that such would be apt to be jealous of me at that time, and that nothing would be too absurd for their imagi- nations to conceive, or too cruel for their hands to perform.
"Anderson, a respectable trader at Fort Miami, told me that they had been growing worse every year since he had been acquainted with them, which is six or seven years; and that they have gone much greater lengths this year than he has ever known them before. He assured me that it was a fact that they had lain drunk this spring as much as fifteen days at several different traders above him, and that some of them had gone fifteen days without tasting a mouthful of victuals while they were in that condition."
It cannot be said that the Presbyterians ever gathered unto them- selves a very large following among the Indians of this section. Their principal station was along the Lower Maumee, about half way between Fort Meigs and Grand Rapids, then called Gilead. There the mission owned a farm, a part of which was a large island, and ministered unto the Ottawa tribes. Upon this was erected a large mission house and a commodious school building. It was established in the year 1822. The aim of the missionaries was to make the mission as near self-sustaining as possible, and to benefit the Indian in every way. The children were given board and clothing, educated and trained in farming. The report of this mission, published by the United States in 1824, gives the number of the mission family as twenty-one. Some taught domestic science, others instructed in agriculture, while others attempted to instill book learning and religious truth into their pupils. It was allowed $300 every six months from the congressional fund for the civilization of the
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aborigines. The only ordained missionary for this faith was the Rev. Isaac Van Tassel, although there were several assistants.
The mission church was organized in 1823 with twenty-four per- sons, nine of whom were aborigines. All were pledged to abstain from the use of spirituous liquors. The mission closed in 1834, when the Indians were removed to the West. At that time, there were thirty- two pupils in attendance at this school. Fourteen of these were full- blooded aborigines, and sixteen of them were recorded as mixed blood. The records reveal that the whole number which had been under instruc- tion at this station during the dozen years of its existence, most of them for brief periods of time, was ninety-two. While the aborigines did not antagonize the missions directly, the general attitude of the warriors, and the large number of drunks among them, particularly at the time of the payment of the annuities, kept up an excitement of blood and evil that greatly detracted from the quiet influence which the missionaries attempted to throw around their pupils and converts. It was such things as these that made the work of the Christian mis- sionaries one of such great difficulty. White men and half-breeds would continue to sell the "firewater" to the Indians, and even bribe the Indians to keep their children from the schools. Many would leave after a few days' experience. But the missionaries and the teachers persisted, and the attendance gradually increased. Most of those that remained took to education readily enough, but they absorbed the religion sparingly and rather doubtingly.
The widow of Rev. Isaac Van Tassel has given an account of the mission, from which I quote the following : "It has been said that the Maumee Mission was a failure. If the hopeful conversion of about thirty souls, and the triumphant deaths of at least nine of these, who were known to the missionaries to have died trusting in the Savior, besides much seed sown, the result of which can only be known in the light of eternity, was not worth the few thousands expended there, then might the mission be called a failure. The Indians were at first shy and distrustful; they could not believe that white people intended them any good. As they became acquainted, however, they were very friendly, and never gave us any trouble by stealing or com- mitting any depredation. They were always grateful for any favors bestowed on them by the missionaries."
After the close of the mission school, Rev. Isaac Van Tassel and his wife continued to live in the buildings for several years, and con- ducted a boarding and day school for the children of the white settlers who were then beginning to come in in increasingly large numbers. Missions to the Wyandots have been described in the chapter devoted to that tribe. The Baptist Church conducted a mission for several years at Fort Wayne, with Rev. Isaac McCoy as the missionary in charge. This denomination doubtless conducted some religious services within North- western Ohio, but no regular mission under its auspices was ever established here. The Fort Wayne mission was opened in 1820, with a school for both white and Indian youths, and was removed about a hundred miles northwest three years later at the special request of the Pottawatomies, who donated a section of land for its use.
The most noted and successful effort to elevate the Indians of Northwestern Ohio to a better life was through the missionary efforts of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Upper Sandusky. This mission was begun by John Stewart, an ignorant mulatto, with a mixture of Indian blood. Having become converted following a long debauch, he resolved to go out into the wilderness and preach the gospel. In
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his wanderings he reached Upper Sandusky in 1816, and began to preach to the Wyandots. A colored man, named Jonathan Pointer, living with the Indians, became his interpreter, and at first an unwilling one. Stewart was an excellent singer, and he thus attracted the atten- tion of the red men, who dearly loved music. At the first formal meet- ing, called at Pointer's house, his audience was one old woman. On the following day the same woman and an old chief, named Big Tree, came. The following day, which was the Sabbath, the meeting was called at the council house, and eight or ten Indians gathered. From this time the congregation continued to increase and many songs were intermixed with the prayer and exhortations. With this feature the Indians were delighted.
When he began work Stewart was not a licensed minister, but he was afterwards duly ordained. The mission was taken over by the Methodist Episcopal Church in August, 1819, the first Indian mission of that denomination. Stewart remained with the Wyandots until his death from tubercular trouble on December 17, 1823. The most noted missionary at this station was the Rev. James B. Finley, who labored there a number of years, and has left us his experiences and observa- tions in several interesting books. A number of chiefs became con- verted and developed into exemplary men. Between-the-Logs and Mon- oncue were comparatively early converts and became licensed preachers. They greatly endeared themselves to the whites with whom they came in contact. One of the chiefs, Scuteash, gave his testimony in the fol- lowing quaint way :
"I have been a great sinner and drunkard, which made me commit many great crimes, and the Great Spirit was very angry with me, so that in here (pointing to his breast) I always sick. No sleep-no eat- not walk-drink whisky heap; but I pray the Great Spirit to help me quit getting drunk, and forgive all my sins, and he did do something for me. I do not know whence it comes, or whither it goes. (Here he cried out, 'Waugh! Waugh! as if shocked by electricity.) Now me no more sick-no more drink whisky-no more get drunk-me sleep-me eat-no more bad man-me cry-me meet you all in our great Father's house above !"
The Wyandots were very emotional, and were excellent singers. Some of their members were prone to prolixity in speaking, and "some times," said Mr. Finley, "they had to choke them off. On one occa- sion I saw one of the sisters get very much excited during one of their meetings, when Between-the-Logs, an ordained minister of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, a native Wyandot, struck up a tune and put her down. Then several speakers spoke and without interruption. Between- the-Logs followed them, and had uttered but a few words, when the squelched sister, who had a loud, ringing voice, began, at the top of her register, singing-
'How happy are they Who their Saviour obey.'
"Between-the-Logs was fairly drowned out, and took his seat, as much overcome by the merriment as the music."
During the year 1823, Col. John Johnston, United States Indian Agent, visited the Wyandots on their reservations. He passed several days among them, and at the close of his visit reported as follows:
"The . buildings and improvements of the establishment are sub- stantial and extensive, and do this gentleman (Mr. Finley) great credit. The farm is under excellent fence, and in fine order; comprising about one hundred and forty acres, in pasture, corn and vegetables. There
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are about fifty acres in corn, which from present appearances, will yield 3,000 bushels. It is by much the finest crop I have seen this year, has been well worked, and is clear of grass and weeds. There are twelve acres in potatoes, cabbage, turnips and garden. Sixty children belong to the school of which number fifty-one are Indians. These children are boarded and lodged at the mission house. They are orderly and attentive, comprising every class from the alphabet to read- ers of the Bible. I am told by the teacher that they are apt in learning, and that he is entirely satisfied with the progress they have made. They attend with the family regularly to the duties of religion. The meeting house, on the Sabbath, is numerously and devoutly attended. A better congregation in behavior I have not beheld; and I believe there can be no doubt, that there are very many persons, of both sexes, in the Wyandot nation, who have experienced the saving effects of the Gospel upon their minds. Many of the Indians are now settling on farms, and have comfortable houses and large fields. A spirit of order, industry and improvement appears to prevail with that part of the nation which has embraced Christianity, and this constitutes a full half of the population."
The effect of the mission work was really wonderful upon the Wyandot youths, for they grew up much better in their habits and man- ners than their elders. The parents began to build better log houses with real brick chimneys, and also devoted much more time to their argiculture. Some families really raised enough from their little farms to support them. It was not until 1824 that the old mission church was erected. At times the council house was used, and on other occa- sions the meetings were held in the schoolhouse, which was much too small.
The Delawares, as well as the Wyandots, when journeying from their reservations in search of game, almost invariably stopped at the houses of the white settlers along their route. When they came to a white man's cabin they expected to receive the hospitality of its inmates as freely as of their own tribe. If such was not the case the red man was much offended. He would say "very bad man, very bad man," in a contemptuous way. They would never accept a bed to sleep upon. All that was necessary was to have a good back-log on the fireplace, and a few extra pieces of wood nearby, if in cold weather, for them to put on the fire when needed. They usually carried their blankets, and would spread them upon the floor before the fire, giving no further trouble. Not infrequently they would leave those who had sheltered them a saddle of venison, or some other commodity which they had to spare.
After peace was declared with Great Britain most of the settlers who lived along the Maumee previous to the war returned to their former possessions. They were accompanied by friends and former soldiers who sought desirable sites for settlement with their families. Many of them lived in the blockhouses at Fort Meigs for a while. Contentions arose, however, regarding the pickets and other timber of the fort, and one of the parties to the controversy finally set the remain- ing ones on fire. The last settler to be killed by the Indians was Levi Hull in 1815. He left the house to bring the cattle from the woods. Several gun reports were heard, and a searching party found his body, dead and scalped, on a spot within the present limits of Perrysburg. The settlement of the Maumee Valley was at first slow, but the "foot of the rapids" and vicinity was settled earliest. In 1816 the government sent an agent to lay out a town at the point on the Miami of the Lake
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best calculated for commercial purposes. After thoroughly sounding the river from its mouth, he decided upon the site of Perrysburg. The town was laid out that year on the United States Reservation, and named after Commodore Perry. The lots were offered for sale in the follow- ing spring at the land office in Wooster. From about this time the encroachment upon the Indian domain may be said to date.
After the War of 1812, the Indians were left in a serious condition. As at the close of the Revolutionary war, they turned at once, with little or no apparent regret for their past, to the Americans for their support. In this they were like naughty and spoiled children. Begging to have their physical cravings supplied, they gathered at Detroit in such great numbers that they could not be fed from the limited sup- plies on hand. Hence we are told that they went about the city devour- ing rinds of pork, crumbs, bones, and anything else with nutriment in it that was thrown out by either the soldiers or the civil population. Believing that there was a chance to place the relations of the Indians and the Americans on a better basis, because of the very necessities of the savages, General Harrison arranged for a treaty council to be held at Greenville in 1814. The Indians agreed to deliver all the pris- oners in their hands at Fort Wayne. His pacific efforts were so satis- factory that when he and General Cass reached Greenville, on July 22, several thousand Indians were assambled there to greet them. On this occasion, a treaty was entered into with the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees and Senecas, by which these tribes engaged to give their aid to the United States as against Great Britain and such of the tribes as still continued hostile.
In the year 1816, the number of Indians of all ages and both sexes in Northwestern Ohio, together with their location, was reported to the Government as follows: Wyandots residing by the Sandusky River and its tributaries numbered 695; of the Shawnees dwelling by the Auglaize and Miami rivers, with their principal village at Wapakoneta, there were 840; the Delawares living by the headwaters of the San- dusky and Muskingum rivers number 161; of the Senecas and others of the Six Nations having their habitations between Upper and Lower Sandusky, at and near Seneca Town, only 450 were enumerated; the Ottawas about Maumee Bay and Lake Erie and by the Auglaize River were estimated at about 450. This would make a total resident Indian population at that time of about 2,600.
The condition of the Indians dwelling along the Maumee River at this time was extremely miserable. They dwelt in what was generally termed villages but, as a rule, they had no uniform place of residence. During the fall, winter and part of the spring they were scattered in the woods hunting. Some of them had rude cabins made of small logs, covered with bark, but more commonly some poles were stuck in the ground tied together with plants or strips of bark, and covered with large sheets of bark or some kind of a woven mat. The. great enemy of these Indians was an insatiable thirst for intoxicating liquors. There were always depraved citizens of the United States capable and willing of eluding the vigilance of the government and supplying this thirst. When the supply of grog at home failed, they would travel any distance to obtain it. There was no fatigue, no risk, and no expense too great to obtain it. With many of them the firewater seemed to be valued higher than life itself. Many of the murders by Indians of their own brethren, as well as of the whites, could be attributed to the effect of liquor.
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But there were white monsters who were willing to murder or rob the poor red man who was trying to live honestly. One of these trag- edies occurred about 1841, or 1842, in what was then Henry County, which included most of present Fulton. Sum-mun-de-wat, a Wyandot chief and a Christian convert, with a party of friends left the Wyandot reservation for their annual hunt in adjoining country to secure racoon skins, which then brought a good price. Sum-mun-de-wat, accompanied by his nephew and niece, had with them two excellent coon dogs. Two white men who met the Indians found that they had money. A day or two afterwards some more of the Wyandot party coming along found the murdered bodies of their chief and his two relatives. This murdered chief was one of the most enlightened and noble chiefs of the Wyandots, and was a licensed preacher of the Methodist Eposcipal Church. The whites were aroused at the foul deed and arrested the suspected. parties. One of them, Lyons, was lodged in jail at Napoleon, as the murder had occurred just within the Henry County line. The
WIGWAMS
other, Anderson, confessed to as cold and brutal a murder as was ever conceived. But both men escaped punishment through the influence of white friends.
As soon as the authority of the United States was well established in this section of our state, it adopted the policy of narrowing the limits of the range of the Indians in order to render them less nomadic. When this was accomplished, it was hoped to be able to incline them to agricultural pursuits. The excluded lands were then opened to prospective settlers. With this purpose in view, a council was called to meet at the "Foot of the Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie," the place designated undoubtedly being near the site of the present village of Maumee. The date was September 29, 1817. At this time Generals Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur met the sachems and other chiefs of the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Ottawa and Chippewa tribes. They succeeded in negotiating a treaty which in impor- tance ranks second only to the great Treaty of Greenville concluded in 1795.
The Wyandots agreed to forever cede to the United States an immense area of land, including a large part of the Maumee. This grant is described as follows in the treaty: "Beginning at a point on
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the southern shore of Lake Erie where the present Indian boundary line intersects the same, between the mouth of Sandusky Bay and the mouth of Portage River; thence, running south with said line to the line established in the year 1795 by the Treaty of Greenville which runs from the crossing place above Fort Laurens to Loramie's store ; thence westerly with the last mentioned line to the eastern line of the Reserve at Loramie's store ; thence with the lines of said Reserve north and west to the northwestern corner thereof ; thence to the northwestern corner of the Reserve on the River St. Mary, at the head of the navi- gable waters thereof (St. Marys); thence, east to the western bank of the St. Mary River aforesaid; thence, down on the western bank of said river to the Reserve at Fort Wayne; thence, with the lines of the last mentioned Reserve, easterly and northerly, to the north bank of the said river to the western line of the land ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Detroit in the year 1807; thence, with the said line south to the middle of said Miami (Maumee) River, opposite the mouth of the Great Au Glaise River ; thence down the middle of said Miami River and easterly with the lines of the tract ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Detroit aforesaid; so far that a south line will strike the place of beginning."
The other tribes gathered at this council also released their claim to all the lands within this territory, with the exception of certain speci- fied reservations. For these concessions, the United States agreed to pay annually forever, the sum of $4,000 in specie at Upper Sandusky ; to the Seneca tribe, annually forever, the sum of $500 in specie at Lower Sandusky; to the Shawnee tribe, the sum of $2,000 at Wapakoneta ; to the Pottawatomies, the sum of $1,300; to the Ottawas $1,000, and to the Chippewas $1,000 annually for a period of fifteen years, payments to be made in specie at Detroit. To the Delawares, the sum of $500 in specie was to be made at Wapakoneta during the year 1818, but there was no annuity. A number of specific reservations of land were made to the Indians, most of which were along the Standusky and Auglaize rivers. Grants were also made to a number of persons connected with the savages either by blood or adoption. Most of these were former prisoners who had lived with the tribes and, finally been adopted by them. Most of them had been prisoners of the Wyandots. The late Shawnee chief, Captain Logan, who had fallen in the service of the United States, was remembered by the grant of a section of land on the east side of the "Great Au Glaise River adjoining the lower line of a grant of ten miles at Wapakoneta on the said river." Saw-En- De-Bans, or the Yellow Hair, or Peter Minor (Manor) who was the adopted son of Tondaganie, or the Dog, was granted a section of land to be located in a square form on the north side of the Miami (Maumee) at the Wolf Rapids, above .DeBoeuf. This is near the village of Provi- dence, in Lucas County. The United States obligated itself to appoint an agent for the Wyandots to reside at Upper Sandusky, and an agent for the Shawnees at Wapakoneta. This agent was to protect the Indians in their persons and property, and to manage their intercourse with the American Government and its citizens. It also specially exempted all these reservations from taxes of any kind, so long as they continued to be the property of the Indian and reserved to the United States the right to construct roads through any part of the land granted and reserved by this treaty.
When it came time to sign the treaty, so we are told, all looked toward the mother of Otusso and a direct descendant of Pontiac. He was the last war chief of the Ottawas remaining along the Maumee. She was a sort of Indian Queen who was held in great reverence by
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the Indians. When the treaty was agreed upon, the head chiefs and warriors sat round the inner circle, and the aged woman had a place among them. The remaining Indians, with the women and children comprised a crowd outside. The chiefs sat on seats built under the roof of the council house, which was open on all sides. The whole assembly kept silent. The chiefs bowed their heads and cast their eyes to the ground; they waited patiently for the old woman until she rose, went forward, and touched the pen to the treaty, after it had been read to them in her presence. Then followed the signatures of all the chiefs.
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