52 Ancestors #27: Kidnapped by Indians

Ancestor: Sarah Shipley (Mitchell) Thompson (1778-1855)

As promised yesterday, Stith Thompson's book quickly provided more blogging fodder. I am slowly starting to sort out all my Robert and Daniel Mitchells and have come to understand that my four times great grandfather, Daniel Mitchell, son of Robert Mitchell and grandson of Robert Mitchell, the original immigrant from Ireland, did not serve in the Revolutionary War -- at least there are no records to indicate he served.

Mitchell family tree as it appeared in Stith Thompson's book; image courtesy
of Ancestry.com

However, his first cousin, also named Daniel Mitchell, son of Daniel Mitchell and grandson of Robert Mitchell, the original immigrant from Ireland, did serve as an ensign in the Virginia Militia beginning in 1779. This Daniel had a brother, also named Robert Mitchell (are you confused yet?).

That Robert Mitchell was born on 22 August 1747, according to his son's family bible, in Pennsylvania or Virginia. He married Naomi Shipley who was born on 26 April 1748, according to the same source. They were likely married in Bedford County, Virginia. He joined his father-in-law and brother-in-law in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, by 1788 and appeared in the 1790 census in that county. After the census was enumerated he and his brother-in-law, David McCord, moved their families to Kentucky. They traveled via the Wilderness Road in a party led by Walter Carruth.

Settlers along the Wilderness Road; image courtesy
of Wikipedia

At the forks of the Wilderness Road where it crossed the Rockcastle river (now near Livingston, Kentucky), the party was attacked by the Potawatomi Indians. Robert's wife, Naomi (Shipley) Mitchell was scalped and died soon afterwards. They buried her at Crab Orchard. Their daughter, Sarah Shipley Mitchell, was carried off and held captive for five years.

Map of Wilderness Road which shows Crab Orchard where Naomi
(Shipley) Mitchell was buried; image courtesy of Virginia Places

According to her headstone, Sarah was born on 31 Dec 1778. She was about 12 years old when she was kidnapped. Her story became family lore and while many had stories, few facts are now known. Her granddaughter, Charlotte (Hobart) Vawter, provided this story to Stith Thompson:

"The child Sarah was taken to the Indian camp and put in custody of an old squaw who treated her kindly. After the first day's tramp the Indians had bear meat for the evening meal and she declared that it was the most delicious food she ever tasted. The Indians cut off her skirts to her knees and greased the bottoms of her feet and with them she walked all the way to Canada.

When the Indian men would get drunk, the old squaw would take her out in the forest, wrap her in a blanket and put her down by a log. Although when she would waken in the morning the snow would be many feet deep, she would be always be warm and comfortable."

She was eventually returned with other captives by the terms of General Anthony Wayne's treaty in 1795 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Her father had died by 1792. Many descendants said he drowned in the Clinch river while searching for his daughter, Sarah.

A heart rending plea for news about new of Sarah was written by her paternal grandmother, Mary Mitchell, wife of Daniel Mitchell. It was dated 1 May 1793 and was addressed to His Excellency Isaac Shelby. It is now part of the Durrett Collection at the University of Chicago.

Transcription of Mary Mitchell's letter which appeared in Stith
Thompson's book; image courtesy of Ancestry.com

"Dear Sir,

You will perhaps think strange to receive a letter from a poor old woman who never had the least acquaintance with you; but sir when you hear my story I am very sure you will pity me...My request is in behalf of my grandchild who was taken prisoner by the Indians in the wilderness last fall 2 years. Her name is Sally S. Mitchell, daughter of Robert Mitchell, deceased. As you have frequent opportunity of writing to Governor Blunt I beg of you to mention the matter to him...as he once used his best endeavors to gain intelligence of her. Request him to write to you whether he has ever found out anything certain about her or where she is; and should that gentlemen write you (and I hope he will) please to let me know by a line sent to Mr. Robert Caldwell (from where I could soon get it) whether there is any news of my grandchild...I am now old and very frail and cannot rest contented without trying every method in my power for her redemption from captivity. I hope you will assist me all you can which favor will be thankfully acknowledged by

Your most obedient humble servant, Mary Mitchell"

Upon her release Sarah went to relatives in Washington County, Kentucky, and then to her aunt, Rachel Berry, where she lived until she married John Thompson in 1800.

Sarah "Sally" Shipley (Mitchell) Thompson lived for another 55 years. She seems like a truly independent spirit able to find the good (delicious bear meat) in the midst of terror. I found I quite liked her and want to learn a lot more about her.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge optional theme Independent.

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Sarah "Sally" Shipley (Mitchell) Thompson was my second cousin five times removed. She was the daughter of Robert and Naomi (Shipley) Mitchell and married John Thompson (1775-1850). Both are interred in Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Washington County, Kentucky.

Daniel Mitchell, Patriot

The Attack on Harbert's Blockhouse

I simply must learn more about the history of the United States just prior to the Revolutionary War when colonists were pushing west and bumping up against Native Americans who were not thrilled to share land with them.  One of my by marriage ancestors, Thomas Harbert, was killed during such an incident. I found a description of his death and the events surrounding it in a book I discovered on Google Play entitled, Chronicles of Border Warfare, by Alexander Scott Withers and others.

The Harbert blockhouse was built on Jones Run on the Virginia (now West Virginia) frontier in 1775. After the death of Chief Cornstalk in November 1777, the Shawnee went on the warpath and attacked the Harbert blockhouse in March 1778.

"Anticipating the commencement of hostilities at an earlier period of the season than usual, several families retired into Harbert's blockhouse in the month of February. And notwithstanding the prudent caution manifested by them in the step thus taken; yet, the state of the weather lulling them into false security, they did not afterwards exercise the vigilance and provident care, which were necessary to ensure their future safety. On the third of March, some children, playing with a crippled crow, at a short distance from the yard, espied a number of Indians proceeding towards them; and running briskly to the house, told 'that a number of red men were close by'.

Artist rendering of the Indian Wars along the Virginia frontier

John Murphey stepped to the door to see if the danger had really approached, when one of the Indians, turning the corner of the house, fired at him. The ball took effect, and Murphey fell back into the house. The Indian springing directly in, was grappled by [Thomas] Harbert and thrown to the floor. A shot from without, wounded Harbert, yet he continued to maintain his advantage over the prostrate savage, striking him as effectually as he could with his tomahawk, when another gun was fired at him from without the house. The ball passed through his head and he fell lifeless. His antagonist then slipped out at the door, sorely wounded in the encounter.

Just after the first Indian had entered, an active young warrior, holding in his hand a tomahawk with a long spike at the end, also came in. Edward Cunningham instantly drew up his gun to shoot him; but it flashed, and they closed in doubtful strife. Both were active and athletic; and sensible of the high prize for which they were contending, each put forth his utmost strength, and strained his every nerve, to gain the ascendancy. For a while, the issue seemed doubtful. At length, by great exertion, Cunningham, wrenched the tomahawk from the hand of the Indian, and buried the spike end to the handle, in his back. Mrs. Cunningham closed the contest. Seeing her husband struggling closely with the savage, she struck him with an axe. The edge wounding his face severely, he loosened his hold, and made his way out of the house.

The third Indian, which had entered before the door was closed, presented an appearance almost as frightful as the object which he had in view. He wore a cap made of the unshorn front of a buffalo, with the ears and horns still attached to it, and which hanging loosely about his head, gave to him a most hideous aspect. On entering the room, this infernal monster, aimed a blow with his tomahawk at a Miss Reece, which alighting on her head, wounded her severely. The mother of this girl, seeing the uplifted arm about to descend on her daughter, seized the monster by the horns; but his false head coming readily off, she did not succeed in changing the direction of the weapon. The father then caught hold of him; but far inferior in strength and agility, he was seen thrown on the floor, and must have been killed, but for the timely interference of Cunningham. Having succeeded in ridding the room of one Indian, he wheeled, and sank a tomahawk into the head of the other.

During all this time the door was kept by the women, though not without great exertion. The Indians from without endeavored several times to force it open and gain admittance; and would at one time have succeeded, but that as it was yielding to their squeezing out at the aperture which had been made, caused a momentary relaxation of the exertions of others. Those were not however, unemployed. They were engaged in securing such of the children in the yard, as were capable of being carried away as prisoners, and in killing and scalping the others; and when they had effected this, despairing of being able to do farther mischief, they retreated to their towns.

Harbert blockhouse in 1939

Of the whites in the house, only one was killed and four were wounded; seven or eight children in the yard were killed or taken prisoner. One Indian was killed, and two badly wounded. Had Reece engaged sooner in the conflict, the other two who had entered the house, would no doubt have been likewise killed; but being a Quaker, he looked on, without participating in the conflict, until his daughter was wounded. Having then to contend singly, with superior prowess, he was indebted for the preservation of his life, to the assistance of those whom he had refused to aid in pressing need."

The Shawnee continued raiding along the creeks and branches of the Monongahela river during the summer months of 1778.

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If you are interested in the Harbert family I would highly recommend Echoes from the Blockhouse: The Thomas Harbert Family Saga by Brian Harbert and David Harbert. Brian also maintains The Harbert Family website.

Captured by Indians

Hugh Bryan was born in 1699 and was a planter in St Helena's parish in South Carolina. He was the great grand uncle of the husband of my sister-in-law's 5th cousin's four times removed. When he was about 16 years old he was captured by Indians during the Yamasee War, which broke out in 1715 between colonial South Carolina and several Native American tribes. The war was caused by many things, including trader abuses, depletion of the deer population, increasing Indian debt to the colonists, land encroachment, and the rise of French trading power.

Reverend Horace Edwin Hayden wrote Virginia Genealogies, which was originally published in 1891. In it he included a quote from a letter from Reverend Hutson to Mr. DeBert, a merchant in London, which described Hugh Bryan's time as an Indian captive:

"It happened in the Indian war that which broke out in 1715, and was so memorable as to the events of it, that it stands for one of the grand eras of Carolina, that he was taken, I think at the beginning of the war, and was disposed of as a slave to one of the party that took him by the king of that people to whom the party belonged. He was in captivity among them in the whole near a year, during which time the providence of God remarkably appeared in his favor in several instances. I have only two or three in my memory, which may serve as a specimen of the rest. His Indian master (who was what they called a 'mixed breed') was killed in the engagement with the white people, by which means, though still in captivity, he got more freedom. 

Drawing from Indian History for Young Folks by Francis Drake; New York: Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1855

The king always stood his friend when the Indians under him solicited his death, which was very common for them to do when they heard of any success of the Carolinians against them, and they were particularly earnest upon the point when they heard of the death of one of their great men's sons. But the Indian king always interposed on his behalf, and would not suffer them to hurt him, out of regard to his father, who was a very hospitable man, and had been very kind to the Indians, though it is not very common with them to remember favors, especially in a time of war; and there were instances often in this war of persons who had been very kind to them, and yet were very cruelly treated by them, a circumstance which I rather take notice of to show how much providence was concerned in his preservation…Mr Bryan endured many hardships while among the Indians, and though his good behaviour [sic] gained him so much favor, that he fared no worse than their own Indian boys, yet at best his case was bad enough. At length, through the good providence of God, he was brought by them to the Spanish settlement at St Augustine, on the coast, and from thence, being released by the Indian king who had always been so friendly to him, he returned to his own land in peace, and here as he advanced in years grew in favor with all who knew him, and at length, by his integrity and industry, attended with divine blessing, he obtained a good report and a good fortune."

Hugh Bryan died on the last day of 1753 at the age of 54. He was married at least two times, perhaps three, and had one or two children.