Elizabeth Turner’s History

ELIZABETH TURNER was born in 1760: whether she was born in the Eastern States is not known. Her family, along with other settlers from the Atlantic States, had settled near Fort Duchesene – now Pittsburgh – very soon after its conquest by the English in (1758 or 1759): located a farm , built a log house and out buildings for oxen and cows; gradually clearing up the land, chopping and sawing down the trees, selecting what they wanted for firewood, throwing or piling the other trees so that the following spring they would be burned in great bonfires. No doubt they would find small areas with out trees. These and the burned areas would be cleaned up, and ploughed by yoke of oxen and seeded.

              Their food, the first year, would consist of wheat, oats or corn, small quantities of which they took in with them in their ox wagon. Their chief food was fish from the River and meat from wild animals. 

            A vegetable garden and some flowers would be planted in the small clearing amid the stumps as soon as the house was up.

             Elizabeth had two brothers – one, a young man in his teens, the other a small lad.

            For protection from the Indians objected them coming into their (the Indians) country and would raid and destroy the homes and kill or take them prisoners the white people built their homes as near to each other as would be convenient and then in each settlement built a block house where all could rush for protection as soon as an alarm would b raised (generally by firing an old cannon) warning the Indians were raiding.

            This was the home of Elizabeth from birth or early childhood, up to the age of eighteen, spring of 1778.

             Early in March 1778, her brother and another young man were busy making Maple Sugar and syrup at some distance from their homes, probably less than a mile. Here was a well-built log cabin for living quarters while the sap would be boiled down in large iron pots suspended over a fire near the hut.

             Early in the day of the tragedy, Elizabeth, with her little brother and a girl friend, visited the camp taking no doubt a good supply of freshly made bread and pastry and intending to spend the night there.

             The boys knew that the Indians were lurking around and so always carried their flintlock rifles with them to be ready at any time.

             The Indians decided that the visit of the two girls would give them their chance. They made the attack during the night, forced an entrance and killed the two young men before they could reach their rifles. The tomahawk and scalping knife were used. The two girls and the little boy were seized and hands bound behind them, scantily clothed – no heavy coats on – were dragged from the horrid scene and forced to march with their captors through the wet, cold, dark night. Soon the two bands of Indians separated. Elizabeth and her brother were kept by one tribe, the girl friend by the other band and nothing further was ever heard of her. The Shawnee band that held Elizabeth and her brother pushed and drove them to their utmost speed so that morning – when the crime would be found – would find them too far away for the settlers to follow.

             Day after day the merciless trekking went on. The suffering must have been intense. The boy became ill and unable to keep up, was slain by the Indians. Elizabeth was unable to help him in any way. Finally they reached the Indian’s home, near the south shore of Lake Erie, probably near the site of Cleveland or Sandusky. Here the Indians grew patches of corn and potatoes and Elizabeth, as a prisoner, was compelled to work aiding the squaws grow and harvest crops, cut and carry wood for fires, fetch water and all the heavy work of the encampment.

             Here for two years (5?) Elizabeth, auburn or red haired, was held a prisoner, forced to live with her captors in wigwams, or very primitive homes. She was forced to do the same heavy drudgery work that the Indian women has to do . (See Above)

             At other times she would be forced to accompany them on their wanderings.

             Her clothing soon must have become completely worn out. Then she had to adopt Indian clothing and moccasins; all made from skins of animals. Possibly some of the squaws, who in time came to like Elizabeth, may have furnished her with bits of cotton or woolen goods bought from the white traders, who were now traveling among the Indians.

            On one occasion, when the  whole tribe was “on the move”, our prisoner was taken seriously ill – fever and delirium. The Indians went on, leaving her behind to her fate. Courage and a strong constitution brought about recover – weakened and much debilitated from lack of food and care.  Fortunately the Season was Summer or early Autumn and she was able to gather berries, on which she subsisted until such time as she regained the Indian settlement, or met with the returning tribe.

             Agony recurred during these years concerning the unknown fate of her parents, and the horrors of Indian atrocities, and tortures upon white prisoners taken from their homes in the Ohio Valley.

             More than once had she come to witness these victims run the gauntlet. The Indian women and children lined up on either side with clubs, knives, or other weapons and with these beat, struck or cut the victims as they ran, hoping to escape the stake if they ran the gauntlet successfully. For most a cruel disappointment – for the victims would then be bound to a stake, fagots of wood piled around them further unimaginable tortures and finally the fire and slow death.

             Elizabeth was unable to help these victims.

             Occasionally a prisoner would be spared and by stealth, Elizabeth would get a chance to speak to them hoping for some information about her own people, but none were able to tell her.

             In early Summer, or late Spring 1782, the Shawnees, with whom Elizabeth had been held for slightly more than two (4?) years, were visited by a tall, middle aged, white trader on his annual round-up for furs – ALEXANDER McCormick . They met. To free her, he offered to get her from the Indians by purchase, or otherwise, and take her to Detroit for marriage. She, still hoping for a chance to get back to her old home, refused this offer for the time.

             Then another year of misery and finally of threats to kill her unless she would become the wife of one of the young Indians. She defied time and encouraged by some of the squaws. By the next spring she was in extreme peril, her life in constant danger. 

            Fortunately, about this time, McCormick was back on his trading trip. 

            Through the squaws no doubt, he learned of Elizabeth’s critical situation.

             The squaws had her hidden away from the young Indians, in the loft of their shack. She must be taken away. McCormick renewed his previous offer, which was accepted

 Now the plans for escape.

For an account of the making of their plans – the old squaw smuggling Elizabeth in the night down to the river; how she was placed in the bottom of one of his boats, furs packed carefully over and around her,; how next morning the Indians hurried down to the river demanding their prisoner; McCormick bluffed them off by denial and privilege of search. This search they carried out removing the  piles of furs and finally satisfied that she was not there, gave it up when only  a limited number of furs were left concealing her. This is all well told in the “History of McCormick’s Family” as given in Historical History of Essex County, by Mathew, Eugene and Arthur McCormick..

Alexander then deliberately and carefully re-loaded the boat and with an assistant to help with the second boat, started down the River, across the western end of Lake Erie and up Detroit River to Detroit, which was in possession of the English Army.

Taken to the home of Capt. Allen; clothing and wedding garments purchased; marriage by Church of England Clergyman, May 1783 and return to Maumee country, secured a grant of 900 – 1000 acres south of where Toledo now stands. They built their home. History does not state, but there can be reasonable assumption that he hired help from Detroit, either soldiers or civilians. Intended as a permanent home, the house would be well build and most comfortable. Also out buildings for any stock (horses we know) they might collect.

Here within comparatively easy access to Detroit, clothing, blankets, ect and food were thus accessible, they made their home, surrounded by Indians. Alexander continued his fur trading, traveling among the Indians as formerly.

For help and companionship, Elizabeth had the squaws

Her eldest child, William was born in 1784?. Then, peace having been made between the Indians and the Whites of the Ohio valley, “Yankees” so called by the Indians, and the Treaty of Peace between Great Britain and the now United States having been signed in 1783, Elizabeth, now more than four years from her old home and parents and in entire ignorance as to what had become of them, decided to make the trip to the old home. Alexander, busy with his trading with the Indians, could not go, so furnished her with two horses and on these, with her baby and accompanied by one of her friends – a squaw – made the trip more than 240 miles from her home to Pittsburgh, following trails through the woods, crossing streams and rivers and occasionally spending the night in some Indian settlement but most nights camping in the woods under shelter of a tree and hastily constructed shelter of limbs and bark, the horses properly tethered out to feed on grass. Blankets, a clothing and a few cooking utensils were packed on the horse’s back. Food – some would be taken along – other, secured on the way, such as fruit, berries, fish and fresh meat. I can picture the two women, at times riding but mostly walking, leaving the horses to carry the goods, some 240 miles South-eastward probably passing near the present site of Akron, Ohio, at 15 miles per day would require 16 days one way.

Then the last day of the journey, and home in sight. Elizabeth’s anxiety, were her parents alive, and living in the old home? Now, she could see that some persons were living there. Still more familiar scenes greeted her. Anxiety became intense. HOME was reached. Leaving the horses to the care of her companion, she knocked on the door. The door swung open and there stood her Mother, probably wondering who this young woman, with her baby might be. A  few seconds and recognition was complete. Elizabeth’s eager inquiries about family and neighbors, about the past four years. Then , her own story told. What a re-union. The Father was gone. Had she any surviving brothers or sisters? I do not know. Then the spreading of the news of her arrival through out the neighborhood – the meeting with the young man friend of her earlier years, and explanations.

Then, the time for her return journey (mother died?). The parting, was probably never to meet again. She reaches her own home safely. There they lived till 1795

The Americans were now in control of the most of Ohio, or were struggling to conquer the Indians. Alexander and the few other traders realized that they would not be any too well treated by the Americans, because to their sympathy for and no doubt encouragement or even aid to the Indians. The south shores of Essex County, Upper Canada, were attractive. British control for all Western Ontario was still in Detroit and McCormick, knowing them well, was able to secure a good home site on the shores of Lake Erie, in Colchester Township – Lots Number 77 and 78, west of Colchester Village. Here he build a new home and moved his family over. About this time, or within a very few years, other families – the Lypps, Wrights, Brushes, Cornwall, Iler, Elliot, Ferris, Snyder and Quick – moved in close to them, most of who came from Pennsylvania, and Kentucky.

More new settlers came in.

Her family consisted of four boys – William, Alexander, John and Mathew – and three daughters, Mary, Nancy and Elizabeth – some of whom were born in the home on the  Maumee River,. (Agnes & Sarah)

 A few years later, when the County had been surveyed off and roads surveyed, McCormick secured a grant of Lot 7 (200 acres) in the Gore, Township of Colchester (South), just three miles due North of the surveyed location for the future village of Colchester. The Quick family had secured the adjoining lot (no 8) – 200 acres or more on the South side, a road way separating them (Dunn Road )

 Here on a knoll they built their new home, of hewn logs – large, one and one-half stories, and for the times, modern. Between the house and the Road ran a tiny rivulet. The writer remembers the old home after it ceased to be occupied.  The whole farm was heavily timbered  - Hickory, Oak, Ash, Elm, Maple, Walnut, Chestnut, Beech and Basswood. To the west and north was a large marsh into which ran the rivulet mentioned, and also one near the northern part of the farm drained with practically no outlet for marsh.

 In 1802, Alexander decided to make a visit to his old home in Ireland, by River and lake boats, and sailing vessel across the Atlantic. He found he was heir to some of his father’s estate. He returned the same year, and died at his new home in 1803 and was buried on another mound some forty or sixty rod distant. The oldest son, William, now 19 years old, took charge, secured the full title to the farms in his own name, went to Ireland 1823 and collected the father’s inheritance, returned, married a Miss Cornwall whose family settled in Colchester on the west town line. Lived on the original farm at the lake. Later, moved to Pelee Island, He was member of  the Provincial Legislature for one term also was Magistrate and as such, performed marriages in the absence of any Clergy. He was instrumental in bringing the  Lime Stone from Pelee Island for the construction of the old Colchester Church.

His family – John, William, David, Thomas, Peregrin, Arthur ect,  (Alexander)