OHIO STATEWIDE FILES OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List Issue 270 *********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 270 Today's Topics: #1 Fw: Bio History- Know your Ohio-- ["Maggie Stewart" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <018701c01922$e0eec220$0300a8c0@local.net> Subject: Fw: Bio History- Know your Ohio-- Tahre of the Wyandots Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Darlene & Kathi kelley Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2000 5:15 PM Subject: Bio History- Know your Ohio-- Tahre of the Wyandots ************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio Know Your Ohio by Darlene E. Kelley ************************************************** TARHE-- Tarhe died in November 1816, at Cranetown, near Upper Sandusky, Ohio. He was 76 years old and it was the largest funeral ever known of an Indian Chief. The mourners were without paint or decorations of any kind and their countenace showed the deepest sorrow. Indian leaders of great distances attended. During the period 1789-1818 many famous Indians lived in the Old Northwest Territory. Such men as Tecumseh, Little Turtle, Captain Pipe, Black Hoof, Buckongehelas, Walk-in -the-water and Round head helped to shape the history of the region. But none was more distinguished than Tarhe, who became the Grand Sachern of the Wyandot Nation. Tarhe was born very near Detroit, the son of a women of the Porcupine Clan. The name Myeerah, belonged to one of the turtle clans. His grandmother may have been named Myeerah. It was certain that his mother was not of that name. However Zane Grey, in his book entitled " Betty Zane " told of a young boy who was captured and raised by the Indians and subsequently married the Chiefs daughter. Much of the story was true. The story Mr. Grey wrote about was Isaac Zane, a member of the famous Zane family of Wheeling that helped lay out the National Road and for whom Zanesville, Ohio is named. Since Zane Grey himself was related to that family, it all bore the stamp of some truth. Isaac Zane ( 1753-1816 ) married Princess Myeerah, daughter of Huron ( Wyandotte) Chief Tarhe. Myeerah was half French, her mother having been captured by Indians when she was a child. Isaac was captured along with his brother Jonathan ( called Jack). Jonathan was eleven and was ransomed 2 years after his capture. Isaac was not ransomed. He lived with the Indians 10 years, escaped several times, and would be brought back by the tribe. He married Myeerah. Isacc became the founder of Zanesville, Ohio, in Logan County. Chief Tarhe, married the daughter of Chevalier Durante, a French Canadian, and they had a daughter whom they called Myeerah, [ White Crane] who evenually married Isaac Zane. Tarhe's own name is intriguing. The English meaning is unknown. The name is not believed to be a clan name and it apparenty died with him. Many believe it meant the Crane, however, Old-time Wyandots said the name meant " at him" or " at the tree " or was perhaps the personification of " the tree." Tarhe's great height leads credence to the latter theory. He was six feet four inches tall in an era when few men reached six feet tall. Little is known of his early years. It is thought he served in all of his nation's battles, Some references are made to his going on war parties against the Cherokees as a young man, The first explicit mention of Tarhe as a warrior, is in the account of Dunmore's war. He was at the Battle of Point Pleasant where he served under the Wyandot Chief, Chiyawee, and under the great Shawnee Chief, Cornstalk. The Shawnee, Pucksinwah, father of Tecumseh, was killed at this battle on the Kanwha. Forty years later Tarhe was in the immediate vicinity during the battle of the Thames, where Tecumseh himself was killed. The careers of Tarhe and Tecumseh ran somewhat parallel but there was often serious disagreement between the two men. The Wyandots were prominent in the defeat of Braddock in 1755. A Huron/Wyandot from Lorette, near Quebec, commanded all of the Indians in battle. Although there was French support, not enough has been said of the fact that it was in truth and Indian Victory. Pontiac depended heavily on the Wyandots in 1763. The Chieftain Tarhe went along with some reluctance. The victories at the Battle of Bloody Bridge, at Fort Sandusky, at Presque Isle and elsewhere could hardly have been won without Wyandot contribution. By 1763, when barely twenty, Tarhe was regarded as a leading warrior, but not have become even a minor Chief at that point. The war chief carried the title of Ron-Tun-Dee. or Warpole. There is no record of Tarhe's ever having become Ron-Tun-Dee. Although regarded as a very brave man, he was not considered a truly great warrior by his own tribe. The Wyandots loved and respected hm but they believed Round Head, Zhaus-Sho-Toh, Khun, Slitlog and others to be supperior warriors. In a nation of warriors excellence was commonplace. The Sachem was the titular head of the Wyandot Nation and held the title of Sastaretsi. There was no royal family as such, among the Wyandots, but since the title of Sastaretsi was an actual practice often inherited, there developed something of a hereditary line of Chiefs. If Sastaretsi died without a suitable heir, the tribal council selected a sucessor. Such an occasion arose in 1788 when Too-Dah-Reh-Zhooh died. He was better known by his many other names, such as Half-King, Pomoacan, Dunquid, Daunghuat, and Petawontakas. Care should be taken to avoid confusion with the Oneida Half-King and the Seneca Half-King and with another Wyandot of lesser statue named Dunquad, who was chief some years later. Tarhe was choosen to be the successor of Too-Doh-Reh-Zhooh. There is no record of any other member of the Porcupine Clan having become Sastaretsi up until this time. Sastaretsi had always come from the Deer, Bear, and Turtle Clans. But Tarhe, a Porcupine, because of his unique abilities was selected by general concensus to guide the Wyandots in those desperate days. Although he assumed the duties and powers of Sachem it is not believed that Tarhe ever assumed the title Sastarets. He had already gained respect of the various tribes and of the French, British, and Americans long before this time. In 1786, Tarhe and his son-in-law, Isaac Zane, were listed among the witnesses to a United States Treaty signing with the Shawnee. Both before and after this time, Wyandots were often invited to sit in on negotiations between Government and various tribes. Isaac Zane had come a long way since his capture at the age of nine. The tribe treated him very well and Tarhe took him into his own household to live. When he reached manhood, Isaac married Myeerah, Tarhe.s only daughter. Isacc visited his Zane relatives many times. However, he always returned to the Wyandots. He acted as interpreter on many important occasions. He served under Anthony Wayne for a time and, upon his return, was welcomed into the Wyandot lodges where he was respected for having done his duty as he saw it. A bit of mystery surrounds Tarhe's first wife, the mother of Myeerah. It is generally believed that she was French of the Durante family. Some say she was capiuredas a child, raised by the Wyandots and subsequenty married o Tarhe. One story claims that she was recognized by her blood father while at Detroit and that Tarhe took her away from the area and never permitted her to go back, fearing that he would lose her. This would be the Romantic version of the story and remains to be fiction. She may have very well been French and a Durante, but it was almost a certainty she was not a captive because the Wyandots were on excellant terms with the French during those years and such a sizure would be unthinkable. Whatever the truth of the matter, Myeerah's mother is rarely. if ever, mentoned again n writing. She may have died at an early age, or Tarhe may have been divorced from her. He married at least once more, and that marriage too remained a mystery. He probably married Sally Sharpe. They had one son who was severely disabled and died at the age of twenty-five. Sally Sharpe subsequently married another Wyandot, Between-the-Logs. She moved west with the tribe in 1843 and at some point married a man named Frost. She is said to have been captured at Greenbriar, Virginia in 1782, at the age of one or two. Another story of an Indian captive that concerns Tarhe tells something of his personal character. Peggy Fleming, a white girl, was brought as a captive to Upper Sandusky, a Wyandot town, by a small group of Cherokees in 1789. The party camped about one-quarter mile from Tarhe's village.Word soon came that there was a white captive nearby. A white man named Whitaker who himself had been captured and raised by Wyandots went to visit Peggy. Whitaker had by this time achieved a position of influence in the tribe. He had frequently gone on trading missions to Pittsburgh where he had often stayed at a tavern owned by Peggy's father. Whitaker recognized the girl immediately and she begged him to help her escape. He returned to Upper Sandusky and told Tarhe the prisioner was his sister. Tarhe believing Whitaker went to the Cherokee camp asking for Peggy's release. The Cherokee's refused. Tarhe then offered to purchase the girl and again they refused his request. He was determined to secure her release and returning to the Wyandot town, telling Whitaker to raise a fair sum of money or a quantitiy of silver brooches. Early the next morning Tarhe and eight or ten of the warriors returned to the Cherokee camp and found them asleep. Peggy was naked and painted black, an indication that she was to be killed. Tarhe cut her bonds, secured her clothing and then awakened the Cherokees. He told them Peggy was now his prisoner and tossed the money and brooches at their feet. The Wyandots took Peggy to Upper Sandusky and delivered her to Whitaker. After a few days she was escorted back to Pittsburgh. Whether Tarhe ever learned Peggy was not related to Whitaker is not known. Among the close friends of Tarhe was the great Mingo Chief, Logan. They lived near each other for a time and the Mingo felt very close to the Wyandot Nation. It is believed the Wyandots buried this famous Chief when he died. Tarhe lived at various locations in Ohio including present day Lancaster, Columbus, Solomonstown, Zanesfield, Upper Sandusky and Cranetown, named for him. Tarhe helped negotiate many treaties during the time he was Grand Sachem. Throughout this time he attempted to hold his tribe together, to serve the other tribes in the area and to relinquish each parcel of land only after pressures had become unbearable. He fought against Clark, Boupuet, Marmar, St Clair and Wayne. Although Tarhe was eventually defeated, both his enemies and his friends knew he was dedicated first to the welfare of his people. It is believed the last battle Tarhe fought in personally was in 1794 at Fallen Timbers. That action was a brief but devastating one for the allied tribes. Th only tribe to fight with distinction that day was the Wyandots. They were pinned down near the River and lost heavily. Of the thirteen chiefs who enterd the battle, only Tarhe survived and he was severly wounded in the right elbow. Most Indians realized their cause was lost after Fallen Timbers. The British had failed to support them and the tribes could assemble no force capable of opposing Wayne, When he summoned the ribes to Greenville,almost all of the Indian leaders in the Midwest responded. A notable exception was Tecumseh. In July 1795, nearly year after Fallen Timbers, a great assemblage of Indians met with Wayne at Greenville, Ohio. This acknowledged leader of the Indians was Tarhe, and the principal interpreter was Isaac Zane. During the lengthy negotiations Tarhe made several eloquent speeches, as you will find in my text regarding the Treaty of Greenville. *************************************************** ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 19:29:48 -0400 From: "Maggie Stewart" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <018d01c01923$a8a354c0$0300a8c0@local.net> Subject: Fw: Bio History -- Know Your Ohio -- The Great Lake Erie.. Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Darlene & Kathi kelley Sent: Friday, June 16, 2000 1:41 AM Subject: Bio History -- Know Your Ohio -- The Great Lake Erie.. ***************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio Know Your Ohio by Darlene E. Kelley. ****************************************************** Schooner Tow Song, 1890. [ The song recalls one of the vanished glories of the Lakes-- a line of stately schooners following the huff and puff of a tiny steam tug through the channel until they can lift their wings again and come alive on the open Lake. The date is about 1890.] We leaves Detroit behind us, We sets our canvas tight; The tug slows up and casts us off, Old Erie heaves in sight! So we watch our tiller closer, We keeps our sheet ropes clear; There's no sich thing as stiddy wind Along Lake Erie here. *************************************************** The Great Lake Erie -- part 1. Fourth largest of the Great Lakes. it holds the record for being the shallowest of the five Great Lakes and consequently has a history of kicking up a fuss in the least time. A breath of wind is enough to make her start doing somersaults and turning handsprings. The busiest of all the lakes, it was the last of the upper lakes to be discovered by white men, who took a short cut across country that lay above Lake Ontario and the larger yellow Lake with the green rush shore. They followed a navigator's straight line west along the 46th parallel, historic paddle-and-portage route of Champlain and Nicolet, via the Ottawa River and across Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay Across Erie's quick-tempered waters sailed the first ship to travel the upper lakes. LaSalle's Griffin, and later the first steamboat, the Indian named Walk-in the Water, both destined to early ends. Aboard the Griffin on her first, and last, trip up the Lakes was Father Hennepin, the Baron Munchausen of the priesthood, whose love of exaggeration could hardly begin to keep up with the sights he described. " The great River of St Lawrence derives its source from the Lake Ontario, which is likewise called in the Iroquese language, Skandaris, that is to say, a pretty lake. Lake Erie, or Erie-Tejocharontiong, as the Iroquese call it, encloses in its Southern Bank a Tract of Land as large as the Kingdom of France. Betwixt the Lake Erie and Huron there is a Straight, thirty leagues long, which is of equal breadth almost all over, except in the middle, that it enlarges itslf by help of another lake, which we gave the name of Ste.Claire, through the Iroquese. who pass over it frequently when they are upon Warlike Expeditions, call it Otsi Keta. " The Lake Huron was so called by the People of Canada, because the savage Hurons, who inhabited the adjacent country, us'd to have their Hair so burn't that their heads resembled the heads of wild boars. The savages themselves call'd it Lake Karegnondy. " There is yet another Straight or narrow canal towards the Upper Lake ( that runs into this of Huron ) about Five Leagues broad and Fifteen Leagues long, which is interrupted by several Islands, and becomes narrower by degrees, till it comes at the Fall of St.Mary's. This fall is call'd the Fall of St. Mary Missilimakinak. " The Lake Illinois, in the Native's Language, signifies the Lake of Men; for the word Illinois signifies a Man of Full Age in the vigor of his years. It is call'd by the Miami's Mischigonong, that is The Great Lake. " The Upper Lake runs from East to West and may have more than a Hundred and Fifty Leagues in length, Sixty in Breadth, and Five Hundred in circuit. We never quite went over it as we did all the others I've hitherto mention'd; but we sounded some of the great Depths, and it resembles the Ocean, having neither bottom nor banks. " I shall not mention the infinate numbers of Rivers that discharge themselves into this prodigious Lake. It were easie to build on the sides of these great Lakes and infinate Number of Considerable Towns which might have Communication one with another by Navigation for Five Hundred Leagues together, and by an inconceivable Commerce which would establish itself among 'em." Called a cheerful liar, and worse, by stay-at-homes who preferred exact figures to his grandiose round numbers, the gadabout priest acquired the reputation of America's Munchausen but the verdict of history has proven him to be a prophet. Aboard a vessel doomed to become the first shipwreck on the Great Lakes, he sailed across vast reaches of lonesome waters surrounded by wilderness and he saw along their trackless shores a dream of great cities--- " an infinate Number of Considerable Towns,--- and an inconceivable Commerce---among 'em"--- that came true in a bustle of navigation between Toronto, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago-- on the aboriginal waterways from below Erie-Tejocharontiong to Mischigonong and the " Ocean " beyond Missilimakinak. Two generations in the wake of Father Hennepin, Thomas McKenny, and agent of the Indian Deprtment. embarked on a trip up the Lakes in the summer of 1826 to negotiaite a treaty with the Chippewas at Fond du Lac on Lake Superior. Arriving at Detroit, he lost no time in writing a letter back home about the Lake he had just crossed: " A word about Lake Erie. I knew its length, its breadth and depth, and yet I must confess I had no more correct conceptions of the lake as it appeared to me than if I had never had the slightest acquaintance with its dimensions. All my previous conception of a lake fell so far short of its actual vastnss and ocean like appearance, as to be wholly absorbed in the veiw of it. I could but wonder what my opinion of lakes will be, after I shall have seen and navigated Huron and Superior. Lake Erie, though considerably smaller than either, is a vast sea, and often more stormy, and even dangerous, than the ocean itself." After completeing his errand in Lake Superior, McKenny came down Lake Huron and back to Lake Erie aboard a revenue cutter, Captain Knapp, which furnished him another item to write home about from Detroit: " The deck of this little cutter is made of the masts of the Lawrence, Perry's ship. In one of the planks immediately under the tiller is the bruise of a shot. Whatever can be made into convenince and fitness for the duties of a cutter for the lake service, Captain Knapp has most ingeniously effected in this, now ten year old boat. But, after all, the thing is to small. These lakes and their commerce demand a vessel of other dimensions." *************************************************** The Real Battle of Lake Erie-- Thirteen years before Indian Agent McKenny rode down Lake Huron on a boat whose deck was made of the masts of Perry's flagship, on the morning of September 10, 1813, the cry of " Sail ho! " rang out from lookouts in the mastheads of the American squadron riding Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie. With dawn making a brave show on the British fleet several miles distant, Perry cleared the island and stood out on the open Lake to meet the enemy and, ultimately, to provide another chapter in Heroic Deeds of American Sailors. The sound of cannon had hardly died away nor the smoke cleared on Lake Erie whena ballad called " Perry's Victory " was printed in thousands of broadslides, sung by wayside peddlers, and sold for a penny on street corners throughout the Northwest. Towns in Ohio went wild with excitement. Patriots roared in chorus: Columbian tars are the true sons of Mars Who rake fore and aft when they fight on the deep; On the bed of Lake Erie commanded by Perrey They caused many Brittons to take their last sleep. On the tenth of September let us all remember As long as the globe on its axis reels round; Soon our tars and marines on Lake Erie were seen To make the red flag of proud Britton come down. The van of our fleet was brought up complete; Commanded by Perrey and Lawrence bore down; Our guns they did roar with such terrifick power That savages trembled at the dreadful sound. The sound of the guns as the two fleets engaged at close quarters was actualy heard 160 miles from the scene, at Erie, Pennsylvania, in a low rumbling that echoed like distant thunder. Anxious towns along the shore, on both the American and Canadian sides, waited for news of the final outcome. At Cleveland was enacted one of thoses scenes that typify the intimate relationship between the Lake and the land: A Mr. Levi Johnson and his hired hands were building a house, according to the Cleveland Chronicle, when they heard a noise in the west which at first they supposed to be faraway thunder. But there were no clouds on the horizon. All at once Johnson exclaimed, " Boys, its Perry's guns; he's fighting the British." With one accord all the workmen threw down their hammers and nails and raced for the waterfront, but their employer beat them to it. In a few minutes everybody in Cleveland had joined them on the beach, listening to the sounds of the battle. Although seventy miles away, they not only could hear the roll of the broadsides, but when the fire slackened from time to time, they could distinquish between the heavier and the lighter guns. Finally, in the Cleveland Chronicle's report: " At length, there was only a dropping fire; one fleet had evidently sucumbed to the other. Heavy shots were heard at very end, then all was silence. " Perry has the heaviest guns," exclaimed Johnson; " those are Perry's shots---- he has won the day--- three cheers for Perry!" "Hip, hip, hurrah!" promptly responed the crowd, willing to believe the ascertion; but yet separating with anxious hearts, uncertain what might be the result. In fact, the English had some as heavy guns as the Americans, but not so many of that class." ***************************************************** to be continued in part 2-- -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V00 Issue #270 *******************************************