BIOGRAPHY :
John See, the son of Frederick and Catherine See, was born in 1756-57, according to his own testimony that he was 75 in Sept 1832 in his Rev War pension. He was most likely born in Augusta Co, near the Jackson or Cowpasture River settlements since that is where his family fled after Indian attacks in the Greenbrier region during the summer of 1755. Soon after, the entire Greenbrier Valley had been abandoned due to Indian attacks in the area.
Toward the end of the French and Indian war, probably around 1761, the See and Yoakum families returned to their abandoned farms along Muddy Creek in the Greenbrier. But in July of 1763, the little settlement on Muddy Creek was unexpectedly attacked by the Shawnee, the men killed and the remainder of the family captured by Indians. John was only a small boy, about 6, held in his father's arms, when the Indians struck and killed his father with a tomahawk, the blood covering the child. "The blood of the father fell on the head and face of a little son,who was at the time fondling on him. The Indian not wishing to kill the boy, on seeing him so bloody, was fearful he might be hurt, took him up, carried him to the creek, and washed him, and found that he was safe." (Felix Renick)
From there, John, his mother, and See siblings, along with his Yoakum cousins, were marched across the mountains to the mouth of the Kanawha River where they were canoed across to Ohio territory, the land of the Shawnee.
Upon their arrival in the Indian towns, the families were broken up, the children separated and adopted into different families.
Within a year and a half after his capture, the British and colonial forces had defeated the Shawnee and their allies and, as part of the peace treaty with Col. Henry Bouquet, the British commander, were forced to return all of their captives.
They were taken to Ft. Pitt, Virginia to be returned home However, the youngest, John, escaped the first night of his release, rejoining his captors. John spent several more months with his captors until his Uncle Adam could again secure his release. Tradition is that John's behavior caused his aunt to throw her hands up in despair during her attempts to civilize him. Frederick See's widow is thought to have remarried, but nothing has been found to indicate she did or who to. Her whereabouts were unknown.
John was raised by his uncle Adam See after his father was killed in the Muddy Creek area. Reaching manhood he fought in and around Greenbrier County in 1775-76 against the Indians. Then in August 1776 he enlisted in the regular army for a term of one year. John See was a dedicated Revolutionary soldier. After he had served his year he re-enlisted again. This time he began serving three years under a Capt. Lapsely in the 12th Regiment of General Scott's troop which was later to join General Washington's army in the Battle of Brandywine.
When Washington took his 11,000 men, ragged and tired, to make winter quarters at Valley Forge, John was with him and he and many fellow soldiers remained loyal to Washington in spite of the many hardships. There were only about 1,000 blankets for 11,000 men to keep warm. Half the troops were without shoes, and the supply of food was always scarce. Malnutrition, pneumonia, inadequate clothing, and lack of the medical supplies needed for the wounded killed hundreds of men. John See survived through such difficulties and went on to fight in the "Battle of Germantown" near Philadelphia; he was in the "Battle of Stony Point" near Monmouth, New Jersey; and the last battle he served in, "Battle of Camden." After Camden he was finally discharged and returned home to the Greenbrier.
Returning from the war, John See married Margaret Jarrett. After their marriage John and Margaret was to settle down at the mouth of Kelly's Creek near Lowell, WV today. Most of their children were there before moving on Kanawha Valley in 1795.
They settled on Cabin Creek along the Kanawha River but in 1818, they and most of their grown children moved on to Indiana which was now open to settlement.
Documents indicated John and Margaret See left Virginia going to Indiana in 1818, first to Wayne County, then to Henry County.
When and where John and Margaret died has long been discussed as there are no records to confirm their deaths. According to Linda Nixon, Margaret See died in 1836 and John See died in 1837, others saying he died in 1845. Some say Peoria, Illinois is where he died, and others say Decatur County, Illinois, while others think Indiana. A document on file at the War Office Department states that John See of Koscuiski County, Indiana, appointed John Nugen to be his lawful attorney. But it didn't say how long if, John See lived there. Pension papers state that he received his last pension payment in January 1837, paid to son-in-law John Nugen in Wayne Co, IN.
John See, the son of Frederick and Catherine See, was born in 1756-57, according to his own testimony that he was 75 in Sept 1832 in his Rev War pension. He was most likely born in Augusta Co, near the Jackson or Cowpasture River settlements since that is where his family fled after Indian attacks in the Greenbrier region during the summer of 1755. Soon after, the entire Greenbrier Valley had been abandoned due to Indian attacks in the area.
Toward the end of the French and Indian war, probably around 1761, the See and Yoakum families returned to their abandoned farms along Muddy Creek in the Greenbrier. But in July of 1763, the little settlement on Muddy Creek was unexpectedly attacked by the Shawnee, the men killed and the remainder of the family captured by Indians. John was only a small boy, about 6, held in his father's arms, when the Indians struck and killed his father with a tomahawk, the blood covering the child. "The blood of the father fell on the head and face of a little son,who was at the time fondling on him. The Indian not wishing to kill the boy, on seeing him so bloody, was fearful he might be hurt, took him up, carried him to the creek, and washed him, and found that he was safe." (Felix Renick)
From there, John, his mother, and See siblings, along with his Yoakum cousins, were marched across the mountains to the mouth of the Kanawha River where they were canoed across to Ohio territory, the land of the Shawnee.
Upon their arrival in the Indian towns, the families were broken up, the children separated and adopted into different families.
Within a year and a half after his capture, the British and colonial forces had defeated the Shawnee and their allies and, as part of the peace treaty with Col. Henry Bouquet, the British commander, were forced to return all of their captives.
They were taken to Ft. Pitt, Virginia to be returned home However, the youngest, John, escaped the first night of his release, rejoining his captors. John spent several more months with his captors until his Uncle Adam could again secure his release. Tradition is that John's behavior caused his aunt to throw her hands up in despair during her attempts to civilize him. Frederick See's widow is thought to have remarried, but nothing has been found to indicate she did or who to. Her whereabouts were unknown.
John was raised by his uncle Adam See after his father was killed in the Muddy Creek area. Reaching manhood he fought in and around Greenbrier County in 1775-76 against the Indians. Then in August 1776 he enlisted in the regular army for a term of one year. John See was a dedicated Revolutionary soldier. After he had served his year he re-enlisted again. This time he began serving three years under a Capt. Lapsely in the 12th Regiment of General Scott's troop which was later to join General Washington's army in the Battle of Brandywine.
When Washington took his 11,000 men, ragged and tired, to make winter quarters at Valley Forge, John was with him and he and many fellow soldiers remained loyal to Washington in spite of the many hardships. There were only about 1,000 blankets for 11,000 men to keep warm. Half the troops were without shoes, and the supply of food was always scarce. Malnutrition, pneumonia, inadequate clothing, and lack of the medical supplies needed for the wounded killed hundreds of men. John See survived through such difficulties and went on to fight in the "Battle of Germantown" near Philadelphia; he was in the "Battle of Stony Point" near Monmouth, New Jersey; and the last battle he served in, "Battle of Camden." After Camden he was finally discharged and returned home to the Greenbrier.
Returning from the war, John See married Margaret Jarrett. After their marriage John and Margaret was to settle down at the mouth of Kelly's Creek near Lowell, WV today. Most of their children were there before moving on Kanawha Valley in 1795.
They settled on Cabin Creek along the Kanawha River but in 1818, they and most of their grown children moved on to Indiana which was now open to settlement.
Documents indicated John and Margaret See left Virginia going to Indiana in 1818, first to Wayne County, then to Henry County.
When and where John and Margaret died has long been discussed as there are no records to confirm their deaths. According to Linda Nixon, Margaret See died in 1836 and John See died in 1837, others saying he died in 1845. Some say Peoria, Illinois is where he died, and others say Decatur County, Illinois, while others think Indiana. A document on file at the War Office Department states that John See of Koscuiski County, Indiana, appointed John Nugen to be his lawful attorney. But it didn't say how long if, John See lived there. Pension papers state that he received his last pension payment in January 1837, paid to son-in-law John Nugen in Wayne Co, IN.
BIOGRAPHY :
John See, the son of Frederick and Catherine See, was born in 1756-57, according to his own testimony that he was 75 in Sept 1832 in his Rev War pension. He was most likely born in Augusta Co, near the Jackson or Cowpasture River settlements since that is where his family fled after Indian attacks in the Greenbrier region during the summer of 1755. Soon after, the entire Greenbrier Valley had been abandoned due to Indian attacks in the area.
Toward the end of the French and Indian war, probably around 1761, the See and Yoakum families returned to their abandoned farms along Muddy Creek in the Greenbrier. But in July of 1763, the little settlement on Muddy Creek was unexpectedly attacked by the Shawnee, the men killed and the remainder of the family captured by Indians. John was only a small boy, about 6, held in his father's arms, when the Indians struck and killed his father with a tomahawk, the blood covering the child. "The blood of the father fell on the head and face of a little son,who was at the time fondling on him. The Indian not wishing to kill the boy, on seeing him so bloody, was fearful he might be hurt, took him up, carried him to the creek, and washed him, and found that he was safe." (Felix Renick)
From there, John, his mother, and See siblings, along with his Yoakum cousins, were marched across the mountains to the mouth of the Kanawha River where they were canoed across to Ohio territory, the land of the Shawnee.
Upon their arrival in the Indian towns, the families were broken up, the children separated and adopted into different families.
Within a year and a half after his capture, the British and colonial forces had defeated the Shawnee and their allies and, as part of the peace treaty with Col. Henry Bouquet, the British commander, were forced to return all of their captives.
They were taken to Ft. Pitt, Virginia to be returned home However, the youngest, John, escaped the first night of his release, rejoining his captors. John spent several more months with his captors until his Uncle Adam could again secure his release. Tradition is that John's behavior caused his aunt to throw her hands up in despair during her attempts to civilize him. Frederick See's widow is thought to have remarried, but nothing has been found to indicate she did or who to. Her whereabouts were unknown.
John was raised by his uncle Adam See after his father was killed in the Muddy Creek area. Reaching manhood he fought in and around Greenbrier County in 1775-76 against the Indians. Then in August 1776 he enlisted in the regular army for a term of one year. John See was a dedicated Revolutionary soldier. After he had served his year he re-enlisted again. This time he began serving three years under a Capt. Lapsely in the 12th Regiment of General Scott's troop which was later to join General Washington's army in the Battle of Brandywine.
When Washington took his 11,000 men, ragged and tired, to make winter quarters at Valley Forge, John was with him and he and many fellow soldiers remained loyal to Washington in spite of the many hardships. There were only about 1,000 blankets for 11,000 men to keep warm. Half the troops were without shoes, and the supply of food was always scarce. Malnutrition, pneumonia, inadequate clothing, and lack of the medical supplies needed for the wounded killed hundreds of men. John See survived through such difficulties and went on to fight in the "Battle of Germantown" near Philadelphia; he was in the "Battle of Stony Point" near Monmouth, New Jersey; and the last battle he served in, "Battle of Camden." After Camden he was finally discharged and returned home to the Greenbrier.
Returning from the war, John See married Margaret Jarrett. After their marriage John and Margaret was to settle down at the mouth of Kelly's Creek near Lowell, WV today. Most of their children were there before moving on Kanawha Valley in 1795.
They settled on Cabin Creek along the Kanawha River but in 1818, they and most of their grown children moved on to Indiana which was now open to settlement.
Documents indicated John and Margaret See left Virginia going to Indiana in 1818, first to Wayne County, then to Henry County.
When and where John and Margaret died has long been discussed as there are no records to confirm their deaths. According to Linda Nixon, Margaret See died in 1836 and John See died in 1837, others saying he died in 1845. Some say Peoria, Illinois is where he died, and others say Decatur County, Illinois, while others think Indiana. A document on file at the War Office Department states that John See of Koscuiski County, Indiana, appointed John Nugen to be his lawful attorney. But it didn't say how long if, John See lived there. Pension papers state that he received his last pension payment in January 1837, paid to son-in-law John Nugen in Wayne Co, IN.
John See, the son of Frederick and Catherine See, was born in 1756-57, according to his own testimony that he was 75 in Sept 1832 in his Rev War pension. He was most likely born in Augusta Co, near the Jackson or Cowpasture River settlements since that is where his family fled after Indian attacks in the Greenbrier region during the summer of 1755. Soon after, the entire Greenbrier Valley had been abandoned due to Indian attacks in the area.
Toward the end of the French and Indian war, probably around 1761, the See and Yoakum families returned to their abandoned farms along Muddy Creek in the Greenbrier. But in July of 1763, the little settlement on Muddy Creek was unexpectedly attacked by the Shawnee, the men killed and the remainder of the family captured by Indians. John was only a small boy, about 6, held in his father's arms, when the Indians struck and killed his father with a tomahawk, the blood covering the child. "The blood of the father fell on the head and face of a little son,who was at the time fondling on him. The Indian not wishing to kill the boy, on seeing him so bloody, was fearful he might be hurt, took him up, carried him to the creek, and washed him, and found that he was safe." (Felix Renick)
From there, John, his mother, and See siblings, along with his Yoakum cousins, were marched across the mountains to the mouth of the Kanawha River where they were canoed across to Ohio territory, the land of the Shawnee.
Upon their arrival in the Indian towns, the families were broken up, the children separated and adopted into different families.
Within a year and a half after his capture, the British and colonial forces had defeated the Shawnee and their allies and, as part of the peace treaty with Col. Henry Bouquet, the British commander, were forced to return all of their captives.
They were taken to Ft. Pitt, Virginia to be returned home However, the youngest, John, escaped the first night of his release, rejoining his captors. John spent several more months with his captors until his Uncle Adam could again secure his release. Tradition is that John's behavior caused his aunt to throw her hands up in despair during her attempts to civilize him. Frederick See's widow is thought to have remarried, but nothing has been found to indicate she did or who to. Her whereabouts were unknown.
John was raised by his uncle Adam See after his father was killed in the Muddy Creek area. Reaching manhood he fought in and around Greenbrier County in 1775-76 against the Indians. Then in August 1776 he enlisted in the regular army for a term of one year. John See was a dedicated Revolutionary soldier. After he had served his year he re-enlisted again. This time he began serving three years under a Capt. Lapsely in the 12th Regiment of General Scott's troop which was later to join General Washington's army in the Battle of Brandywine.
When Washington took his 11,000 men, ragged and tired, to make winter quarters at Valley Forge, John was with him and he and many fellow soldiers remained loyal to Washington in spite of the many hardships. There were only about 1,000 blankets for 11,000 men to keep warm. Half the troops were without shoes, and the supply of food was always scarce. Malnutrition, pneumonia, inadequate clothing, and lack of the medical supplies needed for the wounded killed hundreds of men. John See survived through such difficulties and went on to fight in the "Battle of Germantown" near Philadelphia; he was in the "Battle of Stony Point" near Monmouth, New Jersey; and the last battle he served in, "Battle of Camden." After Camden he was finally discharged and returned home to the Greenbrier.
Returning from the war, John See married Margaret Jarrett. After their marriage John and Margaret was to settle down at the mouth of Kelly's Creek near Lowell, WV today. Most of their children were there before moving on Kanawha Valley in 1795.
They settled on Cabin Creek along the Kanawha River but in 1818, they and most of their grown children moved on to Indiana which was now open to settlement.
Documents indicated John and Margaret See left Virginia going to Indiana in 1818, first to Wayne County, then to Henry County.
When and where John and Margaret died has long been discussed as there are no records to confirm their deaths. According to Linda Nixon, Margaret See died in 1836 and John See died in 1837, others saying he died in 1845. Some say Peoria, Illinois is where he died, and others say Decatur County, Illinois, while others think Indiana. A document on file at the War Office Department states that John See of Koscuiski County, Indiana, appointed John Nugen to be his lawful attorney. But it didn't say how long if, John See lived there. Pension papers state that he received his last pension payment in January 1837, paid to son-in-law John Nugen in Wayne Co, IN.
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