Historic Sumner County, Tennessee, with genealogies of the Bledsoe, Gage and Douglass families and genealogical notes of other Sumner County families online

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976.801
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1539348



SmULQQY COLLECTION



ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY




3 1833 01713 3387



Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive

in 2010 witii funding from

Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center



http://www.archive.org/details/historicsumnercoOOcisc



J



J.w < li V Cisco



HISTORIC



Sumner County Tennessee



Genealogies of the Bledsoe, Cage and
Douglass Families



Genealogical Notes of Other
Sumner County Famhjes



JAY GUY CISCO



Nasuvii.i.i:. Tennksski: :

Fof.K â– K);!:r,iN I'rinting C'ompann

1900



1539348



Ttt tire ^Eittrrrg nf
TOIdrrd (Senrgie ^urslBg QItscg

(Sr«a± great grand riauglrter nf (CalonBl ^nthang ^JledsoE

Sortt in SumnBr ffiountg. ^^ugust 2, 1S31
St«d in gacks0n, TjenuBSS^x;, ^gril 1, 1594

This book is nffzttiannitlv risriiratEri



ILLUSTRATIONS



Bate, Scnalor W. V. 222

Bcrtinatti, Counicss lutginic 226

Blackninre. f Ion. James W 47

Blandford, }s[arquis of lOo

Bledsoe, Clifton i-'9

Bledsoe, Col. 0<car F S5

Bledsoe, Oscar F., Ill 1-^7

Bledsoe, Oscar F.. IV 14.?

Bledsoe, Lulu Aldridge 144

Canip1)cll, Governor W. B. 2,^7

Carmack, Senator Edward \\'ard 240

Cisco, Jay Guy l'"rontispiece

Cisco, Mildred Georgic 14'^

Desha, Governor Joseph i75

Desha. }^Iiss Mary 170

Donel>on, Hon. A. J 246

Fearn, Dr. Thomas 112

Garth, Hon. W^ W 126

Garth, ^Irs. W. W n.^.

Guild, Judge Joe C : 250

Gwin, Senator W. M 233

Hall, Governor William 256

Jones, ]Mrs. I'rcderika L 148

Jones, Frederika Elizalieth 148

Judd. Judge John W 267

Malone, Mrs. Sarah Shelhy Wetherred 148

Peyton, Hon. I'alie 2S8

Pickett. Col. Josei)h Desha opposite 176

Pursky, Mrs. Mary Catherine Malfjue 148

Shelhy, Judge Anthony Bledsoe no

Slielhy, Mrs. Sarah Bledsoe 105

Trousdale. Gov. Wm 30.^

Williams. B. Shelhy 6'j



via Historic Sumner County, Tenn.

Winchester, Gen. Tames 2'^

Bledsoe Spring 99

Bledsoe Graves 72,

Bledsoe's Liclc 38

Bledso'=^ Monument 100

Cragfont 29

Emigrants Descending the Tennessee River 19

Home of Gov. William Hal! 261

Residence of Judge John W. Judd 285

Home of Hallery jMalone 277

Home of the Lauderdales 271

Home of Governor Tliousdalc 44

Monument to Mexican Soldiers 50

Rock Castle, Home of Gen. Danic-1 Smith 298

Spencer's Choice 301

Spencer's Tree 13



CONTENTS



Anderson, Gtn. S.'unucl R 220

Barrow, Hon. Washington 120

Barry, Dr. Reiiinond D 220

Barry, Judge Thomas 221

Bate, Senator W. B 222

Bell, Judge D. D 224

Bel], Gen. Tyree II 225

Bertinatti. Countess Eugenie 226

Blackmore, George Dawson 228

Blackmore, Hon. James W.. address of 96

Bledsoe, Rev. Albert Tayh ir 58

Bledsoe, Capt. Abraham T03

Bledsoe, Col. Anthony 55

Bledf.oe, Col. Anthony, genealogy of 102

Bledsoe, Col. Anthony, will of 67

Blcdscie, George 102

Bledsoe, Capt. Hiram 58

Bledsoe, Henry Ramsey 106

Bledsoe, Col. Isaac - 165

Bledsoe, Col. Isaac, genealogy of 169

Bledsoe, Senator Jesse 55

Bledsoe, Katherinc Montgomery 167

Bledsoe, ]Mary Ramsey 70

Bledsoe JMonunient 71

Bledsoe ?^Iontuncnt, contributors to ";;()

Blodsoc, Col. Oscar F 127

Bledsoe, Col. Oscar F., addrrss of 84

Belmont, O. IT. V 138

Bowcn Family 231

Bowie, Col. James 230

Brcckenridge, Hon. W. C. P 178

Cage J\-imiIy, genealogy of 191

Cage, Je.-se 200



X Historic Sumner Couxty, Tmnx.

Cage, Major William 191

Cain])bcil Family -35

Campbell, Governor William P> ^36

Carmack, Senator lidward Ward 239

Carr, John - 14

Cisco, Jay (iuy I47

Civil Government -6

Clark, Isaac -45

Dawn of Civilization 12

Desha, Eleanor 172

Desha. Issa i/S

Desha, Governor Joseph 170

Desha, Lucius Junius Brutus i73

Desha, Z\Iargaret Bledsoe 170

Desha, General Robert 1 1 1

] )onaldson. General A. J 2^5

DougLss, Colonel Edward 202

Douglass, genealogy of -^02

Ellis, Capt. H. C 247

Explorations of Sumner County 4

First Laud Owners 2,2)

First Settlement in Sumner County 15

Forts or Stations 18

Fulton, Governor William S 248

Gaines, Colonel George S 248

Garth, Hon. W. W 125

Guild, Judge Joe C 249

Gwin, Colonel Samuel 251

Gwin, Senator William M 2'j2

Hall, Governor William 255

Ilalluni. John 262

Hannnund, Ju.uge EH S 103

Hatton, Colonel Robert 263

Head Family .^64

Historic Sunnier County 3

Judd, Judge John W 2G0

Killed by Indians 21

Lauderdale Family jCy)



Contexts.



.v:



Liiidscy, Isaac 276

Long Hunters 8

Malone, llallcry 2/j

Mansker, Colonel Kaspor 279

Manin, Dr. R. C. K 122

McKendrec, Bishop William 2X0

Morgan, Capt. John 281

Morris, Bishop J. B 282

Cjdoni, Elliott and Boddie families ' 283

Parker, Nathaniel 2S6

Peyton, Hon. Bailie 290

Peyton family 288

Pe} ton, Hon. J. H 290

I'ickett, Colonel Joseph Desha 176

Pickett, Hon. John T 177

Pioneer Preacher 311

Read, General L-aac D. B 184

Rogan. Charles B 1S8

Rugan. Hugh 291

Rogan, Captain W. R 187

Rogers, Judge A. A. C 292

Ivutherford, General Griffith 293

Sanders, Huhbard 295

Sharkey, Judge William L 295

Shelby, David 10.}

Shelby. Judge D. D 136

Shelby, Dr. Johji ]o8

Shelby, General Jos. 123

Shelby, Sarah Bledsoe 104

Scurry, Richard 186

Scurry, A\'illiani Read 186

Smith, General Daniel 297

Spencer, Thomas Sharp 300

Simmer County in the ^\'ar with Mexico t^i

Sumner County in \\'ar 42

Sumner County, topography of 34

Territorial Laws Relating to Sumner County 39

'I r-nisd;ile, (Governor Willi.im 3^'-



xii Historic Sumner County^ Tenn.

Vandorbih, Mrs. W. 11 138

â–  Walton. William 303

Wcatherrcd, Frank 304

Williams, D. S 155

Wilson Family 305

Wlncliester, INIajor George 306

Winchester, General James 307

Wynne, Colonel Alfred R 310



\



PREFACE



TSTI URIXG the months of September and October,
tR 1907, I pubh"?hed in the Sunday edition of the
A'asliz'illc American, a series of papers called
"Historic Sumner County." They were so well re-
ceived that 1 determined to rewrite, revise and add
new matter and publish the wdiole in book form. This
book is the result. It is not intended to be a history
of Sumner county — a work to deserve that name would,
till many more pag,^cs than are herein containerl— but to
present some of the most interesting details about the
first settlciiient and the first settlers of the county, not
accessible in any other form. My aim has been to give
facts and to exclude errors. I have personally inter-
viewed many of the descendants of the pioneers, have
examined v.ritten and printefl recorrls, and have writ-
ten himdreds of k'.Uers, many of which have remained
Tiuanswered. It ^'.â– as the orig'inal ]^urpose to include
genealogies of all the pioneer families, but I have been
unable to secure the necessary information, tlie living
rei)resentatives of the families either did not ])Ossess
the facts, or were indit'ferent to their preservation in
this form.

History begins with tradition, narratives handed
down from generation to generation. But tradition is
n(.^t always fact, and much of it is absurd, while it may
^erve to amuse and entertain, it should not be taken
seriously. It is the duly of the historian to sift tra-
dition and retain only authentic facts.

I ilesire to here express my sincere thanks to every
uidividual who in any way gave me assistance in the
way of information for this work, and to hope that all
may be satisfied with the manner in which I have pre-
^•^ntcd the iacls given me.

J. G. Cisco.



HISTORIC SUMXER COUXTV, TEXXESSEE.



^ttLACE one foot of a compass on a line between
jbl Gallatin and Bledsoe's Lick, and about six miles
east of the first named place, then draw a circle
the diameter of which shall be twenty miles, and you
will have within that radius a territory which it would
be difficult to find a more beautiful, more fertile, or
one richer in historical associations. And, too, it would
be hard to find a territory of the same extent in which
more men known to fame have had their homes. With-
in that area was erected the first cabin built by mem-
bers of the Ang-lo-Saxon race in ]^Iiddle Tennessee,
and was cleared the first field and planted the first corn
west of the Allegheny mountains. Within that circle
was the home of Grifiith Rutherford, a famous Gen-
eral in the Revolutionary war, a member of the Pro-
visional Congress, and President of the Legi>lative
Council for tlie Government of the Territory South of
the Ohio River, and for whom Rutherford comity,
Xorth Carolina, and Rutherford county, Tennessee,
were named ; Gen. Daniel Smith, who made the first
niap of Tennessee, Secretary of the Territory. United
States Senator from 1805 to 1809, and for wh.om
Smith county was named ; William Trousdale, (.ien-
cral. Governor and diplomat, and for whom Trous-
dale county was named ; \\'illiam Hall, General, Gov-
c;nor and member of Congress; James Winchester, an
' 'Ju\:r in the Revolutionary war, a Brigadier-General
•:« ilie W;u- (if 1S12, and for whom the county seat of
' 'â– ^'"^â– hn canity was named; Colonel Anthony Bled-
â– â– ^ -^nn-inbcT ui the Li-gislatures of A'irginia and
â– >"-'i!i Caroliiia. a Captain in the Colonial ami}',



4 Historic Sumxkr Couxtv, Tkxn.

a Afajor in the Revolutirmarv army, a Colonel ^
of militia in ^\•hat is now Tennessee, and for /
whom Bledsoe conntv was named ; Colonel Isaac '^
JJledsoc, explorer, pioneer, Indian tighter, and a Major f
of militia; David \\"ilson, Major in the war for inde- I
pendence, Speaker of the first Territorial Assembly of .
Tennessee, and for wliom Wilsun eounty was named; r
Col. Jas. Lanrlerdale, who fell at the first battle of New \
Orleans in December, 1814, and for whom counties in V
Tennessee, Alabama and ^lississippi \\ ere named : ;
\\'illiam \\. P>ate, soldier. Governor and United States t
Senator; Senator William M. Gwin, of California;
Rt. Jvcv. Jijhn 1'). ^lorris. Bishop of the Roman Catho-
lic church; WiUiani McKendree, Bishop of the Aleth-
odist Episcopal church; Robert Hatton, soldier and
statesman; Jose])h Desha, Governor of Kentucky;
]5alie Peyton, orator and statesman; Andrew Jackson
Donel.-on, diplomat and candidate for \'ice-President
on thi. ticket with Fillmore in 18.^6: William P'ulton,
Governor of the Territory of .Vrkansas, and United
States Senator from that State ; Edward Ward Car-
mack, the g'reatest living- Tennessean, and many oth-
ers whose names blaze on the pages of history, have
had their homes in Suniner county.

EXPLORATIONS

The first authentic account we have of men of
Anglo-Saxon blood visiting Sumner County was in
\7(:^'^, v/hen Flcnry Scaggs explored the Cumberland
country and fi.xed his camp at what is now known as
!Mansker's l^ick. The names of his companions are
not known..

The next explorer A\-as Col. James Smith, a native
of Penns}lvania, who, \vhcu a yoimg man, in ^lay,.
1755, was taken prisoner by the Delaware Indians
and held liy them until 1759. 11 is journal was first
publishe'l in i)amphlet form in 1799, and was reprinted
in ''L")rake's Tragedies of the Y\'ilderness" in 1845.

Jn \y(i(^ Colonel Smith was in \'irginia, and, hear-



Explorations 5

iug of the ne£>"oliations between Sir William Johnson
and the Indians for the pnrchase of the land between
the Ohio and the Tennessee rivers, and that there was
a larq-e body of rich land in that region, concluded to
explore it. Followini:^ is an extract from his journal :

â– 'J set out about the last of Jiuie, 1766, and went in
the first place to the Molston river, and from thence I
traveled we>t\\ardly in company \vith Joshua Horton,
Uriah Stone, William IJaker and James Smith, wdio
came from near Carlisle. There were only about four
white men of us. and a mulatto slave about eii^hteen
years of a,q,e, that Mr. Ilorton had with him. We ex-
])lored the country south of Kentucky, and there were
no more si,i;ns of white men there then than there is
now west of the headwaters of the ^Missouri river.
\\ e also exploretl the Cimiberland and Tennessee riv-
ers from Stone's liver down to the Ohio. (Stone's
river is a south branch of Cumberland, and empties
into it above Nashville. We c^ave it this name in our
_i"nrnal in May, 1767, after one of my fellow-travelers,
Mr. L'riah Stone, and I am told that it retains the
saitic name unto this day. )

"When we had come to the mouth of the Tennessee
river, my fellow-travelers concluded that they would
proceed on to Illinois, and see some more of the lands
to the west: this I would lu-t aL;"rcc to, as I had already
been lonc^'-er fr'>m home than what I had expected ; I
tii<pu<;ht my wife would be di>trcsvcd and think 1 was
killc.l by the ln<lians; therefore 1 conclu;ied that I
v,<.uld return home. I sent my horse with my fellow-
travelers to the Illinois, as it was ditficult t<> take a
li«>r-e through the mountains. ^ly comrades tjave me
the i^aeatest part of the annnunition they then had.
v.hieh amounted to only two aurl a half pounds of
li'.'wdtT and lead equivalent. .Mr. ilorton also lent me
his mulatto boy. and I then set off throu-h the wil-
«'.e^ne^s for Carolina.

"About eic^dit days after T had left my company at
tlie mouth of Tennessee on my journey eastward. I t^ot



6 Historic Sumnicr Couxtv, Trnx.

a cane stab in my foot, which occasioned ni}' Ic^' to
swell, and I suffered much pain. 1 was now in a dole-
ful situation ; far from any of the human species, ex-
ccjHinij^ black Jamie, or the savacres, and I knew not
when I might meet ^\•ith them. My case appeared des-
perate, and T thought something must be done. All
the surgical instruments I had was a knife, a moccasin
awl and a pair of bullet moulds. With these I deter-
mined to draw the snag from my foot, if possible. I
stuck the awl in the skin and with tiie knife cut the
llesh away from around the cane, and then I com-
manded tlie mulatto fellow to catch it with the bullet
moukls and pull it out, which he did. When I saw it,
it seemed a shocking thing to be in any person's foot;
it will therefore be supposed that I was very glad to
have it out. The black fellow attended upon me, and
obeN'cd my dircctiiins faith full}". 1 ordered him to
search for Indian medicine, and told him to get me a
quantity of bark from the roots of a l}-nn tree, which
1 made him beat on a stone with a tomahawk, and boil
it in a kettle, and with the ooze 1 bathed my foot and
leg; what remained \vhen I had finished bathing I
boiled to a jelly and made poultices thereof. As I
had no rag>, I made use of the green moss that grows
upon logs, and wrai)];)ed it around with elm bark; by
this means the swelling and inllammation in a great
measure abated. As stormy weather appeared, I or-
dered Jamie to make us a shelter, wdiich he did by
erecting forks and poles and covering them over with
cane to{>s like a fodder house. It was about 100 }ards
from' a large buffalo road. As we were almost out of
provisions, 1 connnanded Jamie to take my gun and I
went along as well as I could, concealed my.>elf near
tlie rorul and killed a buffalo.

"While I lay at this place all the books 1 had to read
\\as a ])s.-dm bo(jk and Watts upon "Prayer. ' Whilst
in this situation I composed the fallowing \er - es, which
1 then frequently sung:



I'.Xl'l.OR AllOXS

"Six \vi\'k^ ]'\<.' ill l''i> (loert hcxu.
With i>m- nnilaiU) lal :
l''.xccpliii^' lliis ]nn<v siii|ii(l >l:i\'c',
Xo i.-'iniiiany I had.

"]n soliuiilc 1 hcT'j remain,
A cripi)lo very sore,
Xo friend < 'V nei'^hhor to l)e funnd.
AI\ caM.' i"<'r ti) (lei)li)re.

"I'm I'ar frdni licnie. far from the wife
\\ hioli in my hosoiii la.y.
I\ar from liie chil(h"en dear, w In'ch u>cd
Are.imd me f< a" to I'lay.

â– -'rin> diilefnl eircnm-^tanee cannot
M \' Iiai>])iness ])revenl.
\\ iii'.e jjeace of ci'n-cim.ee 1 enjoy,
(ir'.at â– oin foi't and content."



ddii> \\a> ('i iniille - s the first "i/'oem"' ever written in
w ]iat i^ n( iw 'l\'nness'.e.

Aflei- eiex'en nrr,ith> -jient in ll'ie w il •erne-^s. Colonel
Smidi ;irri\eil in < ai'ohn.a in ( )ctoI,er.

â– "When 1 can'e to th.e >e;tirmeni my c'.otlies were
a'm< -t ui^rn oiu and the hoy lia;l nothing;" on tiiat ever
\v;i- '^iinn. i \v iiad hnck>kin le^'L^ins. moccasins, a
hreech clont, a liea.i" -I^in dressed with tlie liair on.
which III' h».'iledi aiioui hnn. and a racco< m-.^kin ca;). I
had n.'t traxale 1 far after ! cnnc in heloie 1 was >tric'.-
]\ (.-vaminc 1 In ilie inhahiiaiil^. 1 t'li'l them tile truth
and where 1 came from, etc., hut my ^tory aj)iK'ared
-o ^iranL^e t^' ih.em liiat diey (hd n^u liriiew uic. 'Y\\cy
-aid that ihcN' iial ne\er heard of an\ one comin-
'hr<.'.i:.4h the m-iuiuains fri-m Te;nie.->>ee. and if a.n)-
'â– ne woiiM n.nd,c'i-tak-e snrh a journc_\- surel_\ no m.an
N\"idd Uiid liiin hi-. -La\c. dliey ^aid lli.at ihi-y ihi-n-hi
th.ai aU I kiad i"ld them were hes. and on su>j»icion tl'e\
i""k nic iiitti cnstodv and set a ijnard over nie.



8



lIlSl'nKIC Sl'.MNKR Ct)L".\T^â– , Tl.XX.



'"While ] \\a> cwnniicd here I iiK-t a rciunablc
accjuainiaiicc wlio \ t>luiuaril\- lii-'cainc my voucher, and
also told me uf a number (<i my acquaintances ihat now
h'veil near thi-^ place wlio liad movedi lr« im J\'nn>yl-
\ania; i»n this l>einu;' made pulilic ] \va> lilierated. 1
went In a ma.Ljistrale and ohiaip.ed a pa>.-. and <:)nc (if
m\' did aciiuaintances maile me a present of a shirt. 1
then ca>t away my old ra_!:is and all tlie clothes J now-
had was an old l-,ea\'er hai, hnck^kin Iei_;-^ins. lUMCca-
>ins au'l a new -hiri ; al:-ii an dd l)laid<et. I'.eini^ thus
equipiied 1 marched on with my white ^hirt loose and
Jamie with lii^ l!ear-d<in a1;i>nt him. ]r iliis wa>' 1
can:e on to h'ort Chii.-vseh where I left Jamie at ^Ir.
Morton's ne^m (juarter, according- to ))romi-;e. I went
from thence t" ' !eorc;e Adams', on fvcedy Creek, where
1 had l')dL;ed, and, w-here 1 had left my cImiIics as I -w-a>
g-<_>in!Li- out fr<i;-n hnnie. W hen I had dre<-ed luyselt in
good cli'the> arid n"iwunted i.'U hor>eliack. no nian ever
a^l-;ed me for a ])a<^; therefore I concluded, that a
hor>e-tliief. or e\-en a robher. nn'ght jiass without in-
tLrrti]ii!M-.-i. pro\ided he wa- ouW well dre<-ed. whereas
the >habl)v viliain would bv imn-ie iiatel_\- detected."

In 177s Mr. Snu'ih received a Colonel's comuii^^ion
in the I '<>nii!iental army, and u-iade a galhnU soldier.
After ]ieace ha.d lieen declared he settled in I'oin-bon
couiuy. l\eiUuck\. and \va- it< Re]ire<entative in the
(jeneral A.->embi\ from 17SS till 17V'). lie died m
\\'a-hinL;tMn C'-'dnt\-. l\ent-tick-\-, about INIJ.



T}I1-: "LDNCr iil'xti-:rs "



here is a <li>r\- ioun



w-un vanatioii-



in all the



liistories of crn-!\ reime - ee and early Kentucky, al.xiui
the "d.ong MuiUer'-." "who remained in the wildernes-^
between tw-o an 1 three \ear>. "' I'.ut no two writers-
agree a- t" the idemity ff the members of the part\-.
In fact, theie i- r^ loiu for d'>ubi abc.nl the >tory. Thar
there \va^ a ]iart\- of hmUer>, - onie of whi>n-i remained
in the wildernes-. for one vear. -^eem-; to Ik' well estab-
lished. Itui who thev Were i- \-er_\- nnceitain. I he f<'l-
k.'winj, account of the "Loul; Munt(,i">" is conden>ed



The "Long Huxters"' 9

from Haywoofl's Civil and Political Uistorv of Ten-
nessee, Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee. ^Marsliail's and
Collins' Histories of Kentucky :

• A company of over twenty men from Xorth Caro-
lina, from Rockbrifli:;e county and fr(Mn the \'allcy of
New River. \'a., including' John Raines, Kasper ?vlan-
sker, Abraham Rledsoc, John Ikiker. Joseph Drake,
Obediah Terrell. L'riah Stone, Henry Smith, Edward
Cowan, Thomas Gordon, Humphrey Hogan, Cassius
Brooks, Robert Crockett. James Knox, Richard
Scaggs and others, each with one or more horses, left
Reedy Creek, their place of rendezvous, on June 2,
1769. They pursued their way throusi^di what is now
known as Powell's \*alley to Cumberland Gap; thence
to Flat Lick; thence down the Cumberland River,
wdiicli the\- crossed at a ''very remarkable fish dam
which had been made in very ancient times :'' thence
past a place called "The Bush." near the fish dam.
Following' it for some distance, then crossing the south
fork of Cumberland river, they came to a place since
called Price's ^Meadow, near an excellent spring, in
what is now Wayne counts Kentucky, where they
made a camp and a depot for their skin^ and game,
which they \\ere to deposit there every five weeks.
They continued to hunt to the west and southwest,
through a country covered with high g'ras>, but finding
no trace of human settlements ; though they found
manv places wdiere stones co\'crcd large quantities dI
human bones.

Aftc l.)eing" out for some time, how long I do riOt
know, James Knox, Richard Scaggs and four others
whose names are not given, left the main ])arty upon
Laiu'el ri^•er because game had become scarce, and
^tarting' westwardly. crossed Rockcastle river, and go-
ing up Scagg's creek, met a ])arty of Cherokee Indians
under the old chief, Cai)tain Dick, who directed them
to go to Dick's crerk. where they woukl find plenty of
meat, to "kill it and go h'>me." which they did.

In jime. 1770, sc>me of the hunters returned lK)nie,



10 Historic Sumner Couxtv, Tkxx,

havini;^ been out one year, while ten of them, includhi.:^
Mansker. Hogan, Stone, Gordon, Baker. Brooks (the
names of the other four are not given in any account
that has come under the notice of this writer) built two
boats and two trappinj:^ canoes, laded them with furs
and bear meat and proccedetl down the Cumberland,
"down the Ohio and the ^Mississippi rivers to Natchez,
where they sold their cargo, and where some of the
party settled, the others returning home through Geor-
gia. Of those who returned home only the names of
]\Iansker and Baker are given.

In the fall of 1771 Kasper ]\lansker. Tames Knox,
Henry Knox, Richard Scaggs, Henry Scaggs, Isaac
Bledsoe, .Vbraham Bledsoe, James Graham. Joseph
Drake, John ^Montgomery, old ]Mr. Russell, his son,
young Russell ; Hughes, William Allen, ^^'illiam
Linch, David Linch, Christopher Stoph and others,
twenty-two in all, with several horses, came out again.
It will be seen that iive of this party. Mansker, Abra-
ham Bledsoe. Joseph Drake. James Knox and Richard
Scaggs, were members of the first party which had
gone out in June, 1770.

This party was so successful in getting skins that
they were not able to carry them all back with them,
and as their hunt was ])rolonged the}- built what they
called a "skin house," at a common center, in what is
now Greene county. Kentuck}-. Their hunt extended
into the barrens of Greene river. One of the hunters,
named Bledsoe, wrote on a fallen ])oplar tree, which
had lost its bark: "2,300 Deer Skins lost; Ruination
by God."

Some of the mcmlicrs of this company returneil to
the settlements in Fcb-ruary, 1772. because their am-
munition was getting short. "Indeed, all of tlie coiu-
pany except five, namely, Isaac Bledsoe, William
Linch. William Allen, Christopher Stuph and David
Linch, returned to procure ammunition and for oilier
])urposes." These were left in charge of the camp.
One of the Linch men was taken sick "with shingles,"



The '"Loxg Hunters" 11

and Isaac Bledsoe went with him to the settlenu-nt.
The other three men were left in charge of the canio.
They were discovered Ijv the Indians, who attacked
tlieni and captured Stoph and Allen. Haywood says
"Hughes escaped and met the rest of the company re-
turning to camp." As the name of Hughes does not
appear in the list of those who were left at the camp,
this must be an error, it should have been Linch. It
was two or three months before the men who had
gone to the settlement returned, and the attack by the
Indians must have been made soon after they had de-
parted. The camp was not plundered, there was noth-
ing missing but some meat, which it was supposed the
dogs left at the camp had eaten. The dogs remained
at the camp, where they Vv'ere found b}' the hunters
C'U their return, "but were quite wild, as they had not
seen a human being for two or three months."

Soon after returning to camp the party traveled on
ib.rough the forest to the southwest and fixed their
cam]) at a place to which they gave the name Station
Camp creek, which it has retained to this day. There
tliey remained from 'Mux. 1772, to August of the same
year, himting and exploring the country. It was from
nKiTilxrs of this party that several geographical locali-