USA > Ohio > Wyandot County > Past and present of Wyandot County, Ohio; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievemen, Vol. I > Part 4
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ing the hunting season to collect the fat of the beaver, the raccoon and the bear and to secure it in the paunches or entrails of large animals, which the women had prepared for that purpose; and this was transported or conveyed to their vil- lages for future use.
They also made sugar in the spring of the year when the sap began to run, and this they also put into the entrails of ani- mals for preservation and transportation to their summer villages. This sugar they mixed with the fat of the bear and that of other animals and cooked it with the green corn and such vegetables as they had, and thus made what they con- sidered a most savory food.
The originality of the Senecas and Wyandots have been debated at some length, while others have called the tribes the same, having two branches. We have searched the earlier records and have found an authenticated account of these two tribes.
The Indian tribes of Ohio were originally bold, fierce and stalwart. The country watered by the Sandusky and its trib- utaries was frequented by the Wyandot tribe, who came from the north side of the St. Lawrence river. The Senecas were blood relatives of this tribe. Both tribes were numbered by the thousands. A war originated between them, in this man- ner: A Wyandot chief desired to wed the object of his affec- tions, who laughed him to scorn, because he had taken no scalps, and was no warrior "to speak of." To change her opinion, he led out a party, and falling upon a number of Senecas, slaughtered them mercilessly, that he might hasten to the side of his dusky belle, with his trophies. This act inau- gurated hostilities, which extended through a century. The Wyandots began to fear extermination, and, gathering their entire effects, the natives escaped to Green Bay, and settled in several villages. But the Senecas made up a war party and followed them, killing many Wyandots and burning some of their villages. They then returned to Canada. Soon there- after, they secured fire-arms from the French. Again they followed the Wyandots, firing their guns into their huts, and frightening them severely. They did not succeed as well as they expected. But the third party nearly exterminated the villages, because the young warriors were nearly all gone to war with the Foxes. The few at home escaping, promised to return with the Senecas, but desired two days for preparation.
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The Wyandots sent word to the two villages left undisturbed, and held a consultation. They decided to go as near the Sen- ecas as possible, unobserved, and discover their real motive. They found them feasting on two roasted Wyandots, shout- ing over their victory. They danced nearly all night, and then fell asleep. A little before daylight, the Wyandots fell on them, leaving not one to carry back the news.
The Wyandots then procured guns, and began to grow formidable. They set out to return to their own country, and proceeded on their way as far as Detroit, where they met a party of Senecas, on the lake. A fierce conflict ensued, and the Wyandots beheld the Senecas fall, to the last man, suffer- ing fearful carnage themselves. They soon settled in this part of the world, their principal village being on the San- dusky. Northwestern Ohio was particularly dangerous with new Indan tribes, and the Wyandots were cruelly aggressive. The death of their chief, and their total defeat by Harrison, destroyed their power forever.
A SKETCH OF THE WYANDOT TRIBE OF INDIANS
BY REV. JOSEPH BADGER
Having been a resident missionary with the Wyandot Indi- ans before the late war, and obtained the confidence of their chiefs in a familiar conversation with them, and having a good interpreter, I requested them to give me a history of their ancestors as far back as they could. They began by giv- ing a particular account of the country formerly owned by their ancestors. It was the north side of the river St. Law- rence, down to Coon lake, and from thence up the Utiwas. Their name for it was Cu-none-tot-tia. This name I heard applied to them, but knew not what it meant. The Senecas owned the opposite side of the river and the island on which Montreal now stands. They were both large tribes, consist- ing of many thousands. They were blood relations, and I found at this time they claimed each other as cousins.
A war originated between the two tribes in this way. A man of the Wyandots wanted a certain woman for his wife; but she objected, and said he was no warrior: he had never taken any scalps. To accomplish his object, he raised a small war party, and in their scout fell upon a party of Seneca hunt-
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ers, killed and scalped a number of them. This procedure began a war between the nations, that lasted more than a cen- tury, which they supposed was fully a hundred winters before the French came to Quebec. They owned they were the first instigators in the war, and were generally beaten in the con- test. Both tribes were greatly wasted in the war. They often made peace; but the first opportunity the Senecas could get an advantage against them they would destroy all they could, men, women and children. The Wyandots, finding they were in danger of being exterminated, concluded to leave their country, and go far to the west. With their canoes the whole nation made their escape to the upper lakes, and settled in the vicinity of Green Bay, in several villages, but, after a few years, the Senecas made up a war-party and followed them to their new settlements, fell on one of their villages, killed a number and returned. Through this long period they had no instruments of war but bows, arrows, and the war club.
Soon after this the French came to Quebec, and began trad- ing with Indians, and supplied them with fire-arms and uten- sils of various kinds. The Senecas having got supplied with guns, and learned the use of them, made out a second war- party against the Wyandots-came upon them in the night, fired into their huts and scared them exceedingly ; they thought at first it was thunder and lightning. They did not succeed so well as they intended. After a few years they made out a third party, and fell upon one of the Wyandot villages and took them nearly all ; but it so happened at this time that nearly all the young men had gone to war with the Fox tribe, living on the Mississippi.
Those few that escaped the massacre by the Senecas agreed to give up and go back with them and become one people, but requested of the Senecas to have two days to collect what they had and make ready their canoes, and join them on the morn- ing of the third day at a certain point, where they had gone to wait for them and hold a great dance through the night. The Wyandots sent directly to the other two villages which the Senecas had not disturbed, and got all their old men and women, and such as could fight, to consult on what measures to take. They came to the resolution to equip themselves in the best manner they could, and go down in perfect stillness so near the enemy as to hear them. They found them engaged in a dance, and feasting on two Wyandot men they had killed
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and roasted, as they said, for their beef; and as they danced they shouted their victory and told how good their Wyandot beef was. They continued their dance until the latter part of the night, and being pretty tired they all laid down and soon fell into a sound sleep.
A little before day the Wyandot party fell on them and cut them all off ; not one was left to carry back the tidings. This ended the war for a great number of years. Soon after this the Wyandots got guns from the French traders and began to grow formidable. The Indians, who owned the country where they had resided for a long time, proposed to them to go back to their own country. They agreed to return, and hav- ing prepared themselves as a war party, they returned-came down to where Detroit now stands, and agreed to settle in two villages, one at the place above mentioned, and the other where the British fort, Malden, now stands.
But previously to making any settlement they sent out in canoes the best war party they could make, to go down the lake some distance to see if there was an enemy on that side of the water. They went down to Long Point, landed, and sent three men across to see if they could make any discovery. They found a party of Senecas bending their course around the Point, and returned with the intelligence to their party. The head chief ordered his men in each canoe to strike fire, and offer some of their tobacco to the Great Spirit, and pre- pare for action. The chief had his son, a small boy, with him; he covered the boy in the bottom of his canoe. He determined to fight his enemy on the water. They put out into the open lake: the Senecas came on. Both parties took the best advan- tage they could, and fought with a determination to conquer or sink in the lake. At length the Wyandots saw the last man fall in the Seneca party ; but they had lost a great proportion of their own men, and were so wounded and cut to pieces that they could take no advantage of the victory but only to gain the shore as soon as possible, and leave the enemy's canoes to float or sink among the waves. Thus ended the long war be- tween the two tribes from that day to this.
THE WYANDOT MISSION
In November, 1816, John Stewart first visited them. From Mr. Finley's "History of the Wyandot Mission," it is learned that John Stewart, a free-born mulatto, whose parents claimed
BETWEEN-THE-LOGS A Christian Wyandot Preacher
FIRST INDIAN MISSION HOUSE, UPPER SANDUSKY
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to be mixed with Indian blood, was born in Powhatan county, Virginia. He became disabled in early life. When quite a youth, his parents moved to the state of Tennessee and left him behind. Subsequently he set out to join them, but on his way to Marietta, Ohio, was robbed of all his money. Discour- aged over his losses, he remained at that place for a consid- erable period, and gave full scope to habits of intemperance, in the drinking of strong liquors, to such a degree that at one time he determined to put an end to his miserable existence by drowning himself in the Ohio river. Finally he united with the Methodist Episcopal church at Marietta, where, subse- quently, he engaged in his trade of blue-dyeing.
In the fall of 1814, he became very ill, and no one expected he would recover. But he invoked the blessings of God, and promised if he was spared that he would obey the call. Soon after this, he went into the fields to pray. "It seemed to me," said he, "that I heard a voice, like the voice of a woman prais- ing God; and then another, as the voice of a man, saying to me, 'You must declare my counsel faithfully.' These voices ran through me powerfully. They seemed to come from a north- west direction. I soon found myself standing on my feet, and speaking as if I were addressing a congregation. This cir- cumstance made a strong impression upon my mind, and seemed an indication to me that the Lord had called on me to warn sinners to flee the wrath to come. But I felt myself so poor and ignorant that I feared much to make any attempt, though I was continually drawn to travel toward the course from whence the voices seemed to come. I at length concluded that if God would enable me to pay my debts, which I had contracted in the days of my wickedness and folly, I. would go. This I was soon enabled to do ; and I accordingly took my knapsack and set off to the northwest, not knowing whither I was to go. When I set off, my soul was very happy, and I steered my course, sometimes in the road, and sometimes through the woods, until I came to Goshen, on the Tuscara- was river. This was the old Moravian establishment among the Delawares. The Rev. Mr. Mortimore was then its pas- tor." Here Stewart found a few of the Delawares, among them the old chief Killbuck and his family. He remained a few days and was kindly treated by all. And it was here doubt- less that Stewart learned something of the Delawares and Wyandots further to the north; for these Delawares had many
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friends and relations that lived at a point on the Sandusky river called Pipetown, after the chief who lived there; and to this place he next proceeded.
At Pipetown was a considerable body of Delawares under the control of Captain Pipe, son of the chief of the same name, who was prominent at the burning of Colonel Crawford. At this place Stewart stopped, but as the Indians were preparing for a great dance they paid but little attention to him. The proceedings on the part of the Indians were all new to Stew- art, and for a time their vociferations and actions alarmed him exceedingly, but at last they became somewhat quiet, when Stewart took out his hymn book and began to sing. He, as is usual with many of his race, had a most melodious voice, and as a result of his effort the Indians present were charmed and awed into perfect silence. When he ceased, Johnny-cake said in broken English, "Sing more." He then asked if there was any person present who could interpret for him; when old Lyons, who called himself one hundred and sixty years old (for he counted the summer a year and the winter a year) came forward. Stewart talked to them for some minutes and then retired for the night. In the morning, he almost deter- mined to return to Marietta, and from thence proceed to the home of his parents in Tennessee. But so strong were his impressions that he had not yet reached the right place, though he was invited by the Delawares to remain with them, that he continued his course northwesterly and finally arrived at the house of William Walker, Sr., at Upper Sandusky.
Mr. Walker was an interpreter, and the United States Indian sub-agent at this point. At first he suspected Stewart to be a runaway slave; but the latter accounted for his pres- ence here in such an honest, straightforward manner, that all doubts or suspicions were at once removed. Mrs. Walker, who was a most amiable woman, of good education, and half Wyandot, also became much interested in Stewart after hear- ing his account of himself. She possessed great influence in the Wyandot nation, and the whole family became his hos- pitable friends, and the untiring patrons to the mission which was afterwards established. Mr. Walker, Sr., his wife and his sons were all good interpreters, spoke the Indian language fluently and all the members of the family except the elder Walker became members of the mission church.
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The family directed Stewart to a colored man named Jon- athan Pointer. The latter when a boy had been captured by the Wyandots at Point Pleasant, Virginia. His master and himself were cultivating corn when the Indians came upon them. They shot his master, caught Jonathan and took him home with them. Pointer was reluctant to interpret for Stew- art, or to introduce him as a preacher, telling him it was great folly for him, a poor colored man, to attempt to turn these Indians from their old religion to a new. But Stewart perse- vered and was unwilling to give up. He appointed meetings again and again to be held in the council house. At first but few came, but his congregations began to increase, partly on account of his singing, for he had a fine voice, and the Indians are lovers of music, although but few of them can sing.
A report now comes from Berlin that we are to have a famous Indian singer, a red-skinned fellow who is to startle the world with his voice as soon as it is trained a little more. Carlisle Kawbawgam is the name he will have to use, and he is a graduate of the government Indian school at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
There has been a great deal of discussion as to the relative musical abilities of the North American Indians. There are persons who profess to hear great melody in the weird strains of the Indian voice, but the average white man hears but lit- tle melody or music in the Indian voice.
Certainly the Indians did not indulge in any kind of music to the extent that did other races. They had few songs or refrains, and no musical instruments worthy of the name. In fact, they were a silent, sullen people, and did not even indulge in laughter to the extent that other people have indulged in it. Their entertainments were in the nature of exhibitions of strength or endurance, and they never went through the for- ests singing or whistling, as the whites do. So if we are to have an Indian singer who is to startle the world with his music, it only shows what mighty transformation has been wrought in the Indian since he first met the white man.
Mononcue, a renowned chief of the Wyandot Indians, is thus described by the Rev. Finley : He was of medium stature and remarkably symmetrical in form. He was active and quick in motion, and fleet as the doe in the chase.
As a speaker, he possessed a native eloquence which was truly wonderful. Few could stand before the overwhelming
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torrent of his eloquence. He was a son of Thunder. When inspired with his theme, he could move a large assembly with as much ease, and rouse them to as high a state of excitement, as any speaker I ever heard. There is a peculiarity in Indian eloquence which it is difficult to describe. To form a correct idea of its character, you must be in the hearing and sight of the son of the forest; the tones of his voice and the flash of his eye must fall upon you, and you must see the significant move- ment of his body. As an orator, Mononcue was not surpassed by any chieftain.
I will give a specimen or two of the eloquence of this gifted son of nature. Imagine yourself, gentle reader, in the depths of the forest, surrounded by hundreds of chiefs and warriors, all sunk in the degradation and darkness of paganism. They have been visited by the missionary, and several converted chiefs. One after another the chiefs rise and address the as- sembly, but with no effect. The dark scowl of infidelity set- tles on their brows, and the frequent mutterings of the excited auditors indicate that their speeches are not acceptable, and their doctrines not believed. At length Mononcue rises amidst confusion and disturbance, and ordering silence with a com- manding voice, he addresses them as follows:
"When you meet to worship God, and to hear from His word, shut up your mouths, and open your ears to hear what is said. You have been here several days and nights worship- ping your Indian god, who has no existence, only in your dark and beclouded minds. You have been burning your dogs and venison for him to smell. What kind of a god or spirit is he, that he can be delighted with the smell of a burnt dog? Do you suppose that the great God that spread out the heavens, that hung up the sun and moon, and all the stars, to make light, and spread out this vast world of land and water, and filled it with men and beasts, and everything that swims or flies, is pleased with the smell of your burnt dog? I tell you today, that His great eye is on your hearts, and not on your fires, to see and smell what you are burning. Has your wor- shipping here these few days made you any better? Do you feel that you have gotten the victory over one evil? No! , You have not taken the first step to do better, which is to keep this day holy. This day was appointed by God Himself, a day of rest for all men, and a day on which men are to worship Him with pure hearts, and to come
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before Him that He may examine their hearts, and cast out all their evil. This day is appointed for His minister to preach to us Jesus, and to teach our dark and cloudy minds, and to bring them to light." He here spoke of the Savior, and His dying to redeem the world ; that how life and salvation are freely offered to all that will forsake sin and turn to God. He adverted to the judgment day, and the awful consequences of being found in sin, and strangers to God. On this subject he was tremendously awful. He burst into tears; he caught the handkerchief from his head, and wiped them from his eyes. Many in the house sat as if they were petrified, while others wept in silence. Many of the females drew their blankets over their faces and wept. "Awful, awful day to the wicked !" said this thundering minister. "Your faces will look much blacker with your shame and guilt than they do now with your paint."
Mononcue was of great service to the mission at Upper Sandusky as a local preacher, and was always prompt in the discharge of every duty. He remained a true Christian and friend of the whites until his death, which occurred some time before the removal of the Wyandots west of Missouri.
As has been noted in another chapter, in 1888 the general conference of the M. E. church decided to restore the old Mis- sion church to something near its old appearance, and ap- propriated $2,000 for that purpose, and the work of rebuilding it was commenced and finished in 1889.
Perhaps the most interested spectator at its rededication was "Mother Solomon," an old Indian woman who lived alone in an humble home on the banks of the Sandusky river, north of Upper Sandusky. She was a full-blooded Wyandot In- dian, the daughter of John Grey Eyes, a noted chief. She was born in 1816, and when in 1821, the Rev. Finley opened his mission school, Margaret Grey Eyes was one of the first to be brought to his school. When the Indians went west in 1843, she went with them, but some years ago, after her husband, John Solomon, had died, she returned and bought the home where she lived alone. Of all the Indians who went west in 1843, she was the only one who was present at the restoration of the church, being the last of the Wyandots in Ohio. "Mother Solomon" died August 17, 1890.
Many settlers of Wyandot county will remember of hear- ing their parents speak of " Aunt Sally Frost," a white woman who had been reared among the Wyandots. Aunt Sally was
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Tarhe's wife when he died. He had one son who died at the age of twenty-five. But the son had not the intelligence of his father. The Indian name of Tarhe is supposed to mean crane or tall fowl, and was given him on account of his height and slender form.
TREATIES WITH THE INDIANS
The favorable results of the Revolutionary war gave to the United States the Northwest Territory, which included the state of Ohio, but English troops continued to hold Detroit and various other posts for years thereafter, and, as a natural result, the Wyandots, with other tribes of this section, were still under their baneful influence.
However, on the 21st of January, 1785, a treaty was con- cluded at Fort McIntosh with the Wyandot, Delaware, Chip- pewa and Ottawa Indians, by which the boundary line between the United States and the Wyandot and Delaware nations was declared to begin at "the mouth of the river Cuyahoga, and to extend up said river to the portage, between that and the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingum, thence down that branch to the crossing place above Fort Laurens, thence west- erly to the portage of the Big Miami, which runs into the Ohio, at the mouth of which branch the fort stood which was taken by the French in 1752; then along said portage to the Great Miami, or Omee river (now known as the Maumee), and down the south side of the same to its mouth; then along the south shore of Lake Erie to the mouth of the Cuyahoga river, where it began." The United States government allotted all the lands contained within said lines (which the reader will ob- serve embraced the territory now forming Wyandot county) to the Wyandot and Delaware nations, to live and hunt on, and to such of the Ottawa nation as lived thereon; saving and re- serving for the establishment of trading posts, six miles square at the mouth of the Miami or Omee river; and the same at the portage, on the branch of the Big Miami which now runs into the Ohio; and the same on the lake of Sandusky where the fort formerly stood, and also two miles square on each side of the lower rapids of Sandusky river.
On the 9th of January, 1789, another treaty was made at Fort Harmer, between Governor Arthur St. Clair and the sachems and warriors of the Wyandot, Chippewa, Pottawa-
-
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tomie, Sac and other nations, in which the treaty at Fort Mc- Intosh was renewed and confirmed. But it did not produce the favorable results anticipated. The Ohio and Michigan Indians still hated the Americans who were moving westward in a restless column of emigration, and were continually en- couraged in this feeling by the British officials. They were also equipped with guns and ammunition obtained at the Brit- ish post at Detroit. Therefore, as might have been expected, the Indians the same year assumed a hostile attitude, and again all the horrors of a relentless, savage warfare were reenacted along the line of the American border settlements. Block- houses were erected by the settlers in each of the new settle- ments, and in June, 1789, Major Doughty, with 140 men from Fort Harmer, commenced the building of Fort Washington, on a site now within the limits of Cincinnati. A few months afterward General Harmer arrived with 300 men, and assumed command of the fort.
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