Ohio History Journal

JONATHAN ALDER.

COL. WM. CURRY.

The tales of adventure and bloodshed related by the early

pioneers of Ohio, of their dangers and hardships have been

familiar to me since boyhood. Among others of whom I heard

many harrowing stories related by my father and other pioneers,

was of Jonathan Alder, who was at one time a resident of Union

county, Ohio, and a noted pioneer and frontiersman.

Like Captain Samuel Davis, the famous Indian fighter, he

was taken captive by the Indians, and the latter part of his life

was spent quietly in Madison county, and his remains now rest

less than a score of miles west of the city of Columbus.

"Lest we forget," it is well sometimes to recall the heroic

deeds of our nearby neighbors, for to those men who came to

this section of our state more than a century ago, with rifle and

ax. we owe a debt we can never repay.

"Red ran the blood of foemen,

On countless fields of woe,

From Allegheny's shimmering stream

To Maumee broad and slow

On swift Miami's green-clad shores

And by Sandusky's side

And where Scioto's hill-crowned flood,

Greets grand Ohio's tide."

WAR OF 1812.

During the war of 1812, Alder resided near Pleasant Valley

now Plain City, Ohio, in the territory now within the bounds of

Union county. A military company was organized at Pleasant

Valley in the summer of 1812 of which Alder was elected cap-

tain and Frederick Loyd lieutenant. There were 70 men in all,

and one Daniel Watkins was made colonel and commander-in-

chief. They were directed to march north toward the lakes

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Jonathan Alder.                  379

about twenty miles beyond the settlements on Big Darby and

erect a block-house for the protection of the settlers. They

marched to Mill Creek about three miles north of Marysville,

and after two or three days' work the block-house was completed.

Mr. Alder well knew the Indian's mode of warfare and con-

demned this as a very unwise move in the governor to order so

many men from the settlements, for he claimed the tactics of the

Indian would be to attack the women and children in the settle-

ment and avoid the fort. They remained in the block-house for

a few weeks, when a false alarm was given that the Indians were

approaching, and it was not possible to keep the men from re-

turning to the settlements. Some of the stones used either for

the foundation or to strengthen the walls may yet be seen on the

banks of the creek.

Thomas Killgore, who was a member of this company and

the last survivor, died in Union county about the year 1880, and

a short time before his death gave a detailed account of this cam-

paign.

So far as is known, this is the only fort ever erected within

the borders of the county, and it was located about 32 miles

southwest from Columbus.

SKETCH OF ALDER'S LIFE.

Mr. Alder was born near Philadelphia, but over the New

Jersey line, September 17, 1773, and was about 40 years of age

when the war or 1812 commenced. When he was about 7 years

of age his parents emigrated to Virginia. About a year after

this event, and after the death of his father, he was in the woods

hunting for horses with a brother, and was taken prisoner by

the Indians. His brother attempted to escape and was killed by

the Indians and his scalp taken in the presence of Jonathan. Mr.

Alder often related to the old settlers incidents of his trials and

hardships during his years of captivity, in very graphic language.

The village to which Alder was taken belonged to the Mingo

tribe, and was on the north side of the Mad River, we should

judge somewhere within or near the limits of what is now

Logan county. As he entered he was obliged to run the gauntlet,

380      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

formed by young children armed with switches. He passed

through this ordeal with little or no injury, and was adopted into

an Indian family. His Indian mother thoroughly washed him

with soap and water with herbs in it, previous to dressing him

into the Indian costume, consisting of a calico shirt, breechclout,

leggings and moccasins. The family having thus converted him

into an Indian, were much pleased with their new member. His

Indian father was a chief of the Mingo tribe, named Succohanos;

his Indian mother was named Whinechech, and their daughters

respectively answered to the good old English names of Mary,

Hannah and Sally. Succohanos and Whinechech were old peo-

ple, and had lost a son, in whose place they had adopted Jona-

than. They took pity on the little fellow and did their best to

comfort him, telling him that he would be restored to his mother

and brothers.

LIFE AMONG INDIANS.

When Alder had learned to speak the Indian language, he

became more contented. He says: "I would have lived very

happy, if I could have had health, but for three or four years I

was subject to very severe attacks of fever and ague. Their

diet went very hard with me for a long time. Their chief living

was meat and hominy; but we rarely had bread, and very little

salt, which was extremely scarce and dear, as well as milk and

butter."

When he was old enough he was given an old English mus-

ket, and told that he must go out and learn to hunt. So he used

to follow along the river courses, where mud turtles were plenty,

and commenced his first aims upon them. He generally aimed

under them as they lay basking on the rock, and when he struck

the stone they flew sometimes several feet in the air, which

afforded great sport for the young marksman. Occasionally he

killed a turkey or a raccoon, and when he returned to the village

with his game, generally received high praise for his skill. The

Indians told him he would make "a great hunter one of these

days."

He had a varied experience during the years he remained

with the Indians, and witnessed the shedding of blood in more

Jonathan Alder.                  381

than one engagement between the whites and the savages. He

also went on one expedition with others in Kentucky, to steal

horses from the settlers. He remained with the Indians until

after Wayne's treaty, 1795. He was urged by them to be present

on the occasion and obtain a reservation of land which was given

to each of the prisoners, but ignorant of the importance, he

neglected and lost his land. Peace having been restored, Alder

says, "I could now lie down without fear and rise up and shake

hands both with the Indians and the white man."

MET LUCAS SULLIVANT.

The summer after the treaty, while living on Big Darby,

Lucas Sullivant made his appearance in that region, surveying

lands, and became on terms of intimacy with Alder, who related

to him a history of his life, and generously gave him a piece of

land on which he dwelt; but there being some little difficulties

about the title, Alder did not contest and lost it.

When the settlers first made their appearance on Darby,

Alder could scarcely speak a word of English. He was then

about twenty-four years of age, fifteen of which was passed with

the Indians.

When talking one day with John Moore, a companion of

his, the latter questioned him where he was from. Alder re-

plied that he was taken prisoner somewhere near a place called

Greenbrier, Va., and that his people lived by a lead mine, to

which he used frequently to go to see the hands dig ore. Alder

then made up his mind that he would make every effort to find

his family, and he advertised for them in various places. Some-

time afterward he and Moore were at Franklinton, when he was

informed there was a letter for him at the post office. It was

from his brother Paul, stating that one of the advertisements

was put up within six miles of him, and that he got it the next

day. It contained the joyful news that his mother and brothers

were still alive. He had married a squaw from whom he sepa-

rated after dividing his property with her. He went back to

Wythe county, Va., and found his family and mother still living.

"The first words she spoke," he said, after she grasped me