USA > Ohio > Auglaize County > History of western Ohio and Auglaize County, with illustrations and biographical sketches of pioneers and prominent public men > Part 54
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The foregoing statements concerning the Girty family are taken from Butterfield's History of the Girtys.
The fate of the singularly unfortunate mother has given rise to many conflicting traditions, and is still involved in un- certainty. The three boys, James, George and Simon were dis- tributed among the Indian nations west of the Alleghenies. James was adopted by the Shawnees, George by the Delawares. and Simon by the Senecas. "Simon was the most conspicuous in his day, and was a leading and influential chief among the allied Indians, and was ever present and took an active part in all their councils and deliberations."
"James Girty, before moving to the source of the St. Marys
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river, lived at Wapatomica, and was well acquainted with the country between the St. Marys river and Loramie creek. He had already been trafficking to a considerable extent with the Shawnees and other tribes, purchasing his supplies at Detroit. He had also married a Shawnee woman, who was known to the whites as Betsy. She could speak English."
"James enjoyed for a little over seven years a complete monopoly of the Indian trade at his trading house. He shipped peltry down the St. Marys river to the Maumee, thence down the stream mentioned to the Rapids, and from that place across Lake Erie to Detroit, returning with stores to be disposed of to the Indians at large profits.
"During his residence at what is now St. Marys he was frequently frightened by reports of the advance of American troops, especially in 1786 of Colonel Logan; but, until the fall of 1790, they all proved to be false alarms. He had timely warning of the approach of General Harmar, and moved his goods first to the head waters of the Maumee, and immediately after down the river to the Grand Glaize."
The following from "Western Annals" is regarded as a cor- rect representation of his character: "As he approached man- hood, he became dextrous in all the savage life. In the most sanguinary spirit he added all the vices of the depraved frontier men, with whom he frequently associated. It is represented that he often visited Kentucky at the time of the first settlement, and many of the inhabitants felt the effects of his courage and cruelty. Neither age nor sex found mercy at his hands. His de- light was in carnage. When unable to walk, in consequence of disease, he laid low with his hatchet, captive women and chil- dren who came within his reach. Traders who were acquainted with him, say so furious was he that he would not have turned on his heel to save a prisoner from the flames. His pleasure was to see new and refined tortures inflicted and to perfect this gratification he frequently gave directions. To this barbarian are to be attributed many of the cruelties charged upon his brother Simon.
James Girty left the Maumee for Canada upon the approach of Gen. Wayne in 1794, and remained there until after the treaty of Greenville in 1795, when he returned and again engaged in trading with the Indians on the Maumee river, leaving his family
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in Canada. Whilst engaged in trading on the Maumee, his wife, Betsy, died.
At the beginning of the war of 1812, he again retired to Canada, and later settled on Middle Sister Island, where he died, April 17th, 1817. (Butterfield's Hist. of the Girtys, p. 318.)
There is no record of anything of importance in the local history of St. Marys from 1795 until 1812. The troops stationed in old Fort St. Marys, Charles Murray, and a few French traders whose names are unknown, were the only white inhabitants in St. Marys township during that period.
Old Fort St. Marys and Fort Loramie were built by a de- tachment of Wayne's troops from Greenville in 1784 or 1785. Howe in his "Historical Collections of Ohio," published in 1847. locates the fort as follows: "The old fort, St. Marys, built by Wayne, stood in the village of St. Marys on the west bank of the river, on the land now owned by Christian Benner, about 80 rods S. E. of Rickley tavern."
There is a plat on record, in the recorder's office at Wapa- koneta, of Christian Benner's land, surveyed by county sur- veyor, C. G. Galezio in 1853, in which the old fort is located in the southeast corner of the Lutheran cemetery, which coincides with the location given by the historian, Howe.
"On the 28th of October, Wayne's legion broke up their camp at Fort Wayne, and at nine o'clock A. M., took up the line of march on their return to Greenville. They followed Gen- eral Harmar's old trace up the St. Marys river, and marched nine miles that day, when they encamped.
"On the next morning they resumed their march at sun- rise, and proceeded twelve miles, when they encamped at three o'clock.
"The ensuing day they set out at seven o'clock, and marched all day in a continued, heavy, cold rain until sunsetting, when they encamped on the southwest bank of the St. Marys river.
"On the 31st, the troops took up their line of march at sun- rise, and marched all day in a heavy rain until three hours after dark, when they encamped at Girty's town on the St. Marys." (From McBride's account of Wayne's campaign.)
After the erection of Fort. St. Marys it was commanded at times by Captain John Whistler, from 1795 to 1814.
"Whistler was a soldier from his youth, and came to Amer-
AND AUGLAIZE COUNTY 649
ica in Burgoyne's army, entered the western army under St. Clair, and survived the disastrous defeat of November, 1791, at which time he served as a sergeant. In 1793, an order came from the War Department, purporting that any non-commissioned offi- cer who should raise 25 recruits, would receive the commission
ST.MARY'S POST,
1813.
Tt.Berbce.
SPRING SE
L.P. W.R. R.
of an ensign. He succeeded in this way in obtaining the office, from which he rose to a captaincy, and commanded in succes- sion Forts St. Marys, Wayne, and Dearborn, at Chicago. In 1804, he built the latter without the aid of a horse or ox: the timber and materials were hauled by the soldiers, their com- mander always at the head assisting. He could recruit more men and perform more labor than any other officer in the army. Age and hard service at length broke him down. He retired from the line of the army and received the appointment of mili-
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tary storekeeper at St. Louis, where he died about 20 years since .. (About 1825.)" (See Howe's Historical Collections, p. 353: also Cist's Cincinnati Miscellany, p. 29, Vol. 2.)
In the war of 1812, St. Marys became the headquarters of General Harrison's army for a considerable length of time. It. was also the principal depot for provisions for the armies dis- tributed over the Northwest.
When General Harrison reached Piqua on the third of Sep- tember, 1812, he received information of the siege of Fort Wayne. He immediately dispatched Colonel Allen's regiment with two- companies from Lewis' and one from Scott's regiments, with in- structions to make forced marches for its relief. The remainder of the troops were detained at Piqua until the 6th for want of flints, a very small, yet indispensable article. On that day they marched, leaving the greater part of their clothes and heavy baggage at Piqua, and overtook Colonel Allen's regiment early on the 8th at St. Marys river, where an express from the general had overtaken him with orders to halt and build some block houses, for the security of provisions and the protection of the- sick. Two block houses were built, one within the stockade- surrounding Fort St. Marys and the other, one hundred and fifty rods south of Fort St. Marys, which was also surrounded: by a stockade inclosing about an acre of ground.
At the same time that Colonel Allen was dispatched to re- lieve Fort Wayne, Captain Joel Collins was "detailed to cut a road along the old army trace from Loramie to St. Marys. They performed the duty in eight days and encamped two miles south of St. Marys, for a period of two weeks.
"One night, while they were lying at that point, they re- ceived an express, informing them that Captain Corwin's com- pany, acting as an escort to twenty wagons laden with valuable supplies for the army, were encamped about three miles to the south, and that he suspicioned that a party of Indians intended' to attack the escort before morning. Lieutenant N. McClain, the bearer of the message, also bore a request for Capt. Collins. to reinforce him with as many men as he could spare. The request was complied with, immediately. Capt. Collins with more than half of his company led by McClain reached Corwin's. escort about eleven o'clock.
"The officers decided that a second chain of sentinels should
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be posted fifty paces in advance of the first line. Capt. Collins. accordingly, proceeded to place the sentinels. While in the per- formance of the duty he heard the snap of a musket, nearly: in the direction he was going.
"Hail sentinel !"
"Who comes there ?"
"Captain Collins, on his way placing out sentinels."
"Good Lord! If my musket had not missed fire, you would' have been a dead man."
"Call the sergeant to go round and let the guards know of this arrangement - Collins afterward observed that 'a great blunder was made that came near costing him his life.'
"They were not disturbed by the Indians during the night,. but it was believed that it was owing to the timely arrival of the reinforcement.
"Capt. Collins was afterward stationed at St. Marys.
"One morning after his arrival at St. Marys, Captain Collins. witnessed the election of Colonel Richard M. Johnson, a lawyer whom he had frequently seen in Kentucky. Colonel Johnson delivered a speech in which he observed, that if they should elect him as their commander, he would in all times of danger,. take a position where he would be most likely to receive the first fire of the enemy. He literally and most gallantly afterward redeemed this pledge at the battle of the Thames."
(From McBride's Pioneer Biography.)
"Captain Joel Collins was born in Halifax county, Virginia,. on the 16th day of September, 1772. He, along with his father, Stephen Collins, moved to English's Station, Kentucky. Joel Collins grew to manhood during the time of the border warfare of the early pioneers of Kentucky. His first experience of the duties of a soldier was in Gen. Charles Scott's campaign on the Wabash in 1791. In 1794, he was appointed Lieutenant in the standing army, with orders to enlist men and establish three mili- tary posts on the wilderness road that led from the old settle- ments in Virginia to the new ones in Kentucky. The stations. were intended for the protection of emigrants whilst traveling that road.
"In February, 1797, he returned to Lexington and was ap- pointed judge of Lincoln county. In the next month he was married to Miss Elizabeth Beeler, and purchased a farm in Lin-
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coln county, which he cultivated until 1806, when he moved to Butler county, Ohio, and built a small log powder-house and operated it for a time.
"In 1812 he was appointed a captain in the United States Army and served during the war." (From McBride's Pioneer Biography.)
Captain Collins and his company performed good service in opening roads and making water-craft to transport supplies down the St. Marys river.
The following from the pen of Robert B. McAfee, a captain in Harrison's army, is a trustworthy description of the difficulties encountered in the transportation of supplies for the army :
"The roads were bad beyond description: none but those who have actually seen the state of the country, seem ever to have formed a correct estimate of the difficulties to be encount- ered. The road from Loramie's block house to the St. Marys and thence to Defiance, was one continuous swamp, knee deep to the pack horses and up to the hubs of the wagons. It was found impossible in some instances to get even the empty wagons along and many were left sticking in the mire and ravines, the wagoners being glad to get off with the horses alive. Some- times the quartermaster taking advantage of a temporary freeze, would send off a convoy of provisions, which would be swamped by a thaw before it reached its destination. These natural diffi- culties were also increased by great deficiency of funds, and in- adequacy of other resources which were requisite in the quarter- master's department. The only persons who could be procured to act as packhorse drivers, were generally the most worthless creatures in society, who took care neither of the horses nor the goods with which they were intrusted. The horses of course were soon broken down, and many of the packs lost. The teams hired to haul, were also commonly valued so high on coming into service, that the owners were willing to drive them to de- bility and death, with a view to get the price. In addition to this, no bills of lading were used, or accounts kept with the wagoners - of course each one had an opportunity to plunder the public without much risk of detection."
The following from the same writer exhibits the difficulties of water transportation :
"About the first of December, (1812) Major Bodley an en-
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ยท terprising officer, who was quartermaster of the Kentucky troops, made an attempt to send near two hundred barrels of flour down the St. Marys river in perogues to the left wing below Defiance. Previous to this time the water had rarely been high enough to venture on a voyage in those small streams. The flour was now shipped in fifteen or twenty perogues and canoes, and placed under the command of Captain Jordan and Lieutenant Cardwell, with upward of twenty men. They descended the river and arrived about a week afterward at Shane's Crossing, upwards of one hundred miles by water, but only twenty by land from the place where they started. The river was so narrow, crooked, full of logs, and trees overhanging the banks, that it was with great difficulty they could make any progress. In one freezing night, they were completely ice-bound. Lieutenant Cardwell waded back through the ice and swamps to Fort Barbee, with intelligence of their situation. Major Bodley returned with him to the flour, and offered the men extra wages to cut through the ice and push forward; but having gained only one mile by two days' labor, the project was abandoned, and a guard left with the flour. A few days before Christmas a temporary thaw took place, which enabled them with much difficulty and suffering to reach within a few miles of Fort Wayne, where they were again frozen up. They now abandoned the voyage, and made sleds on which the men hauled the flour to the fort and left it there." It is not known whether the flour ever reached the point to which it was consigned.
As has already been stated, St. Marys was intended to be the principal depot for the storage of subsistence for the armies on the Maumee and other points in the north. The accumu- lation of horses, cattle, and other army stores became so great in September that Colonel Joshua Barber was detailed on the 2Ist of that month (1812) to erect additional storage buildings, and to surround them with a stockade of sufficient capacity to protect the live stock that was constantly arriving from the south, and from the east. By the middle of October two block houses were built and surrounded by a stockade ten feet in height. An excellent spring, located near where the Fountain Hotel stands furnished an abundance of wholesome water. When completed the block houses and surroundings were named Fort Barbee in honor of the Colonel.
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One block house stood on the ground now occupied by the city building, and the other on the lot on which Christian Bueh- ler's residence stands.
It will be proper in this connection to make note of the burial places of the brave men who died in these forts from disease and from wounds received in battle. Five soldiers were buried on lot No. 7, west of the Buehler residence; fifteen were buried on the east bank of the St. Marys river south of where the L. E. & W. railroad crosses the river; and about the same number were interred north of the southern block house, and about one hundred and forty rods south of the Lutheran ceme- tery.
Nothing occurred in St. Marys township worthy of note after the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain in 1815, until the making of the treaties with the Indians at St. Marys in 1818. (See Chapter X.)
The negotiations commenced on the 17th of September, and continued until the 6th of October, 1818. The treaty ground extended from old Fort St. Marys, west along the north side of the west branch of the St. Marys river to the little brick house at the southern terminus of Main street, formerly known as Pickett Doute's house. The boarding house tents for the ac- commodation of the Commissioners, their secretaries, agents and officers, were erected along where the little brick house stands.
Judge Edwin M. Phelps, in his history of Mercer county states that "This boarding house was erected and kept by the Edsalls, who afterwards moved to Shane's Prairie, and thence to Fort Wayne. They had lived at Fort Greenville and had kept a boarding house there. Having knowledge of the approaching treaty they came up from Greenville along with David Arm- strong, son of Judge John Armstrong, and the father of the present David Armstrong, merchant in St. Marys.
"The Indians were encamped, by tribes, all around. The timber had all been cut off during the occupation of the place by the army of 1812-13, which afterwards was laid out as the town. At the time of the treaty it had grown up very thick with brush and sprouts."
"Charles Murray, or 'Old Charley Murray' as he was famil- iarly called, had his cabin where the gravel pits are located. -
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. When he came to St. Marys is not known with certainty, but it was before the war of 1812, and possibly soon after the treaty at Greenville. He was an Irishman and a trader. He bought all his goods at Detroit and brought them on packhorses. He died about 1831-2 and was buried in what is known as Murray's graveyard. When he was first known, he had an Indian wife - a Shawnee - but as he prospered and the whites began to come in, he wanted a white one and found and married one at Piqua. This enraged the Shawnee, and she threatened revenge. Finally, .she proposed that they each should take a rifle and go out in the woods a certain distance, and each should be at liberty to fire at sight. She went out and he followed, but as soon as he got an opportunity to hide himself, he sneaked back to his trading hut. She looked all through the woods for him, but finally con- cluded that he had run back. She went straight to his cabin. and he was there. She drew up, and he begged. She replied, 'Ugh! you cowardly pale face - mean man - I shoot you now,' and fired away and hit him in the shoulder. She kept him in constant alarm until he bought her off by paying her three hun- dred dollars. She kept her contract with him and never after- wards disturbed him.
"Murray, at the time of the treaty, was in jail at Troy, Ohio, awaiting his trial for the murder of Thraikes. Thraikes and his two sisters lived in the old blockhouse. Murray had some grudge against him and waylaid him between the two crossings of Lora- mie, at a deep hollow, ever since known as Thraikes Run, and caused a hired man of his, one Myers, to shoot him. Murray was afterwards tried at Troy, but was acquitted, upon the plea that Myers was simple minded and fired without his orders. He used to say, however, that "nothing went well with him after- wards." Murray died in 1832.
"Murray and William A. Houston entered four hundred acres of land in sections three and ten, and in 1823-4 laid out the town of St. Marys. Houston was a brother of John S. Houston one of the early surveyors of Mercer county."
At the close of the treaty, there were not more than six or eight families residing in the township, and they occupied the blockhouses.
Two years after the treaties land buyers began to arrive. The original buyers within the township are named in the fol-
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lowing lists of entries made in the Land Receiver's books from 1820 to 1863, when the last parcel of public land was sold. The greater number of persons named came here to reside on their lands immediately after entry.
TOWNSHIP 6 SOUTH, RANGE 5 EAST.
1820.
Thomas Scott, section 3.
Charles Murray, section 3.
Jonas Scott, section 3.
Thomas Scott, section 9.
Robert Sleen, section 15.
Charles Murray, section 9.
John McConkle, section 10.
John McCorkle, section 3.
William A. Houston, section 3.
David Mitchell, section 5.
David Armstrong, section 9.
1822.
John Hawthorn, section 15. Charles Smith, section 33.
1823.
Christian Benner, section 2.
Asa Hinkle, section 22. Joshua Benner, section 12.
Jonathan Longworth, section 13.
Christian Benner, section 4. Pickett Doute, section 9.
Pickett Doute, section 11. Joseph Doute, section 22.
1826. Pickett Doute, section 15. John Inglebright, section 27.
1827. Christian Benner, section 4. Nancy Carter, section 13.
1828.
Albert Opdyke, section 28.
1829.
1830.
John Helm, section 5.
-
Thomas Armstrong, section 9.
William Botkin, section 27.
William A. Houston, section 10. Thomas Scott, section 10. Samuel Brunn, section 4.
Leander Houston, section 22. James Botkin, section 28. John Hawthorn, section 15. Moses Larrn, section 22. Asa Hinkle, section 22.
Richard Barrington, section 11. Charles Smith, section 21.
1824. .
1825. Moses Sturgeon, section 4. Joseph Doute, section 22.
Christian Benner, section 3. James Major, section 9.
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Richard Barington, section 11. Elliott Cross, section 27.
Samuel Statler, section 1. Anderson Collins, section 6. Thomas Flowers, section 15. James D. Hay, section 21. Jno. Wettenbon, section 26. James Botkin, section 27. David Opdyke, section 33.
John Strasburg, section 34. Wm. M. Muller, section 34. Edward Besser, section 35. Isabella Hall, section 35. Anderson Collins, section 8.
Samuel Statler, section 2. James S. Vinson, section 5. Andrew Collins, section 17. James and Joseph Lintch, section 25. James Findley Stout, section 26. Wm Means and J. H. Dedrick, section 33. David Opdyke, section 33. Jno. E. Wapenhorst, section 35.
George Young, section 1. Henry Richard, section 4. Asahel Cleveland, section 12. Lawrence Tarffe, section 14. Barney Murray, section 14. Charles Flemming, section 14. Charles Smith, section 21. Frederick Almo, section 32. John D. Siemer, section 34. Benjamin H. Harmer, section 36. Merman Wiebberling, section 36.
George Marsh, section 2. Jacob Long, section 12. James Flinn, section 14. Asa Hinkle, section 22. James Kay, section 24. William Atkins, section 26. 42 HAC
1831. Charles Wilkin, section 11. James L. Sims, section 30.
1832. Joseph Raney, section 1. Henry M. Helm, section 12. William Hay, section 21. Elias Waters, section 24. Elias Waters, section 27. Elizabeth Smith, section 33. John Williams, section 34. John Kock, section 34. Jno. H. Mohrman, section 34. Jno. D. Strasburg, section 35. Isabella Hall, section 36.
1833. Malachi Vinson, section 4. James Wilkins, section 13. Amos Doute, section 21. James F. Stout, section 25. Christian Stanthite, section 33. Christian Stanthite, section 33. Ira Stout, section 35.
Jno. B. Tangeman, section 35.
1834. James W. Riley, section 4. Henry H. Helm, section 11. John Manse, section 12. Robert Fleming, section 14. James Fleming, section 14. Henry A. Smith, section 15. James Kay, section 24. Frederick Dobbeling, section 32.
John G. Strasburg, section 36. Diedrick H. Hamers, section 36.
1835. John Blue, section 6. Daniel Berry, section 12. Demas Adams, section 22. James Douglas, section 22. David Berry, section 24.
William Atkins, section 26.
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Samuel Mosser, section 24. John Yest Tangeman, section 26. Henry L. Luckman, section 28. Henry E. Friche, section 32. Berrand Newman, section 36.
Ernest Asling, section 36. Frederick Shroder, section 28. Henry Ohr, section 31. Gerhart H. Almo, section 32.
1836.
James Wilkins and Jno. Moller, section 14.
John Pickerell, section 17.
F. Marquand, section 20.
Peter R. Major, section 32.
Demas Adams, section 6.
John Pickerell, section 8. David Goodman, section 14.
Richard Van Ausdale, section 17.
Demas Adams, section 26.
Frederick Marquand, section 6. James R. Riley, section 8.
No entries made within the six years following 1836.
Joseph Farbin, section 30. Martin Schote, section 8. No entries in 1843 or 1844.
Richard Barrington, section 1.
Levan Wilkins, section 13.
Beletha Wilkins, section 13.
Isaiah Shepherd, section 27.
Oramel H. Bliss, section 11.
Franklin E. Foster, section 5.
Aaron C. Badgely, section 1. Robert B. Gordon, section 11. Reuben Wilkins, section 13. Avery Needles, section 13. Jonathan Longworth, section 13. David M. Hinkle, section 15. Marmaduke W. Smith, section 21. Andrew J. Burton, section 25. Lemuel Lintch, section 25. H. H. Fledderjohn, section 26. John F. Bosche, section 27. Frederick Fry, section 28. Herman F. Koenig, section 33. Christian Smith, section 35.
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