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Facts and Events
From: Hamilton, Emory, Undated. Indian Tradgedies Against the Walker Family. Slight reformating for clarity. Hamilton's comments on Mrs. Scott's testimony are noted in square brackets. Mrs. Scott's testimony is from the Draper MSC.
In May of 1778 a group of people were traveling from David Cowan’s Fort (Upper Castlewood) to Moore’s fort in lower Castlewood, a distance of approximately two miles. They were attacked by Indians and Samuel Walker, son of John and Ann Houston Walker was killed, and Ann Walker Cowan, widow of Samuel Cowan, and her nephew William Walker were carried away as prisoners. Ann remained a prisoner for about seven years, and her nephew William Walker [3] never returned. For details of how they were captured we go again to Mrs. Samuel Scott who lived on the Clinch from 1772 to 1783, and who was again present when this event occurred. She states:
- One year while we lived on the Clinch we did not fort, and did not need to fort. Cowan’s Fort was about two miles from Moore’s Fort. We went to it (Cowan’s) one year, but it was too weak; but seven or eight families. The Indians attacked it. Miss Walker - then the widow Cowan, was taken, going from it to Moore’s. Her and her sister’s son, William Walker were taken - her sister married a Walker (???). Her brother Matthew [really Samuel] Walker that went with her was killed, and the other man was shot at, but escaped and got into the fort. This Mrs. Cowan had just gotten back from this captivity as we passed the Crab Orchard (Lincoln Co., KY) coming out to Kentucky. [It was 1783/84 that Mrs. Scott went to KY] Captain John Snoddy, William and Joe Moore’s wives were sisters to her (Mrs. Cowan). They (Snoddy and the Moore brothers) were forted there (Crab Orchard) where they had moved from the Clinch.
NOTE by ELH: Capt. John Snoddy’s wife, Margaret, really was a sister to Ann Walker Cowan, but I doubt that William and Joseph Moore’s wives were her sisters, but in some other way the Moore’s might have been related.
Footnotes
- ↑ White, Emma Siggins. Genealogy of the descendants of John Walker of Wigton, Scotland: with records of a few allied families, also war records and some fragmentary notes pertaining to the history of Virginia, 1600-1902. (Kansas City, Missouri: Tiernan-Dart Printing Co., 1902)
p. 6. - ↑ Birth year estimated based on estimated birth years of his siblings.
- ↑ William was eventually sold to the Wyandote Tribe in Illinois, and was eventually adopted into the tribe. In later years he played a prominent role in tribal affairs. His decendants relate a slightly different version of this story in which William was plowing a field with his uncle. When the Indians attacked his uncle was killed, and he was captured. While the uncle is unnamed he was presumably Samuel Walker.
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