William Wade in the Revolution

For this post, I owe a debt of thanks to my friend Debbie, who, while we were talking genealogy the other weekend, looked over my 5great-grandfather William Wade's WikiTree page. It had been quite some time since I have closely examined it, and she pointed out something I had not noticed.

"You've looked at his DAR info?" she asked.

"DAR?" I wondered. I had no notes or recollection of him serving as a patriot.

She clicked the link, and together we examined his entry in the Ancestor Database. Somehow, if it ever occurred to me that he had served in the Revolutionary War, I had long since forgotten. The revelation caught me by surprise. I noted that his entry provided a source for his service, and planned to research it soon.

Last weekend, I began to delve. These are just my initial ponderings and discoveries. I know that they are far from fully thought out, and, honestly, I am finding this research rather confusing. This post is less intended to share conclusions than it is to help me lay things out and make some sort of sense of them. So take any genealogical information in this post with a great big heap of salt. 

The Agreement

 

Following up on the source for William Wade's service cited in the DAR database, I located the following document transcription (hereafter referred to by me as "The Agreement"):

Agreement on the Part of Some of the Inhabitants of
Monongalia County to Submit to Future
Military Orders.
[Draper MSS., 51J59.--D.S.]
Hardins Mill Monongalia County
June 19th 1781.

We the subscribers being Accessary to a Riot in Suppressing a
draught in this county on the 12th Inst Being Sensible of our Error
and as a security of our future good conduct do hereby Engage to
Serve Ten months in the continental Service in case we should
be guilty of like misdeminor, Or acting against the Legal Laws
of any State or perticular Resolves of congress or saying anything
against the Genl Insterest of the country as witness our hands the
day & date above mentioned.

John Rorkley
Jesse his X mark Worthington
William Wade
Benjamin his X mark Deane
Daniel Robbens
John Lucas
William Robbens
John his X mark Harden
Peter his X mark Peekenpaugh
test B. W
Robert Harding
William his X mark Murfy
BW
Richd Lucas
John his X mark Worthington
Benjamin Brooke
Thomas Wade
George Robbens
Hezekiah Wade
George his X mark Wade
Isaac Robins
John Wade
Wenman his X mark Wade
Samuel Haily

As I understand it, William Wade (along with several other Wades, probably related, and a number of others) was involved in a riot on 12 June 1781 in Monongalia county, trying to suppress a military draft. They either signed this document as a promise of their good behavior, saying that if they should again be guilty of breaking the law or even just speaking against the country, they would serve ten months in the Continental service, or they signed it promising ten months in the Continental service to prevent them breaking any more laws. I find the language somewhat ambiguous.

At any rate, the idea that my 5great-grandfather participated in an anti-draft riot fascinated me, and my next step was to try (unsuccessfully) to find information on the referenced riot. That failing, I moved on to trying to find information on Hardin's Mill, the location cited on the document, as well as several of the other names signed, both Wades and some of the other surnames. I was finding such small bits and pieces of information, and so little that seemed relevant to my question, that I have utterly lost track of the sequence of research. This was not a case of one piece of information leading to another. Rather, it is like scattered pieces that may or may not belong to the same puzzle.

 

Pension File: George Wade

The Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters, an invaluable website for researchers of patriots in the southern states, notes that George Wade's "pension application was not found," but contains a transcription of a report by District Attorney W. G. Singleton. In it, George Wade provides a narrative in which he states:

I was nineteen years the month I first went into the service - I then resided in Fayette County Pensylvania [then claimed by VA] - was there drafted & marched under Capt Jno. cross... the second summer after I returned from the preceeding campaign, I served one month at Martin's Fort Mon'ga Cty... I cant tell in what year the preceeding service was done.

The part about Fayette county, Pennsylvania threw me at first, but I quickly discovered that the present Fayette county adjoins the present Monongalia county, which is currently in West Virginia, and was at the time of the Revolution in Virginia. The part about being drafted seemed at first blush to contradict what I had read in the Agreement, but then it occurred to me that perhaps he had rioted because he had been drafted.

The transcription goes on to refer to a suit for the recovery of money paid on false papers. First rioting, and now fraud? I am intrigued. Some notes follow:

Age 72 in 1833. Born in one of the lower counties of MD 25 Sept 1760. His father moved to Augusta Co. VA when he was 6-7 years old, and to Monongalia Co. when he was about 15. Drafted in 1777. Indian Spy guarding the frontiers 1779-83. His brother, Wenman Wade now lives in Monongalia Co.

Monongalia county was formed from part of Augusta county in 1776, when George would have been about 15 or 16, so, depending on where the family was living, the "move" to Monongalia may have required no actual moving at all. However, the other dates cause some confusion. The riot was supposed to have occurred on 12 June 1781. If he had already been drafted in 1777 and was drafted again in 1781, that might be some cause for rioting, but wouldn't working as an Indian Spy from 1779-83 preclude his being drafted? Why, then, would he be rioting?

I rejoice to see the mention of his brother Wenman Wade, who also signed the Agreement. It seems verification that this pension statement refers to the correct George Wade.

The notes continue,

Ensign Pearce, Capt. Cross.... Charged with false swearing and for recovery of money paid on false papers. Defendant died just prior to 4 April 1840

and later, dated 12 Sept 1840,

G. Wade, who purports to be deceased, is still living.

The intrigue increases. Rioting, then fraud, and now false death? Am I reading all of this correctly?

The transcription contains yet more, some letters apparently written after George Wade's real death. As I understand them, George's sons were claiming that George had received a pension for several years, and then the pension was withheld, "as they conceive illegally and unjustly." His pension had been approved on the proof of "a respectable citizen named Amos Morris." His name was later stricken from the pension list, along with Peter Haught and Zachariah Piles, who were "engaged in the same kind of service," and "whose names have been restored to the Pension List."

It seems that W. G. Singleton embarked on prosecutions against these three veterans which

were cruel, highly repulsive to public sentiment at the time, and resulted in nothing but the loss of thousands to the government to secure a few hundred dollars, and to the parties prosecuted to more sacrifice and loss than the arrears claimed by their heirs will reimburse.

W. G. Singleton "was the laughing stock of the legal profession and never even obtained a mediocre standing at the bar."

The final note at the conclusion of the transcription explains the entire situation:

Haught, Piles, and Wade, were pensioned, through an agent named John Brookover, assisted by a Mr Wilson or some other attorney in Morgantown. The parties refused to pay Brookover an exorbitant fee he demanded. Brookover took offence, visited Clarksburgh and informed W. G. Singleton, Esqr U. S. dist. attorney that the pensions were fraudulently obtained. Brookover was a cunning and unprincipled man, but very ignorant.

So it seems that the entire fraud accusation was untrue, based only in the petty revenge of a dishonest agent.

As fascinating as this pension statement was, it provided no evidence of George Wade's relationship to William Wade, let alone evidence that the William Wade who signed the Agreement is my William Wade. It did help slightly in fleshing out the relationships of some of the Wades who signed the Agreement, proving that George and Wenman were brothers.

 

Pension File: Hezekiah Wade

The Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters does not have any transcriptions for Wenman Wade or William Wade, but it does have one for Hezekiah. There are also transcriptions for men by the names of Thomas Wade and John Wade, but on reading them I am less certain they are the same men who signed the Agreement.

Hezekiah's record declares that he, too, served as an Indian spy, beginning in April 1776 at Augusta, Virginia, now Monongalia, West Virginia. After three months' service he was discharged, and then ordered out again in March 1777. This time he served eight months. He volunteered again in March 1778 for a period of five months. For each of these periods of service, some details of the action were given, but this third one includes a heartbreaking incident which also contains some genealogical information:

Upon one of his Spying excursions had discovered the trail of a large number of Indians... affiant hastened to Stradlers Fort on Duncard Creek, to alarm the people of what he had discovered... On his approach to said Fort the marks of distress was obvious - the night preceeding the enemy Consisting of one Hundred warriors discryed a number of about twenty Five men, a working some Corn &c... the Savages placed themselves in ambush on each side of the path leading from thence to the Fort, and on the passage of the laborers to the Fort... they were fired at, by the savages and Eighteen of their number, were killed dead on the ground amoung whom was affiants Father, Joseph Wade, Jacob Stradler... the Fort was kept closed, until time had proved their Departure, when affiant amoung others repaired to the ground upon which the bloody deed was committed, and intered the mangled limbs of those who fell at the Charge of the enemy.

So now we could possibly infer that Hezekiah Wade's father's name was Joseph, and that Hezekiah had to see what no child ever wants to see. However, Hezekiah's WikiTree page gives his father's name as George. It seems that "affiants Father" and "Joseph Wade" are two different people, the latter perhaps a brother or an uncle to Hezekiah. However, that George Wade's WikiTree page gives his death date as about 1816 in Maryland, so there is obviously some error to clear up.

At any rate, Hezekiah was "feeling himself so much aggrived at the distruction by the Savages and hurt at the loss of his Father" that he volunteered again in March 1779 for nine months. He was ordered out again in April 1780 for a month, and April 1781 for six months. This last period of time overlaps the Agreement above, making the Agreement even more confusing.

The transcription ends with lots of genealogical information, mostly regarding Hezekiah's wife and children and therefore of little relevance to my current investigation. However, there was one tidbit that could aid in my research:

A letter dated 22 July 1845 states that two brothers of Hezekiah Wade had died while living in Monongalia County within a week or two of each other.

I don't know exactly how this knowledge will help me, especially since it does not share the names of the brothers, nor when or how they died. It could have been in childhood, during the war, or after. Was it sickness, warfare, or mere coincidence?

Sources:

Daughters of the American Revolution, "Ancestor Search," database, DAR Genealogical Research Databases (https://www.dar.org/ : accessed 16 Nov 2024), William Wade, Ancestor #A202206.

 

James Alton James, editor, Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, vol. 8, Virginia Series, vol. 3: George Rogers Clark Papers 1771-1781 (Springfield, Illinois: Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, 1912), online images, HathiTrust (https://www.hathitrust.org/ : accessed 16 Nov 2024), 568 (image 770).

 

Will Graves & C. Leon Harris, Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters (http://revwarapps.org/ : accessed 16 Nov 2024), Pension Application of George Wade S7829, transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris.

 

Will Graves & C. Leon Harris, Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters (http://revwarapps.org/ : accessed 23 Nov 2024), Pension Application of Hezekiah Wade W6387, transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris.

Amanuensis Monday: 6 May 1813 deed from Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife to Josiah Wade

I don't really have much to say about this one. Apart from Josiah Wade, who is almost certainly my 4great-grandfather, none of the names of either the sellers or the witnesses ring any bells for me. I have yet to do any research on the land, so there is nothing for me to comment on there. So I guess I'll just dive in.

[p. 266]

Lockhart to Wade
Recorded October 27th 1813
Joseph Darlinton Recr A.C.


This Indenture made
this 6th day of May in the year
one thousand eight hundred and
thirteen between Josiah Lock-
hart and Nancy his wife of the county of Adams and
State of Ohio of the one part and Josiah Wade of the county
aforesaid and State aforesaid of the other part Witnesseth
that the said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife for
and in consideration of the sum of two hundred and forty six

[p. 267]

Dollars current money of the United State of America to them
in hand paid the receipt whereof we hereby acknowledge and
forever acquit and discharge the said Josiah Wade his heirs Exe-
cutors and administrators have granted bargained sold aliened and
confirmed and by these presents doth grant bargain sell alien
and confirm unto the said Josiah Wade his heirs and assigns
forever and all that tract or parcel of land lying and being in the
county of Adams and state of Ohio situate and lying on Kites
fork of Eagle Creek apart of the tract No 651 entered in the
name of William Holliday and Patented to Robert Lockhart
and conveyed by deed to the aforesaid Josiah Lockhart bounded
and described as follows Beginning at an ash and Ellem near
a branch the East corner to said Survey runing [sic] West on hun-
dred and eighty poles to a sugar tree and Maple thence north
One hundred and forty poles to two ashes thence East one hun-
dred and eighty poles to two hickerys [sic] thence south one hun-
dred and forty poles to the beginning containing one hundred
and fifty seven acres and Eight poles Together with all im-
provement water courses profits and appurtenances whatso-
ever to the said premises belonging or in any wise appertain-
in and the reversions remainders and profits thereof and all the
estate right title interest property claim and demand of
they the said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife of
in and to the same To have and to hold the lands hereby convey-
ed with all and singular the premises and every part and parcel
thereof with every of the appurtenances unto the said Josiah
Wade his heirs and assigns forever to the only proper use and
behoof of him the said Josiah Wade his heirs and assigns for
ever And the said said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his
wife for heirs executors and administrators do covenant pro-
mise and agree to and with the said their heirs
and assigns by these presents that the premises before mentioned
now are and forever hereafter shall remain free of and from all
former and other gifts grants bargains sales dowers right and
title of dower judgments executions titles troubles charges and
incumbrances whatsoever done or suffered to be done by they the

[p. 268]

said Josiah Lockhart And the said Nancy Lockhart his
wife and their heirs all and singular the premises hereby
bargained and sold with the appurtenances unto the said
Josiah Wade his heirs and assigns against him the said
Josiah Lockhart and his heirs and all and every other per-
son or persons whatsoever doth and will warrant and for
ever defend by these presents In Witness whereof We the
said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy Lockhart hereunto
set our hands and seals the day and year first above written
signed sealed and delivered in the presence of us } Josiah Lockhart (seal
Nancy Lockhart (seal)
Matthew Campbell Aaron Moore
State of Ohio Adams County ss
This day the within named Josiah Lockhart and Nancy
Lockhart his wife personally appeared before me the sub-
scriber a Justice of the peace for the county aforesaid and
severally acknowledged the within signing and sealing
to be there act and deed for purposes therein mentioned
the said Nancy Lockhart being by me first fully in-
formed of the contents of the within deed also examined
seperate [sic] and apart from and out of the hearing of her hus-
band declared that she executed the same and relinquished
her right of dower to the premises therein mentioned freely
and of her own voluntary will and accord without the co-
ersion or compulsion of her husband In Witness whereof
I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 20th day of
May 1813 Aaron Moore (seal)

Source:

Adams, Ohio, Deeds, 1797-1900, 7: 266-268 (images #515-516 of 575), Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife to Josiah Wade, deed, 6 May 1813; digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Deeds, v. 6-7 1806-1814," FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 Aug 2024).  

 

Amanuensis Monday: 19 Feb 1814 deed from William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney his wife to Joseph Wade

I love this deed because, although it does not lay out what the relationship between these individuals is, it suggests a familial relationship between them. Josiah Wade is almost certainly my 4great-grandfather (the relationship remains unproven), and Sydney was the woman he married in 1809. This marriage was over a decade after the birth of my 3great-grandfather, so she was probably not his mother.

The William Wade in this record probably refers to Josiah Wade's father. Josiah has no known brother named William, and the birth of his son William was still four years away.

Most exciting to me is the presence of the name Joseph Wade, which is the name of my 3great-grandfather, Josiah's probable son. He would have been of an age at this point--about 17 years old--to possibly be investing in his first land. However, this Joseph could also be Josiah's brother of the same name. And the payment of $100 suggests someone with some means. At the age of 17, one might expect a property purchase from his father and grandfather to be more of a token amount. Tracing this property through its sale or inheritance will probably be able to solve the question of which Joseph Wade is the buyer.







[p 103]

Wade to Jos Wade ) This Indenture made this nineteenth day of
February in the year of our Lord one thousand
Eight hundred and fourteen between William Wade and Josiah Wade
and Sydney Wade his wife of the county of Adams and State of Ohio
of one part and Joseph Wade of the county and State aforesaid of the
other part Witnesseth that the said William Wade and Josiah Wade
and Sydney his wife for and in consideration of the sum of one hun-
dred dollars current money of the United States of America to them
in hand paid the receipt whereof they do hearby [sic] acknowledge and for
ever acquit and discharge the said Joseph Wade his heirs Executors
and administrators hath granted bargained sold aliened and con-
firmed and by these presents doth grant bargain sell alien and confirm
unto the said Joseph Wade his heirs and assigns forever all that tract
or parcel of land lying and being in the county of Adams situated on the
East fork of Eagle Creek Beginning at a white oak and hickory a
corner to Arthur McFarland and running thence South forty nine

[p 104]

Degrees West forty two poles to a Stake near a white Walnut
thence South three degrees ten minutes West forty seven poles to a
buckeye and Walnut thence South forty five west forty five poles
to a Sycamore on the bank of the Creek thence north fifty degrees
West one hundred and forty poles to a stone at the state road thence
South forty tow and a half west Sixty Six poles and nine tenths of
a perch to a Stone in the Division line between Robert McDaid
and William Wade thence with said line North thirty minutes West
one hundred and Sixteen poles to a black Walnut north East cor-
ner to said McDaid thence South Eighty Eight degrees East fifty
Eight poles a white oak thence South two degrees West forty two
poles to a white oak thence South Eighty Eight East one hundred
and sixty three poles to the beginning corner together with all im-
provements water courses profits and appurtenances whatsoever to the
said premises belonging or in any wise appertaining and the reversions
remainders and profits thereof and all the estate right title interest pro-
perty claim and demand of them the said William Wade and Josiah
Wade and Sydney his wife of and and to the same to have and to hold
the lands hereby conveyed with all and singular the premises and
every part and parcel thereof with every of the appurtenances unto
the said Joseph Wade his heirs and assigns forever to the only pro-
per use and behoof of him the said Joseph Wade his heirs and assigns
forever and the said William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney
his wife for themselves theare [sic] heirs executors and administrators do cove-
nant promise and agree to and with the said Joseph Wade his heirs
and assigns by these presents that the premises before mentioned now are
and forever hereafter shall remain free of and from all former and other
gifts grants bargains sales dowers right and title of dower judments
executions titles troubles charges and incumbrances whatsoever done
or suffered to be done by them the said William Wade and Josiah
Wade and Sydney his wife and theair [sic] heirs all and singular the
premises hereby bargained and sold with the appurtenances unto
the said Joseph Wade his hiers and assigns against them the said
William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney and thare [sic] heirs
and all and every other person whatsoever doth and will warrant
and forever defend by these presents In Witness whereof they the
said William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney his wife have

 

[p 105]

hereunto set their hands and seals the day first above written
Signed Sealed and delivered in the presents of us ) William Wade (seal)
Edmund Wade, Amos Duncan interlined before ) Josiah Wade (seal)
signed on the fif- ) Sydney her + mark Wade (seal)
teenth line
State of Ohio Adams County Ss
This day personally appeared before me the subscriber a Justice of the
Peace in and for the county aforesaid William Wade and Josiah Wade and
Sydney his wife and acknowledged the within signing and sealing to be
there act and deed for the purpose mentioned also Sydney Wade being sepe-
rate and apart and out of the hearing of her said husband declared that
she relinquished her right of dower to premises therein mentioned freely
and of her own Voluntary will and accord without the coercion or copulsion [sic]
of her husband In testimony wheareof [sic] I have heareunto [sic] set my hand and seale
this 19th day of February 1814 Aaron Moore (seal)
Recorded the 17th day of August 1814
Joseph Darlinton Recorder A.C.

The names of the witnesses are also of interest. Edmund Wade could have been either Josiah Wade's brother or his son; he had both relations of that name. The other witness, Amos Duncan, could have been a father-in-law or a brother-in-law. Sydney Wade's maiden name was Duncan.

Source:

Adams, Ohio, Deeds, 1797-1900, 8: 103-105 (images #72-73 of 549), William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney Wade his wife to Joseph Wade, deed, 19 Feb 1814; digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Deeds, v. 8-9 1814-1817," FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 Aug 2024).

 

Sunday's Obituary: Willis W. Wade

Yikes! Has it really been over a year since I have posted anything to this blog? (Edit: No, I posted something in July.) I suppose I can believe it, as my day job has been increasingly demanding the past few years and, sadly, I can devote less and less time to genealogy. My interest has not waned, but it is seldom now that I can sit down and concentrate on it for the amount of time necessary to create thoughtful blog posts.

I have, however, made many new discoveries over the past couple years. A summer road trip in 2023 took me to the FamilySearch Library and retraced the route my Underwood ancestors traveled through Utah and Idaho. Naturally, I did a fair amount of research along the way. I also took video footage and am slowly working my way through editing it and posting it to my YouTube channel.

FamilySearch's introduction of searching through computer-transcribed handwritten records has yielded some amazing results for me, as well. The project is still in beta testing, but I highly recommend you try it out if you haven't yet. You can access it at https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/

Both of these activities have filled my to-do list with numerous documents to transcribe--in addition to the ones I already had. So perhaps I will keep this blog active for a while with these transcriptions as I slowly make my way through them. Not the most exciting content, perhaps, and bound to be rather disjointed as I jump from branch to branch, but at least it is something to keep my hand in.

Since it is Sunday, I might as well begin with an obituary. This one is for Willis W. Wade, my first cousin three times removed. He was a son of Joseph S. Wade (my great-grandfather Allen C. Wade's brother) and his wife Susan Evins.

Willis W. Wade


LODI, Sept. 9--Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. tomorrow in the Hale & Bawden Funeral Home for Willis W. Wade, 84, retired local farmer, who died yesterday in his home at Rt. 4, Box 98.


Following the rites, graveside services will be conducted in Cherokee Memorial Park under the auspices of the Lodi Masonic Lodge.


Mr. Wade is survived by his wife, Sarah; a son, William J. Wade of Lodi, an officer in the Lodi Masonic Lodge; 2 daughters, Mrs. Bertha Spaulding and Mrs. Edna Brown, both of Ontario, Calif.; a sister, Miss Carrie Wade of Lodi; 2 grandsons and a graddaughter, including Mrs. Lataine Hughes of Turlock; and 5 great grandchildren.


Mr. Wade was the father of the Herbert A. Wade and Mrs. Lottie E. Wilson of Lodi.


A native of Falls City, Neb., Mr. Wade was a member of the Grandfield, Okla., Masonic Lodge and he was a past member of the Lodi Lodge of Odd Fellows.

Source:

"Willis W. Wade," Stockton Record, 9 Sept 1955, p. 15, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Feb 2023).

Wade family from Kentucky to Ohio, part 3

Note: This series of posts deals extensively with the historical animosity between Native Americans and white settlers. Although the point of view of the Native Americans is underrepresented and deserves better recognition, my ancestors happened to be white settlers. Unfortunately, they participated in the historical travesties perpetrated against Native Americans. However, since this is a genealogical blog, it is primarily told from my ancestors' point of view, with an attempt to be sympathetic to both sides. The term "Indian" is used in reference to the indigenous peoples (when the nation or tribe is unknown) because it was the term most often used at the time, and because I have recently been informed that it is still the preferred term in many native cultures. I am not an expert in the subject, and humbly apologize if anyone finds it offensive. 

 

 

Nathaniel Massie, destined to become an important figure in the lives of the Wade family, had been making expeditions into the Virginia Military District north of the Ohio River (now part of the state of Ohio) to locate and survey lands since the year 1788. This land, part of the Northwest Territory, had been reserved by the state of Virginia to disperse among veterans of the Revolutionary War. The recipients of land warrants employed locators and surveyors like Massie to identify and claim the property for them. These lands were deep in the territory of the Shawnee, who had already experienced the injustice of misrepresented treaties and were determined, under the leadership of Tecumseh, to fight back. The white settlers and the American government, however, considered the treaties binding, and the explorations of surveyors perfectly legal. Because of the danger inherent in these expeditions, the surveyors were often rewarded liberally by their clients, often with a portion of the land itself. In this way, Nathaniel Massie stood to amass substantial land holdings.

On 10 Aug 1790, an Act of Congress passed “An Act to enable the officers and soldiers of the Virginia Line on Continental Establishment to obtain titles to certain lands lying northwest of the River Ohio, between the Little Miami and Sciota,” which opened up the Virginia Military District. Massie recognized opportunity. He knew that there would soon be high demand for his skills, but he also recognized that he and his crew could easily be annihilated by the Shawnee as they explored. He resolved to build a fort and settlement on the north side of the river as a base for his survey crews. "A settlement on the north bank would not only serve as a haven for the survey crews, it would also be a show of force to the Shawnee," Stephen Kelley explains in his article "The Founding of Manchester... Massie's Station."

After much deliberation and discussion, Massie decided to build his fort at a well known landmark of the Ohio River, known as Three Islands. These islands were located about ten miles upriver from Limestone and Washington, and the area was notorious for Indian ambush. "The river channels were narrow around the islands and proved a perfect place for the Shawnee to strike out into the river in their rapid-moving bark canoes and overtake the slower flatboats of the whites," says Kelley. Therefore the location would be ideal not only in its nearness to the lands needing surveying, but also in preventing further depredations on settlers traveling down the river.

To this end, Massie began advertising in Kentucky for families to join him. He offered one in-lot, one out-lot, and one hundred acres of land near the new town to each of the first twenty-five families to sign on with him. In return, they had to agree to help build a fort and man it for a period of two years. The contract was written and signed in the town of Washington, and four of the Wade men signed it. The patriarch of the family, William Wade, along with his sons Josiah, Zephaniah, and George all put their names to the paper.

 

Manchester Island 1 as seen from Manchester Island 2, the two islands that remain today of "Three Islands"
Photographed by Michael Schramm, USFWS
Public domain

 

 
Work on the new town apparently began by November of 1790, because the contract stipulated that the men make it their "permanent seat of residence" by December first. Beginning the station in the winter was strategic; Massie knew that the Indians seldom attacked during the coldest months, being much more occupied with simply surviving.

John McDonald, who actually lived in the fort as a child, says that Massie's group "went to work with spirit. Cabins were raised, and by the middle of March 1791, the whole town was enclosed with strong pickets, firmly fixed in the ground, with block houses at each angle for defence." The place was dubbed Massie's station, and is the site of present-day Manchester, Ohio. It was the first permanent white settlement anywhere in the Virginia Military District, and the fourth in what would later become the state of Ohio.

Building the station was only the beginning of the work to be done. Once the fort was defensible, "the whole population went to work, and cleared the lower of the Three Islands, and planted it in corn. The island was very rich, and produced heavy crops," remembers McDonald.

Nor did Massie forget his purpose in establishing the station. He continued to venture into the lands within a reasonable distance of the fort in order to survey them. On these expeditions, he was accompanied by a company of men. McDonald describes the process:

Three assistant surveyors, with himself making the fourth, were generally engaged at the same time in making surveys. To each surveyor was attached six men, which made a mess of seven. Every man had his prescribed duty to perform. Their operations were conducted in this manner:--In front went the hunter, who kept in advance of the surveyor two or three hundred yards, looking for game, and prepared to give notice should any danger from Indians threaten. Then following after the surveyor, the two chain-men, marker, and pack-horse men with the baggage, who always kept near each other, to be prepared for defence in case of attack. Lastly, two or three hundred yards in the rear, came a man, called the spy, whose duty it was to keep on the back trail, and look out lest the party in advance might be pursued and attacked by surprise. Each man (the surveyor not excepted) carried his rifle, his blanket, and such other articles as he might stand in need of. On the pack-horse was carried the cooking utensils, and such provisions as could be conveniently taken. Nothing like bread was thought of. Some salt was taken, to be used sparingly. For subsistence, they depended alone on the game which the woods afforded, procured by their unerring rifles. (pp. 44-45)

Despite the precautions, these expeditions did not always go as planned. In April 1791, one group was surprised by some Indians arriving in a pair of bark canoes. The surveying crew fled, but one of them, by the name of Israel Donalson, tripped and was captured. Although he managed to escape after about a month and make his way back to the white settlements, and later penned an account of his adventure, such a conclusion was not the norm.

This incident did not deter Massie in his efforts to survey the district. He enlisted help from many of the men at the station, including at least three of the Wades. The History of Warren County, Ohio records that a certain property in Hamilton Township was "Surveyed October 6, 1792, by Nathaniel Massie; Josiah Wade and Matthew Hart, chain carriers; Thomas Massie, marker."

Shortly thereafter, "During the winter of 1792-3, Massie ... employed two men, Joseph Williams and one of the Wades, to accompany him to explore the valley of Paint creek, and part of the Scioto country," stated John McDonald in his Biographical Sketches. Unfortunately, I have thus far been unable to determine which Wade accompanied Massie on this exploration. The survey mentioned above, in Hamilton Township, cannot have been part of this expedition. That was located in present-day Warren County, which is not near Paint creek or the Scioto country. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that Josiah Wade was not the Wade in question; only that the Hamilton Township survey does not prove that it was him.

Alternatively, the mystery Wade could potentially be Zephaniah, the subject of my first post on this family. In Portrait and Biographical Record of the Scioto Valley, Ohio, it is reported that Zephaniah "bought 100 acres or more from Massie, paying Massie by assisting him in surveying lands in various parts of Adams, Highland and Ross counties, as chain carrier and marker." It is a vague statement, but at least it confirms that Zephaniah was present on some of the surveys. Perhaps the Paint creek trip was one of them.

Finally, Jean Wallis records in her article "Putting ‘Hillsborough’ on the map" that Lot number 2513 in Highland County "was surveyed April-May 1795 by Nathaniel Massie, deputy surveyor. Chain carriers were Benjamin Massie and Joseph Wade, the marker was George Edgington." This brings a third Wade brother into the mix.

Therefore, we know from these sources that Josiah, Zephaniah, and Joseph all took part in Massie's surveying expeditions. Josiah and Zephaniah were two of those who had initially signed Massie's contract, and Joseph was a younger brother. He would have been only about fourteen years old when settlement at Massie's Station was begun, but, since his father and three of his older brothers had all joined up, it seems likely that Joseph would have been there from the beginning as well--or at least from when the men felt that their station was secure enough to bring their families. 

 

 

Sources:

 

Morten Carlisle, "Buckeye Station: Built by Nathaniel Massie in 1797," Ohio History Journal 40 (Jan 1931); digital images, Ohio History Connection (www.ohiohistory.org/ : accessed 8 Apr 2021) 1-22. 

 

Curran, A. F., "Israel Donalson, Maysville's First School Teacher: His Thrilling Escape From the Indians," The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 15 (May 1917); digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/ : accessed 24 Jan 2021) 51-62.  

 

Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers, A History of Adams County, Ohio From its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time Including Character Sketches of the Prominent Persons Identified with the First Century of the County's Growth and Containing Numerous Engravings and Illustrations  (West Union, Ohio: E. B. Stivers, 1900).

The History of Warren County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Towns; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio, Map of Warren County, Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Company, 1882),  605. 

 

Stephen Kelley, "The Founding of Manchester... Massie's Station," Ohio Southland 3 (Issue #2 1991); digital images, Adams County Public Library, Biblioboard Open Access (https://library.biblioboard.com/anthology/e552f221-42f0-4b9b-963d-32739ee859fd : accessed 24 Jan 2021) 19-25.

 

John McDonald, Biographical Sketches of General Nathaniel Massie, General Duncan McArthur, Captain William Wells, and General Simon Kenton: Who Were Early Settlers in the Western Country  (Dayton, Ohio: D. Osborn & Son, 1852).  

Portrait and Biographical Record of the Scioto Valley, Ohio  (Chicago, Illinois: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1894),  346.  

 

Jean Wallis, "Putting ‘Hillsborough’ on the map," Times-Gazette, 28 Sept 2016, online archives (https://www.timesgazette.com/news/10602/putting-hillsborough-on-the-map : accessed 4 Dec 2022).  

Wade family from Kentucky to Ohio, part 2

Note: This series of posts deals extensively with the historical animosity between Native Americans and white settlers. Although the point of view of the Native Americans is underrepresented and deserves better recognition, my ancestors happened to be white settlers. Unfortunately, they participated in the historical travesties perpetrated against Native Americans. However, since this is a genealogical blog, it is primarily told from my ancestors' point of view, with an attempt to be sympathetic to both sides. The term "Indian" is used in reference to the indigenous peoples (when the nation or tribe is unknown) because it was the term most often used at the time, and because I have recently been informed that it is still the preferred term in many native cultures. I am not an expert in the subject, and humbly apologize if anyone finds it offensive. Although quoting racial slurs has been avoided as much as possible, one case of calling the Indians "savages" has been included in this post because of the strength of argument intended in the original. It is not intended to convey any approval of the offensive language.

 

 

Mefford's Fort, a cabin built in Washington, Kentucky, in 1787 from the planks of a flatboat.
Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The settlement of Limestone stood at the mouth of Limestone Creek where it emptied into the Ohio River and formed a natural harbor. It was located at the bison ford across the Ohio River, north of  the town of Washington, and the name was often applied to all of the larger area, including Washington. Today it is the site of the city of Maysville, Kentucky, although at the time of this narrative it was still part of the vast Virginia frontier.  After becoming a byword in the 1770s, Limestone was seeing a resurgence in settlement following Lord Dunmore's War and the American Revolution, both of which had bitterly set Indian against white settler. 

Near Limestone, frontiersman Simon Kenton had established a "station" in 1784, and there is confusion between various sources whether Limestone and Kenton's station were one and the same or whether they were separate fortifications. In either case, it seems the settlement originally consisted of a stockade of cabins adjoining one another, with a blockhouse on the corner, ready to welcome and afford protection to incoming settlers.

In addition to these shared habitations, settlers were beginning to erect individual cabins on their own personal claims, which could be a risky venture. As G. Glenn Clift, in his History of Maysville and Mason County, explains, "Barring the doors at night was not enough for these isolated dwellings. In the morning, the head of the house first climbed a ladder, always leaning against the left side of the door, and looked through the cracks for Indians.” He goes on to inform the reader that it was considered a “habit” of the Indians “to secrete themselves near the door and pounce suddenly on the unsuspecting pioneer as he greeted the sun.” (p. 49)

Even so, a mere two years later, in 1786, the population around Kenton's station had grown so much as to be considered a village, and a petition was written to the Assembly of Virginia to establish it as a town. Permission was granted, and the town was named Washington after the Revolutionary War hero George Washington, still three years away from becoming the nation's first President. As such, it was the first town of many that would eventually be named in his honor. According to a local tradition, which may be apocryphal, it was given the name of Washington in the hopes of one day becoming the nation's capital. The new town of Washington's nine trustees, "authorized to make such rules and orders for the regular building therein... and to settle and determine all disputes about the bounds of the said lots," included famed frontiersman Daniel Boone, who had recently opened his trading post and tavern on the Ohio River waterfront.

Washington and the larger area, still known as Limestone, were located at the time within Bourbon county, Virginia, and the county seat was a good forty miles distant. "To attend any form of court proceeding," Clift writes, "necessitated a long, dangerous journey to the seat of government." The petition to grant the settlers a town had been successful, so, riding on the coattails of their success, they soon sent another petition, this time for a division of the county. In this petition they dwelt on the difficulties of the journey, such as "the Intervention of a Mountainous tract of Barren Land running down on each side of the main branch of Licking Creek that cannot be inhabited," and the likelihood of being "surprised and murdered by the savages who frequently infest such places." This petition, however, met with opposition from elsewhere in the county and it took two more petitions and another year before a division of the county would finally be granted.

The third (and finally successful) petition, dated 25 Oct 1787 according to the Library of Virginia website Virginia Memories, contains nearly three pages of signatures, each page divided into three columns, and the petitioners are said to all "live in the Limestone Settlements near the Ohio River." One of these names is Josiah Wade. This is the earliest confirmed date of a member of the Wade family in Limestone.

Josiah Wade was a young man at this time, about 22 years of age. Perhaps he was the first of his family to arrive in the Limestone Settlements, or perhaps his family arrived with him and simply didn't sign the petition. At any rate, the family soon made their appearance. His mother had recently died, but his father William, at least five brothers--Zephaniah, George, Edmond, Joseph, and John--and at least three sisters--Margaret, Mary, and Abbie--are likely to have made their home in the settlement. Josiah himself may have been starting a family at this point; his probable son Joseph was born circa 1787. The exact location of the Wade family's residence is unknown at this time, but sources tend to place them somewhere in or near Washington.

Also in the area of Washington lived a surveyor named Nathaniel Massie, who would prove to be an important figure in the lives of the Wade family. 

Sources:

Bourbon, Virginia, Legislative Petitions Digital Collection, Accession Number 36121, Box 287, Folder 62, Inhabitants of Bourbon County: Petition (Division of County/New County), 25 Oct 1787; digital images, Library of Virginia, Virginia Memory (www.virginiamemory.com : accessed 10 Jan 2021).

David I. Bushnell, Jr, "Daniel Boone at Limestone, 1786-1787." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 25 (Jan 1917); digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/ : accessed 15 Jan 2021) 1-11.

G. Glenn Clift, History of Maysville and Mason County  (Lexington, Kentucky: Transylvania Printing Co., 1936), vol. 1.

Allan W. Eckert, That Dark and Bloody River: Chronicles of the Ohio River Valley  (New York: Bantam Books, 1995),  180. 

Neal O. Hammon and James Russell Harris, "Daniel Boone the Businessman: Revising the Myth of Failure," The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 112 (Winter 2014); digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/ : accessed 30 Dec 2020) 5-50.

Stephen Kelley, "The Founding of Manchester... Massie's Station," Ohio Southland 3 (Issue #2 1991); digital images, Adams County Public Library, Biblioboard Open Access (https://library.biblioboard.com/anthology/e552f221-42f0-4b9b-963d-32739ee859fd : accessed 24 Jan 2021) 19-25.

John McDonald, Biographical Sketches of General Nathaniel Massie, General Duncan McArthur, Captain William Wells, and General Simon Kenton: Who Were Early Settlers in the Western Country  (Dayton, Ohio: D. Osborn & Son, 1852).

James Rood Robertson M.A.Ph.D., Petitions of the Early Inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia 1769 to 1792  (Louisville, Kentucky: John P. Morton & Company, 1914). 

Eleanor Duncan Wood, "Limestone, A Gateway of Pioneer Kentucky," Register of Kentucky State Historical Society 28 (April 1930); digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/ : accessed 14 Jan 2021) 151-154.

Wade family from Kentucky to Ohio, part 1

Note: This series of posts deals extensively with the historical animosity between Native Americans and white settlers. Although the point of view of the Native Americans is underrepresented and deserves better recognition, my ancestors happened to be white settlers. Unfortunately, they participated in the historical travesties perpetrated against Native Americans. However, since this is a genealogical blog, it is primarily told from my ancestors' point of view, with an attempt to be sympathetic to both sides. The term "Indian" is used in reference to the indigenous peoples (when the nation or tribe is unknown) because it was the term most often used at the time, and because I have recently been informed that it is still the preferred term in many native cultures. I am not an expert in the subject, and humbly apologize if anyone finds it offensive.

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Come all ye brisk young fellows who have a mind to roam

All in some foreign country, a long way from home,

All in some foreign country, along with me to go,

And we'll settle on the banks of the lovely Ohio.

We'll settle on the banks of the lovely Ohio.

-American folk song

Zephaniah Wade and Nehemiah Stites, both youths of about eighteen years old, along with Stites' dog, were traveling on foot along the old Buffalo Trace. They were somewhere along the eight mile stretch between the settlement of Mayslick and the town of Washington. The Buffalo Trace had been beaten down from centuries of American bison pounding through the bluegrass and canebrake from their ford on the Ohio River to the salt licks in the interior of Kentucky. These were not narrow game trails; in some places they reached fifteen feet wide and were rutted six feet deep, especially around the licks. The buffalo traces had been adopted as roads first by the Native Americans and later by the white settlers, and now settlements were popping up along them, taking advantage of the plentiful wild game seeking salt. Mayslick was one of these settlements, and Nehemiah Stites was one of the pioneers there. Zephaniah Wade resided in or around the town of Washington. 

The sources differ somewhat in the reason for Wade and Stites' journey. Allan W. Eckert in his book That Dark and Bloody River claims that they had been hunting on the North Fork Licking River, but Stites' cousin Mary Covalt Jone says in her journal that only Wade had been hunting; Stites was returning to Washington, where he was employed, from Mayslick, where he was "making a settlement," when he met up with Wade along the trail. 

In any case, Zephaniah's brother Joseph Wade later recalled that "because of the danger posed by marauding Indian bands, the two young men were not on the trail but traveling through the woods close by." A couple of Indians were in the area, spotted the pair of youths, and fired on them. Stites was instantly killed, "shot right through the breast over one shoulder & out the back" according to Jone. She goes on to say that "his dog stayed to defend him." Meanwhile, Zephaniah fled. His brother said that he "ran to a nearby tress, climbed part way up, and spied one of his attackers. Upon taking careful aim, he fired his rifle, wounding the Indian," whereupon the second Indian gave chase. At this point, Zephaniah took cover, either "behind a large root of a blown down tree" or "behind a bank." Jone adds that he could hear Stites' dog from his hiding place. Once he felt safe from pursuit, he hurried back to Washington, "barefoot but uninjured" (Eckert). He reported the death of Nehemiah Stites, and a company of men went out to retrieve his body and track the Indians. The body was retrieved, but the Indians got away. However, Joseph Wade adds, "they found an overcoat that had been worn by the Indian Wade had shot. They reported the overcoat had two bullet holes in it and had apparently been thrown off after the Indian was wounded."

The Kentucky Gazette of 21 Mar 1789 gives an account that took place the previous week which sounds remarkably similar to this one: "We are informed that on saturday the fourteenth instant, the Indians killed a man and wounded another, on the road from Lexington to Limestone, near May's lick... It is said they were pursued by about forty men who were determined to know to what place they belong." It is the same road, near Mayslick (May's lick), and the same number of white men mentioned, with one killed. The only detail disagreeing with the accounts of Zephaniah's experience is that the other man was wounded, while Zephaniah apparently escaped injury. Since no names are given in the Gazette, it remains uncertain whether this indeed refers to the same incident, but it is quite possible that it does. If it does, it provides an exact date for the event. The other sources are a bit hazy on the date. Eckert gives a date in the spring of 1787, but his source is not explicitly stated and is likely to be found somewhere within one of the many manuscript collections he cites for the chapter. Jone recollects the event as happening sometime around late 1788 or early 1789, but the recollection was not written at the time of the event. The latest date, the fall of 1789, is given by Joseph Wade, whose 1863 retelling of the story is summarized in an article by Stephen Kelley.

The story, whenever it occurred, also includes two postscripts. Mary Covalt Jone, who, as you will recall, was a cousin of Nehemiah Stites, concludes that "the dog followed me many a day after that." It is easy to envision the heartbroken dog pining for its master. However, Allan W. Eckert (or his source, whoever it may be) opts for a more amusing epilogue:

Back at Washington and Limestone word of the attack was quickly going the rounds, though in some tellings the dead man was confused with his friend.

At the small tavern in Limestone, where Wade dropped in after the expedition returned, he was greeted with handshakes and cheers, and one of their neighbors gripped Wade's shoulders and commented relievedly, "Why, Zeph, we heard you was killed."

"Y'know," Wade replied dryly, "I heard that, too, but decided it was a lie."

The "small tavern in Limestone," incidentally, was at this time run by a man with a name very familiar to most Americans. His name was Daniel Boone.

 

 

Sources:

David I. Bushnell, Jr, "Daniel Boone at Limestone, 1786-1787." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 25 (Jan 1917); digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/ : accessed 15 Jan 2021) 1-11.

G. Glenn Clift, History of Maysville and Mason County  (Lexington, Kentucky: Transylvania Printing Co., 1936), vol. 1. 

Don Corbly, Pastor John Corbly and his neighbors in Greene Township  (N.p.: Lulu.com, 2011).

Allan W. Eckert, That Dark and Bloody River: Chronicles of the Ohio River Valley  (New York: Bantam Books, 1995),  180. 

Neal O. Hammon and James Russell Harris, "Daniel Boone the Businessman: Revising the Myth of Failure," The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 112 (Winter 2014); digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/ : accessed 30 Dec 2020) 5-50.

Stephen Kelley, "Lore, Legends & Landmarks of Old Adams," The People's Defender, online archives (http://peoplesdefender.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=129868&SectionID=36&SubSectionID=360&S=1 : accessed 19 May 2012). No longer accessible.

"Lexington, March 18, 1789," Kentucky Gazette, 21 Mar 1789, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Lexington Public Library (https://www.lexpublib.org/digital-archives : accessed 8 Jan 2021), Kentucky Gazette 1787-1840.

52 Ancestors Week 11: Luck

A horse and buggy in 1909
On the road, 1909 by Fylkesarkivet i Vestland, on Flickr. No known copyright restrictions.

When I saw that this week's prompt was "Luck," the first thought that leapt to mind was of a certain newspaper report about an incident involving my great-grandma Cora's brother, Buchanan Wade, whom my Uncle Lowell (and probably the rest of the kids) called "Uncle Buck." But no, I reasoned, I have told that story too many times; it has featured in my Instagram feed and in my WikiTree comments. Surely I have written about it on my blog as well. A search of my blog posts, however, revealed that the story has yet to be told here, so I am free to share it this week!

Upon reading the article, you will discover that the phrase "leapt to mind" was something of a pun...

Horse Falls 30 Feet; Lands In Tree-Top and Wasn't Hurt
   It is said that a cat has nine lives but now it is believed that a horse belonging to Buck Wade has all the cats in catdom beaten a mile. Mr. Wade's horse jumped over the guard rails on the big fill by the ice plant Tuesday morning, fell fully thirty feet into the top of a tree and apparently was none the worse for its thrilling adventure.
   Mr. Wade was driving east along the north side of the fill when an approaching auto frightened his animal. The horse whirled to the guard rail and Mr. Wade leaped for his life, landing safely on the road side. But the horse went on and landed with the buggy on top of it in a tree at the bottom of the creek below. How it escaped instant death is a miracle. Probably such a thing could never happen again without fatal results either to the horse or its driver.
   Men in the vicinity rushed to the scene and got the horse out as quickly as they could. The animal walked away just a little stiff in some of its joints but otherwise apparently safe and sound. The buggy fared much worse, being torn all to pieces.

It seems that both Uncle Buck and his horse had plenty of luck that day. Only the buggy did not share in their good fortune.

The article does not state what make of auto was involved, but this Firestone-Columbus automobile (in this case, chauffering presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan) was one of the vehicles on American roads at the time.
Unknown author / Public domain

Citation:

"Horse Falls 30 Feet; Lands In Tree-Top and Wasn't Hurt," Sedan Times-Star, 25 Nov 1909, p. 1, col. 5-6; digital images, America's GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 15 Aug 2011), Historical Newspapers.