USA > Ohio > Union County > History of Union County, Ohio; its people, industries and institutions > Part 36
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Jonathan, with other boys, went into Mad river to bathe and on one occasion came near drowning. He was taken out senseless and some time elapsed ere he recovered. He says: "I remember, after I got over my strangle, I became very sleepy and thought I could draw my breath as well as ever. Being overcome with drowsiness, I laid down to sleep, which is the last I remember. The act of drowning is nothing, but the coming to life is distressing. The boys, after they had brought me to, gave me a silver buckle as an inducement not to tell the old folks of the occurrence, for fear they would not let me come out with them again, and so the affair was kept secret."
When Alder had learned to speak the Indian language he became more contented. He says: "I would have lived very happy if I could have had health, but for three or four years I was subject to very severe attacks of fever and ague. Their diet went very hard with me for a long time. Their chief living was meat and hominy, but we rarely had any bread and very
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little salt, which was extremely scarce and dear, as well as milk and butter. Honey and sugar were plentiful and used a great deal in their cooking as well as on their food."
When he was old enough he was given an old English musket and told that he must go out and learn to hunt. So he used to follow along the water courses, where the mud turtles were plentiful, and commenced his first essay upon them. He generally aimed under them as they lay back on the rocks and when he struck the stone they flew sometimes several feet in the air, which afforded great sport for the youthful marksman. Occasionally lie killed a wild turkey or a raccoon and when he returned to the village with his game generally received high praise for his skill, the Indians telling him he would make "a great hunter one of these days." He had a varied ex- perience during the years he remained with the Indians and witnessed the shedding of blood in more than one engagement between the whites and the savages. He also went on one expedition, with others, to steal horses from the settlers. He remained with the Indians until after Wayne's treaty in 1795. He was urged by them to be present on the occasion to obtain a res- ervation of land which was to be given to each of the prisoners, but, ignor- ant of its importance, he neglected going and lost the land. Peace having been restored, Alder says, "I could now lie down without fear and rise up and shake hands with both the Indian and the white man."
The summer after the treaty, while living on Big Darby, Lucas Sulli- vant made his appearance in that region surveying land. and soon became on terms of intimacy with Alder, who related to him a history of his life and generously gave him the piece of land on which he dwelt, but, there being some little difficulty about the title, Alder did not contest and so lost it. When the settlers first made their appearance on Darby, Alder could scarcely speak a word of English. He was then about twenty-four years of age, fifteen of which had been passed with the Indians. Two of the settlers kindly taught him to converse in English. He had taken up with a squaw for a wife some time previous and now began to farm like the whites. He kept hogs, cows and horses, sold milk and butter to the Indians, horses and pork to the whites, and accumulated property. He soon was able to hire white laborers and, being dissatisfied with his squaw-a cross, peevish woman-wished to put her aside, get a wife from among the settlers, and live like them. Thoughts, too, of his mother and brothers began to obtrude, and the more he reflected his desire strengthened to know whether they were living and to see them once more. He made inquiries for them, but was at a loss to know
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how to begin, being ignorant of the name of even the state in which they were. When talking one day with John Moore, a companion of his, the latter questioned him where he was from. Alder replied that he was taken prisoner somewhere near a place called Greenbrier and that his people lived by a lead mine, to which he used frequently to go to see the hands dig ore. Moore then asked him if he could recollect the names of any of his neighbors. After a little reflection, he replied, "Yes, a family of Gulions lived close to us." Upon this Moore dropped his head, as if lost in thought, and muttered to himself. "Gulion! Gulion!" and then raising up, replied, "My father and myself were out in that country and we stopped at their house over one night and if your people are living I can find them." Mr. Moore, after this, went to Wythe county and inquired for a family of Alder, but without suc- cess, as they had removed from their former residence. He put up adver- tisements in various places, stating the facts, and where Alder was to be found and then returned. Alder now abandoned all hopes of finding his family, supposing them to be dead. Some time after he and Moore were at Franklinton, when he was informed there was a letter for him in the post- office. It was from his brother. Paul, stating that one of the advertisements was put up within six miles of him and that he got it the next day. It con- tained the joyful news that his mother and brothers were alive.
Alder, in making preparations to start for Virginia, agreed to separate from his Indian wife, divide the property equally. and take and leave her with her own people at Sandusky. But some difficulty occurred in satisfying her. He gave her all the cows, fourteen in number, worth twenty dollars each, seven horses and much other property, reserving to himself only two horses and the swine. Besides these was a small box. about six inches long, four wide and four deep, filled with silver, amounting, probably, to about two hundred dollars which he intended to take to make an equal division ; but to this she objected, saving the box was her's before marriage, and she would not only have it but all it contained. Alder says: "1 saw I could not get it without making a fuss and probably having a fight, and told her that if she would promise never to trouble nor come back to me, she might have it, to which she agreed."
Moore accompanied him to his brother's house, as he was accustomed to travel among the whites. They arrived there on horseback at noon, the Sunday after New Year's. They walked up to the house and requested to have their horses fed. and. pretending to be entire strangers. inquired who lived there. "I had concluded," says Alder. "not to make my-
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self known for some time, and eyed my brother very closely, but did not recollect his features. I had always thought I should have recognized my mother by a mole on her face. In the corner sat an old lady, who I sup- posed was she, although I could not tell. for when I was taken by the Indians her head was as black as a crow and now it was perfectly white. Two young women were present, who eyed me very closely, and I heard one of them whisper to the other, 'He looks very much like Mark' (my brother). I saw they were about to discover me and, accordingly, turned my chair around to my brother and said. 'You say your name is Alder?' 'Yes,' he replied, 'my name is Paul Alder.' 'Well,' I rejoined, 'my name is Alder, too.' Now, it is hardly necessary to describe our feelings at that time, but they were very different from those I had when I was taken prisoner and saw the Indian coming with my brother's scalp in his hand, shaking off the blood. When I told my brother that my name was Alder, he rose to shake hands with me, so overjoyed that he could scarcely utter a word, and my old mother ran, threw her arms around me, while tears rolled down her cheeks. The first words she spoke, after she grasped me in her arms, were, 'How you have grown! and then she told me of a dream she had. Says she: 'I dreamed that you had come to see me and that you were a little, onorary (mean) look- ing fellow, and I would not own you for my son, but now I. find I was mis- taken-that it is entirely the reverse -- and I am proud to own you for my son.' I told her I could remind her of a few circumstances that she would recollect. that took place before I was made captive. I then related various things, among which was that the negroes, on passing our house on Saturday evenings to spend Sundays with their wives, would beg pumpkins of her and get her to roast them for them against their return on Monday morning. She recollected these circumstances and said now she had no doubt of my being her son. We passed the balance of the day in agreeable conversation and I related to them the history of my captivity, my fears and doubts, of my grief and misery the first year after I was taken. My brothers at this time were all married and Mark and John had moved from there. They were sent for and came to see me, but my half-brother, John, had moved so far that I never got to see him at all."
Jonathan Alder is well remembered by the older settlers who lived in the county, and principally, perhaps, by those whose homes have been along the Big Darby creek, in Jerome and Darby townships. Benjamin Springer settled near him and taught him the English language and Alder recipro- cated by supplying him and other pioneers with meat and he is said to have
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saved some of the settlers, on different occasions, from being killed by the Indians. Joshua Ewing brought four sheep to his place in 1800, and these were strange animals to the Indians. An Indian, accompanied by his dog, was one day passing by, when the dog caught one of the sheep and was im- mediately shot by Mr. Ewing. He would have been shot in retaliation by the Indian but for Alder, who was present and with much difficulty restrained him. Through the advice and influence of Alder, many of the Indians re- mained neutral during the War of 1812, and eventually became warm friends of the Americans. During that war he was one of the party which went north from about the site of Plain City and built a block-house on Mill creek, a few miles above where Marysville now stands. Several of the best known pioneers of the county assisted in constructing said building, of which not a trace now remains. Alder's home was for many years in Madison county.
THE DOOMED WYANDOT.
The following interesting article appeared in the Hesperian, published at Columbus, Ohio, by William D. Gallagher and Otway Curry, in the issue of that magazine for May, 1838:
"The great northern family of Indian tribes which seem to have been originally embraced in the generic term Iroquois, consisted, according to some writers, of two grand divisions: the eastern and the western. In the eastern nation were included the Five Nations or Maquas ( Mingoes), as they were commonly called by the Algonkin tribes, and in the western the Yendots, or Wyandots ( nick-named Hurons by the French), and three or four other nations, of whom a large proportion are now entirely extinct. The Yendots, after a long and deadly warfare, were nearly exterminated by the Five Na- tions, about the middle of the seventeenth century. Of the survivors, a part sought refuge in Canada, where their descendants still remain; a few are incorporated among the different tribes of the conquerors, and the remainder, consisting chiefly of the Tionontates, retired to Lake Superior. In conse- quence of the disastrous wars in which they afterward became involved with other powerful nations of the Northwestern region, they again repaired to the vicinity of their old hunting-grounds. With this remnant of the original Huron or Wyandot nation were united some scattered fragments of other broken-up tribes of the same stock and, though comparatively few in num- ber, they continued for a long period to assert successfully the right of sov- ereignty over the whole extent of country between the Ohio river and the lakes, as far west as the territory of the Piankeshaws, or Miamis, whose
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eastern boundary was probably an irregular line drawn through the valleys of the Great Miami ( Shi-me-am-ee) and the Ottawah-sepee, or Maumee river of Lake Erie. The Shawanese and the Delawares, it is believed, were occupants of a part of the fore-mentioned country, merely by sufferance of the Wyandots, whose right of dominion seems never to have been called in question, excepting by the Mingoes or Five Nations. The Shawanese were originally powerful and always warlike. Kentucky received its name from them in the course of their migrations between their former place of resi- dence on the Suwanee river, adjacent to the southern sea coast and the terri- tory of the Yendots in the north. The name ( Kan-tuck-ee ) is compounded from the Shawanese and signifies a land or place at the head of a river.
"The chosen place of residence of the Wyandots was, at an early period, as it is now ( 1838). on the waters of the Saun-dus-tee, or Sandusky. Though greatly reduced in number, they have, perhaps, attained a higher de- gree of civilization than any other tribe in the vicinity of the northwestern lakes.
"The foregoing sketch of the history of the Wyandots, though certainly not strictly necessary, will, it is hoped. be deemed not altogether inappropriate as an introduction to the following brief narrative of the circumstances at- tending the death of a chief of that nation. The particulars have been re- cently communicated by persons who were eye-witnesses of the execution, and may be relied on as perfectly accurate :
"In the evening of the first day of June, in the year 1810, there came six Wyandot warriors to the house of Benjamin Sells, on the Scioto river, about twelve miles above the spot where now stands the city of Columbus. They were equipped in the most warlike manner and exhibited, during their stay, an unusual degree of agitation. Having ascertained that an old Wyan- dot chief, for whom they had been making diligent inquiry, was then en- camped at a distance of about two miles farther up the west bank of the river, they expressed a determination to put him to death, and immediately went off in the direction of his lodge. These facts were communicated early in the ensuing morning to John Sells. Mr. Sells immediately proceeded up the river on horseback in quest of the Indians. He soon arrived at the lodge, which he found situated in a grove of sugar trees close to the bank of the river. The six warriors were seated. in consultation, at the distance of a few rods from the lodge. The old chief was with them, evidently in the character of a prisoner. His arms were confined by a small cord, but he sat with them without any manifestation of uneasiness. A few of the neighbor- ing white men were likewise there and a gloomy looking Indian who had been
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the companion of the chief, but now kept entirely aloof, was sitting sullenly in the camp. Mr. Sells approached the Indians and found them earnestly engaged in debate. A charge of 'witchcraft' had been made at a former time against the chief by some of his captors, whose friends had been destroyed, as they believed, by means of his evil powers. This crime, according to the immemorial usage of the tribe, involved a forfeiture of his life. The chances of a hunter's life had brought the old man to his present location, and his pursuers had sought him out in order that they might execute upon him the sentence of their law. The council was of two or three hours' duration. The accusing party spoke alternately, with much ceremony, but with evident bit- terness of feeling. The prisoner, in his replies, was eloquent though dispas- sionate. Occasionally a smile of scorn would appear, for an instant, on his countenance. At the close of the consultation it was ascertained that they had re-affirmed the sentence of death which had been before passed upon the chief. Inquiry having been made by some of the white men with reference to their arrangements, the captain of the six warriors pointed to the sun, and signified to them that the execution would take place at one o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. Sells went to the captain and asked him what the chief had done. 'Very bad Indian,' he replied, 'make good Indian sick-make horse sick-make die-very bad chief.' Mr. Sells then made an effort to persuade his white friends to rescue the victim of superstition from his in- pending fate, but to no purpose. They were then in a frontier situation, en- tirely open to the incursions of the Northern tribes and were, consequently, unwilling to subject themselves to the displeasure of their savage visitor by an interference with their operations. He then proposed to release the chief by purchase, offering to the captain for that purpose a fine horse of the value of three hundred dollars. 'Let me him see,' said the Indian. The horse was accordingly brought forward and closely examined, and so much were they staggered by this proposition that they again repaired to their place of con- sultation and remained in council a considerable length of time before it was finally rejected. The conference was again terminated and five of the In- dians began to amuse themselves with running, jumping and other athletic exercises. The captain took no part with them. When again inquired of as to the time of execution, he pointed to the sun, as before, and indicated the hour as four. The prisoner then walked slowly to his camp, partook of a dinner of jerked venison, washed and arrayed himself in his best apparel and afterward painted his face. His dress was very rich, his hair gray and his whole appearance graceful and commanding. At his request the whole com- pany drew around him at the lodge. Ile had observed the exertions made
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by Mr. Sells in his behalf, and now presented to him a written paper, with a request that it might be read to the company. It was a recommendation signed by Governor Hull, and in compliance with the request of the prisoner, it was fixed and left upon the side of a large tree at a short distance from the wigwam.
"The hour of execution being close at hand, the chief shook hands in silence with the surrounding spectators. On coming to Mr. Sells, he ap- peared much moved, grasped his hand warmly, spoke for a few minutes in the Wyandot language and pointed to the heavens. He then turned from the wigwam and with a voice of surpassing strength and melody commenced the chant of the death-song. He was followed closely by the Wyandot war- riors, all timing, with their slow and measured march, the music of his wild and melancholy dirge. The white men were all, likewise, silent followers in that strange procession. At the distance of seventy or eighty yards from the camp they came to a shallow grave, which, unknown to the white men, had been previously prepared by the Indians. Here the old man knelt down, and in an elevated but solemn tone of voice addressed his prayer to the Great Spirit. As soon as he had finished the captain of the Indians knelt beside him and prayed in a similar manner. Their prayers, of course, were spoken in the Wyandot tongue. When they arose the captain was again accosted by Mr. Sells, who insisted that if they were inflexible in the determination to shed blood they should at least remove their victim beyond the limits of the white settlements. 'No!' said he very sternly and with evident displeasure. 'no good Indian 'fraid -- he no go with this bad man-mouth give fire in the dark night-good Indian 'fraid-he no go! My friend,' he continued, 'me tell you-white man bad man-white man kill him-Indian say nothing.' Finding all interference futile, Mr. Sells was at length compelled, reluctantly, to abandon the old man to his fate. After a few moments' delay he again sank down upon his knees and prayed as he had done before. When he had ceased praying, he still continued in a kneeling position. All the rifles be- longing to the party had been left at the wigwam. There was not a weapon of any kind to be seen at the place of execution, and the spectators were. consequently, unable to form any conjecture as to the mode of procedure which the executioners had determined on for the fulfillment of their purpose. Suddenly one of the warriors drew from beneath the skin of his capote a keen, bright tomahawk, walked rapidly up behind the chieftain, brandished the weapon on high for a single moment, and then struck with his whole strength. The blow descended directly upon the crown of the head and the
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victim immediately fell prostrate. After he had laid awhile in the agonies of death, the Indian captain directed the attention of the white man to the drops of sweat which were gathering upon his neck and face, remarking, with much apparent exultation, that it was conclusive proof of the sufferer's guilt. Again the executioner advanced and with the same weapon inflicted two or three additional heavy blows. As soon as life was entirely extinct the body was hastily buried with all its apparel and decorations and the assemblage dispersed. The Wyandots returned immediately to their hunting- grounds and the white men to their homes. The murdered chief was known among the whites by the name of Leatherlips. Around the spot where his bones repose the towering forest has now given place to the grain field and the soil above him has for years been furrowed and re-furrowed by the plowshare."
In "Thatcher's Indian Biography," as stated by Mr. Curry, the Indian name of the old chief is given as Shateyaronrah, and Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet (Elskwatawa) were his accusers. By the same au- thority it appears that the famous chief Tarhe, or the Crane, was the leader of the band of Wyandots who executed the unfortunate chieftain. This would hardly seem probable from most evidence, and in Drake's Life of Tecumseh it is stated, in connection with this incident, that "the six Wyan- dots who put him to death were headed, it is supposed, by the chief, Round- head."
THE LAST INDIANS SEEN IN JEROME TOWNSHIP.
(Previously published by the author. )
"Sugar Run falls, on the land of Col. James Curry, was, in the early days, a beautiful and attractive place. The stream wound its way through a little valley, shaded by burr oaks and black walnut timber, and surrounded, as it was, by good hunting and fishing grounds, it was a favorite place for the Indians in the early years of the present century. The old Indian trace, leading from the Wyandot nation south, ran past the falls, and the Indians continued to travel this route after there was quite a settlement along Sugar Run.
"The last Indians who visited this vicinity came about the year 1816-17. In the early spring four Indians came from the north and encamped at the falls for a few days. They visited Colonel Curry's house and. as usual, were supplied from his table, as he was well known to all the Indians passing
(25)
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along this route and was one in whom they had great confidence. When they left the falls they separated, two following the old trail and two traveling in a southwesterly direction. In a few weeks two of them again reached the falls and had with them an Indian pony. They remained a day or two and their two companions not arriving ( it is supposed this was to be their place of meeting), they then stripped the bark from a burr oak tree and taking yellow keel, which was in great abundance along the stream, traced on the trunk of the tree in rude characters, an Indian leading a pony, while another Indian was in the rear with a gun on his shoulder and the ramrod in his hand as if in the act of driving the pony, traveling northward. This done, they covered their camp fire and took the old Indian trail north. A few evenings after their departure, their two comrades arrived from the south and, learning by the drawings on the tree that their companions had pre- ceded them, they remained over night, and the next morning took the trace and moved rapidly north. And thus the last Indians ever seen on the south- ern border of Union county took their departure from their once happy hunting grounds."
CHAPTER XIX.
UNION TOWNSIIIP.
The territory now within Union township, prior to the county's or- ganization, was embraced in two counties, Delaware and Madison. As or- ganized by the county commissioners of Delaware county, it included the northern portion of its present territory and a large scope of the western portion of the present territory of Union county. The act of the Union county board, after its organization, defined the bounds of Union township at that date to be as follows: "Agreed that the county of Union be divided into townships as follows: Beginning at the southwest corner of Union county, running east five and a half miles; thence north to the north line of the county : all west of that line to be Union township." In 1822 Liberty township was created out of a portion of Union township. In 1827 another sub-division was made and Allen township was organized from some of the territory left, until finally the territory of Union township was narrowed down to its present domain. It is now the extreme southwestern township in Union county. Its original surveys commenced in 1799. The first was for Lucas Sullivant and included two hundred acres. The population of Union township in 1810 was 1.757.
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