My 5g grandfather, William McCUNE is listed as one of the defender's of Ruddle's Station. He was taken prisoner by the British to Detroit (refer to Bourbon County, Ky. Complete Record Book, D/475 abstract by Ardery). At any rate, below is a story about my 6g uncle, James BELL Sr., son of Robert BELL. He had a rather harrowing experience with the Indians. Bob Francis
Name: Robert {1} BELL Birth Date: 1700 Birth Place: County Tyrone, Ireland Death Date: 1768 Death Place: Romney, Virginia Occupation: farmer
Father: ---?--- BELL Spouse: Agnes FLEMING Marriage Date: Circa 1737 Children: Margaret Fry {2} James {2} John {2} Robert {2} David {2} Samuel {2} Charles {2} Joseph {2} William {2} Jane "Jean" {2}
From an unnamed newspaper article: "W. J. Winstein of Academy street furnished the following interesting story of the early settlers in the Chartiers Valley. The paper was presented to Mr. Winstein by descendants of Robert Bell, Sr., and for a number of years was stored away in an old trunk, where it was recently found. The Bells were the first settlers in the Chartiers Valley, staking out a claim in what is now known as Rosslyn, in 1768. Many descendants of the original settlers are still living in this vicinity. The paper follows: "Robert Bell, Sr., of Tyrone, Ireland, and wife, of Edinburgh, Scotland, located four miles from Romney, Va., on the south branch of the Potomic river, in the seventeenth century. Mr. Bell had many narrow escapes from the Indians of that forest. In company with two other young men, named Vaughan and Scisson, one day Robert Bell was in search of strayed horses, when the party was surprised by an Indian ambushcade on a branch of __augherty Run, Va. Vaughan was killed, a savage threw his tomahawk at Bell and wounded him. Scisson turned on his horse and fled. After the fight Mr. Bell was able to get on his horse, but he only went a short distance when he fell off. Mr. Bell's horse arrived home before Scisson did and a party at once was formed to search for Bell. The party met Scisson at the Ohio river and he related what had happened to Mr. Bell.
They supposed he was dead and returned to their homes. Within a week later they found Bell at Ft. Pitt, his wounds dressed by Dr. Knight, who figured conspicuously at the burning of Crawford. Mr. Bell served in the expedition of 1754, during the French and Indian War, and was among the number who accompanied General George Washington on his first trip on the Ka_awha. General Washington made a note in one of his diaries of those who accompanied him in his canoe. "Mr. and Mrs. Bell had eight sons and two daughters. James Bell, Sr., the oldest, was born in 1751. When he was a small lad of ten years, his father went to Patterson Fort for a wagon load of wood. James and his brother went along, their father wanted them to gather wood while he was hauling some home. The two boys were busy gathering wood when the Indians attacked them. They caught James but his brother ran and the Indians shot at him and he fell under a log, the Indians thinking he was dead; he was not hurt, however, and later went home and told that James was captured. The Indians took James to Indiana and kept him there till he was returned by treaty. When his father went after him he took two horses that James might ride home. When they met, James got on the horse but had ridden only a short distance when he saw a woman and some children who were also set free. James dismounted, letting the woman ride. "When he arrived home it was at night. His mother, hearing the wooden latch lift with a string, called: 'Is that you, James?' and his father answered, yes. It was a joyful meeting. James had many stories to relate of his capture. Among them, was that when the Indians took him the Ohio river they made a canoe and put him in it and they had nothing to eat save what they called 'cush meat.' He always claimed they crossed into Pennsylvania and came through Chartiers Valley, near Chartier's Creek. He told how they would have two lines of Indians and would make him run between the lines. And of an old Indian squaw who would be angry if they struck him, but he was a fast runner and did not get struck often. They pulled all his hair out of the top of his head and put rings in his ears. After he had been with them awhile the Indians got very friendly with him and when he left the old Indian squaw cried.
From Encyclopedia of Biography Vol. VII Pages 2540-41, by John L. Jordan, LLD, N.Y. Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1916: " Their son, James age fourteen was taken prisoner by the Indians and held for several years until he was returned as a consequence of a treaty."
Believe James Bell was an ancestor.He was Born 1740 in Ireland and was captured by the Delaware in 1753. He was freed in 1757. Served in the Revolutuionary War, Lived to be 96 years old. Thomas W. Jacobs
Sources: Simms, Frontiersman of New York, 1883 The Andrustown Massacre, Mrs Marshall Hatch in Stories of Andrustown, Helen Roosevelt Robinson. Richfield Springs, NY Mercury March 6, 1880
During the American Revolution, Andrustown was a settlement of German families about 2 miles north of the present village of Jordonville, Herkimer County, NY. After the battle of Oriskany, the families sought refuge in Fort Herkimer about 8 miles to the north. They did venture out from time to time to plant and tend their crops.
On one of these trips on July 18, 1778, they were surprised by a raiding party of Indians and Tories. Richard Bell, a boy about 8 years old was take captive. Both his father and grandfather Frederick Bell Junior and Senior were killed. His mother Dorothy and younger brother Adam escaped by hiding in the forest and made it back to the fort. Richard was taken to Canada and adopted by an Indian family. It was ten years before he was reunited with his mother. Because of a scar on his chest from a wound recieved in infancy, his mother was able to make a positive identification. Richard lived with his mother, but the traits of the Indians never left him. He would gladly exchange his white man's clothes fo the Indian costume and take himself to the woods to hunt and fish. He could not adapt himself to the civilized life, and became melancholy, soon sickened and died. -- Larry Perkins larry.a.perkins@lmco.com