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Facts and Events
Research Notes
- one record has him in Greebriar, Virginia in 1731. Source needed.
References
- Francis, Robert. Bourbon County Kentucky, History & Genealogy of the Region. (http://web.me.com/darby1736/Site/Home.html).
- Deposition of son John Conway, in Fayette County, Kentucky Court Order Book
318.
p. 318, deposition of John Conover [written Conovery] taken at Paris, June 6, 1808, before Thomas Hughs:
- Deponent came to Kentucky in 1777 and lived at Boonesborough one an one half years.
- In the year 1779 I traveled with about 25 men the road from Boonesborough to the Lower Blue Licks.
- In the spring of 1779 deponent settled at Riddle's station and lived at said station until June 1780.
- I followed hunting in early times.
- I was taken [prisoner] at Riddle's [Ruddells] station by the British and Indians in June 1780 and carried to Detroit and stayed there until the fall of 1784 and then returned back to Kentucky.
- At the time I went from Boonesborough to Lower Blue Lick I recollect we crossed Hingston fork and went into big buffalo road that led from Grant's station to the lower Blue Lick at the place known by the name of Ready Money Jack's.
- I recollect at this time that Colonel Richard Calloway, Colonel Daniel Boone, Cyrus Boone, Joseph Drake, Ephraim Drake, William Buckhammer, Flanders Calloway, Samuel Henderson, James Bell, George Linch, Wiliam Hancock, Jeremiah Price, Thomas Foote, James Mankins were with me on trip to Lower Blue Lick.
- We returned home on trace that crossed Hingston where Millersburg now stands, and where Grant's station now stands.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ogle, Henry C. Letter of 2 Jan 1903.
I will now take up the history of John, Joseph, Elizabeth, Sally and their parents and their removal to Ky. John first came in 1777 as one of a company of soldiers sent out by the garrison of Va. To guard the settlers about Boone’s Fort, or as it was commonly known as Boonesboro. This is in the present Co. of Madison on the Ky. River. He remained a year during which the fort was twice attacked by Indians and during on of these attacks besieged eight or ten days. In fact partied of Indians were frequently skulking about the country adjacent to the fort, watching for a chance to kill the whites, and many were waylaid and murdered. He returned to Va. in 1778 and in a short time afterward, probably 1779 he came to Ky. accompanied by his father and mother, his sister Elizabeth and her husband, Wm. Daugherty and one child, Joseph, and Sally. Also several other families. They settled about ten miles north of Paris, in the neighborhood of what was called Riddle’s Station. It was really a stockade or fort, built for the purpose of sheltering the settlers from attack by the Indians. Early in the spring of 1780 a number of the families in the neighborhood moved into the fort, also into another called Martin’s six or eight miles south of Riddle’s. The men would go out during the day to work, clearing land, breaking and preparing for planting their crops, and while some of them would be at this work others would be on guard around them with their guns to protect them against the Indians. Oh! but the early settlers of Ky. had terrible times. I enclose rough pencil sketch of fort and surroundings. In June 1780, one Sunday morning, three boys, Joseph Conway being one of them, were sent out early to drive in the cows for milking, they were found on the west side of the river, they started them back, but on crossing the river, which was a shallow ripple, they caught a large Logger head turtle and carried it back to the sandy beach on the west side and began to tease it with willow twigs, watching it snap at them. Some men from the fort were down at the edge of the water on the east side washing their hands and faces for breakfast. An Indian lying concealed in the bushes fired on Joseph, wounding him in the side, then rushed out on him, knocked him down, and tore off his scalp, then vanished from sight in the thick bushes. It was done so quickly that the men on the other side could give no assistance. The alarm was given at the fort, the men rushed out with their guns and scoured the woods, but could find no trace of the Indian or any of his comrades. They carried the wounded boy into the fort. The wound from his head bled alarmingly. Finally an old lady named Wiseman succeeded, by using cobwebs, in stanching the blood. The wound in his side was a slight one, the bullet glancing off from his ribs. His head was bandaged the best they could. Two or three days afterwards the inmates of the fort were terribly alarmed one morning by hearing the report of a cannon near them, and were soon surprised by the appearance of a large force of British and Indians, several hundred. All were under the command of Col. Byrd of the British Army. They had come from Detroit which was then a British possession. They brought cannon with the, cutting a road through the forest and hauling them. They demanded the surrender of the fort, promising in the name of the English King to protect the inmates against the cruelty of the Indians. The walls of the fort, while proof against the common rifle balls, were not sufficient to resist cannon. Col. John Hinkston, the commander of the fort, agreed to surrender. The gates were opened, the Indians rushed in and at once commenced pillaging the fort of everything they could find in cooking utensils, bed clothing and the like. It was with the utmost difficulty that the British soldiers could prevent the Indians from wreaking their fury on the women and children. They would jerk the feather and straw ticks off the beds, empty them to get the ticking. While at their work they came to the bed where the wounded boy lay, and it happened to be the very Indian, as was learned afterwards, who had wounded him. He instantly raised his tomahawk to complete his work, but the English soldiers jerked him away. After robbing the fort of everything of value, they next put their prisoners under guard and then went on and capture Martin’s Fort. It was the intention, it was said, to go to all the other forts to capture them in the same manner, with their cannon, but the British commander was so shocked by the terrible barbarities of the Indians that he refused to go any farther, and started back toward Detroit. Many shocking cruelties were enacted by the Indians. A number of very old men and women, too feeble to travel as fast as their captors wanted, were tomahawked and scalped. My grandfather says that one of the men named Riddle had a stone bruise on his foot and limped badly, said he saw him lie down to drink at a spring, and while down an Indian drove his tomahawk into his brain and jerk off his scalp. A few minutes later the Indian passed him and the other prisoners and shook his poor victim’s bloody scalp at them as a warning of what would be their fate unless they hurried along. Many of the little boys would be so tired, when they came to a log they would climb up and roll over. One woman had a sick baby which kept crying. In passing along the bank of the river, an Indian jerked the baby from her arms and threw it far out into deep water. She tried to rush after in after it, but they caught and held her and she was compelled to witness the dying struggles of her child. At night the men prisoners were confined by driving stakes cross wise over their arms and legs, first extending them their full length, then passing a thong around their necks and tying this to another stake. The night after their capture a very heavy rain fell. Grandfather says they had not protection, the their faces and while bodies were thoroughly drenched. The rains raised the river very high. In crossing Main Licking in canoes two old ladies, a Mrs. Spears and Mrs. Eustin and a little child were drowned. During the confusion and trouble of the march, no effort could be made to dress the scalp wound on Joseph’s head, and the weather being hot, green flies made their appearance, and afterwards creepers. The same old lad Wiseman – who first stanched the blood, now again came in as a good Samaritan and picked the loathsome insects and dressed the boy’s head and continued to wait on him until the wound finally healed. Let the memory of this old woman never be forgotten by the descendants of Joseph Conway. One other incident I remember – Sally, then a little girl of six years, wore a nice little sunbonnet when capture, of which she was very proud. In crossing the river, one of the Indians jerked it off and threw it into the river. Another incident, some Indian squaws accompanied their husbands. On the first night during the heavy rains, these squaws came to our great grandmother and threw some blankets over her and the other women to try to shield them from the storm. When they reached Detroit, the prisoners were divided out among their captors, several small children separated from their parents and scattered out among the different tribes of Indians. Sally was adopted by an old Indian and his wife who had no children. All of the family four years after their capture were released and got back to Kentucky except Sally. Nine years after, a white man who had been among the prisoners, (a half grown boy when captured) managed to get away from them and returned to Ky. and told my grandfather where his sister was. He went back and found her about forty miles west of Detroit. At this time peace had been made with the Indians. He bought his sister from the old Indian by the payment of forty silver brooches. I have the story of her ransom in minutely written account from my kinsman, Mr. Underwood. It is a very affecting story.
The men prisoners, after a while, were allowed to liberty of the town and to work for any of the citizens who would employ them. Detroit was quite a trading place then, the whites were a mixed race of French and English. The country all south of it was a very heavy forest, and in winter next to the town for some half mile or so covered with water some three or four feet deep. This was crossed by a causeway. My grandfather, Mr. Daugherty and Joseph would frequently go out in the forest during the winter to chop wood for the citizens – would also go out and kill hogs for them, they fattened on acorns and hickory nuts and would soon become wild and had to be hunted with dogs and shot. On one occasion, while returning at night on the causeway, they met a drunken Indian whom they gathered in their arms and pitched out onto the thin ice and left him breaking through and floundering in the water. In what manner they traveled to get home I do not remember that my uncle ever told me. William Daugherty after his return to Ky. remained a few years in Bourbon Co. then went to Pendleton Co. in the same neighborhood where Samuel Conway settled, and remained there until his death. One of his sons, Jesse, born while he and his wife were prisoners in Detroit, was a gallant soldier in the war of 1812, and others of his sons and daughters have in the past been people of the best standing in the community where they lived, also grand children and great grand children. Our great grandfather died shortly after his return to Ky. but his wife lived a long time after, dying about 1808 at my grandfather’s from a cancer on her forehead. Aunt Sally after her return, also make her home with my grandfather until her marriage with Mr. Underwood. My mother says he was a worthless kind of man and after about two years of marriage went off and left his wife and infant son, Rueben. She then returned to my grandfather’s house, where she made her home until Reuben was grown and married. She then lived with him. He moved to Illinois about 1830 and settled in Sangamon Co. He died about 1840 but his mother lived five years longer.
Joseph grew up to full manhood and for a number of years engaged as a spy to watch the Indians. Altho peace was made wit England in 1783, the Indians would still make raids into Ky. stealing horses and murdering settlers. The house of a settler named Shanks, living in Bourbon Co. was attacked in Feb. 1787, and the house was burned to the ground and all the family killed except on daughter, a widow Gillespie and her son. Your grandfather was at the house in the early part of the night, but he left shortly after dark. The attack was made about 10 o’clock. If you could manage to get hold of any of the histories of Ky. you will find a full account of this tragedy under the History of Bourbon Co. A party was hastily organized the next day to pursue them, a light snow fell and they had no trouble following them, your grandfather was one of the party. The over took them on the Licking Hills. Two of the Indians dropped behind and showed themselves and kept jumping from tree to tree, it was supposed to make the whites think there was a number of them. Your grandfather rushed up within shooting distance of them and got behind a tree. Putting his hat on a stick he slowly and cautiously poked it around the tree. The Indians thinking it was his head fired. He then rushed them and succeeded in killing one of the Indians. The other, with the rest escaped, he was a little too fast. When the Indians attacked the house, which was a double cabin, they managed to break into one of the rooms where a couple of grown sisters were weaving, and tried to carry them off. One of them defended herself with a knife which she used about her work on the loom, and killed one of the Indians. They then killed her and took the other girl captive. When they found the whites on their pursuit and about to overtake them, they sank their tomahawk into her head.
Your grandfather, after his marriage, I don’t know what year he was married, settled on a fine farm on Cooper’s Run in Bourbon Co. but afterwards, about 1797 or 1798 removed to Mo. then called Louisiana Territory in 1803, the government made arrangements to send out two exploring companies to go across the great plain, the Rocky Mts. to the Pacific Ocean. These companies fitted up at St. Louis, and began the trip in 1804. The command of one of these companies was tendered by President Jefferson to your grandfather, but he declined to take it because of his limited education. Captain Clark commanded one of the companies and Capt. Lewis the other. The latter was a nephew of Jefferson. Some time when you are in a bookstore get a copy of the book called “The Lewis-Clark Expedition”. No more interesting book was ever published. I have heard my mother speak of seeing you grandfather once when she was a girl. He was on a visit to my grandfather’s. She said he took her on his lap and put her hand on his head to feel the place where the Indians scalped him. I have also heard her speak of one of your uncles coming on a visit to Ky. when she was about grown – Walter Conway. He spent some time at the home of my grandfather, and on his return one of my uncles accompanied him to his home in Mo. Your father told me when I was at his house in 1875 that he had a very vivid recollection of my uncle’s visit. Your father and my Uncle Nat Conway very much resembled each other, and seemed a good deal alike in disposition. I had two other uncles besides Uncle Nat, William and John, or as he was commonly called Jack. Both of them died before I was born. Uncle Jack was killed in his own home by lightening in 1833 while upstairs trying to close a window in a heavy storm. He was the grandfather of young Mr. Conway whom you met in Kansas City.
I have given you a long and rambling sketch of the family history and could tell you much more, but wont just now. I am so nervous that I never use a pen in writing. You can perhaps decipher my letter. At you leisure you can get some one to give you a typewritten copy. I will write you again and give you names of younger branches of the family.
Yours truly, Henry C. Ogle, Sr.
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