USA > Ohio > Shakers of Ohio; fugitive papers concerning the Shakers of Ohio, with unpublished manuscripts > Part 24
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3d. We made some preparations for loading the Keel boat - which come to us in the evening with a rugged set of hands on board, having come from Busro in three days - a heavy rainfall this night - 1
4th. Loaded the Keel boat, Battau and perogue - made some oars and other preparations for ascending the Wabash -left the two flat boats at the landing and about 3 o'clock - all set sail for Busro - we encamped for the night on the Bonebank 9 miles from the mouth of Wabash --
5th and 6th. We moved along up the river about 12 by pulling the oars and brush - the river is very high, so that we can not use the poles, except to spike a tree once in a while - Heavy thunder and rain a good part of the night -
7th. All wet this morning - however we put off and got along 10 ·or 11 miles by spikeing the trees and halling brush -
8th. We pulled up 9 or 10 miles by the brush - The second com- pany of waggons arrived at Busro this day.
9th. Went through the lower cut-off. This was a very hard day's
1
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work tho' the distance is but 3 or 4 miles - but the water was so very rapid, but it counted 15 miles by the way of the river -
10th and 11th. We made out to get along about 15 miles. The water very swift and the wind blowing down the river.
12th and 13th. Nothing material - we got along by hard work - 14th. Sabbath - passed coffee Island and encamped on the west bank of Wabash opposite the mouth of White river.
15th. Passed over the grand rapids - went on 14 miles and en- camped just below the mouth of River DeChee -
16th. Pushed on 12 miles and encamped just above mouth of the river L Emborres or (Annbrau) fine weather and the river has fallen so much that we use the poles on the sand bars pritty well -
17th. Pushed on and landed at Vincennes at 3 o'clock and after resting about an hour we pushed on 4 miles and stopped for the night -on the west bank -
18th. Pushed on and landed at the mouth of Busro about 4 o'clock -- and after resting a few minutes -pushed on up the creek about 3. miles and landed for the last time at that well known spot called the Boat landing -
19th. The boat and other crafts were all unloaded and the prop- erty halled to the settlement about six miles - Thus the journey ended on the 19th of April, 1811 -
20th. And so on - unpacking, regulating and distributing - people and property till all were settled and ready for business, etc., etc. -
The Eagle creek and Busro were now united in one splendid com- munity as far as local situations would admit of - The principal gather- ing was on Robert Gills10 place, where the meeting house also stood and was considered the center of the society - As the upper (or Prices)11 settlement lay about 4 miles off a little North of East - And the lower settlement where Robert Houston - Joseph Worthington and a number of other families lived, lay about 3 miles off a little west of South and near the banks of Busro creek - The first family lived in two houses a short distance apart, and was styled George Legier's family, where the elders also lived, and were busy all the while makeing arangements for the comfort and satisfaction of the people all round-
21st. Wm. Price come to live in the family -
23rd. Peggy Knox12 come to live in the family - And so the month of April passed away -
May. The people all being settled the summer work was com- menced which was mostly farming - The principle care of which was consigned to George Leegier for that family. They had 150 acres of the big Prairy in cultivation and raised a great quantity of produce.
27th. John Youngman removed from James Duncan's to John Knoxes family --
June 10th. Polly Edie came to live in the center family, which
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SHAKERS OF OHIO.
then consisted of 72 members - the whole society was something over 300, - Dates of Arivels and departures, of brethren going to, or com- ing from other societyes, was taken but little notice of in those days, the general Idea was, when any one or more would come, that everybody was glad to see them - and a great-dale of love to be handed round - and frequently some new songs to learn- And that was the end of the matter -
However about this time Elder Issachar13 came to Busro to Abide with Elder Archabald - One hewed log house was finished with four rooms, and all seemed to be going well for the present -
About the first week in June some few were taken sick with fevers -And on the 17th Anthony Tann14 (coloured man) Departed this life leaving Peggy (his wife and a white woman) with six children among the believers - This was the first death that occurred after the Eagle creek people was settled in the Prairy - his age was not accurately known. Elder Joseph Allen15 and Tilar Baldwin Arived at Busro some time near about the first of August for the purpose of building a saw mill and on the 22nd the work was commenced under their direction -
August 25th. Tamer Handcock Departed this life - quite an aged woman.
30th. Mariah Britton Departel this life - a little girl in the 5th year of her age -
Elder Archebald had went to Union Village some timeinSeptem- ber, and on the 30th he returned with William Davis 16 Peggy Stewart and Patience Naylor17 - if the account be correct.
October 11th. By the fall of a large piece of timber Samuel Mc- Clelland had the three forefingers of his left hand stripped of the flesh to the bones from the second joint to the ends -
October 18th. Joseph Allen, Filer Baldwin and Enoch Davis set off for Jasper Spring (South Union, Ky).
During the summer the rumor of an Indian war was sometimes al- most frightful - reports was frequently industerously sirculated that they were collected at different places and were expected on in a few days, with all the distruction common to their kind of war-fare - But none of those false prophecyes come to pass.
In July Governor Harrison appointed a treaty at Vincennes18 which amounted to but little good - for the Indians went away about as Ill- humored as they came - A company of rangers followed them to see them safe out of the settlement.
Some time in September the Indians stole four of our best waggon horses (the team that was halling timber at the mill) and as soon as it found to a certainty how and which way they were gone- James Brownfield (the waggoner) and Abraham Jones a coloured man and a Linguist, with a hired man by the name of Robins - started with two horses to follow them (but without firearms) and get the horses upon
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peaceable terms if they could - And after traveling two days and half they overtook the Indians and found the horses - Abram told them that they had come for the horses, that they had no guns, and would not fight, &c., &c. - But the Indians gave no satisfaction. They would not talk much but appeared to be mad and was very busy fixing their guns, &c. However after a short time the brethren loosed the horses, made ready. and started as quick as possible - each man having two horses to take care of.
After they had got about the distence of three miles they dis- covered the Indians coming after them with speed - They immediately started to make every possible exertion to keep out of their way -. But after running some 7 or 8 miles through a long Prairy the horses began to get short of breath- and having a kind of flag swamp to cross before they could find any chance of hiding themselves - the time began to get too short for the distence - they being so far dun out they could hardly get their feet out of the mud - The Indians got close enough to fire on them, but as none of them got shot and the prospect of saveing the horses any longer was out of the question - and fearing that another flash of the gun might put an end to the contest (on their part) about horses and every thing else * * * They jumped off and made to the brush with all possible speed - leaving all the horses with their sad- dles, saddle bags, blankets, big coats and provision - The mud in the swamp robed them of their shoes- and in their extreem haste to save their lives they some how lost their hats - And after six days hard fatigue they got home pritty well famished and almost naked, by the action of the brush and briers on their few remaining clothes - And was then compelled to sustain the loss of six horses - besides all disappoint- ments -
. About this time the militia were called on to go a three month tower of duty up the Wabash, and I (Samuel) was drafted just at the time that my hand was useless from the hurt that my fingers had got on the 11th of October. ' The officer ordered me to attend according to malitia rules, which I refused telling him that my hand was entirely useless - but notwithstanding they took advantage of my absence more than a year afterwards, held a court martial - and fined me 30 dollars -and then abated 10 on account of my lame hand - And so went on, executed and sold - of my tools enough to pay the fine of 20 dollars -
Next an army of 140019 men was raised and marched on to Busro - they encamped on Snaps Prairy about one mile from our meeting house and our afflictions on this occation could not be easily described - How- ever in a few days they marched on up the Wabash - and on the 7th of November the Battle of Tippecanoe was fought -after which they soon returned with many wounded - and all greatly fatigued - we give them all the comfortable usage we could - and they went on to Vin- cennes -
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SHAKERS OF OHIO.
In November - some Brethren went to Smalls Mill on Ambran with the Keel boat - cut timber, sawed plank, and brought home enough to plank up the breast of the Dam - which was done and the business of the mill pursued as fast as circumstances would admit of -
On the 16th of December the whole nation was suddenly awakened at 2 o'clock in the morning - By the shakeing of the Earth - there was two more shakes after daylight tho not so heavy as the first -
These occurrences about closed the year 1811.
1812.
· The beginning of this year may be singularised by the shakeing of the Earth, which occurred so frequently that it would be boath tedious and useless to have noted every one- On the 14th of February two hours before day, was the heavyest shake that was felt on the Wabash - A number of Brick Houses were cracked and the tops of some chim- neys fell off, &c -
From correct information we learn that the shaking occurs almost daily in New Madrid20 - that the Earth motion appears to be about 12 Inches horizontaly, in a North and South direction - That large casms can be seen in many directions - some of which are a mile or more in length - from which muddy water and sulphurious vapors sometimes ishue most frightfully and almost strong enough to suffocate the inhab- itants -
Nothing material took place during the months of January and February the shaking excepted - which was felt occasionally all winter - The following few lines was taken from a newspaper and was an extract of a letter from a man in South America - City of Carracces 21-
March 1812 "The affects of the shaking in this part of the country is truly distressing - On the 26th of March there was ten thousand -In- habitants perished in a few minutes. in the city of Carracces - besides several other villages that was totaly distroyed. Two thousand five hun- dred perished in Laguira - four more shocks were felt on the night fol- lowing. but not so hard as to do any material damage- On the 27th the survivers were imployed in diging the dead bodies from under the ruins and puting them in large lighters and carrying them outside of the shipping and burying them in the Sea - On the 28th the sea was so rough as to prevent them from taking off the dead - they even built large fires near the wharf, and commenced burning them - about forty at a time on one fire - On the 29th the stench had become so bad that they quit diging the dead from under the ruins - All the survivers pitched tents on the plains of Magetere - The vessels trembled as if they had been on a reef of rocks in a heavy sea - And from on board the Inde- pendence the mountains were seen to move and large peices to cleave off them. The accounts were more lengthy than this - I only took down a few of the most particular circumstances - See MS.
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March 3d The sawmill finished and started to work - The school- house was now on hands and was finished about the first of May - and on the 3d Thadeous Jenkins Departed this life aged 12 or 13 years - having a few weeks previous got one of his knees badly hurt by being struck against a tree when riding on a horse-he took cold, his thigh healed - was opened -and after a long tour of sore sufferings it cost him his life -
May 7th. The children were gathered to the schoolhouse - 75 Boys and 56 girls - with a suitable number of Brethren and Sisters to take care of them -the house was double- of hewd logs and two stories high with four spacious rooms - and a stack of chimneys between - .
In June - The Fever began to invade the Society in different quar- ters. and some began to get verry sick - On the 18th the President of the United States declared War against great Britain - The news of which, together with rumors of Indian war. and our settlement being almost the very frontier - added no little to our fears of impending dan- ger - The fever went on with increasing violence till numbers were brought under sore and unusual sufferings - and some even unto death -
July 16th. Joseph Worthington Departed this life in the 49th year of his age - leaving Betsy and six children among believers
-28th. Pheby Sparks Departed this life -a single woman - age not known exactly but must have been something near 30 -
August 1st. William Gallagher Departed this life in the 63d year of his age -leaving Rebecca and eight children among the believers.
12th. William Brazelton Departed this life in the 35 year of his age - leaving Rebecca and two children among believers.
From the 13th to the 18th A frame house was raised just below the sawmill - on the same side of the creek - two storyes high - intended for a grist mill - but was afterwards moved away and used for a shop -
Fevers still raging - the same that were taken first are getting a little better -
. - 28th. David Edic. Departed this life some time in Augus Eldress Rachel22 and Calvin Morrel23 arrived at Busro - War - with the British and Indians - was the general talk in the country - To which our faith and practice was entirely opposed - And of course we need not build forts, unless we intende to defend them - And our settlement was almost the very frontier - All these circumstances (and a great many more) had their baring to our general center - which was that we had better abandon the ground in peace than to stay and fight for it, or even to run the risk of being insulted and abused by malitia troops - or of being massacreed by the Indians -
The spirit and feeling of those times can not be written at all - let it therefore suffice to say - That after much and difficult labour among the Elders and people - It was conclude best for us to quit the place altogather for the present -
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SHAKERS OF OHIO.
Malitia troops were now almost dayly collecting - they made their encampment in the comons close by our houses - In, and out, of which they come and went without molestation - and without regart to even common good behaviour - Our gardens and fields were rich and afforded plenty for them and their horses - Our cattle and hogs they butchered and destroyed in a most savage wasteful manner -
While all this (and a great deal more) was going on we were very industriously imployed in preparing for our journey - and right in hurry the Press Gang come on and seized a number of our horses some sad- dles and some axes - as they were in haste to get up to Fort Harrison it being then besieged by the Indians - This circumstance caused us con- siderable trouble by breaking our teams &c.
However we got up some riding horses - some plow horses - and some oxen - with all of which we were only able to start fourteen wagons.
The Keel-boat and Perogue was prepared at the mouth of Busro - and property enough halled to load them -after which the waggons were all prepared for the roads and all were busy packing up and loading and making all possible speed to leave the ground -
On Monday 14th of September Elder Issachar and Joseph Lock- wood,2ª started to Union Village in order to have the council of the Church conveyed to us some place on the road as soon as convenient that we might know how far to proceed -
All things now appeared to be as nearly ready as it was possible to get them - for the baggage was increasing every hour. and at last it seemed as tho we were leaving almost every thing torn to wreck and in a fair-way for being lost - However William Davis and some other Brethren stayed on the ground to take care of what ever they could among the tumultious multitude - The army was soon increased to about 1000 - our houses was converted to Barracks. our nurcerys into horse lots, and our fields into race grounds - In short the whole place looked as tho' a host of Pharos plages had passed over it -
And on Tuesday 15 of September 181225 .. we hoisted our baggage and started for Kentucky - Red banks - Calvin Morrel - Eldress Ra- chel and Peggy Houston had come from Union Village some time in August - had stayed till the general move took place, and concluded to go the rounds with us.26
The whole camp consisted of about 300 human souls - 250 head of sheep - 100 head of cattle - 14 waggons - and one Keel boat - and Perianger - and one canoe -
The waggons were so crowded with plunder that it was difficult for the sick to be taken along with any tolerable degree of comfort - tho' a number of sick went on board of the boat -
As the company is now divided the journal must appear in two columns - the first will show a sketch of the movement of the waggons
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- and the second of the boat - so that we can see where and what each company was about on the same day.
SEPTEMBER
1812.
OF THE WAGGONS.
-15th. The waggons, foot com- pany cattle and sheep, all started about 9 o'clock - Traveled about ten miles and encamped for the . night - The sick were now quite uncomfortably situated having ex- changed their houses and beds, for camps and bunks in the woods -
-16th. Went on at a slow rate and encamped for the night four miles below Vincennes -
Some of the sick appeared as tho' they could not live much longer -their sufferings were al- most extreme-and probably, but for Eldress Rachel, they might have been buried in the wilder- ness.
-17th. Traveled about 9 miles to white river which we got over safe bag and baggage. for 18 dol- lars - a little more than half price -the sick are still suffering - Tho' the appearance is not much different yesterday -
-18th. Left White river .and went on as fast as we could - the weather very warm and distressing to the sick -
OF THE BOATS.
-15th. The Keel boat, Perogue and canoe, started from the mouth of Busro about 3 o'clock in the af- ternoon - and floated down to Old Fort Knox and encamped for the night just below The soldiers fired a gun to bring us too -
-16th. We floated along till in the evening. the river being very low we got fast on a shole and had to unload and encamped on the Lousiana shore.
-17th. We loaded up and left camp about 8 o'clock - got fast of sholes a number of times in the cours of the day-and had to lift our boats over them with poles and handspikes
-18th. We floated along till in the afternoon - when we got fast at the place called the Little Rock - and after working in the water about two hours, with poles and handspikes we found it impossible to get the boat over - And then began to unload, and had to take the plunder about a mile down the river before we could find water deep enough to carry the boat to shore - when dark came we were obliged to leave the boat fast in
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SHAKERS OF OHIO.
OF THE WAGGONS.
-19th. We moved along slowly the weather is very warm - and some of the sick are very low - the cattle and sheep much fatigued with the hot weather
-20th. Nobody dead yet - tho' some of the sick are a good-deal worse - and some are geting a lit- tle better -
Fanny Price was so far gone that we did not expect she would live till morning -
21st. Fanny Price could not bear to ride any further in the
OF THE BOATS.
the rocks all night - encamped on the Indiana shore
-19th. Continued unloading till the boat was light enough to pass over the shole - and down to the landing -
By examining the river below we found it would be impossible for the boat to pass the sholes with all her load on board - We then went down the river about 2 miles and hired a horse-boat and large Pe- rianger, which we brought up. and loaded - then pushed off altogether and made the best of our way down to and over Ramseys Ripple - through which we had to wade and lead the boat - because the water was so low and the channel so crooked by that time it was night and we had got along only about 2 miles - for that day -
-20th. We found we could not pass the grand-rapids without some assistance and for that purpose we kept possession of the horse boat and perogue-and hired four hands to go with us as far as the mouth of white river - the distance was 9 miles. 6 of which was quite rocky and bad and the last three is occupied by the Grand Rapids - We had a very fatigueing days work - great part of the time in the water - and just before sunset we landed a little below the mouth of white river - where we un- loaded the two hired crafts for the use of which and the four hired men we paid nine dollars and they started home and we encamped for the night -
-21st. Loaded up and pushed off in pretty good spirits - we had
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OF THE WAGGONS.
waggon - we then made a horse litter and carried her to the Ohio river - where we arrived about the middle of the day
Mars, the ferry man was very cleaver. he give us his flat and canoe and told us to get over as cheap as we could - the brethren made him a present of four sheep and he appeared to be well pleased - We commenced crossing and kept the boat a going till near midnight -
- 22d. The boat was early in mo- tion and kept a going all day
-23d. We continued running the boat all day and just about dark we got all safe landed on the Kentucky shore. 3} miles above the Red-banks - Town of Hender- son -
-24th. The malitia troops were crossing over to the Indiana at the same time that we were crossing to Kentucky, but as they had crossed at the Red banks, they had to come up the river to Marses and cross again before they could come to us- And accordingly they marched up to the ferry and called a halt, and ordered the ferry man to set them over - which he did, and in a short time there was 40 of them landed close by our en- campment27
And after makeing ready they marched into camp, and said they had orders to press 80 Blankets - but in this they were disappointed for the boat had not yet arriven, and the most of such plunder was on board of it -
OF THE BOATS.
to wade and help the boat over a number of shallow places in the cours of the day - but we got along without unloading -
-22d. We made all the speed we could among the rocks and logs - and by close attention and hard work we got along safe -
-23d. The water quite shallow but we got along safe by close watching
-24th. We pushed on to the Grand-chain which was the last dangerous looking rapids we had to pass, which we did with care and good attention, and encamped for the night just below.
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SHAKERS OF OHIO.
OF THE WAGGONS.
However they plundered about till they found 16 which they praised themselves- and left an order on the Paymaster for 71 dol- lars - $4,43/4 cents a piece - which was afterwards paid
-25th. We removed our en- campment down the river to within 21/2 miles of the town - where we found plenty of cane for the cattle - and to make tents of - The sick are some times better, and some of them are recovering -
-26th. Nothing material - our chief employment was fixing our tents, and takeing care of the sick -27th. We are still fixing and most of whom are getting better - trying to take care of our selves as well as we can - John McComb arrived from Busro - and said the army was makeing sad distruction all over the place -
-28th. A heavy rain fell this morning two hours before day which wet almost every thing in camp - The rain ceased a little af- ter daylight and the day was mostly clear, and all hands were busy dry- ing wet clothes and furniture
The boat landed about 10 o'clock at night -
OF THE BOATS.
-25th. We went on passed the little chain and with some difficulty made our way to the mouth of wa- bash and got into the Ohio about the middle of the day - pushed up a short distance and encamped for the night
-26th. Pushed on without much difficulty
-27th. Pushed on passed the Dimond Island and camped for the night 15 miles below the Red-banks
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