1784

by James Taylor, per Dr. D’l Drake, Dec. 1838, Newport, Ky.   Mrs. Taylor was born about 16 miles from Richmond, Virginia, came to this country in the fall of 1784, through the wilderness.  Her step-father, Capt. J. R. Farrar (sp?) settled about 4 miles north of Lexington, where he died.  All their goods were brought on jack horses; they were about one month on the road.   About the middle of the wilderness they were overtaken by a party of 12 or 15 persons after they had taken up camp.  The party appeared to be determined to go on further and encamp.  They were advised to encamp with the large party, on account of safety.  They, however, pushed on and camped about one mile in advance.  The Indians that night rushed on them, killed and scalped the greater part of the party.  There was a man and his wife who had two children.  The woman came to the camp they had passed in the course of the night with an infant in her arms.  The other child was killed.  Her husband took that end of the road leading to Kentucky and each thought the other children were killed.  The wife with the infant came with the party and found her husband.  Mrs. Taylor was horror-struck the next day when they came to up to the massacred camp.  The dead were buried as well as they could under the circumstances of the case.  Mrs. Taylor, with her then husband, Maj. David Leitch, visited [illegible] in 1791 and her intended home on Licking, returned to the mouth of Kentucky and passed through the woods to Frankfort, when it was considered very dangerous.  Major Leitch removed to Leitch’s Station in May, 1792, where he resided until his death in November, 1794.    

Excerpted from the Whitley Papers, which are a part of the Draper Manuscripts. 9CC71a