314 Ohio
Arch. and His. Society Publications.
THE REV. JOHN HECKEWELDER,
BORN AT BEDFORD, ENG., MARCH 12, 1743; DIED
AT BETHLE-
HEM, PA., JANUARY 21, 1823, AGED 80
YEARS, LESS 50 DAYS.
BY THE REV. WM. H. RICE,
VICE PRESIDENT MORAVIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY; LIFE
MEMBER OF THE PENN-
SYLVANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY; AND LIFE
MEMBER OF THE
OHIO ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
One hundred years ago to-day, September
29, 1898, Rev.
John Heckewelder (then a man about
fifty-five years old) moved
into the "First House" of
Gnadenhuetten, which he and his helpers
had built on the east bank of the
Muskingum (now Tuscarawas)
River.
We are assembled within sight of the
spot on which the
"First House" stood, to
celebrate with joyous thanksgiving the
centennial anniversary of the founding
of Gnadenhuetten as a set-
tlement of whites.
Yonder monument was erected in 1872, on
the site of the
first Gnadenhuetten, founded in 1772,
as a village settlement of
Indian Christians, under the leadership
of David Zeisberger and
John Heckewelder. The monument
commemorates the destruc-
tion of the village settlement, in fire
and blood, on March 8, 1782.
For ten years it had been an oasis of
Christian life and peace
in the midst of savagery and war.
After an interval of sixteen years, in
1798, Heckewelder came
back to rebuild the desolated home of
the "Brown Brethren" as
a settlement of whites. We have come
together to-day, from
near and from far, to make memorial of
the one hundredth anni-
versary of the founding of this second
Gnadenhuetten under the
leadership of John Heckewelder.
David Zeisberger and John Heckewelder
are the two names
which will always go together in the
story of the work of the
Moravian Brethren's church among the
Indians of North
America.
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 315
Heckewelder was twenty years younger
than Zeisberger. He
worked side by side with Zeisberger in
all the years of missionary
labor in the wilderness of northeastern
and northwestern Penn-
sylvania and in Ohio, Michigan and
Canada. They were like
David and Jonathan in the labor and life
of the Lord Jesus.
When David Zeisberger grew too old, John
Heckewelder took
his place in the active leadership of
the work.
The Zeisbergers and the Heckewelders
were exiles from
Moravia, who fled to Herrnhut, Saxony,
across the mountain
border, leaving behind their farms and
their other possessions
for conscience' sake.
The parents of Heckewelder were settled
in Bedford, Eng-
land, and were engaged in the work of
the Moravian Church in
that district when their oldest son,
John, was born March 12,
1743. His father was Rev. David
Heckewelder. Listen to the
story of his boyhood in his English home
as we hear it from
his own pen:
"When yet I was quite a small boy,
I was sent to our church-
schools at Buttermere, and at Fulneck in
Yorkshire. I can only
remember in love all the kindness and
the help given me by my
teachers. Everybody was good to me.
"I was at Fulneck school when I remember
that we cel-
ebrated such a happy Children's Day. It
was one of our Prayer
Days. Brother Watteville spoke to us.
His words made some
of us little boys feel as if we wanted
to be missionaries. Three
or four of the boys and I agreed with
one another and the Savior
that we would be missionaries.
"I was not quite eleven years old
when my parents got ready
to go to America, whither they had been
called by the authorities
of the Moravian Church. We walked to
London. There we saw
Count Zinzendorf and Bishop Spangenberg.
"They had a talk with every one of
our ship's company
before sailing. The Count said he wanted
to have a talk with
me. No one was present except Bishop
Spangenberg. He asked
me how I had gotten along in school. He
said I ought to be
thinking all the while of getting ready
to preach, some day, the
gospel among the heathen.
"The Count talked so kindly to me
that I, in my fashion,
316 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
couldn't help telling him about our
agreement, - the three or
four boys and I,- at Fulneck school,
after the Prayer Day.
"He then asked me whether I could
speak German. He
had been talking in English. I told him
that I could understand
German better than I could speak it.
Then he laid his hand on
my head and prayed in German for me, and
gave me his blessing,
as we knelt down together. I have always
felt that this was
my ordination to be a missionary.
"It was my birthday anniversary,
March 12, 1754, when
we set sail for New York in the ship The
Irene, which belonged
to the Moravian Church. Brother Nicholas
Garrison was the
captain.
"At New York we were the guests of
the Moravian Brethren.
The merchant, Brother Henry Van Vleck,
was especially kind
to us. The most of the ship's company
waited in New York
until the wagons sent on from Bethlehem
(the Moravian settle-
ment in eastern Pennsylvania, near the
Jersey border) had arrived.
I was one of those who started ahead on
foot (a lad in his twelfth
year).
"Bishop David Nitschmann was our
guide. He carried me
across the many creeks and rivers which
we had to cross; there
were no bridges.
"At Bethlehem I went to school
until I was apprenticed to
learn the cooper trade. I got very
homesick in the little back-
woods settlement. Nearly everybody spoke
only German."
In March, 1762, young Heckewelder, just
nineteen years old,
eagerly accepted a call to start out on
his first missionary journey.
The famous missionary, Rev. Christian
Frederick Post, had asked
for the young man as his associate.
I hold in my hand this time-stained
manuscript, - the orig-
inal "Indenture of John Heckewelder,
aged nineteen, to Christian
Frederick Post, as an apprentice."
By the special favor of the cooper he
was released from his
apprenticeship, which had not yet
expired. The object of this
"Indenture" to Mr. Post was to
protect the young man against any
attempt that might be made, in the
course of their missionary
journeyings, to impress him into the
Colonial military service.
It served this purpose, on occasion, on
their journeyings.
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 317
Young Heckewelder's apprenticeship to
the indomitable
Post was wonderfully providential in
view of his future career
as a missionary to the Indians. Here he
learned well his first
lesson of patient endurance, of
unshrinking endeavor to face and
to overcome the obstacles in the paths
beset by gravest perils -
paths which led to results that made for
peace and for gospel
triumph.
Their journey from Lititz in Lancaster
County, Pennsyl-
vania, lay over the mountain ridge of
southern Pennsylvania to
Fort Pitt, and thence across the
Allegheny and the Beaver Rivers
to the Indian capital of Tuscarawas, on
the Muskingum River.
It stood near the present town of
Bolivar, in Tuscarawas County.
The journey took about four weeks. It
was the eleventh of April,
1762,
when the intrepid missionaries reached the
cabin which
Mr. Post had built on his visit and
brief stay during the previous
year. Heckewelder says that they started
on their journey sing-
ing a hymn of praise. After almost
incredible hardships and
perils they entered the little cabin on
the eastern bank of the
Muskingum River singing a hymn of
praise. Engaged in an
undertaking the success of which was
more than doubtful, God
had safely led them all the way.
A new difficulty soon arose. The
missionary, Post, had
promised the Colonial Governor of
Pennsylvania to act as his
ambassador to the western Delaware
Indians and to secure their
consent to come on to Lancaster, in that
province, for "a talk."
Mr. Post had also promised to escort
them to Lancaster, if
the Indians so desired it. The chiefs in
question demanded his
escort.
The understanding with the church
authorities had been that
young Heckewelder should come on with
Post in the event of
such an embassy.
After "the talk" at Lancaster
both were to return to Tus-
carawas. But for both to leave their
station now involved the
total failure of their missionary
enterprise. It was quite plain
that their Indian neighbors would not
tolerate their return. To
leave the station during the interval of
the embassy's going to
and from the Lancaster "talk"
was equivalent to abandoning the
entire enterprise. Naturally Mr. Post
was unwilling to sacrifice
318 Ohio
Arch. and His. Society Publications.
the position that had been gained at the
cost of so much peril
and suffering.
He felt equally unwilling to ask his
youthful assistant to stay
behind in the savage wilderness and
alone to face the dangers
and death that were so imminent.
Heckewelder says: "He laid
the whole matter before me, and at last
we agreed that I should
remain."
He tells the story of his decision in a
very modest way.
Where is the young man of nineteen who
would have come to
this decision? It bespeaks a heroism and
a Christian devotion
prophetic of his career of more than
fifty years as a missionary
amongst the Indians, and a right hand of
help and direction to
his white brethren in their intercourse
with the red man.
After Mr. Post's departure for
Lancaster, in Pennsylvania,
Heckewelder, left to his own resources,
addressed himself to the
work of supplying the needful
provisions. He cultivated a small
garden patch. The passing traders stole
almost all the vegetables
as they ripened. The young Indians
begged for the use of his
canoe, which they soon lost by accident
or design. He was thus
cut off from fishing and shooting along
the river. Fever soon
laid its prostrating hand upon him. He
nearly died from fever
and starvation.
But for the friendly aid of his nearest
neighbor, the trader
Calhoun, who was living on the opposite
bank of the river, he
would have perished; but his courage
never forsook him.
One day his white neighbor sent him word
to call at once
at his cabin. Heckewelder crossed over
to be told that he was
in danger of being murdered if he
remained a day longer in his
cabin. He was forbidden to return. A
friendly Indian had sent
the timely warning.
He now felt justified in taking the
first opportunity for a
return to Pittsburgh, for word had also
come from the absent
Missionary Post that his assistant
should flee the perils of a longer
stay. This finally determined
Heckewelder. Time would fail to
tell the experiences on his return
journey, of the fever-smitten
youth, of his almost miraculous escapes
from the deadly dangers
of the wilderness, and of the almost
equally miraculous aid that
came from some friendly hand, often just
in the nick of time.
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 319
When Heckewelder reached Lancaster his
friends at first
failed to recognize the young man whom
fever and the wilderness
had so altered in appearance. Everybody
was kind and hospitable
to the young hero. He reached Bethlehem
in December. His
apprenticeship of nine months had been
hard and full of peril.
But it had only served to warm his heart
with undying devotion
to the calling of his first love. He was
a born missionary.
During the ensuing years of Indian
troubles, in which the
frontier settlements were laid waste,
Heckewelder was constantly
employed in lending a helping hand in
all the intercourse between
the Indian converts and the home church
at Bethlehem.
In perils oft in the wilderness, he had
various escapes from
death, but he was putting in practice
what he had learned of the
eminent missionary with whom he had
served his apprenticeship
in 1762, Rev. Christian Frederick Post.
Mr. Post was thirty-three
years his senior. Born in Conitz, Polish
Russia, in 1710, he
came to America in 1742 as a member of
the Moravian Church
colony on board the ship
"Catharine."
Heckewelder says of him: "He was a
man of undaunted
courage and enterprising spirit. He was
well acquainted with
the manner and customs of the Indians.
The journeys which Mr.
Post undertook were deemed rash and
imprudent undertakings,
but he was not dismayed. Moved by
charity, he desired to be
instrumental in putting a stop to
murders and effusion of human
blood. He considered himself under the
protection of the Al-
mighty and of the Author of the sermon
on the mount, who had
pronounced a blessing on all
peacemakers. Entreaties intended
to dissuade him from his undertakings
had no effect. He con-
sulted not with flesh and blood.
Cheerful and undaunted he set
out on his most perilous journeys. The
fatigues which few men
would be found able to undergo, Mr. Post
bore with calm endur-
ance."
In 1771 David Zeisberger asked that the
Mission Board
appoint John Heckewelder as his
associate in the Indian mission
work. The Board had decided to accept
the invitation of the
Grand Council of the Delaware Indians to
send its missionaries
to this Ohio territory, and to this
valley, which then belonged
to the Delaware Indians. Their great
chief Netawatwes urged
|
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The Rev. John Heckewelder. 321
their coming upon Zeisberger on
the occasion of his preliminary
visit in 1771. As to the resultant
action I quote from "David Zeis-
berger and his Brown Brethren":
"In the valley of the Mus-
kingum River, in what is now Tuscarawas
County, near the
'Beautiful Spring' pointed out to them
by Chief Netawatwes,
who made them a grant of land in its
immediate vicinity, the first
settlement was begun by Zeisberger and
Heckewelder in the
spring of 1772. They gave it the
name of Schonbrunn, the Ger-
man for the Indian name which signified
Beautiful Spring.
"In the course of a few years this
grew into a cluster of
Christian communities of converted
Indians: Gnadenhuetten
(Tents of Grace), Lichtenau (Sunlit
Meadow), Salem and New
Schonbrunn. Here were dwelling in peace
and plenty hun-
dreds of Indian converts and their
families, and a corps of de-
voted missionary brethren and sisters
who labored under the
superintendency of Zeisberger.
"The material and spiritual
prosperity of the remarkable
cluster of Indian towns, in this valley
of the Tuscarawas, ex-
cited the wondering admiration alike of
the white man and the
red man. Many came long distances to
visit these habitations
of peace and plenty, upon which rested
the smile of God."
Upon this oasis of peace and plenty in
the wilderness arose
the dark cloud of the Revolutionary War.
These flourishing
settlements were about half way between
the American and
British frontier lines, with the
American headquarters for all the
western territory at Fort Pitt
(Pittsburgh) and the British head-
quarters at Detroit. The Indian
Christians and their white mis-
sionary leaders were helpless in the
face of these bitter antag-
onists, and were open to assault from
either side as the suspected
favorer of the other. The Indian tribes
were the objects of rival
diplomacies and plottings, that they
might be secured as allies
of one of these hostile nations against
the other.
During this troublous period John
Heckewelder performed
a deed of heroism which gives him a rank
among the bravest of
brave Americans. It was in the spring of
the year 1778. In
the summer of the preceding year, 1777,
he had gone to eastern
Pennsylvania on business for the
mission. During the winter
the British party amongst the Indians,
under the lead of the
322 Ohio Arch. and His.
Society Publications.
Wyandots and Mingoes, had laid plots to
induce the Grand
Council of the peaceful Delawares to
take up arms against the
Americans. In this intrigue they found
active allies in the rene-
gades McKee, Elliott and Simon Girty,
who had left Pittsburgh
as deserters to the British cause, and
who now "propagated
abominable falsehoods respecting the war
and the situation of
the people in the Atlantic States"
amongst the Indians of this
western territory. So well did they
succeed in their intrigue that
Chief White Eyes, who championed the
cause of peace, could
only persuade the Grand Council at
Gotchachgunk (the Dela-
ware capital stood in the site of
Coshocton) to postpone the dec-
laration of war against the American
colonists for ten days longer.
John Heckewelder left Bethlehem, near
the Jersey border
in eastern Pennsylvania, on his return
to the mission in this val-
ley, in February. He reached Pittsburgh
late in the month of
March. On his way out he had conferred
at York with Henry
Laurens, the President of the
Continental Congress, then in ses-
sion at that place, and with General
Horatio Gates, the Secretary
of War. Both of these officials treated
him with distinguished
consideration, as a representative of
the Moravian Church in
its successful work among the Ohio
Indians. Everything was
done to express the official
appreciation of the Government of
the far-reaching influence which
Heckewelder could exert in se-
curing the peaceful neutrality of the
Delaware nation in the crisis
of the Revolutionary struggle.
On reaching Pittsburgh with his trusty
companion, John
Shabosh, he found that the general
consternation in the minds
of the people was shared by the military
commander, Colonel
Edward Hand and Colonel John Gibson. A
general uprising
of the western Indians could mean only
one thing: the destruc-
tion of the defenses of the western
border and the desolation of
its settlements. Such a calamity at this
crisis in the Revolution
might effect the defeat of the colonies
in their struggle for in-
dependence.
Everything now depended on securing a
trusty ambassador
to convey assurances of peace and
friendship to the Grand Coun-
cil of the Delaware nation at Coshocton.
But the risk was
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 323
thought to be too great. For it was
known that war parties
were out, and every path beset by them.
I will let Heckewelder tell the story of
that crisis. "The
matter (of going to our mission in the
Tuscarawas Valley) ap-
pearing to us of the greatest
importance, we gave it due consid-
eration during the night; the conclusion
we reached was that,
in our view it appeared clear, that the
preservation of the Dela-
ware nation and the existence of our
mission depended on the
nation's being at peace, and that a
contrary course would tend
to the total ruin of the whole mission:
that were we at this time
to neglect or to withdraw ourselves from
performing a service,
nay, a duty, in exposing the vile
intentions of a depraved set of
beings whose evil designs were but too
well known, we must
become accountable to our God.
"Therefore, with entire reliance on
the strong hand of Provi-
dence, we determined to go at the hazard
of our lives, or at least
to make the attempt." How much like
the intrepid Post ap-
pears the intrepid Heckewelder, who had
served his apprentice-
ship in 1762.
"In the morning we made our
resolution known to Colonels
Hand and Gibson, whose best wishes we
were assured of. We
left our baggage behind. Turning a deaf
ear to all entreaties of
well-meaning friends who considered us
lost if we went, we
crossed the Allegheny River. We traveled
day and night, only
stopping to give our horses time to
feed. We several times nar-
rowly escaped falling in with war
parties. We crossed the Big
Beaver, which overflowed its banks, on a
raft we had made of
poles. Other large creeks in the way we
swam with our horses.
We never attempted to kindle a fire,
being apprehensive of being
discovered by the warriors smelling the
smoke.
"On the third day we reached
Gnadenhuetten at eleven
o'clock at night. Fatigued as we were by
our journey, without
one hour of sound sleep in three days, I
was requested by the
inhabitants of the place, men and women,
not to delay any time,
but to proceed to Coshocton, nearly
thirty miles distant. They
declared that at the Delaware capital
all was bustle and confusion
and many were preparing to go off to
fight the Americans as
soon as the ten days had expired, of
which to-morrow was the
324
Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
ninth; that McKee and his base
associates had announced that
the American colonists were preparing at
this time to enter upon
a campaign of indiscriminate murder of
all the Indians friendly
or hostile.
"I consented after a few hours of
rest and sleep, if furnished
with a trusty companion and a fresh
horse, to proceed on my
way to Coshocton. Between three and four
o'clock in the morn-
ing the National Assistant, John Martin,
called me. We set out
together, swimming our horses across the
Muskingum River
and taking a circuit through the woods
to avoid the encampment
of the Wyandot war party which was close
to our path.
"By ten o'clock in the forenoon we
arrived within sight of
the capital. A few yells were given by a
person who had dis-
covered us, to notify the inhabitants
that a white man was com-
ing. This immediately drew the whole
body of Indians into the
street. Although I saluted them in
passing them, not a single
person returned the compliment. This my
companion observed
was no good omen. Even Chief White Eyes
and the other chiefs,
who always had befriended me, now
stepped back when I reached
out my hand to them. This strange
conduct, however, did not
dismay me. I was satisfied that the act
of refusing me the hand
had been done from policy, and not from
any ill will towards my
person. For I observed among the crowd
some men, well known
to me as spies of the war party, who
were here to watch the action
of these peace chiefs.
"Indeed in looking around I thought
I could read joy in
the countenances of many of them on
seeing me among them at
so critical a juncture.
"As no one would reach out his hand
to me, I inquired the
cause. Chief White Eyes, boldly stepping
forward, replied:
'That by what had been told them by
these men (McKee and
party) they no longer had a single
friend among the American
people; if therefore this be so they
must consider every white
man who came to them from that side as
an enemy, who came
to deceive them and to put them off
their guard for the purpose
of giving the enemy an opportunity of
taking them by surprise.'
I replied that the imputation was
unfounded, and that, were I not
their friend, they never would have seen
me here.
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 325
"'Then,' continued Chief White
Eyes, 'you will tell us the
truth with regard to what I state to
you?' Having assured him
of this, he asked me in a loud voice:
'Have the American armies
been cut to pieces by the English
troops? Is General Washing-
ton killed ? Is there no more a
Congress, and have the English
hung some of them and taken the
remainder to England to hang
them there? Is the whole country beyond
the mountains in
the possession of the English, and are
the few thousand Ameri-
cans, who have escaped, now organizing
themselves on this side
of the mountains for killing all the
Indians in this country, men
and women and children?' I declared
before the whole assembly
that not one word of what he had just
now told me was true.
He, however, refused to take the
friendly dispatches which I had
brought with me. Accidentally catching
the eye of the drummer,
I called to him to beat the drum for the
assembly to meet, to
hear what their American brethren had to
say to them. To Chief
White Eyes' question: 'Shall we, my
friends and relatives, listen
once more to those who call us
brethren?' there was a loud and
unanimous affirmative. All quickly
repaired to the Council
House. All the dispatches were read and
interpreted to them.
White Eyes made an elaborate address. In
it he specially noted
that the American people had never yet
called on the Indians
to fight the English. From the beginning
of the war to the
present time they had always advised the
Indians not to take up
the hatchet against either side.
"A newspaper which contained the
account of the capitula-
tion of Burgoyne's army was found in the
packet of dispatches.
This Chief White Eyes unfolded and held
up so that all could
get a full view of it. 'See, my friends
and relatives, this document
containeth great events, not the song of
a bird, but the truth.'
Stepping up to me he gave me his hand,
saying, 'You are wel-
come with us, brother.' Every one
present followed his example."
Heckewelder now hurried on to the
Lichtenau Mission sta-
tion, two and a half miles below
Coshocton, "to the inexpressible
joy of Zeisberger," who was sitting
by the fire, pale, emaciated,
the image of despair. "He arose and
greeted me thus: 'Ah!
my dear John, are you here? You have
come into the midst of
the fire! If God does not work a miracle
the Mission is at an
326
Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
end! The Indians of Gnadenhuetten are on
the point of fleeing
hither for safety. But there is no
safety here! Satan rules!
One evil follows another! All
Goschachgunk is preparing for
war! What will become of the Mission? If
the Delawares
really go to war we are lost. I care not
for myself, but Oh! my
poor Indians!'"
Bursting into tears at sight of his
faithful Heckewelder, who
so unexpectedly stood before him, he
listened to the story of that
day's events in the Council House at
Coshocton. God had
wrought "a miracle !" And the
heroic devotion of Heckewelder
had been the instrument in God's hands
by which it had been
wrought.
To-day we dwell upon the heroism of
Hobson and his com-
rades, who faced an almost certain
death, in the forlorn hope
that sailed into the very jaws of
destruction, in Santiago Harbor;
let us be quick to commemorate the
bravery of Heckewelder and
his comrades who rode through the
wilderness of deadly danger
with cheerful devotion, to compass the
victory of peace. The
historians of the deeds of that historic
period may well pay tribute
to Heckewelder as one of the men whose
heroic bearing at this
crisis helped to achieve our national
independence.
No less conspicuous is the record of his
work as a Gospel
laborer. It may be said of John
Heckewelder, as was said of one
of old, "The Lord was with him and
made all that he did to
prosper in his hand." The record of
the great revival at Lich-
tenau Mission station, when in his
pastoral care in the winter of
1779-80, marks him as one of the Lord's
anointed who are privi-
leged to lead many souls into His
kingdom.
Under date of Lichtenau, March 3, 1780,
Heckewelder
closes his report of the winter's
revival thus:
"Now when I look at our Indian
brethren and see the newly-
baptized converts, the hymn comes to my
mind, 'The Blood of
Jesus.' For here in the persons of these
heathen (and such
heathen as the Indians are) who have
been converted to Christ
our Savior, we have before us a true and
lasting pattern and ex-
ample of what the Blood of the Crucified
One can do for sinners.
"The next impulse of my heart is to
cry, 'Glory and Honor
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 327
to Jesus our Lamb!' Where would any and
all of us be, were
there no Savior?
"I must add one thing more. We have
noticed in the case
of the stranger-Indians who visit us
from a great distance during
our festival seasons, that they were
very attentive hearers during
their visits. They started on their
return home with great
anxiety of mind and often with tears. We
rejoice to think of the
coming victory of grace in their hearts
in the dear Lord's own
time."
The troublous war times compelled them
to give up the sta-
tion of Lichtenau, and to move further
up the valley. A new
station was founded by Heckewelder at a
point within a mile or
two of the plot on which Port Washington
now stands. He gave
it the name of Salem. This was in the
spring of 1780.
On July 4, 1780, he was married in the
newly-built church
at Salem, which had been erected under
his superintendence.
His bride was Miss Sarah Ohneberg,
daughter of Rev. George
and Susan Ohneberg, who were Moravian
missionaries in the
West Indies. (Heckewelder's parents died
in the mission service
in the West Indies before he had come of
age.)
Miss Ohneberg came out from Bethlehem
under the escort
of the venerable Rev. Adam Grube. The
others of the party
were Rev. and Mrs. Gottlob Seuseman. Of
the four hundred
miles trip, the last one hundred miles
from Pittsburgh were gone
over under the escort of some Christian
Indians sent from Gna-
denhuetten to meet them. After this
party of missionaries had
left Pittsburgh, on their way through
the wilderness, three
American scouts fired on them. A bullet
passed through the
sleeve of the Indian who was leading Mr.
Grube's horse.
Then at Salem, on April 6, 1781, their
first child was born,
Johanna Maria Heckewelder.
But the bursting of the gathering storm
could not be long
delayed. A little more than a year
later, in September, 1781,
came the fiery trial in which perished
the fruits of many years of
missionary toil and sacrifice.
Emissaries from the British headquarters
at Detroit were
sent to remove the missionaries and
their wives and children from
their Mission stations in this beautiful
valley, with a view to a
328 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
"dispersion of the Christian
Indians" and the "breaking up of
their settlements."
One day Zeisberger and Heckewelder and
their associate mis-
sionaries stood captives, almost naked,
on yonder bank, exposed
to the brutalities of blood-thirsty
villains who only lacked the
courage to murder their innocent
victims, whom they had dragged
from their homes at Schonbrunn and at
Salem.
It is a harrowing tale - that of their
journey through the
wilderness to Upper Sandusky - these
men, their wives and
babes - afoot, driven with ruthless
indifference, to their final
encampment, in the desert wilderness, in
what is now Wyandot
County. They were abandoned by their
captors to their fate.
With little food for themselves and
their cattle, barely clad, they
would have perished from hunger and
exposure but for the Indian
women who supplied their urgent needs
from their own scanty
store of roots dug in the woods.
From their hastily constructed cabins,
the Missionaries were
summoned to leave their wives and little
ones, and to appear in
person before the British commandant at
Detroit for trial, as sup-
posed allies and spies in the American
interest. In bleak Novem-
ber they made their way - Zeisberger,
Heckewelder, Senseman,
and Edwards - around the head of Lake
Erie, along "roads such
as we had never before seen." In
John Heckewelder's experience
of twenty years' traveling he had never
seen the like: "the mud
of the swamps," "our horses
sometimes sinking belly-deep into
the mire, which obliged us to cut strong
poles to pry them out
again," - "deep creeks across
which we had to swim our horses,"
-
"bleak prairies, the northwest wind blowing in our faces so
that we could scarcely stand up against
it, having but few clothes
on our backs we would frequently drive
our horses before us and
walk, to preserve ourselves from
perishing with cold," - through
all this they had made their toilsome
way when they came to a
bleak point of land at the junction of
the Detroit and Rouge rivers,
in sight of the Fort, but unable to
cross the deep strait. "They
passed a dreadful night. Not a stick of
wood was to be found to
kindle a fire. They had "to move
about the whole night to keep
themselves alive."
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 329
Next day they entered Fort Detroit,
carried across the river
in friendly canoes. "It being by
this time known in town that
the Moravian Missionaries were come in
as prisoners, curiosity
drew the inhabitants of the place into
the street to see what kind
of people we were. The few clothes we
had on our backs, and
these tattered and torn, might have
caused them to cast looks of
contempt upon us. But we did not find
this to be the case. We
were viewed with commiseration. After
standing for some time
in the street opposite the dwelling of
the commandant, we were
brought in before him. Here, with empty
stomachs, shivering
with cold, worn down by the journey and
not free from rheumatic
pains, we staid until we had undergone a
short examination." Ad-
ded to all this suffering was their
great mental anxiety "for our
families suffering from hunger and
exposure, to whom we were
repeatedly told by the savage Indians we
never would be permitted
to return again."
The upshot of it all was that the
commandant declared them
acquitted of all charges laid against
them, and "that he felt great
satisfaction and pleasure in seeing our
endeavors to civilize and
christianize the Indians, and would
cheerfully permit us to return
again to our congregation."
I hold in my hand the original Passport
which was given to
Zeisberger and Heckewelder by the
commandant. It bears date
November, 1781, and is therefore nearly
one hundred and seven-
teen years old. It bears the official
signature of Arent Schuyler
de Peyster, Major of the Royal Eighth
Regiment and Command-
ant of Detroit and its Dependencies. It
declares the Missionaries
to be
"permitted to perform the functions
of their office
among the Christian Indians without
molestation."
Before they left the sympathetic
hospitality of Fort Detroit they
were clothed anew, and in addition
thereto they were furnished
with clothing and blankets and household
utensils for their fami-
lies. Provisions had also been sent on
in advance, to their camp
at Upper Sandusky. In eight days they
were reunited with their
families. "The joy," says
Heckewelder, "on both sides was
great."
330 Ohio Arch. and His. Society
Publications.
What sort of winter these white and
brown exiles from this
fruitful valley, spent in their
encampment at Upper Sandusky is
best described in the words of the man
who shared in their suffer-
ings. Heckewelder says: "Not being
much troubled by savage
Indians for some time, we built a
temporary Meeting House, of
long poles placed upon each other,
between posts.
"The crevices were filled with moss
gathered from the trees,
instead of mortar. But in what manner to
get a supply of provis-
ions, which we stood in need of, caused
many anxious reflections.
"Although put to great straits for
provisions, our Indian
Brethren trusted in the Lord that he in
due time would relieve
them. That they had a place of worship
and could daily hear the
gospel preached was to them a great
consolation, in these days of
trial. And seeing that some who had
lately come among us,
called upon the Lord for mercy, and were
baptized in his name,
their hopes were enlivened that the Lord
would continue to be
gracious and merciful to them.
"Hitherto the Christian Indians had
suffered most from a
want of provisions. But now in the dead
of winter, they also
suffered severely from the cold.
"Towards the end of January (1782)
the cold during the
night became almost insupportable, the
more so on account of the
smallness of our huts. This did not
permit the convenience of
our having large fires made within them;
and the wood was very
scarce where we were. Our houses having
no flooring, whenever
a thaw came on, the water forced
passages through the earth and
entered in such quantities that we
scarcely could keep our feet
dry.
"The cattle finding no pasture in
those dreary regions and
we not being able to procure any for
them, began to perish from
hunger. As provisions for so many people
could not be had, even
for money, famine came. Many had no
other alternative but to
live on the carcasses of the starved
cattle. Some babes perished
from want of nourishment from their
mother's impoverished
breasts. The Missionaries reduced their
own daily allowance of
provisions for bread to a pint of Indian
corn a day.
"Yet in this wretched situation the
hungry (heathen) Wyan-
dots would often come into our huts and
see if there were any
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 331
victuals cooking or nearly cooked. At
one time just as my wife
had set down what was intended for our
dinner, the Half-King
and Simon Girty and a Wyandot entered my
cabin and seeing the
victuals ready, without ceremony began
eating.
"The famine increasing daily - and
the children crying for
victuals, was more than the parents
could endure. They could
not afford to pay at the rate of a
dollar for two or three quarts
of corn, which was the price now asked
(in our neighborhood) by
those who held any. Therefore consulting
with one another on
measures to be taken for their relief,
their deliberations closed
with a resolution, to look to no other
quarter for corn but to their
forsaken towns."
My friends, put yourselves in the place
of those Indian
farmers. Here in their old homes the
corn was still waiting to
be harvested, - and their little ones
were starving. It is a five
or six days' journey to the old home.
The report has come that
"although the corn still stands in
the fields unharvested, yet it is
still good and unhurt."
Do you blame them, men and women with
their children, for
coming home again for bread for
themselves and little ones!
Here, in yonder flats across the river,
in the corn fields which
their own hands had planted they had
been working both by day
and by night in gathering and husking
corn, for several weeks."
"On the day our Christian Indians
were bundling up their packs,
intending to set off on the next
morning, a party of between one
and two hundred white people from the
Ohio settlements made
their appearance at Gnadenhuetten."
We all know the story of that next day,
that bloody Friday,
March 8, 1782!
Listen what Heckewelder has to say of
the more than ninety
"Christian Indians murdered by the
miscreants." "Five of the
slain were respectable National
Assistants or Elders (in the spir-
itual conduct of the Indian Church.) Of
these Samuel Moore and
Tobias had been members of the
Missionary Brainerd's congre-
gation in New Jersey, after whose death
they joined the Christian
Indians on the Susquehanna. Samuel had
received his education
from Mr. Brainerd. He could read well
and understood the Eng-
lish language so well that he was for
many years and until his
332 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
death an interpreter of the sermons
preached. Tobias and Jonas
led the life of true Christians. Isaac
Glickhican - the converted
war-chief - was a useful member of the
church. How prudently
he acted on all occasions and how ready
and fearless he was in
time of danger; how faithful to his
teachers. Doubtless he
would have risked his life for them if
occasion had required it.
Another of the five was John Martin, one
of the Chapel inter-
preters at Gnadenhuetten, an exemplary
and worthy man. Three
of these five Elders of the Church were
above sixty; the other
two were about fifty years old. Many of
the Brethren and Sisters
who were murdered were born of Christian
Indian parents who
were members of the church in
Pennsylvania, in 1763 and 1764.
Here they were now murdered, together
with their children. The
loving children! who had so harmoniously
raised their voices in
the Chapel, at their schools and in
their parents' houses, in singing
praises to the Lord. Their tender years,
innocent countenances
and tears made no impression on these
pretended white Christians.
These children were all butchered with
the rest."
Two weeks after the horrible massacre of
these brown Chris-
tians, men, women and children, the
account of it reached the
exiled Missionaries who with their
families were on their way to
Fort Detroit, whither they had been
suddenly summoned a second
time by the British Commandant. The
bearer of the melancholy
message, says Heckewelder, was our
Brother Joshua whose two
promising daughters aged 15 and 18, were
among the slain!
"We grieved much for such loving
souls, and assembling on
the occasion, prayed the Church Litany
to be 'kept in everlasting
fellowship with the church triumphant'
and with our dear Breth-
ren and Sisters and the children slain
on the Muskingum; in the
firm persuasion of again meeting
together in the presence of our
Redeemer."
The Moravian mission work - what there
was left of it -
was now to be carried on under the
protection of the British flag.
The Missionaries began a new settlement
on the Clinton river, in
what is now Macomb County, in the state
of Michigan, on land
granted them by the Chippewa Indians.
The grant was to expire
on the return of peace. The station was
named New Gnaden-
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 333
huetten. Here was born the second child,
to the Heckewelder
parents, Anna Salome Heckewelder, August
13, 1784.
Soon after peace had been declared the
American Congress
granted a Reservation of lands and
houses, in the Tuscarawas
valley for the Christian Indians, in
trust to the Moravian Church.
This was the only consideration for the
loss that had been sus-
tained by the destruction of their
settlements. The estimated
pecuniary loss incurred by the ruin of
the crops, harvested and
unharvested; the loss of their horses
and cattle; farming utensils,
houses and household furnishings; books
and manuscripts, was
estimated, at the lowest, at twelve
thousand dollars. This was a
large sum of money for those times. This
estimate fails to in-
clude the loss incurred by the
destruction of precious human
lives nor does it take account of the
hardships and sufferings
endured by the faithful men and women -
the missionaries -
who stood by their Indian converts with
unflinching devotion.
Thus after five years of exile from this
valley of the Tus-
carawas they turn once more toward the
old home. To reoccupy
their towns in this fruitful valley
became now the dream of the
Missionaries and their scattered
converts.
Less than five years had gone since
their forced removal from
their homes here. But they had been
years of untold suffering
and trials. They broke up their
settlement on the Clinton River,
near Detroit, and started on their
return journey in April, 1786.
The Church diary tells what a record
their converts had made
among the trades-people of the Fort.
"Our Indians left a good
reputation behind them for all the
merchants in Detroit report
that they paid all their debts to the
last penny. They said it could
well enough be seen that our Indians
were an honorable people,
and better than all the people around
Detroit who do not like to
pay their debts. The merchants add
thereto, that this was the
fruit of the Missionaries' labors."
Like Israel of old they entered upon
their wilderness wan-
derings with a view to reach this
valley, their Land of Promise.
His spirit and physical strength broken,
Zeisberger, now sixty
years old, leaned on his vigorous
associate Heckewelder, who
was now in his prime. It was a long and
tedious and very severe
journey which ended at the mouth of the
Cuyahoga River, where
|
(334) |
The Gnadenhuetten Centennial. 335
Cleveland now stands. They made their
way along the lake
shore. They founded a settlement in what
is now Independence
Township of Cuyahoga County, some
distance from the mouth
of the river on its eastern bank.
Here, at Pilger-Ruh, the two
missionaries who, since 1771,
had stood by one another in all the joy
and the sorrow, the bless-
ing and privations of the past fifteen
years, were separated. Heck-
ewelder was compelled to remove his
family to Pennsylvania. The
strain of this last long and severe
journey had broken down his
faithful wife's health entirely.
But what seemed, at the time, a sore
providence was over-
ruled for the best interests of the
mission work in all its varied
relations. This separation of
Heckewelder from the work of the
mission stations opened to him a larger
career as the practical
field superintendent of the Indian
mission work of the church.
And with this came the unlooked-for
opportunity and the un-
sought distinction in the public service
of his country.
For this twofold service he possessed
unrivalled fitness. He
was in his prime. For twenty-five years
past he had lived among
the Indians of Pennsylvania and Ohio as
a missionary. As the
associate of Christian Frederick Post
and David Zeisberger he
had learned well the lesson of
self-forgetful toil and loving devo-
tion in behalf of the Brown Brethren.
And in this period of
transition and of the armed struggles in
connection therewith,
John Heckewelder came to be a person of
exceptional qualifica-
tions to stand as a middle-man between
his Brown Brethren and
the American Government.
His influence for a peaceful and
honorable adjustment of the
difficulties was second to that of no
other one man of that
troublous period.
At the request of President Washington
he consented to
serve the United States Government as a
commissioner, with
General Rufus Putnam of Marietta, on an
embassy to the hostile
Indians in the Wabash River
neighborhood. The long journey
of over twenty-seven hundred miles from
Bethlehem to the Post
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and return,
was eminently successful
in its results. And this was due in no
small measure to the
missionary commissioner's part in the
work.
336
Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
Heckewelder carried out his commission
in the face of in-
numerable perils. A very severe illness
at one time threatened
his life, but his manuscript record of
this famous trip is written
in a style as modest as his endurance of
its fatigues and dangers
was cheerful and undaunted. This was in
1792.
In the following year, in 1793,
President Washington again
solicited his acceptance of the
commission of the Government
as an ambassador to treat for peace with
the warring Indian
tribes of the northwestern territory.
With Heckewelder on this
embassy were General Benjamin Lincoln of
Massachusetts, Tim-
othy Pickering, Postmaster-General in
Washington's cabinet,
and former Governor Beverly Randolph of
Virginia.
The commissioners traveled to Detroit by
way of Albany and
the Mohawk valley; they returned by way
of the St. Lawrence
River and Lake Champlain. To-day this is
a summer route of
many pleasure seekers. One hundred and
five years ago it meant
a pilgrimage through a wilderness beset
with imminent dangers.
In coming down Lake Champlain a storm
arose during the night
in which the boat which carried the
commissioners and their
assistants almost foundered. They had a
very narrow escape
from death.
These repeated engagements of Mr.
Heckewelder, in the
public service, in association with men
of highest character and
official station, are a striking tribute
to the character and repu-
tation of the man. They show how well
this missionary super-
intendent stood in the esteem of the men
of his day who were
highest in the councils of the nation.
But his work in the public service also
facilitated his work
in the field superintendency of the
mission. In 1797, the year
after he had removed his family to
Bethlehem, in eastern Penn-
sylvania, we find him at Pittsburgh. He
escorted the missionary
helpers, Michael Jung and John Weigand,
to that point, from
whence the two then proceeded to join
the Pilger-Ruh pilgrims.
These latter were breaking up their
settlement in order to
transfer it to the valley of the Huron
River, in what is now Milan
Township, in Erie County.
In the next year, 1788, we see John
Heckewelder at the
newly established white settlement of
Marietta, at the mouth of
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 337
the Muskingum. Here he meets, probably
for the first time,
General Rufus Putnam, - a name than which none is more
illustrious in the history of Ohio. The
object of this trip was
to secure a survey of the Reservation
voted by Congress. With
him came from Pittsburgh the
Surveyor-General, Captain Hutch-
ins. His companion on the journey from
the mission settlements
in Lancaster County was Mathias
Blickensderfer, a name of no
little honor, in these later days, in
this valley.
This first visit to the Marietta Colony
laid the foundation
of the mutual friendship and esteem
which was maintained during
all the subsequent years of intercourse.
He came to be an intimate
friend of General Putnam and his
associates, both at Marietta
and later at Cincinnati, then Fort
Washington.
An article in the "American Journal
of Science and Arts" of
October, 1836, says in reference to this
intercourse: "The men
who founded the first Ohio Colony at
Marietta carried with it
the sciences and the arts. In the veins
of its colonists ran some
of the best blood of the country, and
many of them were men
of highly-cultivated minds and exalted
intellect. Amid such soci-
ety the pious and humane Heckewelder
could not but pass time
pleasantly. He was himself a man full of
the milk of human kind-
ness, a great lover of horticulture and
all the beauties of nature.
He was much devoted to the study of the
natural sciences." The
article adds this in allusion to
Heckewelder's residence, at a later
date, in the settlement the centennial
of whose founding we are
to-day celebrating: "He kept for
many years at Gnadenhuetten
a regular meteorological journal of the
seasons, and of the flow-
erings of plants, etc., which was
published in 'Dr. Barton's Med-
ical Journal' of Philadelphia."
The proposed survey could not be made at
that time because
of the Indian war. After a nine weeks'
stay at the infant settle-
ment he returned to Bethlehem.
In the following year, 1789, Rev. John
Heckewelder and
Rev. Abraham Steiner travelled from
Bethlehem, by way of Pitts-
burgh, to the New Salem station (also
called Pettouotting, in
Milan Township, Eric County) on the
Huron River, one hundred
and fifty miles from Pittsburgh. They arrived on May 20 and
left June 1. Zeisberger writes in his
diary:
338 Ohio Arch. and His. Society
Publications.
"There came to us suddenly and in
quite unexpected quick-
ness Brother John Heckewelder and
Abraham Steiner, by way
of Pittsburgh. From that place they had
had a tedious and
difficult journey. They gave us joy by
their letters and news
from the (home) church. Their arrival
was the more unexpected
and pleasing from our knowing that the
way was not quite safe
from warriors and horse-thieves.
"(Friday, May 22.) Heckewelder held
early service about
this: That it is labor in vain to try to
live a life well-pleasing to
God and holy before the heart has been
washed with Jesus' blood
and forgiveness of sins has been
received. (Wednesday, May 27.)
Heckewelder held early service. The brethren
were busy plant-
ing. Praise be to God that all is so
quiet. (Sunday, May 31,
Whitsuntide.) Brother Heckewelder
preached from the gospel
lesson: If any man love me he will keep
my word, and my
Father will love him and we will make
our abode with him. He
preached about the work of God, the Holy
Ghost, to convince
men of their unbelief and lead them to
the Savior, our Redeemer,
whom we have cost His blood, that
thereby we should have for-
giveness of sins, eternal life and
salvation.
"In the second service four were
buried in Jesus' death by
Holy Baptism, namely, John Henry,
Charles, Gottlob, Cornelia,
by Brother Zeisberger, Heckewelder,
Edwards, and Jung, a ser-
vice accompanied by the near presence of
the Holy Trinity."
"(Monday, June 1.) Brother
Heckewelder held early service,
took leave of the brethren and
admonished them to abide by the
Savior and His wounds; He would bless
them and make them
fruitful, and let them shine a light
among the nations, and they
would be a blessing."
Afterwards, in the afternoon, they set
out for Pittsburgh with
a great number of Indian Brethren,
nearly the whole town going
with them a part of the way. In
referring to this visit, in a review
of the year, in December, Zeisberger
writes: "They made us
heartily joyful by a visit of eleven
days."
In less than two years after this Visit
the New Salem settle-
ment was broken up, and once again the
pilgrims became exiles
under the British flag. The Indian
hostilities in the spring of
1791 forced the
missionaries a second time across the Canadian
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 339
frontier. On the Thames River, in
Canada, the new station
Fairfield was begun in May, 1792. This
became the permanent
home of the principal Indian mission of
the Moravian Church.
Zeisberger had just passed his
seventy-seventh birthday anniver-
sary when he led the "Indian Church
in the wilderness" across
the British border. At New Salem, during
the four years of its
occupancy, the spiritual prosperity of
former days in this Tus-
carawas valley seemed to be renewed.
When he was forced to
abandon the settlement he left behind,
in God's acre, the bodies
of some of his most eminent Indian
elders. Here too was buried
the body of faithful John Shabosh, who
died aged sixty-eight.
In 1793, in June, at Fairfield station,
this is the record of
another Heckewelder visit. (Saturday,
June 15.) "We had the
unexpected pleasure of seeing Brother
Heckewelder among us.
By him we were heartily refreshed by
letters and papers, from
Europe and from Bethlehem, with the
text-books. We had re-
ceived nothing for longer than a year.
On his way he had found
some packages here and there, and had
brought with him. We
were comforted and revived. For we had
believed that cor-
respondence between the States and
Canada had been stopped
and that our letters were lost. (Sunday,
June 16.) Brother Heck-
ewelder preached about this, that the
Savior came to seek and
save the lost. (Monday, June 17.)
Brother Heckewelder held
the early service and spoke in the daily
words: Declare His
glory among the heathen, His marvellous
works among all
nations."
This was during the stay of the United
States Commissioners,
of whom John Heckewelder was one, at
Detroit, to meet the
Indians at the rapids of the Miami of
the Lake. The Indian
brethren who accompanied Brother
Heckewelder on his return,
brought back significant word to the
effect "that in regard to the
treaty to be held matters looked
dubious, and that many lies had
been spread to prevent it." This
was a correct forecast of the
upshot of these efforts to establish
peace.
Under date of July 22, 1793, the
Diary records: "From
Detroit, by an Indian, we had letters
from Brother Heckewelder
from which we saw that Brant and fifty
chiefs of different nations
had gone from Miami to Niagra to speak
with the United States
340
Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
Commissioners there, and to ask them
beforehand if they have
full power to give up the land as far as
the Ohio River. If not,
then to prepare to go home again without
coming to a treaty.
(August 9.) We got a letter from Brother Heckewelder at
the mouth of the Detroit River wherein
he says that he and
the (other) United States Commissioners
are still detained there;
that although they had been invited to a
treaty and had come
there from Niagra and were waiting, as
there was yet doubt
whether there would be a treaty."
The object was to meet the great body of
the warriors
assembled at the rapids of the Maumee
face to face at a confer-
ence. Then it was hoped to adjust
matters to the satisfaction
of the Indians. But the British, by
their agents on the ground,
prevented this, much to the injury of
the poor deluded Indians.
All the endeavors of the commissioners
to attain the so much
wished for meeting were fruitless. By an
insolent speech, that
was brought to the commissioners as
expressing the sentiments
of the council of the savages, all hope
of securing a conference
with them vanished. The commissioners
returned them a short
answer:
"They reminded them of the pains
the United States had
taken to bring about a peace with them.
But as they were inat-
tentive to their own welfare and
disappointed the United States
they must abide the consequences. They
must only blame them-
selves and their advisers for future
events.
"The disappointment was a distressing
one to us all. The
poor savages some time after helped to
pay dearly for having
suffered themselves to be misled."
In his "Narrative" Heckewelder
writes: "The savages con-
tinuing the murderous incursions into
the frontier settlements of
the United States, General Anthony
Wayne, in August, 1794,
marched an army into their country. On
the twentieth of August
he completely routed them in a general
engagement at the rapids
of the Maumee. Wayne's victory was the
salutary means of
bringing on a peace with them. On August
3, 1795, a treaty of
peace was finally concluded with all the
hostile nations."
At last the time had come to revisit the
old home of the
mission in this valley. In the spring of
1797 John Heckewelder
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 341
set out from Bethlehem for
Gnadenhuetten. With him came
William Henry and, as their associates,
John Rothrock and Chris-
tian Clewell of Nazareth. From
Wellsburg, on the Panhandle,
they came to the site of Gnadenhuetten
after a four days' journey.
They arrived on the evening of the
eleventh of May.
Heckewelder saw it after an interval of
almost sixteen years.
It was on the 11th of September, 1781, that he had left it a pris-
oner, to be led away with his fellow
missionaries into the wilder-
ness of northern Ohio. Remembering all
the toils and turmoils
of this intervening period, what must
have been his feelings as
his eyes rested upon the scene that
presented itself. His asso-
ciate, William Henry, thus described it:
"We found the whole
neighborhood covered with a deep, dry
grass of an old standing
to which on the day of our arrival (May
11) we set fire. We
did this to defend ourselves in some
degree against the numerous
snakes and serpents which we found had
taken possession. All
the ground where the town stood is
covered with briars, hazel,
plum and thorn bushes, like a low,
impenetrable forest, except-
ing where the paths of bears, deer,
turkeys, and other wild crea-
tures afford admittance. I was
exceedingly affected while I
walked over and contemplated the ruins
of this once beautiful
place."
The fire having cleared away the dense
grass and under-
brush, a clear view was afforded them of
the ruins.
"Part of their chimneys appear in
their rows. The place
where our poor Indians were massacred is
strongly marked.
Part of their bones are yet to be seen
amongst the coal and
ashes."
"In the cellar of the house where
part of the brethren were
murdered they found nine of them. And in
every direction the
ground was covered with the bones of
their cattle killed by their
enemies."
Heckewelder immediately left for
Marietta to secure the at-
tendance and oversight of General Rufus
Putnam, the Surveyor
General, in the laying out of the
"Three tracts of land, of four
thousand acres each, circumjacent to the
three towns of Schon-
brunn, Gnadenhuetten and Salem."
Congress had passed an
Act, June 1, 1796, which President Adams
approved, granting
342 Ohio Arch. and His.
Society Publications.
these lands in trust for the benefit of
the Christian Indians, to
the Moravian Church. In his journey
through the wilderness
he had an Indian as his companion part
of the way. General
Putnam accompanied his friend back to
Gnadenhuetten.
By July 4 the survey was completed. It
was the work of
almost a month. Heckewelder accompanied
Putnam and his
surveying staff on their return to
Marietta to complete all the
necessary legal formalities. William
Henry and the others went
home by the direct trail to Pittsburg.
Now, at last the way for the
re-occupation of the old homes
was quite open, and John Heckewelder
traveled from Bethlehem
to Fairfield to begin the work of
re-occupying their homes.
But Zeisberger, the veteran, had come to
those years when
active labor in the mission work was
almost beyond his strength.
He had just been celebrating the
seventy-seventh anniversary of
his birth, when Heckewelder came on from
Bethlehem, in May,
1798, to arrange for the return to the
Tuscarawas Valley.
He writes (May): "We had the very
especial joy of seeing
come to us our dear brothers, John
Heckewelder and Benjamin
Mortimer, from Bethlehem by way of
Niagra, through the
Bush. They came so unexpectedly, for we
had not thought of
their coming before June or July, that
we rejoiced the more, like
children. And (the rejoicing) was on
both sides. They too re-
joiced, for they had come a very hard
way."
I ask you to note the expression -
"a very hard way" -
for when these dear people, so heroic in
all their endurance say
a way was "very hard," you may
be sure it was very hard.
"We refreshed ourselves by reading
the letters and papers
received. The Indian brethren all came
to greet the Brothers
Heckewelder and Mortimer. (Thursday, May
24,) We had a
conference to read and consider the
letters from the Mission
Board. We resolved 1, That some Indian
brothers should go
with Brother John Heckewelder to the
Muskingum; 2, That
Brother William Edwards should go with
them, to which he was
glad and willing to accede; 3, That the
Zeisbergers should follow
them, with some Indian families, in June
or July."
Preparations were made for an early
departure and the In-
dian Brethren Nicholas, Leonard Renatus,
Bartholimew, Chris-
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 343
tian Gottlieb, and Samuel were selected
for the journey. Rev.
John Heckewelder was fifty-four years
old on the previous 12th
of March. Rev. William Edwards was
seventy-four years old
on the previous 24th of
April. He joined the Ohio Mission in
1776.
This company of pioneer settlers left
Fairfield for Gnaden-
huetten on May 31. The journey through
the Bush took them
almost three weeks. Heckewelder declared
it to have been the
most disagreeable and fatiguing of all
the journeys which he
had ever undertaken. They made their way
over lakes and
rivers, and through deep morasses; large
stretches of the country
through which they were compelled to
travel, were rendered al-
most impassable by the great number of
fallen trees. Numerous
snakes infested their path. For miles at
a time they were often
forced to break their way through
tangled vines of wild grapes
and thickets of nettles five feet tall.
In making their way through
the dense undergrowth of a weed, thick
and strong, resembling
a file, their shoes and clothes were cut
to pieces, and the skin
torn from their bodies. Through all
this, clouds of mosquitoes
accompanied them, against whose sting
they could make no
defense.
My friends, this was a rough road to
travel upon! Where
among you is the veteran of seventy-four
to keep up with the ven-
erable Missionary Edwards, as he follows
the lead of his more
vigorous, but not more undaunted,
younger associate, John
Heckewelder!
At length they emerged upon the trail
which soon brought
them to the site of Salem, which
Heckewelder had built in 1780.
Here he was married in 1780. Here his
first child - dear old
Aunt Polly! God bless her memory! -was
born. Do you
wonder that the heroic leader forgot the
fatigues of his distressful
journey when his ears were greeted with
the familiar songs of the
many birds? He writes: "The
whistling 'Bob-whites' seemed to
call out, 'Come back again! Come back
again!'"
When they got to Salem he encouraged his
tired Indian
comrades by telling them that if they
pushed on noon would see
them at Gnadenhuetten. And it came true
as he had said.
Swimming their horses across the
Muskingum they reached
344 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
yonder eastern bank on the 19th of June.
As they came through
the bushes and under the overhanging
trees, Heckewelder again
says in his account of their arrival,
the birds sang sweetly and
cheerily their welcome. It was, he
declares, as if they had been
especially commissioned by our Heavenly
Father to give us a
tuneful welcome.
He found the cabin, erected the previous
summer, during
the surveying campaign, still standing
and untouched, just as
he had left it. As they entered it he
looked up the "daily words"
in his Moravian text-book. It seemed as
if the dear Lord had
meant it specially for them, so apt and
comforting were these
"Scripture words."
After some days the carpenters arrived
from eastern Penn-
sylvania - the Colver brothers and
Schmick. They at once pro-
ceeded to make preparations to begin the
erection of a house.
The "First House" was erected
on the spot on the eastern bank,
which we marked during the exercises of
this morning with a
Centennial Memorial stone. One hundred
years ago to-day
Heckewelder occupied the building.
On October 4, in the autumn, came David
Zeisberger and
thirty-six Christian Indians from
Fairfield to begin a mission
settlement in the old home. They came by
way of Lake Erie
and the Cuyahoga River. They crossed the
short Portage and
joyfully launched their canoes upon the
waters of their loved
Tuscarawas. Their journey was completed
in fifty-one days.
Heckewelder at once arranged for the
construction of a
mission house as the residence of the
venerable Zeisberger, on
the plot which the latter selected for
the new station. They
called it Goshen. On the 13th
of November, Zeisberger moved
into his new home. At length this mighty
servant of the Lord
had come to his last resting station on
earth. Here he lived
and labored during the last years of his
long and fruitful life.
Here he entered the joy of his Master,
November 17, 1808.
One of the special duties with which
Heckewelder was
charged during the twelve years
succeeding the founding of Gna-
denhuetten, was the care that Brother
David and his wife and
their Indian converts be made
comfortable and their needs sup-
plied. It was a privilege as well as a
duty-and never did a
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 345
father show more thoughtful, loving,
consideration for his house-
hold than did Brother John Heckewelder
for his beloved Brother
David Zeisberger.
And now just one more word, dear
friends, as to the relation
in which this man stood to the times,
one hundred years ago,
when the foundations of our commonwealth
of Ohio were laid.
All the historians of Ohio name John
Heckewelder with Rufus
Putnam, as one of the early founders of
our imperial state. His
transparent honesty of character, his
kindness of heart, his de-
votion to duty, his readiness to reach
out a helping hand; all
this and much more that went to make up
the man, John Hecke-
welder, caused the representatives of
the Commonwealth to turn
to him when they would fill offices of
civic responsibility.
Up to the time of his final return to
eastern Pennsylvania
the man whose signature is found on the
original parchment
deeds of almost all the farms of this
part of the Tuscarawas Val-
ley filled the office of Postmaster and
Justice of the Peace.
The Legislature of Ohio elected him the
first man to fill the
honorable position of Associate Judge of
the Court of Common
Pleas of Tuscarawas county.
His personal influence moved the
Legislature of Ohio to
modify laws already enacted, which bore
too hard upon the in-
terests which Heckewelder represented.
They believed his word
because they had confidence in a man
whose entire life had been
spent in unstinted service of his fellow
man. His works bespoke
the man of integrity and unselfish
devotion to the right.
Heckewelder was frequently appointed
upon commissions
charged, for instance, with such duties
as the location of county
seats, of the neighboring counties. So
long as he was a resi-
dent of Ohio -from the time when he
first lived in his cabin
near Bolivar, in 1762, to the year
181O, the year of his final re-
tiracy to Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, a
period of almost fifty
years, John Heckewelder tried to live
the life of a manly man and
do the work of a Christian brother and
citizen. It is fitting that
this great concourse of people should
come to Gnadenhuetten,
this Centennial Day, and do honor to his
memory.
But before I close I must touch upon the
literary labors
which employed John Heckewelder during
the last years of his
346 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
life, He lived to be almost eighty years
of age. He died Jan-
uary 31, 1823. It was during the last
thirteen years of his life
that he devoted himself to important
literary work.
The fruitful work and genuine character
of this modest and
true-hearted man, caused him to be
sought after by the church-
men and the statesmen, the scholars and
the scientists and litera-
teurs of his time. He could not live in
obscure retiracy.
The founders of the American
Philosophical Society, Doc-
tor Casper Wistar, and Peter Duponceau,
sought him out and
made him their associate in the literary
undertakings of the so-
ciety. At their earnest solicitation he
prepared for publication
his valuable book, an "Account of
the History, Manners and
Customs of the Indian Nations Who Once
Inhabited Pennsyl-
vania and the Neighboring States."
It appeared in 1818, and
was published under the auspices of the
American Philosophical
Society.
The general scientific interest taken in
the work at the time
of its publication is attested by the
fact that it was at once trans-
lated into German and into French, and
an edition was issued
in each of these languages for the
benefit of European scholars.
In this connection you will allow me to
call your attention
to this venerable, time-stained document
bearing the date of the
year 1794.
It is the engraved diploma written in
the Russian language,
constituting "Mr. John Heckewelder
a member of the Free Eco-
nomical Society for Encouraging
Agriculture and Housekeep-
ing in Russia, under the most high
Protection of the Illustrious
and most Mighty Lady, Catharine the
Second, Empress and
Sovereign of all the Russias,"
etc., etc., etc.
"They therefore by these Presents
declare him as and for
their Fellow Laborer and Partaker of all
the Rights and Pre-
rogatives granted to the Members of this
Society, and in future
to be enjoyed by them. (Seal.) Signed by
President, Count d'
Anhalt, Secret. periet. Andreas Van
Wartow, Executive Coun-
sellor of State and Knight of the Royal
Danish Order of Dane-
brog."
It seems to me, my granger friends,
there ought to be a
The Rev. John Heckewelder. 347
framed copy of this document hung up on
the walls of every
Grange meeting-room in Ohio. (A loud
"Amen!")
In 1820, Father Heckewelder published his valuable book,
"A Narrative of the Mission of the
Moravian Brethren's Church
Among the Delaware and Mohegan Indians,
from 1740 to 1808."
His two books, together with his
numberless Manuscript
Journals and Diaries, including his
Manuscript Life of David
Zeisberger, have furnished invaluable
materials to all later writers
on the men and times of that early day.
It furnished much of
the material for the marvelous sketches
of James Fenimore
Cooper.
The following tribute, published in one
of the foremost pub-
lic journals in Philadelphia, at the
time of his death in 1823,
gives a fair estimate of the esteem in
which he and his work
were held by his cotemporaries.
"Probably with Mr. Heckewelder has
died more critical and
accurate knowledge of the Indian
customs, history and language
than is left behind him. But he did not
hide his light nor con-
ceal his knowledge. The public are
indebted to him for several
works of which we have before spoken
which will do lasting
honor to his name. These works will be
of the highest utility
to those who come after us, in obtaining
a true knowledge of the
Aborigines of the country. Science is
also indebted to his re-
searches.
"The character of Mr. Heckewelder
was that of the patriarch.
It may be justly said of him that he was
in wit a man, in sim-
plicity a child. He was free of access,
full of anecdote, communi-
cative and intelligent. His company was
delightful to old and
young, to the learned and unlearned.
When we consider his
untiring benevolence, his patience in
enduring privations and
fatigue, the motives that actuated him,
the number and import-
ance of his articles upon the Language,
History and Customs
of the Indians, he appears before us as
an extraordinary man.
He deserves to rank among the wisest and
best of his generation,
and as one of the benefactors of
mankind."
Almost fifty years of Heckewelder's life
were given to the
active field service of the mission of
the Moravian Church among
the Indians. Almost forty of these years
of service were spent,
348
Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
for the most part, on the soil of Ohio
territory. And we are
commemorating to-day his founding, one
hundred years ago,
of Gnadenhuetten, one of the earliest
settlements of whites in the
state.
He died at Bethlehem, in eastern
Pennsylvania, in 1823. His
body lies in its honored grave-rest,
among the graves of many
witnesses for Jesus, and of many Indian
converts. In the same
God's Acre are buried the bodies of his
wife and of his three
children, Johanna Marie, Ann Salome and
Susan, and many of
their descendants.
A plain white stone, placed flat upon
his grave marks the
resting place of this heroic gospeller.
On it is incribed his
name, the place and the date of his
birth and the date of his death.
John Heckewelder's name and work will be
remembered in
the literature of America for all time.
In the annals of Ohio
he will always be remembered and honored
as one of the founders
of the Commonwealth, whose helping hand
was not withheld in
the toilsome days when the foundations
were laid upon which
the superstructure of Ohio's prosperity
and glory has been built.
My friends, when I began my address I
took as my centen-
nial text, "John Heckewelder,"
and I promised you that in all
that I should be permitted to say I
would try to stick to my text.
I leave it to you whether I have
fulfilled my promise. I thank
you for the generous indulgence and
patient interest with which
you have received my words.