Reviews, Notes and Comments 563
serted that it was his nephew, Richard
M. Johnson, who later be-
came vice president of the United
States.
It seems that no record exists,
emanating from Richard M.
Johnson, in which he personally either
asserts or denies the
credit, but there does exist a positive
statement from Cave John-
son that he did not kill Tecumseh. In
the Draper Mss. under
File No. 9J168, Cave Johnson makes this
statement:
"Strange as it may seem, I never
fired a gun at an Indian,
nor ever saw an Indian as an enemy to be
shot at."
Cave Johnson was born in Virginia in 1760, emigrated to
Kentucky in 1779, and was living
in 1848. His brother, Robert
Johnson, also emigrated to Kentucky in
1779 and in 1782 was a
captain under George Rogers Clark in his
expedition from Ken-
tucky up the Great Miami Valley, when
Upper Piqua was cap-
tured and destroyed. Cave Johnson was a
subaltern under Cap-
tain Robert. In the 1786 Logan
expedition Cave Johnson was
captain of a company under Colonel
Robert Patterson, a record
existing of his company pay roll. In
Cave Johnson's correspond-
ence with Dr. Draper, covering fourteen
pages, he makes no
reference to service in the War of 1812.
CHARLES WILLING BYRD
Charles Willing Byrd was born at
Westover, Charles
City County, Virginia, July 26, 1770.
He died in High-
land County, Ohio, August 11, 1828. He
was Secretary
and Acting Governor of the Northwest
Territory fol-
lowing the removal of General Arthur
St. Clair; mem-
ber of the Convention which framed the
first constitu-
tion for Ohio in 1802, and United
States Judge for the
district of Ohio from March 3, 1803
until the day of his
death. He was a brother-in-law of
Nathaniel Massie;
the two married sisters. He bought
Buckeye Station
from Massie, June 8, 1807, and held it
until August 15,
1817. Mrs. Byrd died February 12, 1815,
and was
buried at Buckeye Station. Judge Byrd
moved to West
Union, Ohio, and married Hannah Miles
March 8, 1818.
564 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications Of his first marriage, four children were born and two of the second marriage. He had faith in the curative qualities of the waters of Sinking Springs and pur- chased the land including these. In the graveyard at Sinking Springs are buried the following members of the Byrd family: Samuel Byrd died April 4, 1869 at the age of 45 year, 10 months and 18 days. He was a son of C. W. and Hannah Byrd. Frances Byrd, the wife of Samuel Byrd, died May 30, 1851, age 26 years, 1 month and 7 days. Charles Willing Byrd, son of Samuel Byrd, died May 19, 1849, age 1 year, 1 month and 13 days. Here Judge Charles Willing Byrd was buried. The legend on the tombstone reads: Charles Willing Byrd, died August 25, 1828, age 58 years, 1 month, and 8 days. |
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