Source:Mrs Scott's Interview with Rev. Shane

Sometime in the 1850's the Rev. John Dabney Shane interviewed Mrs. Samuel Scott, of Jessamine County, Kentucky. Shane's interview is preserved in the Draper MSC as item 11 C C, 224, 225.

NB: The following is a partial extract. The full interview needs to be transcribed.

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Mr. Campbell was the preacher in North Carolina, where I came from, after I left. I think on Haw River. We moved on to the Clinch, at Moore's fort. Was wintering at one place, eight miles off from the fort and about a mile from the river. One Phillips family was killed between us and the river, near to the river. Mama was gone up with a neighbor, Mrs. Kilgores, to Castle's Woods, near the fort, to buy some sheep at a sale. (My mother and Mr. and Mrs. Kilgore, at the time.) He was away in Carolina at the time. One boy escaped, I think by crawling under a bed. All the rest of the family were killed. About two years after this, we moved over to the Holston to get rid of the Indians. Had lived on Clinch eight years. Went on to Holston to spend one year and get ready to come to Kentucky.

One year while we lived on Clinch, we had no need to fort, and did not fort. Cowan's fort was about two miles from Moore's. We went to it one year, but it was too weak, but seven or eight families did. The Indians attacked it. Miss Walker, then the Widow Ann Cowan, was taken, going from Cowan's to Moore's. Her, and her sister's son, William Walker, were taken. As soon as the dead were buried, we all left, and went to Moore's fort. Her brother, Matthew Walker, that went with her, was killed, and the other man that went with her was shot at, but escaped, and got into the fort.

This Mrs. Cowan had just gotten back from her captivity, as I passed the Crab Orchard coming out. Cowan brought the express from Moore's fort, to Houston's (where we had been the year before, on account of getting good range, and were again this year.) Houston's was some miles from Moore's, still higher up the clinch, and Black Station was lower down), that 300 Indians were coming to attack Houstons' station. The next morning he would start to go back, and thought he could get away, and that he knew he could get through; but was shot. His horse go in safe. His wife fainted when she saw the horse-a stud horse-all in a power of sweat. He was brought in wounded, and died. There were about 300 Indians to 21 families. The Indians stayed there about eight days, killing the cattle....

My father bought a tract of one Mr. Zeams from Botetourt, or Augusta (where these Moore's and Cowans all first came from-all Pennsylvania people)."