Ohio History Journal

AUTO-SKETCH OF CHARLES WILLIAMS

AUTO-SKETCH OF CHARLES WILLIAMS.

[Charles Williams was the first white settler - so claimed - in what

is now the city of Coshocton. Mr. Williams settled there in the spring

of 1800, the town being laid out the next year. For a season or two

prior to his locating at Coshocton, Mr. Williams had grown a crop of

corn on "the prairie" four miles up the Walhonding River. Mr. Wil-

liams was a typical pioneer, and his sketch written by himself is of special

interest because giving not only glimpses of the early life of those days,

but of the average education of the early settlers. This reminiscence

was written by Mr. Williams in an old account book in the year 1831

and was copied by James R. Johnson, of Coshocton, from the original

manuscript now in the hands of Joseph Mizer of Bloomfield, Ohio. The

article as herewith printed gives the spelling, punctuation, and capitaliza-

tion of the original manuscript. The words in brackets being interpola-

tions of the- EDITOR.]

Charles Williams is 67 yars last October 16 1830. October

1779 stared from fiten [fifteen] mill [mile] Creek in Marland

Crost the monten barfooted Cam to plas Calend brush run 7

mills west of now Cald Washanten town thar I staid under my

fathers Control in the sprink of 1781 the ingens tok a famly and

kild som about one mill off in the sam spring my father moved

to Cox fort thar I lived hard biled wheat and Corn in slats

homney in the fall lived very will on Cashaws and punkens and

milk gord Cupes horn spouns or wood ingens kilen and taken all

most evey weak som bodey I then beCam abiel to Carey a gun

foled [followed] nothing god [good] was not thout of hardly

In 1783 I went in the Countery with my father on Cross

Crek 3 mills [from] the fort in a short tim I beCam a hunter

kild bars and dayar [deer] and every other thing all most afer

som tim I went to my self the ingens kild one yanky in my haring

then wee rased about 20 man and foled [followed] them and

over hold [overhauled] the ingens in Suger Creek pans [plains]

at the moth [mouth] that I kild one I think and wee got the

Whit mans bibel and a dead [deed] for som land went hom saife

I think the yare 1784 Crost the river when I under stand that

372

Auto-Sketch of Charles Williams

Auto-Sketch of Charles Williams. 373

thar was but eight man parsons in the stat of Ohio after som tim

I engaged in the rangen bisnes

then very trublsom tims lived hard but ease [easy] then

I [was] mared to a garl Susana Carpenter I had to steel hur

a way and wee was pour [poor] onabel to get lisens fer w[a]nt

of mony but all Cam right thar was a jestes of the pes [peace]

in virginy and hee agead to mary mee for a buck skin and we

went over the river in Ohio thar wee got mared on a big roCk

in the woodes som barfooted went hom had a fine dans breeCh

Clout and som barfooted then nothing but a wyfe then wee and

my fren [friend] went to the wodes and dug gensang and bout

[bought] som small housel [household] funtery [furniture] and

lived hapey

Then I bored [borrowed] a old Cors bentiCk [bedtick]

and shee fild it with Cut huskes as wee was young you mout of

hard it som small distens

in the next winter I lost my mare by Caring a havy lod of

meat then nothing but my gun and dang then moved over the

river in Ohio in the yare 1787 I think then in the rangen bisens

[business] foled [followed] the ingens and hunted for a liven

Severl yars all hapey very trulsom tims with the ingens I

lived at a plas Caled Carpenters Stashen I mill of Short Creek

wee had fine tims nothing to doy but dans and ete homney and

gard our selves then after som yars I thout I wold quit all and

goy [go] to work and went down the river to plas Cald man-

Chaster in this stat and thout I wold werk fer my livn and

begun to werk to rase a Crop but not ben thar long on till a

party of man Com thar going after som prisners that was taken

on salt (?) river in CantuCk about thirty wiman and Children

nothing wold doy but I must goy with them and at last a gred

to goy with them and went and the sebent day fell in with a

party of ingens and ataCked them and kild purhapes three I

think I shout one and hee was a wyt man raised with the saveges

from a child and was going to wer [war] then to the moth of

Siothe [Scioto] to tak bots [boats] to get propety and kill the

pepel as hay had taken many boats thar in the abov ataCk

I lost one man kiled fell agenst mee the name of Joseph Jones a

374 Ohio Arch

374 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publication.

a fine solger 4 of our party thout w[e] wold run in the Camp

with our horsus and tomhCks [tomahawks] and did so and lost

Jones it was in the night Jon[e]s was not yit out of breth when

I left him but wee had to run fer our one [own] safty as wee

thout thar was som more ingens near by sur a nuff it was so

and returnd hom thout still to qu[i]t but in short tim the engens

tuCk three horses from me then my ambashen was raised aganst

them and started with the survars [surveyors] that was going

to survay the vurgina millary land be end siothe [Scioto] and

laid out with ot fiar [fire] I think sixty oud nites with one

blanket the grater part of the tim snow Cook Cuper [supper]

night gether brush keep a way the snow and lay my brush or

bark as it wase open my b[l]anket and put on dry sokes and

moCksens thar sleep very will about half sound expeten what

mit fall on us that night

Afer being out fer som tim we met a ingen in the wodes

as the survar was runen a line and the ingen run of and wee

getherd to gether all our fors wiCh was I think 21 most part

young lades puhapes ten or a II with guns in the morning after

breCkfest wee started with intant to serch the Camp but mist

it a litel but fall on thar trail found it to meny for us our

Compnay very mush a larmed on the Count of the young lades

thenel Masay [Nathaniel Masey] was with us he Wod not

agree to lut us ataCk them then still I was put before went about

tow mills thar wee found a trayl of about 8 ingens I told Masey

that wee wold folow them as thay went our Cours then he tuCk

the care [ ?] to push up fer fair of what was bee hind at soun

down wee Cam whar the ingens was Ca[m]ped fer the night

we soon got ther horses CeChed up and wated on till dark then

mee and 4 more was to atak the Camp

Creted [crept] up within few feet and fiard on them kiled

two the rest run of all but naChed wee went fast fer horn fer fare

of what wee had past that day wee went about 4 mills thar had

[staved] all nit and Cooked and eat then fer horn kild two

baflows got horn next day All saif lived with out bread then I

thout I wold goy with Antny Wayen [Anthony Wayne] and

started got with him at Sansnata [Cincinnati] ther I was giv 2

Auto-Sketch of Charles Williams

Auto-Sketch of Charles Williams. 375

dollars a day fer to goy about 12 mill ot [out] to tak Car of Catel

fer the yeus of the army very dangers fe far of the ingens as

thay was plenty waChen the army after som tim I got werd from

hom that my wyfe was very seCk and went horn then I was

ofered one hundred and fifty dollars to tak a man by the nam

of William MCdanel [McDaniel] left his bad in Washanten

County range narly three hundred mills up the river in the ded

of winter river high got him thar saif dangers tims eat posems

and rakoons meat after som tim returnd horn found my wyfe

very low in the spring moved to peas of land whiCh I had

bout on brush Creek with a famly with mee by the name hogland

and he did [died] a short tim after then I moved baCk in the

statshen when wee was at the land it was very dangers [danger-

ous]

After som tim I moved up the river whar I Cam from Car-

pnters Stashon Short Creek then had money 2 horses then fees

with the ingens I thout I wold pay them up fer what dameg thay

had dun to mee steling horses and foling [ following] thee menmy

mills went out to New Cumars town thar I and 3 more parsons

fell in with 30 or 40 ingens giv them a small Cagg of whiskey

and keep one to trad on thay got putery [pretty] high soon and

Cam to tak my bread and got hold of the bagg and run but I

soon over hald him and tuck it way from him soon after they

Com to get more whisky and I sold them for one dollar a quart

I third water

Then I was paying them up in 2 or 3 day I got dun traden

and went hom in fin hart thinken what I wold doy next trip

soon started out with severl horses loded with artlehles fer trad

one horse lode with whiskey as it wold make nearly 2 hors lodes

Com to the Camp plenty of ingens thar hungery fer trad I

mad a good trad fer my self thar I found a man one named

robart higguns and the inguns and mee got a old woman willian

to marey him then the buckes foot [bucks foot] and corn was

handed about and the mareg was over wee put them to bed on a

bar skin then I started home mad a good trad tuck som ingens

with mee Cam hom my father and law had been taken.prisner

and wonded [wounded] very angry at them hard work to save

them but did it sold of my trad very well and lived high plad

376 Ohio Arch

376 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Cardes pines and run horses spent it as fast as I mad it but tuCk

good Car of my famley som tims I layd sporting with in six mills

all weak spend all spent a gan in the spring I tuCk my brouthern

law with mee tuCk plenty of trad seshily [especially] whiskey

as it was good trad that wold sell when Cash and all skins was

gon fer the leest of Clothen full of lyse wash them up seel them

agan to them that had skins then the ingens got very troublsom

wanted to tak my whisky and I fout fer it and Carpnter left

mee a lone hard tims but savd my propety had none taken but

hard work to save it

in a few days sold all out get sobert and I pint fer hom

about fiften or twenty went horn with mee then I begun to un-

derstand them a litel mad trad esery fer mee I traded eight yars

with them and my wyfe under stout them before I was dun trad-

ing Then after som tim in next fall I thout to move to the mus-

kingum salt spring whar Chandlers mad salt then started over

the Ohio to the Moth of Muskingum then up to the salt werks

on the way got the oage [ague] had it 2 month or thar abouts

landed at dunkens falls thar was about thirty or more ingens

waten fer mee I had a barel of whiskey fer them soon thay got

drunk thar I was now parson but my wyfe and 3 children My

hands was gon up to the salt werks in the night wee had to

mov our bad and barel of whiskey seven tims that night to keep

from being robed [robbed] as thay outways found us day lit

Com at last I had hard werk to save all but did so aftur som tim

in the day my hans Com fer mee stol [stole] of the barel of

whiskey started it left it out in the wodes Cam baCk fer the

famly started in bout 2 mills I tuCk siCk and left mee under a

tree thout a blanket over mee up Corn a very hard rain on mee

not abel to get up in the even the Com fer mee with a horse went

about 4 mills thar Corn to my wyfe and children now shalter

exept a small ten hard tims no parsen to werk I siCk laid so fer

about 2 month with out bread or eny thing but meet very hard

winter after som tim I got abel to go after som purvishen peChed

[purchased] severl hors lods and lod of bouns had to paCk it

about 80 mills deep snow no road got horn grat joy bouns and

bread thar was som yong man that had ben traden with the

ingens thay Cam to see us and ingens all very dry sought to hav

Auto-Sketch of Charles Williams

Auto-Sketch of Charles Williams. 377

a froliCk and had one I had to keep very study all got putery

high salman MCloCh [Solomon McCullough] and William Mor-

sen [Morrison] Cut a hole in the is [ice] or it was Cut poked

one ingen in it I run and tuCk him out but that tim thay had

striped one more all but one legen and breeCh Clout he brok

and run to the wodes stayd all night deep snow very Cold mee

and my wyfe foling [following] him but Cold not over tak him

in the morning hee Cam baCk not frose laid under a bank whar

was a spring saved his lif at the next night the yankes plaid a

triCk on one of our band this sam two san man got hold of one

of ther man got a rop round his neCk swere that they wod draw

him up the Chimney I abaid haird them spok to them and leet

him go in a few days bound [bands] all gon all quait my nabers

ingens but in short tim I had 2 nabers whit parsens William

MCleCh [McCulloch] and hanery Crookie thin I mad money

makin salt and keepen purvishen fer traverles spent it all by

Coutin [cutting] road to keep the road by my house spent all

then sold out and moved to Whitwoman thar the ingens Cam

robed [robbed] mee all outher [other] bast [best] Clous from

under my head thay stole my hors and severl more I went with

the oners [owners] of the horses and got 2 baCk [back] agan

then thay stole more hor[s]es I felt very willing to foling [fol-

lowing] them tuCk 2 ingens with mee and started over hald one

that stol my Clous and hee had plad [played] all away at

MoCksen [a game] the chief told mee to tak him bit I thout

it best to leve him thay ingens had sent baCk the hors that hee

had stolen to whar I lived then next morning started Cam to

plas Caled hilltoun a small ingen toun thar treted very well no

newes of stoling propety next moring cent on to low sanduskey

thar I found them very mush alamed on the Count [account] of

two ingens that had stolen 2 horses and three man had fold

[followed] them and kild them both the mans nam was eles

houges [Elias Hughes] John rattep John blan [Bland] at san-

duskey the ingens had a feest about thre hundred was thar I mad

I thout my Chans bad but luCk or nothing I bolted up in the

Midle cf them tole the chief what was my arent that was to

return the horses and quit steling them that wold not bee no

more kild then He agread to giv all the horses up and I got

378 Ohio Arch

378 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

eight or nine hom and the oners got them that put a stop to

horstiling with the ingens to this day 1831. Then I had the age

[ague] for nine month all most every day. Then I moved to

CoshoCkton hair I lave 32 yars. Then I thout I wold try to

mak sonthing to live on in my old days. Keep a large stoCk

somtims th[r]ee hundred, somtims lees [less] and tarven fer

about 28 yars Mad money on all sides very pushen drove hogges

and Cattel fer severel yars before I left the salt werkes the in-

gens roobd my wyfe of one Cagg of Whiskey stole 2 horses

when I was a way from horn Corn hom and foled them with 2

more man with me over hald them on Whitman [Whitewoman]

river that I mad all right with them this was in pees time I

think I was gon five days Now I goy on as I rember wee was

the hapest pepel in the world when ontill our Countery was

fild with ireash and yankes other spaklen [speeking] davels thay

got between the pepel then it was a grat thout to get very

[every] man what hee CoCld [could] opene [oppose] one an-

other geten worse tha plarsh [ ?]

Thar fais with religen now makes them wers about fiften

yers I was about 21 yers I think I had my hous burnt and 2

children one of my one [own] one of my brouther [brother]

Sams and lost every thing but a meat trifel left naChed in about

one month I was doing bisnes as good as ever keepen tarven

and drawing after a tim the last war Com on I [t]hout I must

see what was g[o]ing on at huls [Hulls] serander I was orderd

out with one hundred man or thar abouts went on to Mansfield

beefore I got thar I had som trubel with the ingens to tell What

thay wold doy [do] go to the briCh [British] or goy to over

arme and My man kild one then thay Com to us after a day

or two stooped at Mansfield in few day the ingens Com with in

few mills and kild 2 old parsons man and wyfe I [t]hink thay

was 70 or upwards and there dauter and one mor man I and

for or five more went whar thay was kild found them all kild

and sColpt in the Corse of the day thay was bared [buried] no

cofens [coffins] in few days Com about 15 or 20 ingens Whar

thar was a famle and som miltare man about one mill of Whar

thay kild the outhers and kild I think 4 parsons I siCk at this

tim sent 20 man after them but could not overhall them after