Memoir of Robert Witherspoon 1730s.

Alert By Andrew Knez Jnr.

 Memoir of  Robert Witherspoon, A Scots-Irish family settles

in South Carolina in the 1730s.

 We were then put on board an open boat with tools and a years provision and one still mill for each family. They allowed each person over sixteen one ax, a broad ax, one narrow hoe. Our provisions consisted of indian corn, rice, wheaten flour, beef,  pork, rum and salt we were much distressed in this part of our passage as it was the dead of winter and we were exposed to the inclemency of the weather day and night and what added to the grief of all pious persons on board was the Atheistical blasphemous mouths of our patrons they brought us up as far as Potatoe Ferry on Black River, about twenty miles from Georgetown and turned us on shore where we lay in Samuel Commander’s barn for some time while the boat wrought her way up as far as the king’s tree with the goods and provision.

The boat that brought up the goods arrived at the Kingstree. The people were much oppressed in bringing their things as there was no horse there, they were obliged to toil hard, as they had no other way but to carry them on their back. The goods consisted of their bed-clothing chests provision tools post &c. [etc. At that time there were no roads every family had to travel the best they could, which was double distance to some for their only guides were swamps and branches. After a time the men got sufficient knowledge of the woods as to blaze paths, so the people learned to follow blazes from place to place.

As the winter season advanced there was but a short time for preparing land for planting — but the people were strong and healthy All that could do anything wrought diligently and continued clearing and planting as long as the season would admit. So they made provisions for that year. Their beasts were few and as the range was good there was no need of feeding creatures for some time to come.

The first thing my father brought from the boat was the gun[,] one of queen Anne’s muskets,  loaded with swan shot. One morning while we were at breakfast a travelling oppossum on his way passed the door. My mother screamed out there is a great bear we hid behind some barrels at the other end of our hut Father got his gun and steedied it on the fork that held up the end of the hut and shot him about the hinder parts which caused poor opossum to grin and open his mouth in a frightful manner. Father having mislaid his shot could not give it a second bout, but at last ventured out and killed it with a pail.

Another thing which gave us great alarm was the Indians when they came to hunt in the spring they were great in numbers and in all places like the Egyptian locast but they were not hurtful. Besides these things we had a great deal of trouble and hardships in our first settling, but the few inhabitants were favored with health and strength. We were also much oppressed with fear on divers other accounts, especially of being massacred by the Indians, or bit by snakes, or torn by wild beasts, or of being lost and perishing in the woods, of whom there were three persons who were never found.

Women In Colonial America PDF.

http://www.dlt.ncssm.edu/lmtm/docs/women_col_am/script.pdf

A digital portrait of Colonial life.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/11/a-digital-portrait-of-colonial-life/

Colonial America In The 18th Century. PDF.

Art By John Buxton.

http://www.asdk12.org/staff/bivins_rick/HOMEWORK/230028_ColonialLife.pdf

Settlements and Indian Wars of the Western Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, 1763-1783.

"Our clothing was all of domestic manufacture. We had no other resource for

clothing, and this, indeed, was a poor one. The crops of flax often failed, and the

sheep were destroyed by the wolves. Linsey, which is made of flax and wool, the

former the chain and the latter the filling, was the warmest and most substantial

cloth we could make. Almost every house contained a loom, and almost every

woman was a weaver.

"Every family tanned their own leather. The tan vat was a large trough sunk to the

upper edge in the ground. A quantity of bark was easily obtained every spring, in

clearing and fencing the land. This, after drying, was brought in and in wet days was

shaved and pounded on a block of wood, with an axe or mallet. Ashes was [sic] used in place of lime for taking off the hair. Bears' oil, hog's lard and tallow, answered the

place of fish oil. The leather, to be sure, was coarse; but it was substantially good.

The operation of currying was performed by a drawing knife with its edge fumed,

after the manner of a currying knife. The blacking for the leather was made of soot

and hog's lard.

"Almost every family contained its own tailors and shoemakers. Those who could not

make shoes, could make shoepacks. These, like moccasons [sic], were made of a

single piece of leather with the exception of a tongue piece on the top of the foot.

This was about two inches broad and circular at the lower end. To this the main piece

of leather was sewed, with a gathering stitch. The seam behind was like that of a

moccason [sic]. To the shoepack a sole was sometimes added. The women did the

tailor work. They could all cut out and make hunting shirts, leggins and drawers."

Reverend Joseph Doddridge, Notes on the Settlements and Indian Wars of the Western Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, 1763-1783.

Colonial House. 17th Century life. Video.

NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY OF WILLIAM BIGGS. Part 8.

http://hystoracle.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/white-women-in-history-part-ii.html

The next morning after breakfast, they all left that camp; they put all their property into a large perouge and moved by water up the Wabash river to the old Kickapoo trading town, about ten miles from their sugar camp; they sent me by land and one Indian with me. When we had got about half way to the town, we met with a young Frenchman; his name was Ebart; I was very well acquainted with him in the Illinois country; he spoke tolerably good English. The Indian then left me, and I went on to the

town with the young Frenchman; I got to the town before the Indians arrived with their perouge, and the young Frenchman showed me their cabin, and told me to stay there until they would come, that they would be there in a few minutes. I there met with an English trader, a very friendly man, whose name was John McCauslin; he was from the north of England; we made some little acquaintance. He was a Freemason and

appeared very sorry for my misfortune and told me he would do everything in his power to befriend me and told me I was with good Indians, they would not hurt me. He inquired of me where I lived and asked if I had a family. He then told me of the circumstance of the Indians killing one of their own men that day they caught me. He said it was a fact, he was a bad Indian and would not obey the commands of his captain and that he was still determined to kill me. My Indian family soon arrived and

cleared up their cabin and got their family ready. They were a smart, neat and cleanly family, kept their cabin very nice and clean, the same as white women, and cooked their victuals very nice. After dinner wasover, there came four Indians in the old chief's cabin. Two of them werethe old chief's brother's children. They appeared to be in a very fine

humor. I did not know but that they belonged to the same family and town. They had not been there more than one hour, until the old chief and the four Indians sat down on the floor in the cabin and had a long discourse about an hour and a half. Then all got up. The old chief then told me I must go with those Indians. I told him I did not want to go.

He then told me I must go; that they were his children and that they were very good Indians; they would not hurt me. Then the old chief gave me to the oldest brother, in place of his father who was killed about one year before by the white people; he was one of their chiefs. Then the four Indians started off and I with them; they went down to the

lower end of the town and stopped at an Indian cabin and got some bread and meat to eat. They gave me some. I did not go into the Indian cabin. They had not been in the cabin more than ten or twelve minutes before the old chief's young squaw came up and stood at the door. She would not go in. I discovered the Indians laughing and plaguing her. She looked in a very ill humor; she did not want them to take me away. They

immediately started from the cabin and took a tolerably large path that led into the woods in a pretty smart trot. The squaw started immediately after them. They would look back once in a while, and when they would see the squaw coming they would whoop, hollow and laugh. When they got out of sight of the squaw they stopped running and traveled in a moderate walk. When we got about three miles from the town, they stopped

where a large tree had fallen by the side of the path and laid high off

the ground. They got up high on the log and looked back to see if the

squaw was coming. When the squaw came up she stopped and they began to plague her and laugh at her. They spoke in English. They talked very vulgar to the squaw. She soon began to cry. When they got tired plaguing her, they jumped off the log and started on their road in a trot, and I ran with them. The squaw stood still till we got most out of sight. They would look back and laugh and sometimes hollow and whoop, and appeared

to be very much diverted. They did not run very far before they slackened in their runnings. They then walked moderately until they got to their town, which was three miles further from the tree they stopped at. We got into their town about one hour and a half before the sun set.

That same evening the squaw came in about half an hour after we arrived. I met with a young man that evening who had been taken prisoner about eighteen months before I was taken. His name was Nicholas Coonse (a Dutchman), then about 19 years of age. He heard I was coming, and he came to meet me a little way out of town. He was very glad to see me and I to see him, and we soon made up acquaintance. Coonse and myself were

to live in one cabin together. The two brothers that I was given up to, one of them claimed Coonse and the other claimed me. They both lived in the same cabin. When the squaw arrived, she came immediately to our cabin and stood outside at the door; she would not come in. I noticed the Indians plaguing and laughing at her; she looked very serious. About sunset, Coonse asked me if I wanted a wife. (He could not speak very

good English, but he could speak pretty good Indian.) I told him no. He then told me if I wanted one I could have one. I asked him how he knew that. He said, "There is a squaw that wants to marry you," pointing at her. I told him I reckoned not. He says, "Yes. Indeed, she tus; she came after you a purpose to marry you." I told Coonse I had a wife, and I did not want another one. He says, "O, well, if you want her you can haf her." She stood by the door for some time after dark. I did not know when she went away; she said two days and three nights before she returned home. I never spoke a word to her while she was there. She was a very handsome girl, about 18 years of age, a beautiful, full figure and handsomely featured, and very white for a squaw. She was almost as

white as dark complexioned white women generally are. Her father and mother were very white skinned Indians.

Olive Oatman, 19th century Indian captive.

NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY OF WILLIAM BIGGS. Part 7

We traveled

about ten miles that evening before we reached the place they resided.

They were then living at a sugar camp, where they had made sugar that

spring, on the west bank of the Wabash, about ten miles below the old

Kickapoos' trading town, opposite to the Weawes town. We arrived at

their sugar camp about two hours in the night. They then gave me to an

old Kickapoo chief, who was the father of the Indian that carried the

gun, and the squaw, and the father-in-law of the funny Indian. The old

chief soon began to inquire of me where I lived, and where the Indians

caught me. I told him. He then asked me if they did not kill an Indian

when they took me prisoner. I told him no, there was no body with me but

one man and he had no gun. He then asked me again, if the Indians did

not kill one of their own men when they took me. I told him I did not

know; the captain told me they did, but I did not see them kill him. The

old chief then told me that it was true, they did kill him, and said he

was a bad Indian, he wanted to kill me. By this time the young squaw,

the daughter of the old chief, whom I traveled in company with that

evening, had prepared a good supper for me; it was hominy beat in a

mortar, as white and as handsome as I ever saw, and well cooked; she

fried some dried meat, pounded very fine in a mortar, in oil, then

sprinkled sugar very plentifully over it. I ate very hearty; indeed, it

was all very good and well cooked. When I was done eating, the old

chief told me to eat more. I told him I had eat enough. He said no, if I

did not eat more I could not live. Then the young squaw handed me a

tincupful of water, sweetened with sugar. It relished very well. Then

the old chief began to make further inquiries. He asked me if I had a

wife and family. I told him I had a wife and three children. The old

chief then appeared to be very sorry for my misfortune, and told me that

I was among good Indians, I need not fear, they would not hurt me, and

after awhile I should go home to my family; that I should go down the

Wabash to Opost, from there down to the Ohio, then down the Ohio, and

then up the Mississippi to Kaskaskia. We sat up until almost midnight;

the old chief appeared very friendly indeed. The young squaw had

prepared a very good bed for me, with bearskins and blankets. I laid

down and slept very comfortably that night. It appeared as though I had

got into another world, after being confined and tied down with so many

ropes and the loss of sleep nine nights. I remained in bed pretty late

next morning. I felt quite easy in mind, but my wrists and legs pained

me very much and felt very sore. The young squaw had her breakfast

prepared and I eat very hearty. When breakfast was over this funny

Indian came over and took me to his cabin, about forty yards from the

old chief's. There were none living at that place then but the old

chief, his wife and daughter. They lived by themselves in one cabin and

the old chief's son and son-in-law and their wives in another cabin, and

a widow squaw, the old chief's daughter, lived by herself in a cabin

adjoining her brother and brother-in-law. None of them had any children

but the old chief. A few minutes after I went into this funny Indian's

cabin he asked me if I wanted to shave. I told him yes, my beard was

very long. He then got a razor and gave it to me. It was a very good

one. I told him it wanted strapping. He went and brought his shot-pouch

strap. He held one end and I the other end. I gave the razor a few

passes on the strap, and found the razor to be a very good one. By this

time the old chief's young squaw had come over; she immediately prepared

some hot water for me to shave, and brought it in a tincup and gave it

to me, and a piece of very good shaving soap. By the time I was done

shaving the young squaw had prepared some clean water in a pewter basin

for me to wash, and a cloth to wipe my hands and face. She then told me

to sit down on a bench; I did so. She got two very good combs, a coarse

and a fine one. It was then the fashion to wear long hair; my hair was

very long and very thick and very much matted and tangled; I traveled

without my hat or anything else on my head; that was the tenth day it

had not been combed. She combed out my hair very tenderly, and then took

the fine one and combed and looked over my head nearly one hour. She

then went to a trunk and got a ribbon and queued my hair very nicely.

The old chief's son then gave me a very good regimental blue cloth coat,

faced with yellow buff-colored cloth. The son-in-law gave me a very good

beaver macaroni hat. These they had taken from some officers they had

killed. Then the widow squaw took me into her cabin and gave me a new

ruffled shirt and a very good blanket. They told me to put them on; I

did so. When I had got my fine dress on, the funny Indian told me to

walk across the floor. I knew they wanted to have a little fun. I put my

arms akimbo with my hands on my hips, and walked with a very proud air

three or four times backwards and forwards across the floor. The funny

Indian said in Indian that I was a very handsome man and a big captain.

I then sat down, and they viewed me very much, and said I had a very

handsome leg and thigh, and began to tell how fast I ran when the

Indians caught me, and showed how I ran--like a bird flying. They

appeared to be very well pleased with me, and I felt as comfortable as

the nature of the case would admit of.

NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY OF WILLIAM BIGGS. Part 6.

Mohawk prisoner halter. Found in 1746.

The tenth day we traveled five or six miles in the morning. We got within a quarter of a mile of a new town, on the west bank of the Wabash river, where those warriors resided, about nine o'clock, and made a halt at a running branch of water, where the timber was very thick, so that they could conceal themselves from the view of the town. Then they

washed themselves all over and dressed themselves with paint of different colors. They made me wash, then they painted me and said I was a Kickapoo. Then they cut a pole and pealed it, painted it different colors and stuck the big end in the ground, and cleared a ring around the pole for to dance in. 

The fifth night they cut a lock of hair out of the crown of my head about as thick as my finger, plaited it elegantly and put it in their conjuring bag, and hung that bag on the pole they contemplated dancing around, and said that was their prisoner, and I was a Kickapoo, and must dance with them. When they all got ready to dance, the captain gave three very loud halloes, then walked into the ring and the rest all followed him. They placed me the third next to the captain; they then began to sing and dance. When we had danced about half an hour, I saw several old men, boys and squaws come running to where we were dancing. When there were a considerable number of them collected, the captain stepped out of the ring and spoke to the squaws. He told them to carry his and the other warriors' budgets to the town; the captain then joined the other warriors and me in the dancing ring; he marched in the front and we danced and sung all the way from there into the town. Some of the old Indian warriors marched upon each side of us, and at times would sing and dance until we got into their town. We

continued dancing until we got through the town to the war-post, which stood on the west bank of the Wabash river; danced round that about twenty minutes; they then marched into the town, took all the cords off me, and showed me a cabin, told me to go in there, they were good Indians, they would give me something to eat; I need not fear, as they would not hurt me. I accordingly went in, where I received a plenty to eat and was treated very kindly. The warriors went into other cabins and feasted very greedily. We had not eat anything that morning nor the night before. 

About one hour and a half before the sun set the same evening, the warriors went out to the war-post again to dance. They took me with them; several other Indians were present. They had danced about half an hour when I saw two Indian men and a squaw riding a horseback across the Wabash river, from the east side; they came to where we were dancing. One of the Indians had a handkerchief tied around his head and was carrying a gun; the other had a cocked hat on his head, and had a large sword. The warriors never let on that they saw them, but continued dancing about fifteen minutes. After the two Indians and squaw came up the warriors quit dancing, and went to them and shook hands; they appeared very glad to see each other. The captain of the warriors then talked with them about half an hour, and appeared to be very serious in their conversation. The captain then told me I must go with them two Indians and squaw. The sun was just then setting; the two Indians looked very much pleased. I did not want to go with them, as I knew not where they were going, and would have rather remained with the warriors that took me, as I had got acquainted with them, but the captain told me I must go with the two Indians and squaw, and that they were very good Indians. The Indian that had the sword rode up to a stump and told me to get up behind him on his horse; I did so with great reluctance, as I knew not where they were going; they looked very much like warriors.

However, they started off very lively, and the Indian that I was riding behind began to plague and joke the squaw about me; she was his sister-in-law. He was an Indian that was full of life and very funny. When I got acquainted with him I was well pleased with him. 

NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY OF WILLIAM BIGGS. Part 2

The Indians discovered that something was the matter and saw me tumbling

down several times. I suppose they thought I was wounded and could run

no farther; they then set up the yell again and mended their gait

running. By the time I got my great coat loose from me, and was in the

act of pulling off my under coat, I was pulling off one sleeve I looked

back over my shoulder, but had not time to pull it off--the Indians

being within ten yards of me. I then started again to run, but could not

gain any ground on them, nor they on me; we ran about one hundred yards

farther and neither appeared to gain ground: there was a small pathway

that was a little nearer than to keep the big road,--I kept the big

road, the Indians took the path, and when we came where the path comes

into the big road the Indians were within three or four yards from

me--we ran forty or fifty steps farther and neither appeared to gain

ground. I expected every moment they would strike me with their

tomahawks--I thought it would not do to be killed running like a coward

and saw no other way to make my escape than to face about and to catch

the tomahawk from the first that attempted to strike me, and jerk it

from him, which I made no doubt but I was able to do; then I would have

a weapon to fight with as well as them, and by that means I would be

able to make my escape; they had thrown down their guns before they gave

me chase, but I had not fairly faced about before an Indian caught me by

the shoulder and held his tomahawk behind him and made no attempt to

strike me. I then thought it best for me not to make any resistance till

I would see whether he would attempt to strike me or not. He held me by

the shoulder till another came up and took hold of me, which was only

four or five moments; then a third Indian came up, the first Indian that

took hold of me took the handle of his tomahawk and rubbed it on my

shoulder and down my arm, which was a token that he would not kill me

and that I was his prisoner. Then they all took their hands off me and

stood around me. The fourth Indian came up and attempted to strike me,

but the first Indian that caught me pushed him away. He was still

determined to kill me, and tried to get around to my back; but I still

faced round as he was trying to get to my back--when he got up by my

side, he drew his tomahawk the second time to strike me, but the same

Indian pushed him off and scolded him very much--he let his tomahawk

hang by his side, but still intended to kill me if he could get an

opportunity. The other Indians watched him very closely. There were but

four Indians that gave me chase, they were all naked except their

breachcloth, leggins and moccasins. They then began to talk to me in

their own language, and said they were Kickapoos, that they were very

good Indians, and I need not be afraid, they would not hurt me, and I

was now a Kickapoo and must go with them, they would take me to the

Matocush, meaning a French trading town on the Wabash river. When the

Indians caught me I saw Mr. Vallis about one hundred yards before me on

the road--he had made a halt. They shot him in the left thigh about

seven or eight inches above the knee, the ball came out just below his

hip, his horse was not injured--he rode an elegant horse which carried

him out of all farther danger--his wound mortified, he lived six weeks

after he was wounded, then died. I understood their language, and could

speak a little. They then told me to march; an Indian took hold of each

of my arms, and led me back to where they shot at me, and then went

about half a mile further off the road, where they had encamped the

night before and left their blankets and other things. They then took

off my under coat and tied my hands behind my back, and then tied a rope

to that, tying about six or seven feet long, we then started in a great

hurry, and an Indian held one end of the rope while we were marching.

There were but eight Indians marched in company with me that morning

from the camp. The other eight took some other route, and never fell in

with us again, until some time after we got to their towns. We had

marched about three or four miles from that camp when Vallis arrived at

the fort, about six miles from where they caught me, where they fired a

swivel to alarm the people who were out of the fort--when the Indians

heard the swivel they were very much alarmed, and all looked that way

and hallowed yough, yough. They then commenced running, and run in a

pretty smart trot of a run for five or six miles before they halted, and

then walked very fast until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when they

separated, I supposed to hunt, having nothing to eat. The old chief and

one of the other Indians kept on a straight course with me, we traveled

about three miles, when we got a little way into a small prairie and

halted about fifteen minutes, there one of the party fell in with us, he

had killed a bear and brought as much of the meat with him as he could

carry. We then crossed the prairie and came to a large run about one

mile and a half from where we had halted to rest. By this time three

Indians had joined us. We halted there, made a fire and roasted the bear

meat, the other two Indians staid behind as spies. Whilst the meat was

cooking, the Indians held a council what they would do with the Indian

that wanted to kill me. He was a young fellow about 19 years of age and

of a different nation, being a Pottowatema. They did not want him to go

to war with them; they said he was a great coward and would not go into

danger till there was no risk to run, then he would run forward and get

the best of the plunder, and that he would not be commanded; he would do

as he pleased; was very selfish and stubborn; and was determined to kill

me if he could get a chance. They determined in their council to kill

him. 

Slaves - Life in Georgia and Carolina 1750. A Link.

18th Century American Women Blog.
http://b-womeninamericanhistory18.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/slaves-life-in-georgia-and-carolina-1750.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+18th-centuryAmericanWomen+(18th-century+American+Women)

A Frontier Celebration. Video.

18th Century Frontier Celebration from Charles Christos on Vimeo.

Puritan Family of New England. Video.

18th Century Virginia Planter Video.

Trail Food.

“I was Left behind at ye Camps, where they
was killing of Cattle and Laying in a Stock of Provissions,
for our Voyage, there manner of Curing
meate that they Design to keep any Considerable
time, is to Cut it in Large fletches, and Lay it over ye

fire, till it is So Smoakedryed, and Rosted, yt one
Cannot perceive any manner of moister in it, more
then in a Chip, this is ye Custom of both french. and
Indians, when they Design to Carrey their provisions
any Considerable Distance”.
The Pote Journal 1745.

Shell Horn For Warning Settlers of a Raid.

This shell horn was used in one of the forts to warn surrounding settlers of Indian Raids.

 Lebanon County Historical Society 18th century.

http://www.ldnews.com/columns/ci_20548961/our-story-early-settlers-indians-sometimes-clashed

Spring Scout on Salt Creek. A Link to Mad Anne's blog.

http://madannebailey.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/spring-scout-on-salt-creek.html

Period Items 3.

Period Items 2.

Winter Squash: A Staple Through the Cold Months. A Link.

These are the type we need to get, bell shaped pumpkins that keep better through winter. Well worth reading.

http://thehistoricfoodie.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/winter-squash-a-staple-through-the-cold-months/