584 Ohio. Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
The Tymochtee remains, the 'Bend'
remains, the 'High Bank' remains,
and these monuments retain their
relative positions substantially as they
have existed for the last 150 years.
"The actors in the tragedy have
long since joined the silent
majority, but the early, undisputed
tradition yet lives in the memory of
living witnesses, and under the walnut
trees, in the bend of the creek,
just across from the High Bank is the
'exact spot' where the great
Colonel Crawford was burned at the
stake."
AN INDIAN CAPTIVITY.
A copy of the following article, by
courtesy of a member of the
Oviatt family, recently fell into the
hands of the Editor of the
QUARTERLY. It was published some years
ago in one of the news-
papers of Eastern Ohio. It gives a reliable account of an Indian
massacre and captivity typical of the
times in the early settlements of
the New England and Pennsylvania
colonies. This particular narrative
is interesting to Ohio readers for the
reason that those spoken of as
massacred or carried into captivity were
the progenitors of prominent
Ohio settlers, as appears in the
article. It is perhaps permissible to
say, en passant, that the Elizabeth
Carter and the Benjamin Oviatt,
of the account, were respectively the
great-grandmother and the great-
grandfather of the Editor of the
QUARTERLY, his grandfather being
Heman Oviatt who came to Ohio from Goshen, Conn., in 1800, in
the party of Henry Hudson, when the
latter founded the town given
his name. An account of the centennial
of Hudson town appeared in
the publications of the Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical So-
ciety, volume IX, pages 318-371-EDITOR.
THE CAPTIVES.
A NARRATIVE OF REAL LIFE.
[NOTE.-During the past two or three
years I have been collect-
ing and arranging facts and data for a
complete geneology of the
Oviatt family in America. In connection
with this work, there has
come into my possession the following
narrative, which is said to
have been originally published in the Litchfield
(Conn.) Enquirer, about
1845 or 1846. The Benjamin Oviatt who
married Elizabeth Carter,
was my great-grandfather; my father,
Darius, being a son of Nathaniel
Oviatt, of Richfield, (Summit Co.,)
Ohio. Samuel Oviatt, (born in
1741,) who it appears was an older
brother of Benjamin, was the
progenitor of the Trumbull County
Oviatts. T. D. OVIATT.]
Warren, O., February 15th, 1889.
Almost incredible is the recital of the
hardships and sufferings
from savage cruelty to which the early
emigrants of our western set-
Editorialana. 585
tlements were exposed. With very few of
the comforts of life, and
none of its luxuries, they penetrated
deep into the dark and unbroken
forest, erected their rude habitations,
and placed within their un-
embellished walls their wives and little
ones. All they possessed on
earth thus insecurely reposed in the
bosom of solitude and danger.
The sound of the hoarse winds as they
rushed heavily through the
branches of the tall trees around their
dwelling, was often mingled
with the tread and growl of the wild
beast and the wily approach of
the more ferocious and deadly savage.
And often, too, was the mid-
day stillness of the forest broken by
the expiring shriek of these
lonely emigrants, as they were struck
down on their own thresholds
by the hands of barbarians, whose work
of death no weakness or sup-
plication could in the least avert.
Difficult it is to realize that amidst
these peaceful hills and vales, where
cities and clustering villages and
a thousand hamlets so joyfully repose,
scarce a century ago such
horrid scenes existed. And while thus
securely dwelling, we listen to
the recital of such deeds of darkness,
we scarce believe them other
than the wild legends of romance. But
instances there are of those
with whom we have associated, and from
whose lips we have heard
such recitals, who saw and participated
in those scenes of suffering.
Soon after the French and Indian war,
Mr. Nathaniel Carter
removed from Killingworth to Cornwall in
Litchfield Co., where he
purchased and settled on the farm now
owned and improved by Caleb
Jones, Esq., where he resided for some
years. But, as the tide of
emigration was at the time setting from
New England toward the
pleasant and fertile valleys of the
Delaware and Susquehanna in Penn-
sylvania, early in 1763 Mr. Carter, with
some of his hardy neighbors,
began to make preparations for removing
thither. The accounts which
they had received of that country had
filled them with glowing an-
ticipations, though they were by no
means unmindful of the fact that
the life of a pioneer was one of
hardship and peril. Mr. Carter's
family at this time consisted of his
wife and six children-Jemima,
the oldest daughter, having a short time
before been married to Mr.
John Bates, of Warren, [Conn.] The other children were Nathan,
Sarah, aged eleven years, Elizabeth,
eight, Nathaniel, six, and an infant.
On a beautiful morning in the spring of
the same year, this family,
(except the married daughter,) together
with two other families from
the same neighborhood, took up the line
of their journey for the "land
of promise." After a tedious tour,
marked with the usual vicissitudes
and adventures of such a journey, they
arrived in safety at the forks
of the Delaware, where they remained a
short time, and ultimately
settled on the Lackawaxen creek, in
Wayne county, [Pa.,] about twelve
miles below the site of the present town
of Bethany. They advanced
about fifteen miles beyond any other
white settlement, cleared a small
spot near the bank of the stream, and
erected a building of logs, in
which the three families resided. Here
they passed a few months in
586 Ohio. Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
apparent security, engaged in various
employments to improve the safety
and comfort of their new residence. The
tall trees immediately before
their dwelling they had in part cleared
away, some grain and garden
vegetables were growing hard by, while
around the doorway a few
flowers, transplanted from their dear
native New England, were bud-
ding and blossoming-adding variety and
beauty to the scene of their
wilderness home. While some were
laboring, others carried the musket
and ammunition, acting as sentinels,
that they might seasonably be
apprised of any approaching danger.
Every day seemed more promis-
ing of future happiness and security,
and added something to their little
stock of comforts. The wild scenery had
become familiar to their
view, and an agreeable interest had
associated itself with most of the
objects which were embraced by the
little horizon, formed by the tall
and unbroken forests which stretched
away to an almost interminable
breadth around them.
One day in the latter part of September,
when the inmates of this
little settlement were occupied in their
usual pursuits, Mr. Carter, with
his oldest son, and one or two others,
being engaged in building a
house a short distance in the woods, and
the man whose business it
was to act as sentinel having gone a few
rods out of sight of the
house to examine some traps, the
Indians, who had been secretly
watching for their prey, uttered their
savage war-whoop, and rushed
upon these defenceless women and
children. At this moment, Mrs.
Carter and her daughter Elizabeth were a
few rods from the door,
engaged in picking green corn for
dinner. Elizabeth, seeing them be-
fore the war-whoop was given, and
knowing from their appearance that
they were branded for war, turned to her
mother and gave the alarm,
but her words were scarcely uttered,
before she saw that beloved parent
turn deadly pale, and the next moment
beheld the tomahawk buried in
her skull. The Indians, twelve in
number, then rushed into the house,
where were the elder females, one of
whom was confined to the bed
with illness; a daughter of the same
woman, aged sixteen, who was
also ill; the infant daughter of Mr.
Carter, and five other children.
One of the Indians seized the infant and
dashed its brains out against
the logs of the house; and the two sick
females were instantly put
to death with the tomahawk. The man who
had gone to examine the
traps, hearing the shrieks of the
sufferers, hastened to their defense,
but had only time to discharge his gun
once, before he received a death
blow from the hands of the assailants.
The Indians having selected such of
their captives as they sup-
posed could best endure the hardships of
a savage life, and taking the
scalps of those they had killed, and
also the clothing and utensils which
they thought would best suit their
convenience, they set fire to the
house, and then hurried off to their
encampment, a short distance from
thence, on the other side of the creek.
The captives were three children
Editorialana. 587
of Mr. Carter, (Sarah, Elizabeth and
Nathaniel,) Mrs. Duncan, and
three children belonging to the other
family. At the encampment they
found about two hundred Indians,
principally warriors. Several large
fires were burning, around which the
Indians began to regale themselves
on roasted corn and other refreshments,
which they had brought from
the white settlement. After having
freely indulged themselves in exul-
tations at their recent successes and
night approaching, they secured their
captives with cords, and stretched
themselves on the ground around the
fires. Sarah, the oldest of the three
children of Mr. Carter, appeared
perfectly distracted by the
circumstances of her situation. She continued
crying and calling for her father to
come and rescue her. The Indians
several times appeared determined to
silence her screams with the tom-
ahawk. At length, when they had become
buried in sleep, Sarah ob-
tained a small brand from the fire, with
which she barely succeeded in
burning the cord which bound her to the
savages, but leaving her hands
still tied together. In this situation
and surrounded by the midnight
darkness, she succeeded in finding a
canoe and loosening it from its
fastenings, in which she reached the
opposite bank, and finally found
her way back to the smoking ruins of her
recent home, where she
gave way to the most violent
lamentations. Though her cries were
distinctly heard at the) encampment, she
was not pursued until morning,
when she was retaken.
The Indians then commenced their journey
through the woods,
carrying their prisoners on horseback.
After pursuing their route three
days in a westerly direction, they
halted and sent back a war party of
about one hundred. After five or six
days, the party returned with
several scalps; and the horror of the
captives can scarcely be imagined,
when they discovered among the number
those of Mr. Carter and Mr.
Duncan. These men, on returning from
their labors, and seeing the
desolation which the Indians had made,
repaired to the nearest white
settlement, and procured the aid of
forty men, with whom they returned
for the cattle, and with the faint hope
of recovering the captives. Just
as they gained the vicinity of their
recent home, they were suddenly
surprised by the yell of these savages,
and by the flight of their arrows.
About half of Carter's men, (most of
whom were Dutch,) instantly
deserted, and left their companions to
fight out the battle as best they
could. Yet, though struggling against
such fearful odds, these brave
men stood their ground, till Carter
found himself alone-all besides
him having been killed or disabled.
He stationed himself behind a rock, and
still kept up the fire until
struck down by the tomahawks of the
enemy. Some four or five of
those wounded in the early part of the
engagement, succeeded in crawl-
ing so far into the forest as to elude
the subsequent search of their
wily foes, and at length reached their
homes.
On the return of the Indian warriors to
the encampments, (as was
afterwards stated by the captives,)
there was great lamentation and
588 Ohio. Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
mourning among the savages over those of
their number who had
fallen in the battle-more than half of
the one hundred being among
the slain.
The Indians then re-commenced their
march through the woods
to the residence of their nation. As
nearly as the captives could
recollect, they traveled several days
diligently in a northwesterly di-
rection, and at length arrived at their
place of destination. Here in
dark and filthy huts, ornamented with
the scalps of their parents and
friends, separated from each other, did
these lonely captives spend
the long and tedious months of winter,
in a state of almost perfect starva-
tion. The Indians would never go abroad
to obtain new supplies of
food, so long as one morsel remained;
and then sometimes returned
with little success. Nathaniel, (the
youngest of the captives,) having
from the first been a general favorite
with the Indians, was treated
by them with comparative kindness and
attention; and so much so.
that the little white stranger soon
ceased to mourn his bereavements,
and joined heartily in the amusements
and pastimes which they de-
vised for the purpose of diverting him
and making sport for themselves.
Early in the spring they deserted their
winter quarters, and
journeyed towards the lakes; and after a
tour of several weeks, ar-
rived in the vicinity of Fort Niagara,
where Elizabeth and Sarah were
ransomed through the negotiations of Sir
William Johnson. But all
efforts to obtain Nathaniel were unavailing.
No considerations would
tempt the Indians to part with him; and,
strange as it may appear,
he had become so much attached to them
that he would not consent
to leave them. His sisters, after
bidding him an affectionate and final
farewell, were conveyed to Albany, where
their Connecticut friends,
being apprised of their ransom, met
them, and they soon had the un-
speakable gratification of once more
visiting the home of their nativity,
and finding themselves surrounded by
sympathizing friends and relatives.
Yet it was long, very long, before they
ceased to mourn over the
dreadful scenes through which they had
passed, and their sad be-
reavement.
The reader who has followed thus far our
narrative, may feel
an interest to know something of the
subsequent history of the captives.
Sarah Carter, from her ill-treatment and
mental suffering, never fully
recovered. Though she lived to an old
age, her intellect was per-
manently impaired; she died a few years
since in Goshen, [Conn.]
Elizabeth was married to Mr. Benjamin
Oviatt, of Goshen, and died
in that town in the autumn of 1835.
Among her children were the late
Mr. Lyman Oviatt, of Goshen; Heman
Oviatt, Esq., a wealthy and
enterprising citizen of Hudson, Ohio,
and distinguished as a liberal
patron of the college at that place; and
Mr. Nathaniel Oviatt, of
Richfield, O. The children of Mr.
Carter's eldest daughter, Jemima,
were the late Mr. John Bates, of Kent,
[Conn.,] the late Isaac Bates,
Editorialana. 589
of Warren, [Conn.,] Deacon Nathaniel
Carter Bates, recently of this
town,- [Litchfield.]
Nathaniel grew up among the Indians,
imbibed their habits, and
married one of their daughters. It is a
most remarkable circumstance,
that among the articles which the
Indians carried away with the captives,
was a Bible-which they afterwards gave
to their young favorite. He
had previously learned to read, and by
means of this book, which he
kept to manhood, he ever retained that
knowedge. He died in the
Cherokee nation, at the age of about
seventy.
Some years since, while the foreign
mission school was in opera-
tion at Cornwall, Mr. Isaac Bates, well
known as a warm friend of the
school, received a letter from a
missionary among the Indians, stating
that he sent on to be educated a
half-breed Indian, of fine talent and
exemplary piety, named Carter;
expressing a wish that he would be-
come acquainted with him. An early
acquaintance with the young man
was accordingly sought by Mr. Bates, and
greatly to his surprise and
gratification, he discovered in him a son of the long lost captive!
The youth remained at the school for a
considerable time, frequently
visiting his relatives in this vicinity;
and at length, after completing
his studies, he returned to his native
country with a view of there
preaching the gospel.