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from Rev. John Heckewelder, then in his 38th year.
Friendship soon ripened into firmer attachment, and in July,
1780, they were united in marriage in the Chapel at Salem, by
the Rev. Adam Grube. All the Mission families and then
converted Indians witnessed the interesting ceremony .
This was the first wedding of a white couple held in Ohio.
During the following year, Mrs. Heckewelder gave birth
to a female child at Salem. It was baptized and named
Johanna Maria Heckewelder. We have already introduced
this child to the reader. Her claim (for she always
asserted it), to have been the first white child born in Ohio,
has been shown to be unsustainable. Her history,
however, is very interesting. A short time before her
father's death, at her request, he wrote out a statement
regarding her birth and the events of her early childhood.
This manuscript she sacredly retained until her death, and it
has never been published, with the exception of a portion,
which appeared in the Moravian, the Church paper published at
Bethlehem. The writer has been favored with a copy,
through the politeness of Charles Brodhead, Esq. The
original manuscript was written in the German Language, and
was translated with great care by the editor of the newspaper
referred to. The translation is as follows:
"Johanna Maria Heckewelder was born on Easter Monday,
April 16th, 1781, at Salem, a village of Christian Indians on
the Muskingum river. She wsa baptized on the day
following by Rev. William Edwards, minister at Gnadenhutten.
A few days after her birth the Indians in that region were
thrown into a state of great alarm by the sudden attack of an
American army upon a town of the savages, named "Goschachking,"
and a numnber of the latter were killed. About eighty
warriors came to our settlements, determined to break up the
Indian congregation at Shoenbrun, Gnadenhutten and Salem, or
at least remove them about one hundred miles further westward;
but during their stay amongst us they changed their minds and
the majority of them, especially the chief, said they
considered us a happy people, to injure whom would be a great
sin, and that they wished that they themselves were partakers
of the same happiness. Amongst them, however, was one
evil disposed man, who had resolved to murder me (your father)
and for two days he waited eagerly for an opportunity to carry
out his purpose, but the Lord watched over and saved me from
this danger in a very striking way.
"After this event the three Indian congregations
continued for some time to live in peace, and increased in
spiritual knowledge and grace, so that we were filled with
great joy. But in the beginning of the month of August
we heard that there was a new movement amongst the Indians to
drive us away, some even being in favor of destroying our
settlements, but as they failed to find amongst their own
number any who were ready to undertake this, certain wicked
white persons joined them, and on the 12th of August they
arrived at Salem with the advance-guard. The others
arrived during the following days numbering in all 300
warriors, who camped in the square at Gnadenhutten. They
endeavored by all sorts of promises to entice our Indian
brethren and sisters to leave our stations and to come and
live with them. After spending three weeks in these
efforts, which were entirely unsuccessful, and being in the
end disposed to leave the matter drop, they found that they
had compromised themselves to such an extent that they were
compelled to use force.
"They accordingly set apart the 2d of
September for a general council, and all the brethren at the
three stations were summoned to be in attendance.
Brother David Zeisberger repaired to Shoenbrun, eight miles
above, I to Salem, about six miles below Gnadenhutten, and the
Brethren Edwards and Senseman to the latter place.
Brother Jungmann and wife remained at Shoenbrun with Sisters
Zeisberger and Senseman, the latter of whom had an infant at
the breast, and Brother Michael Jung remained at Salem with
you and your mother. We passed the night in much sorrow,
but without fear. Finally on the 3d of September, as we
were walking up and down on a level spot behind the gardens,
several warriors of the Wyandotte nation came up and took us
prisoners to their camp. Here we were stripped of our
best clothes, and one of them, who probably did not know what
he was about, seized us by the head and shook us, saying in a
scornful town, 'Welcome, my friends.'"
"After a while we were placed in
charge of a guard. When we were taken prisoners the
appearance of the Indians was indeed terrible, as they all
grasped their arms and we thought we should be dispatched on
the spot, but our grief at the thought of your mother and
yourself and the others, was more terrible than everything
else, for just as we were led into the camp about twenty
warriors, brandishing their arms and with terrible cries,
galloped off on their horses towards Salem and Shoenbrun.
When he saw them coming at a distance, Brother Jung locked the
door of the house. You were lying in your cradle asleep.
Finding the outer door locked they
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