USA > Ohio > Auglaize County > History of western Ohio and Auglaize County, with illustrations and biographical sketches of pioneers and prominent public men > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
"This able address, of which the above few sentences con- stitute but a small part, delivered, as it was, in feeling and affec- tionate language, truly wrought out a desirable and most satis- factory result ; so that after a short discussion among themselves, the whole council, I believe, to a man, (except the before-men- tioned prophet, who, about this time, left them in disgust,) came forward and cheerfully offered their hands in token of friend- ship ; and there unitedly, as with the voice of one man, solemnly
253
AND AUGLAIZE COUNTY
promised if the Friend would restore the woman to her people, she should be protected by them, and then called on their old friend the blacksmith to witness the covenant they had made ; to this he readily assented, and told them that he should not only stand as a witness to this, but as surety to the faithful per- formance on the part of his friend, the Quaker. The Friend and his companion, (Capt. Wolf going with him,) now returned to his anxious family, relieved of a burden which for near twenty-four hours, he had borne with great weight upon his. patient brow, he also bore the glad tidings to them that the woman was pardoned, and his own life spared.
"In company with the interpreter he soon repaired to the chamber where the woman lay quietly concealed, and briefly told her what had been effected in her behalf. On hearing which she burst into tears, and exclaimed, in broken English: 'They will kill-ee me - they will kill-ee me!'
"After a suitable pause, Captain Wolf was admitted to the chamber, who told her, in a pleasant manner, 'to be no longer doubting, but believe what had been told her.' He then, in his own language and native eloquence, narrated to her all that had transpired, not only in the council of the chiefs, but also between himself and their mutual friend, the 'Quaker,' and labored much to assure her of the truth that she was pardoned.
"Notwithstanding all this, the poor woman remained in the family some time, and for several days was afraid to be seen by her people; but she afterward returned to her own house, where she lived for several years, and, as was believed by her own friends, died a natural death.
"The warmest friendship, closest attachment, and nearest intimacy subsisted between the Friend and this most excellent chief, for several years, or until the death of the former; he never decided upon any important question without first consult- ing his Quaker friend.
"The writer often heard the superintendent speak with mani- fest emotions of humility and gratitude toward the all-wise Cre- ator, testifying that, 'had not divine power interposed,' he never could have achieved what he did with the wild savages; and if the Everlasting Arm had not been underneath, to support him, he should certainly have fallen under such great and daring bur- dens. This short narrative may be properly closed with the rela- tion of a post intimately connected with it.
"In the autumn of 1825, this devoted Friend again removed with his family to the Friends' School Establishment, five miles south of Wapakoneta, for the purpose of resuming the school which had been previously dismissed by the committee, partly in consequence of the unsettled condition of the Indians.
"Shortly after the school was put in operation, his old and
1
254
HISTORY OF WESTERN OHIO
long-tried friend, the Indian agent, (John Johnston,) called to see him. They spent several hours very agreeably together, conversing freely on various subjects connected with Indian affairs. In the course of this very interesting interview the Friend remarked that he found some of the Indians in a very unsettled condition, and desirous to remove over the Mississippi ; that in consequence of this he had resumed the school and his labors among them under many discouragements ; that it appeared to him, while they remained in that state of mind, little perma- nent good could be done them; and should they, ere long, be removed to the far west, and located among the wild Indians of the wilderness, it seemed to him that the labor of the Friends would soon entirely be lost.
"The writer of this article being then present, still vividly recollects the glow of countenance and animated language and manner of that excellent man, the agent, when he replied as follows: 'For your encouragement, friend, I feel bound to tell you the honest conviction of my mind, that if the labor of the Friends has done no other good, the simple fact that, by your individual exertions and faithfulness, in saving the life of Polly Butler, you have so completely broken up the heathenish prac- tice that once existed, of frequently putting their people to death for witchcraft, is sufficient to reward you for all the labor spent. For,' continued he, 'I have never known an instance of one of them being put to death, on a similar charge, since that memorable day, 6th month, 1823.
"The foregoing narrative being submitted to John Johnston, he returned the following reply: 'Polly Butler, charged with being a witch in the Shawnee nation - the principal subject in the preceding narrative - and who was saved from that violent death, by the timely, firm, and persevering efforts of Isaac Har- vey, who then had charge over the Friends' Shawnee Mission, at Wapaughkonetta, Ohio, was the daughter of General Richard Butler, by a Shawnee woman. A son, also, was an offspring of the same union, who became a distinguished chief in peace and war among the Shawnees - being in authority during the whole of my agency over this nation - a period of almost thirty years. General Butler was an Indian trader before the Revolu- tionary War, and spoke the language of the natives, and, as was customary with persons of those pursuits, took an Indian wife. His son and daughter bear a striking resemblance to the Butler family, many of whom I knew in early life.
' 'The general was second in command, in the army under St. Clair, and was killed on the 4th of November, 1791, in battle with the combined Indians of the North-west, on the ground on which Fort Recovery was afterward built, distant from Green- ville fourteen miles.
255
AND AUGLAIZE COUNTY
" 'Witchcraft was universally believed in by all the Indian tribes. The foregoing narrative is substantially true.
" 'JOHN JOHNSTON,
"'Formerly Agent of Indian Affairs in the North-west, and U. S. Commissioner.
Dayton, Ohio, October 17th, 1853.'
"The little daughter mentioned as being with Polly Butler, at the time she fled to the Friend for the protection of her life, is now, 1853, living in the Shawnee nation, married to one of the best men in that tribe, and is the mother of a large family. Her husband has a large, good farm, good houses, out-buildings, orchard, stock, farming utensils, etc., and she has a well fur- nished household and furniture, neatly arranged and kept in nice order. They sell a large amount of surplus produce annually, and constantly have money loaned out at interest. She is a good-looking, intelligent, and nice woman.
"Nothing more of interest occurred to the Shawnees, but their continued advancement in the arts of civilization, and in giving up their children to be educated at school, which was con- tinued for several years on their reservation at Wapakoneta, until some bad white men persuaded the young men to believe that, if the Quakers continued to make improvements on their lands, the white people would take it from them; which coming to the knowledge of the Society, they purchased a considerable tract of land five miles south of Wapaughkonetta, on which buildings were erected, a farm opened and a school was estab- lished, and continued in operation until the Shawnees left their homes for the country west of the Mississippi."
COLONEL JOHN JOHNSTON.
The Colonel Johnston referred to in the preceding narra- tive, is an important personage in the history of the North-west. His moral, social and business qualifications were highly valued by the general government. So highly esteemed were they, that he held the office of Indian agent at Fort Wayne and Piqua for a period of nearly forty years.
Colonel Johnston was born in the county of Fermanagh, Ireland, March 25th, 1775, and died February 18th, 1861. He emigrated with his father's family to Philadelphia in 1792, and a year later was appointed to a position in the quartermaster's department in General Wayne's army. "Later he served as a clerk in the War Department under Henry Dearborn, the first
256
HISTORY OF WESTERN OHIO
Secretary of War. His deportment and high standing as an accountant in that department led to his appointment as Indian agent at Fort Wayne. Before his departure to the post to which he had been assigned, he was married to a highly esteemed young lady of Philadelphia. Soon after the marriage in 1798, he and his sixteen year old bride rode on horseback the entire distance to Fort Wayne, where they were stationed for eleven years. During the time of their residence at the post a number of chil- dren were born to them. At the end of eleven years of service at Fort Wayne Colonel Johnston had bcome so skillful in Indian diplomacy that President Madison appointed him Indian agent at Piqua.
At the time of his removal to Piqua in 1809, the Indians of north-western Ohio exhibited a state of restlessness that led the government to apprehend trouble with them in the impending controversy with England. By direction of the government, therefore, as many of the tribes or parts of tribes as could be induced to maintain peaceable relations were called in and assem- bled near the agency, at Upper Piqua, to the number of five or six thousand men, women and children, and fed by the govern- ment, 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 of 1812, many councils were held with such Indian chiefs as could be induced to come into the agency, in order to secure friendly relations with as many tribes as could be induced to remain at peace. These councils were of exciting interest at the time. Governor Meigs and United States Senator Jeremiah Morrow and Thomas Worthington were present at some of them, in the autumn of 1812. These councils were gen- erally held at the village of Washington, now Piqua.
"At these councils there were usually amusements in the afternoons, such as wrestling, foot-races, etc., between the red- skins and white boys. The Indians were generally the fleetest on foot, but in wrestling the pale-face was oftenest uppermost. There were frequently Indian dances in the afternoon. A few plugs of tobacco would produce an interesting entertainment in this line. Some fifteen or twenty Indians, in a half-nude state, would assemble in a circle on the dance ground, made smooth for the purpose, and perform a dance of an hour or so, under the direction of a master of ceremonies, as dances are managed
257
AND AUGLAIZE COUNTY
by the more refined of the present day. Their music consisted of the Indian drum, shaking of bells and singing.
During the war of 1812, the greater number of friendly Indians, who had not been influenced by Tecumseh and the prophet, were assembled at Piqua under Colonel Johnston. The tribes which claimed and received protection from the United States, were the Shawnees, Delawares, Wyandots in part, Otta- was in part, a portion of the Senecas, the Munseys, and the Mohicans. The number at Piqua has been variously estimated by different writers from five to ten thousand. The emissaries of Tecumseh entered the camps, and sought by every means to win them over; but there was an insurmountable barrier in the presence of Colonel Johnston, whose influence more than coun- terbalanced all Tecumseh's 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, various plots for his assassination were devised. Surrounded by Indians, a price upon his head, rising in the morning with no assurance of living until 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 char- acteristic 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 Dela- ware woman, who told him that hostile Indians were secreted there to murder him. The alarm soon spread, and the would-be murderers fled.
The Indians frequently gave evidence of their fidelity during the war. At the surrender of Detroit the frontier was laid bare to the incursions of hostile Indians. Fort Wayne was threatened, at a time when there were many women and children there, who would be in danger and also a hindrance to its defense. Colonel
17 HAC
258
HISTORY OF WESTERN OHIO
Johnston, therefore, ordered them to be brought to the agency. Logan, not the famous Mingo chief, but a noted chief at Wapa- koneta, immediately offered his services, and with a party of volunteers, all mounted Indians, started to the fort. Upon arriv- ing there they received their charge and returned with them in safety through a country swarming with painted foes, Logan and his party exercising a gallantry that elicited the highest commendations from the ladies.
The restlessness and menacing deportment of the Indians around the agency led General Harrison to call a council with the chiefs of the friendly Indians, of the Delaware, Shawnee, Wyandot, and Seneca tribes, in which he stated to them that the time had arrived for all those who were willing to engage in the war, "to take a decided stand for or against the United States" - that the President wished no false friends - that the proposal of 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 us; and that to give the United States proof of their good disposition, they must remove with their families into the interior, or the warriors must accompany him in the ensuing campaign, and fight for the United States. "The chiefs and warriors chose the latter condition. By their acceptance of it the great danger of their joining the British was averted, and the safety of the agency at Piqua secured.
"Colonel Johnston was retained as Indian agent until Jack- son's administration, when he was removed. After his removal from office, he continued to reside on his farm, north of Piqua, until 1840, when his wife died. They together organized the first Sunday school in Piqua, and Mrs. Johnston was the first president of the Piqua Female Bible Society, and remained its president from 1817 until her death. They were the parents of fifteen children. His two older sons were, one in the army, and the other in the navy. So it was arranged that the third one, John Henry Dearborn, should hold possession of the old home- stead.
In 1848 Colonel Johnston and his youngest daughter, Mar- garet, moved to Cincinnati, where he had two unmarried sons in business. He there bought and furnished a comfortable home with the hope that the four members of the family would be
259
AND AUGLAIZE COUNTY
reunited in a happy home, but his hope was soon turned into sorrow by the death of his daughter, in the following year, by cholera, one of the first victims of that epidemic. His home was again broken up, and he removed to Dayton, Ohio, to be with his daughter, Mrs. Patterson, with whom he made his permanent home. His two sons afterward moved from Cincin- nati to New York, where they engaged in business. Thither he went to spend some time with them, and while there made a business trip to Washington City, expecting to remain there for a time. One of his sons accompanied him, and remained with him until he was comfortably established at the Ebbitt House. On leaving for New York he left instructions that he was to be immediately notified should his father become indisposed in any way, as he was over eighty years old. He soon received a mes- sage that his father was dangerously sick. He departed for Washington at once, but on his arrival found his father already dead from heart trouble. His body was brought to his old home, and interred in the old family burial-ground."
GEORGE C. JOHNSTON.
Mrs. Louise W. McKinney's sketch of George C. Johnston, a cousin of John Johnston, in the published papers of the "Daugh- ters of the American Revolution of Piqua," contains so much of interest that we insert the entire production :
"One of the pleasures of my childhood days was to sit with my dearest friend, Mary O'Ferrall, and listen to Mr. Johnston, the veteran Indian trader of north-western Ohio, as he told us of his life among the Indians. It is a public misfortune that what he knew, which would be of so much interest and of great value to history, should have been allowed to die with him. He carried volumes of anecdote and Indian reminiscences with him to the tomb.
"Mr. Johnston was born in the county of Fermanagh, Ireland, October 19th, 1793. He landed in Baltimore, Maryland, in October, 1817, and traveled by the usual route from that city to Pittsburg, down the Ohio river to Cincinnati, and from there by Wayne's trace, to Piqua, where he found Colonel John John- ston acting as Indian agent for the United States.
"In January, 1819, Mr. Johnston was licensed as a regular trader among the Indians, and located at Wapakoneta, then the
260
HISTORY OF WESTERN OHIO
residence of the Shawnees, where he soon won their confidence and opened a large trade in furs and skins, in exchange for goods. His goods were landed at Cincinnati and transported with teams to Piqua, and then by pack-horses to Wapakoneta.
"John Jacob Astor at that time controlled all the fur trade of the West, except at Hudson's Bay, which was under British control. Mr. Johnston's average purchase of furs, in value was about $25,000 a year, and these he sold to Mr. Astor's agent at Fort Wayne. He was very successful as an Indian trader, and, by his uniform courtesy and good nature, won the esteem of all. He soon became a good judge of furs and skins, and knew accurately their market value, and always had a ready sale for all he. could obtain. He made a great deal of money, though he frequently lost large sums by trusting dishonest white traders, but never anything, he said, by the red men of the forest.
"The articles sold in large quantities, in exchange for furs and skins, were powder, lead, coffee, sugar, tobacco, knives, blan- kets, shawls, ribbons and figured goods of all kinds, of which the Indians were very fond. The young squaws often purchased large quantities of trinkets and silver ornaments. The hunters wore leggins and hunting shirts made of dressed deer skins, and heavy moccasins of the same material, while the squaws wore cloth leggins, elaborately embroidered with colors, ribbons and porcupine quills, and skirts of cloth covered with silver trinkets. They wore nothing on their heads, whilst the men generally wore red handkerchiefs tied over their heads.
"Mr. Johnston never dealt in intoxicating liquors while a trader, for he believed that nearly all the troubles with the red men resulted from the use of liquors. He made it a point of honor to deal justly with the Indians, giving them full value for their furs, often throwing in a few yards of calico, or remnants of other goods by way of full measure. This was a good adver- tisement, and crowds would come in to trade. It was not unu- sual for him to sell $1,500 worth of goods in one afternoon. He always kept on the best of terms with his Indian customers, and never had an angry word with an Indian.
"The principal tribes that traded at his station at Wapako- neta, were the Wyandots, Ottawas, Miamis, Senecas, Shawnees, and Delawares.
"He was a great friend of the prophet, Tecumseh's brother,
261
AND AUGLAIZE COUNTY
and told of his wonderful fluency in his talks with his tribe, the Shawnees. Blackhoof, head chief of the Shawnees, often came to trade, and he exhibited one hundred and twenty-seven scalps on his string. Captain Wolf was another Shawnee of some note who was also a friend to Johnston.
"During his agency in the North-west, he frequently met Rev. James B. Finley, who had a mission among the Wyandots and Delawares, and heard him preach. Finley's place of preach- ing was on the public road leading to Perrysburg through what is now the city of Tiffin.
"When Johnston located at Wapakoneta in 1818, all that region was covered with timber, except a few small patches along the streams, which were cultivated in corn by the squaws. There were only a very few settlers all through that part of the country. On trading trips between Wapakoneta and Fort Wayne, he slept out of doors thirty or forty nights in succession. There were no highways of any importance except Wayne's trace, which passed through Piqua and which was the only road for many years for the settlers. When he first visited Piqua it was a small village, and had been a rendezvous for soldiers, and a depot for provisions for the War of 1812.
"Johnston knew more of the Shawnees than of other tribes, and spoke their language with fluency. His Indian name which they gave him was Wathe-The-Wee-Law.
"Johnston had a wonderful memory, seeming never to for- get anything that he had once heard. He described Indian feasts in a very interesting manner. He said 'The Feast of Ingathering' was the most solemn and important - similar to one of the old Jewish feasts. It took place when the new corn had sufficiently matured for use, and was called by the Shawnees 'Na-a-watse- we-sa-monrie-tau,' or 'Giving Thanks to the Great Spirit for the New Corn.' The custom was rigidly observed and it was un- lawful to touch or use the new corn until a part of it had been offered in sacrifice to the Great Spirit. At the ceremony a cir- cle was formed, and none but Indians and adopted white men were admitted. Having formed a circle, the leader or priest took two green ash sticks and rubbed them together until they ignited and then kindled a small fire in the center of the circle and burned thereon a few ears of corn, at the same time thanking the Manitou or Great Spirit for the new crop of corn. After having
262
HISTORY OF WESTERN OHIO
made this offering they were at liberty to gather and use the corn .. This ceremony was quite solemn and no dancing or merri- ment was permitted. Mr. Johnston felt positive that this feast had its origin in Jewish custom.
"The next feast was a sort of 'Feast of Tabernacles,' and required every man, woman and child to be present. A large amount of venison, bear meat, wild turkey, and pheasants, were provided for the occasion. Whilst the food was cooking, the young warriors and squaws selected a smooth grassy spot for dancing. A young musician with a piece of deer skin drawn tight over a hoop, was seated near the spot. When all were ready he com- menced beating his tamborine, making a sort of music to which the Indians responded in a lively dance, marching up and down and occasionally aiding the music with a he-ha-ho, by way of making the exercise more emphatic. The gaily dressed squaws with their showy shawls and gaudy ribbons, gave a wildness to the scene that might have challenged the pen of Cooper. The utmost decorum was observed between the sexes. The exercise continued until about three o'clock, when the great dinner of the Nation was eaten. The food in large quantities was placed on slips of bark, answering to the use of plates, and handed to all present, and it was expected that each should devour all that was on his bark plate. Then they all quietly separated and re- turned to their respective wigwams and villages.
"Mr. Johnston was invited to one of these feasts by Black- hoof, who sent a horse to Wapakoneta and a fast runner to con- duct him to Piqua. George Moffatt, who was with him at the time, and was versed in Indian customs, instructed Johnston on the etiquette of Indian feasts. He told him to request the Indian who waited on him to put but little food on his bark plate, giving him as an excuse that he had eaten before he left home, for if he failed to eat all the large quantity given to him, the offense would be unpardonable.
"At the 'Warriors' Feast' all that was left of the flesh and bones were burned as a sacrifice to the Great Spirit. After the feast the warriors threw down deer and bear skins, and sat in a circle, a war-post being in the center. One of the warriors arose, and stepping briskly forward to the post, struck it with his tom- ahawk, and turning around exhibited a string of human scalps, and recited his warlike achievements in a clear, connected man-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.