Breckinridge County KyArchives News.....Early Settlers of Hardin's Fort September 15, 2021
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ky/kyfiles.html
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Dana Brown http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00005.html#0001067 January 29, 2022, 12:50 pm

The Herald News Newpaper September 15, 2021
EARLY SETTLERS OF HARDIN’S FORT
BY LESLIE GALLOWAY HAYCRAFT
THE HERALD NEWS NEWSPAPER 
9/15/2021 EDITION

Among the early settlers of Hardin’s Fort was “John T. Barbee, who was born in
Havre, France, kidnapped in infancy by a sea captain and brought to Virginia and
sold to a planter with whom he served as apprenticeship farming.  His freedom was
acquired when his majority was reached and he drifted with the tide to the West. 
His chief characteristic was an avoidance to the shedding of blood.  Daily exposed
to death, and at a time when game was abundant and necessary to live, he would not
kill.  Being industrious, he manufactured a plow from a limb of a tree so crooked as
to form the handles with a straight piece across the beam.  Through the beam he
forced a piece of iron shaped like the letter L, the lower part being hammered to a
sharp edge.

Others who came to the Fort at this time were William McDaniels and John Bruner,
using a flat boat to bring their families and possessions to the “Falls” at Sinking
Creek.  Leaving them with a slave for protection, the men went to the Fort to get
help in moving household effects over.  Immediately after they left an Indian came,
frightening Mrs. McDaniels so that she fell into the water and was drowned, though
the Indians could have saved her.  Mrs. Bruner, her child, and the slave were taken
prisoners and hurried toward the Indian settlement in Illinois.  When Mrs. Bruner
could not travel fast with her child to carry “they split the limb of a tree and
inserted the baby’s wrist, leaving the body suspended and used it as a target.  They
then killed the slave and would have killed her but an old chief stopped them,
saying that he would take her as his wife.  After many months she was rescued by
white men of a trading post near the Indian settlement, who induced them to bring
her when they came again.  The white men managed to pus Mrs. Bruner into a room,
barred the door and sent for her husband.”  A happy reunion took place and she lived
many years to enjoy her home, husband, and children.

Samuel Spencer was a pioneer held in high esteem by William Hardin because of his
bravery and shrewdness as an Indian fighter.  One morning at the Fort, Spencer was
found preparing to go after a turkey and no amount of persuasion could change his
plans, for three times in the early part of the day, good men had been lured to the
hillside by the gobbling and did not return.  He made a great detour then coming up
closer to the noise, saw a huge Indian half concealed in the trunk of a tree. 
Awaiting a time when the Indian would be peering toward the settlement, he fired,
bringing him down a quivering mass.  His return with the “turkey” scalp was a time
of great rejoice.

Sally McDonald who later married Henry Dean was one day with her father and two
sisters in the fields where William Hardin was taking his turn at picket duty. 
“Hardin was fired upon by the Indians and wounded, but not knowing how badly he was
hurt went to hurry the others to the shelter of the Fort.  All fled for safety
except Sally who waited to assist Hardin when she saw blood streaming down his
shirt.  His strength was spent yet she urged him to greater exertion, and twice
caused him to raise his empty gun, checking the Indians until they reached Barbee’s
plough, to which two horses were attached with rope harness.  Again she exclaimed,
“For God’s sake, Mr. Hardin, stop and raise your gun while I loosen the horses.” 
This he did as a burly Indian only a few yards behind was brandishing his tomahawk
and uttering triumphant yells, already certain of his prey.  The Indian dodged back
and began loading his own gun, at the same time the fearless girl was freeing the
horses.  Almost throwing Hardin on one horse and herself on the other, they galloped
off as an Indian fired, fortunately in too great haste to shoot with accuracy and
reached the Fort in safety.

A few mornings after that, John Jolly rode off into the woods on an errand, when the
men had left the field and were sitting down to dinner.  They were startled by rapid
fire close at hand, immediately followed by Jolly’s calling for help.  “The men
sprang to their guns while women looking out from loop holes saw him riding in an
irregular manner, to distract the aim of the pursuers across the field toward the
fort.  In passing a tree, he hit his knee and it struck with such force to throw him
from his horse.  In an instant several of the closest Indians were upon the doomed
man and one plunged a knife into his throat while another took his scalp loose.” 
They they made off into the woods before men from the Fort could get in any shooting
distance.  A man name William Weatherholt saw Hardin had gone ahead of the party
hunting for stolen horses and had come upon five Indians having their morning meal. 
Two immediately fired and killed the horse, and wounded Hardin, who was loudly
calling for help.  Weatherholt, seeing the situation shouted, “Here they are.  Come
on boys!” and shot down an Indian; the others fled and left the stolen horse.  Rough
cutting a path through the woods with the use of a horse helped Hardin get to the
Fort, where he remained for three months.

William McDaniels, whose coming to the wilderness was marked by the tragic death of
his ill-fated wife, was himself doomed to go as many did, by the hands of Indians. 
“It was the custom of the inhabitants of the Fort to permit their milk cows to graze
in the adjacent forest being free from fences and having leaves and shoots of young
cane and luxurious greens in abundance.  Men took a day about bringing the cattle
back to the fort and when McDaniels’ time came he had premonition of danger through
a dream and told Samuel Spencer he had the impression something would happen to him
when he went for the cows.  Spencer offered to take his place; to this McDaniel
would not agree but finally allowed Spencer to go with him.  They followed the trail
to what is known as Tuel’s Creek, four or five miles from the fort.  Here Spencer
discovered an Indian dog and exclaimed, “Indians are here” at the same time
springing behind a tree calling to McDaniel to do the same.  For some reason he did
not move.  A gun cracked and he fell dead, shot through the heart.  Two Indians
sprang for the body; Spencer shot one, and springing to his comrade snatched up his
rifle and killed the other Indian.”

Richard Stephens owned much land in the vicinity of the Fort, and claimed he had one
of nature’s wonders, which he called Summer Seat.  This elevation, rising as It did
with great regularity on all sides, was an unusual formation on the plane where it
stood.  He conceived the idea of construction a lighthouse on top of Summer Seat and
illuminating the country for many miles.  “The work of building progressed with
rapidity until his workmen became afraid the mass of stone would fall on them and
would do no more, in burying places hewn out of stone on the elevation.  He and his
pioneer wife are buried 10 miles from the Fort.

--Portions used from Hardin’s Fort by Mary Allen Goodson  1924
I replaced the use of the word “savage” with “Indian” throughout the article
(although true to its’ era).  I felt it to be more honorable and a better
description.  Tuel’s Creek was spelled differently too in historical documents –
interesting note.  References to the history of Fort Hardin were harsh and used
terminology that we may not use today.  Please take that into account as you read
this that the stories that survive are very colorful to say the least. -- Leslie


Additional Comments:
Copied from original article, with permission from Leslie Galloway Haycraft
(reporter) and the Herald News newspaper, from their 9/15/2021 edition.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/breckinridge/newspapers/earlyset31nnw.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/kyfiles/