A Tragedy near Triadelphia in 1777--Recollections of the Grist family.

With the advance guard that led the "Star of Empire" to this region on its westward way, was a family that settled, in the neighborhood of Triadelphia, by the name of Grist--not Grice, as it is incorrectly written in De Hass's History (and Indian Wars of Western Virginia (Wheeling 1851)).  In the year 1777--almost a centry ago--this family, with others in the vicinity, was gathered for safety from the indians to Shepherd's Fort, which occupied the site of the late residence of Mrs. Cruger at Elm Grove.

After the seige of Fort Henry (Wheeling) of that year had been raised--owing to the severe losses in its defense two of the killed being members of the Shepherd family--it was determined to abandon Shepherd's fort in order to strenghen the more important one at the mouth of the creek.  They determined, also, to send the non-combatant members of their families to Redstone (Brownsville) for greater security.  The Grist family was not satisfied with this arrangement and foolishly determined to go back to their "improvement."  They accordingly set out with that intention, the family consisting of two parents and five children.  Their movements were observed by a party of indians, eleven in number, who were watching the fort from the hills, and stealthily followed them to a point a short distance below Triadelphia, when they suddenly attacked them.  The two daughters were "scalped" and left for dead.  The eldest boy, John, aged about fifteen, and rather small of his years, but quite active, "took to his heels", and, after an exciting race was captured within the present village limits of Triadelphia.  The admiration excited by his display of muscle and pluck, about the only qualities his captors could appreciate, doubtless led them to spare his life.

It is not very clear to this writer what became of the other members of the family.  Early records of this affair are very meager, and the facts are becoming quite dim in the memory of the few centurians that still linger with us who were conversant with them in youth, but it seems pretty certain that they were not all killed, as some accounts say.

The younger daughter had her skull fractured by a stroke with a warclub.  It was "trepaned" by Dr. Moore, of Catfish (Washington).  She recovered, and afterwards became the wife of Captain Jolly, "a well known citizen of Ohio."  She said the man that scalped her had blue eyes and light hair.  The other, a married daughter, was hurriedly buried near the spot of the tragedy, where she still sleeps in her bloody grave that "No funeral rites or prayers has blessed," and no stone or other mark shows its exact location.

John escaped eleven years afterward to a fort in Kentucky, whither he had accompanied a party of indians on a horse stealing expedition.  He returned to his former home and resumed civilized life.  He was an inoffensive man, but his intellect nearly perished.  He was of the unconscious victim of much rude fun for the "roughs" of the neighborhood.  He was noted for telling improbably stories.  According to one of his stories he had once jumped the Ohio river, after a race of ten miles, with a keg of whisky on his back, lighting in to the knees on a rock.  He died in Belmont County, Ohio, at an advanced age.  Peace to his ashes. 

W.C.S. - Ohio Co. N Va - April 24, 1874

 (This article was found in a chest after my Grandmother Hazel Hill Livingood passed away in 1971.  The copy is old, yellow and fragile.  I have no idea who the initials are or who typed it up - further investigation on the article should turn it up.)