Western Frontier - Ruddell's Station & Martin's Station

Frontier Fort

As we saw the last time [12 Jul 2015]  when we examined the “western frontier,” a document had been signed on the 8^th of October 1776 for Government Service in Fincastle County, Virginia which stated, “For being legally apart of the colony and for the creation of new counties, a citation for the Western Part references the election of John Gabriel Jones and George Rogers Clark as their representatives.  Members of the Committee were John Gabriel Jones – chairman, John Bowman, John Cowen, William Bennett, Joseph Bowman, John Crittenden, Isaac Hite, George Rogers Clark, Silas Harland, Hugh McGary, Andre McConnel, James Herrod, Wm. McConnel, and John Maxwell.  This document was signed by John Gabriel Jones – Chairman and Abraham Hite, Jr. – Clerk at Harrodsburg, 20^th of June 1776.  This act formed the counties of Kentucky, Washington and Montgomery in Virginia and made Fincastle County, Virginia extinct.  This act took effect on the 31^st of December 1776.  From the above document we know that the State of Kentucky was first referred to as “Kentucky County,” part of Virginia.  In 1780, this same Kentucky County, Virginia, was divided into three large Virginia Counties: Lincoln, Fayette, and Jefferson.

If these dates are carefully examined, it may be readily determine that these events occurred during America’s struggle for independence from Great Britain. It is also important to remember that the Revolutionary War continued in more remote territory long after the surrender of Cornwallis and the British Army at Yorktown.  The frontier had experienced fighting prior to 1777 when George Rogers Clark established the Fort at the Falls of the Ohio [now Louisville, Kentucky].

The British, supported by their Native Americans allies, controlled the territory north of the Ohio River with fortifications at Fort Detroit [Detroit, Michigan], Vincennes [Vincennes, Indiana] and along the Mississippi River in what is now Illinois [Kaskaskia and Cahokia which were both inhabited by French settlers].  South of the Ohio River on the western side of the mountains, settlers following the “Wilderness Trail” were arriving via the Cumberland Gap located in what is now southeastern Kentucky.

Fighting Indian Style

Among the ensuing battles which were fought“Indian style,”  Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark captured Sackville and Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton, known as the “Hair-buyer,”  in 1779 at Vincennes [Vincennes, Indiana].  Raids south of the Ohio River included such atrocities as the destruction of Ruddell and Martin’s Stations in 1780 under the direction of British Captain Henry Bird, Indian Agent Alexander McGee and an army that included two hundred Canadian Rangers, and Tories, with approximately six hundred Native Americans of various tribes.  This army was fortified with several cannon which are believed to be the first cannon used in frontier warfare.  The original plans were for this army under Captain Henry Bird to attack Fort Nelson at what is now Louisville, Kentucky, but the Native Americans refused to attack this larger fort under the commanded of Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark whom they called the “Long Knife.”  They felt it was much safer for them to achieve their goals by attacking Ruddell’s and Martin’s Stations which were located in what is now central Kentucky.

Ruddell’s Station also known as Liberty Station was located on the Licking River.  This fort or station was forced to surrender on the 26th of June 1780 after two successful cannon shots made it obvious that the cannons could easily blow the fort to bits.  After the surrender, the Indians who were out of control rushed into the fort each claiming prisoners while killing the old and infirmed.  Babies were pulled from their mother’s arms - their heads bashed and then, their lifeless bodies were thrown into the fires as their hysterical mothers watched.  The cattle were butchered by the Indians instead of being preserved as a primary food source for the return journey to Detroit as planned and requested by Captain Henry Bird.   The prisoners were divided amongst the Indians and then were forced to carry the plunder which the Indians had acquired in the raid. The Indians proudly rode their stolen horses.  

Martin’s Station located a few miles away suffered much the same fate.  Approximately twenty-seven persons were killed; four hundred seventy captives began a death march to Fort Detroit.  As a bounty of five dollars was paid for each scalp or prisoner, it made little difference to the Indians if the captured arrived at Detroit as a scalp or as a live prisoner.  It has been recorded that carrion birds filled the sky for a distance of five miles  after the massacre at Ruddell's.

When we investigate Ruddell’s [Liberty] Station a bit further we find that in April 1779, Captain Isaac Ruddle of Shenandoah County, Virginia who had removed to Kentucky in 1777 was assisted by John Burger in renovating an “improvement” in Harrison County, Kentucky which had been made by Captain John Hinkson of Monogahelia in 1775, but who had abandoned it.   Captain Isaac Ruddle was a Captain in George Roger’s Clark’s Regiment.  This fort was renovated and maintained because of an expected British invasion of Virginia’s western frontier.  Isaac Ruddell had married Elizabeth Bowman, daughter of Hans Jerg [George] Baumann [Bowman] and his wife, Maria Elizabeth [Mary] Heydt [Hite] the daughter of Johann Jost Heydt/Hite who was known as the Old German Baron. Elizabeth Bowman’s brothers were Captain Jacob Bowman of the old 96th District in the Province of South Carolina and  Major Joseph Bowman, Colonel Abraham Bowman, Captain Isaac Bowman, and Colonel  John Bowman all of Kentucky.

After the march to Detroit, Isaac Ruddell was reunited with his wife and their two daughters. His two sons were turned over to the Shawnee and were eventually adopted into the tribe.  Stephen Ruddell, twelve years old at the time of the attack was adopted into the family of Chief Blackfish and eventually became the adopted brother of Tecumseh.  The younger son, Abraham Ruddell, when repatriated in 1794 from the Indians by the War Department could barely speak English.  He later settled in Arkansas.

Ruddell's statement concerning Tecumseh

Notes:

1. Due to the advent of modern technology and the internet in particular, it is now possible to read the actual historical/military records of many of the nations of the world.  As many of you know,  I wrote the book, The Mongers: A Family of Old Virginia, which was published in early 1980, after twenty-one years of time consuming research all of which was accomplished before the days of the personal computer, ease of  communications by telephone, copy machines and even accurate listings of various  holdings in many state, national and international archival depositories.  The Mongers: A Family of Old Virginia, covers the Ruddell's Station massacre in detail and contains photographic copies of actual court documents of the period.  Most probably the reason for a four day discrepancy in the date that this event occurred is that at that time communications in Kentucky, in an area experiencing bitter warfare, depended entirely upon word of mouth which could literal take days.  Today, in the year 2015, it  is relatively easy to find the actual dispatches of  Captain Henry Bird which officially state that this event [Massacre at Ruddell's Station] occurred on the 26th of June 1780 with Martin's Station falling on the 28th of June 1780.  

2.  Ruddell is also cited as Ruddel, Ruddle, and Riddle.

3..  Surnames of some Shenandoah Valley families captured at Ruddell’s Station are Davis, Denton, Dofflemyer/Tofflemire , Fisher, Hon/Hehn/Haines/Haynes, Kratz md. Mary Monger, Long, McDaniel, Monger/Manger/Munger, Ruddell, Sellers /Zellers. 

4. Surnames of some Shenandoah Valley families captured at Martin’s Station: Berry, McGuire.

The Skillet

In today's world, we tend to live in a society where almost everything is disposable.  And, we've all heard the saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure" which is just another way of saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

We've all asked our-selves the question, "Exactly what is the difference between an antique and an heirloom?"  The answer is that an antique is anything over one hundred years of age while an heirloom can be anything that is passed down through a family from one generation to another.  For instance, in our family we have two thorn-less heirloom roses, one came from my husband's side of the family and the other through my own Shifflett ancestors.  Many people have treasured dishes, plants and handmade needlework pieces that are heirlooms.  An heirloom can be an antique and in the reverse, an antique can be an heirloom, but not all antiques are heirlooms and not all heirlooms are antiques.

 It is my hope that by sharing one of my favorite things with you, it will cause you to remember many such things in your own family.  If it does, please share them with the younger members of your own family.

The item is a large black cast iron skillet which measures twelve inches round without the handle and stands three inches deep.  This skillet is special to me because it belonged to my maternal grandmother,  Ruth Elizabeth Dofflemyer Lilly who reared me after the deaths of my own parents.

Ruth Elizabeth Dofflemyer Lilly
3 Nov 1899 - 23 Jan 1968

 The skillet had been given to Ruth by her paternal grandmother, Pamley Ann Rinehart Dofflemyer who had as the story goes, obtained it as a young bride from her parents, Andrew Jackson Rinehart and his wife, Elizabeth Pence Rinehart.

Pamley Ann Rinehart Dofflemyer
8 Feb 1850 - 28 Oct 1918

Pamley Ann Rineheart was one of the five daughters of Andrew Jackson Rinehart and his wife Elizabeth Pence, the daughter of Peter Pence and his wife, Sophia "Suffie" Aleshite.  Pamela's paternal grandparents were Adam Rinehart and his wife, Mary Price. Mary Price Rinehart, born 1787 [age 73] the daughter of John Price, was living with her son and daughter-in-law in the 1860 Page Co., VA Federal Census .

Children of Andrew Jackson and Elizabeth Pence Rinehart:
1. Pamley Ann Rinehart married John Wesley Dofflemyer, son of John and Nancy Dovel Dofflemyer.
2. Mary Catherine Rinehart married Andrew Jackson Campbell, son of Jonas and Elizabeth Taylor Campbell.
3. Charlotte Jane Rinehart married Philip Alger, son of Lemuel D. and Mary Ann Getts Alger.
4. Susan S. Rinehart married Albert Calvin Turner, son of Andrew Jackson and Rebecca Nauman Turner.
5. Ambrose G. Rinehart married Nancy Elizabeth Shomo, daughter of Elone William Henry and Elizabeth Frances Louderback Shomo.
6. Francis Marion Franklin Rinehart married Rebecca Susan Painter, daughter of Peter and Jinetta Painter.
7. Martha E. Rinehart married Hubert Lee Huffman, son of Mark and Barbara Catherine Brubaker Huffman.

Pamley's Skillet

 The women in this branch of my family have always been noted as great cooks and this particular skillet has always been a carefully guarded treasure.  I have many fond memories of my own grandmother frying a freshly killed chicken in this pan while she shared story after story about her own life with her grandmother who had given her this prized skillet when she married my grandfather, Claude Aldine Lilly the son of Hugh Brock and Amanda Roberta Propst Lilly.  And hopefully, my own daughters have equally fond memories of me making my special pineapple upside down cake in this very same skillet.

Any cast iron utensil  is a treasure that should be respected.  It will last for many generations if given good care.  In fact, the more it is used, the better it works. For this type of pan to cook its best, it is imperative to care for it properly which means that it should never be washed with soap or detergent and never, ever put into a dishwasher.  It should be washed with only hot water after each use, and this does means that it should be done while the pan is still hot.

If, for any reason, the skillet needs scouring it is best to use something such as Morton's Kosher Salt to accomplish the task.  Scrub  the salt around the sides and bottom of the pan with a stiff brush or even rub it on with a paper towel. If something is still stuck, loosen the residue by putting the pan back on the stove and boil water in the pan until it loosens. Dry the pan immediately and then heat it for two or three minutes to open the pores of the iron.  Then apply a thin coating of lard or a really good vegetable oil.  For pans with lids, it is important to add a wad of paper to keep the pan dry.  The lid should be kept ajar as you do not want it to ever rust.

To properly season a cast iron utensils one must rub the iron deposits  with steel wool to remove all rust. Rub hot fat or oil all over the clean utensil [outside as well as inside]. Wipe away all excess fat/oil.  Bake the utensil upside down on a rack in an oven.  Be sure to put a sheet of foil on the shelf beneath the pan or an old cookie sheet.  Repeat oiling and baking until the utensil is well seasoned. An egg fried in a well seasoned skillet will not stick.