OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

A Part of Genealogy Express

 

Welcome to
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO
History & Genealogy

.

History of
CHAMPAIGN and LOGAN COUNTIES
by Joshua Antrim
Published at Bellefontaine, Ohio
by Press Printing Co.
1872

HISTORY OF
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY

CHAPTER IX -

SAMUEL KENTON
Page 60

< CLICK HERE to RETURN to LIST of HISTORY and BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES >

     I will next introduce the name of General Simon KENTON, and say a few things from personal intercourse with him.  I need not rehearse the thrilling scenes connected with his early eventful life.  History informs us of his early departure from his Virginia home, one hundred years ago with an alias to his name, his adventures with the early pioneers of Kentucky, his associations with Daniel BOONE, George Rogers CLARKE, and others, his many wild adventures and hair breadth escapes, his capture by the Indians, his relationships with Simon Girty his running the gauntlet on several occasions, his riding the wild horse without bridle to guide it through dense thickets of under brush.  I repeat I need not speak of thse scenes as they are all on the historic page.  But will speak of him as a citizen of Urbana, as a neighbor, and a friend.  I have already stated in these sketches, that he was the Jailor at my first acquaintance, and as strange as it may now sound, he was a prisoner by legal construction to himself.  In his early Kentucky life, he engaged in some land speculations which involved him, and some creditor pursued him with a claim which was unjust as he alleged, and which he was unable to pay.  A capias, or full execution, for want of property, was levied on his body, and to avoid being locked up in his own prison-house, he availed himself of the prison-bounds, which at that day were between Reynolds street and Ward street north and south, and between the east line of the town and Russell street east and west, according to my present recollection.  These bounds, by legislative provision, afterward embraced the whole county.  He was soon released, however, from here given to expose some of the barbarisms of the law of that day, which put it in the power of a shylock creditor to harass his debtor, even to the incarceration of his body if so unfortunate as to have no property upon which to make a levy.  General KEN-

Page 61 -
ton, as a neighbor, was kind and obliging, and as a friend, steadfast; he was generous, even to a fault, affable an courteous in all his relationships, and for a man without scholastic culture was remarkably chaste in his behavior and conversation.  He was un assuming in his whole deportment toward others, never arrogating to himself superiority over those with whom his associatoins brought him in contact.  Although docile and lamb-like in his genearl intercourse in life, yet, if occasion prompted it, he could doff the lamb, and don the _ion.  I will give an instance:  As has already been stated, the friendly border tribes of Indians had been invited to come into our vicinity for protection and after they had acepted the offer, some hostile savages had made their way into one of our settlements and commmitted an atrocious murder, which had created intense excitement throughout the whole country, and the spirit of revenge was aroused, and found its way into an encampment of soldiers in this place, and it soon became known that a conspiracy was about being formed in the camp to move upon the friendly tribes above the indicated and massacre the men, women and children, in retaliation for that murder.  Some of the citizens of Urbana, with General KENTON at the head, remonstrated with them; he being chief speaker expostulated with them, giving his superior experience in regard to the Indian character; told them that every circumstance connected with the murder clearly removed every  vestige of suspicion from those friendly tribes, and told them the act would disgrace them as soldiers; and would implicate each of them in a charge of will ful murder.  At this point General KENTON and the citizens retired, but soon learned that the hellish purpose was determined upon, and preparations made to move upon the Indian camp.  When General KENTON, rifle in hand, accompanied by his few fellow-citizens, again confronted the malcontents, and told them they were not soldiers but cowards, and under a solemn imprecation, with eyes flashing fire, told them that if they went he would go too, and would shoot down the miscreant who would first attempt to commit the deed, and that if they succeeded, they would have to do it over his dead body.  They found with whom they had to deal, and hesitated, and calmed down, and the poor Indians were saved.

Page 62 -
the close of the war of 1812, might hae been seen on one of our streets a tall, well-built specimen of an Indian, enquiring for the residence of Simon BUTLER, and soon after, General KENTON might have been seen moving on the same street; the two personages met, eyed each other a moment, and immediately were in each other's most affectionate embrace.  It seemed that the Indian had been his adopted brother during his captivity, and as such had formed strong attachments.  General KENTON took his Indian brother home, and kept him some days as his visitor.
     The writer of this, though very young at his first acquaintance with General KENTON, seemed to secure his confidence, and the General would take pleasure in rehearsing the scenes through which he passed; and as some individuals of this day are trying to disparage him by calling him an Indian horse thief, I will state as nearly as possible General KENTON's own version, and in his own language:  "I never in my life captured horses for my own use, but would hand them over to those who had lost horses by Indian thefts, nor did I ever make reprisals upon any but hostile tribes, who were at war against the white settlers."  He disavowed taking from friendly Indians horses or other property, then why should he be assailed as a horse thief when he only did such acts as are of common practice in a state of war?
     I can not extend this notice, but will say that during the war of 1812, he took an active part whenever the settlements were menaced with hostile attacks.  Although old, he still had the courage to face all dangers.  My acquaintance with him reached through all the years fro m1811 to his death in 1836, and taken as a whole, his life was a model in many respects worthy of imitation.  He was one of nature's noblemen, and well deserves the eulogy which closes the inscription on the slab a this grave in Oak Dale Cemetery:
     "His fellow citizens of the West, will long remember him as the skillful pioneer of early times, the brave soldier, and the honest man."

.

CLICK HEREEE to RETURN to
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO
INDEX PAGE
CLICK HERE to RETURN to
OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
INDEX PAGE
FREE GENEALOGY RESEARCH is My MISSION
GENEALOGY EXPRESS
This Webpage has been created exclusively by Sharon Wick for Genealogy Express  ©2008
Submitters retain all copyrights