Family legend has it that Elizabeth and her mother were kidnapped by Indians. The following early telling of the story was in a letter from Mary Williamson Bradley to Howard Kimmel. Mary was the daughter of Joan (Pyle) and Frederick Williamson, granddaughter of Jack and Sarah (Wells) Pyle, great-granddaughter of Lewis and Elizabeth (Bates) Wells.
"...It must have been about the time of the Revolution that little Elizabeth Bates was stolen by the Indians. She was 12, the oldest of five children. Her parents had gone to a clear spot in the South Carolina wilderness where they had raised a crop. The group was preparing to return to the settlement, fearing an Indian attack. The father was helping the mother mount a horse when a war whoop broke the stillness.
Mrs. Bates begged her husband and neighbor to run. the women and children were taken prisoners. In camp, in the evening, some of the tribe brought in scalps. Elizabeth knew by the color of the hair and the bloody clothes that her father and his helper had met their deaths.
A little baby brother was born after that. then the Indians continued to retreat with their captives and in attempting to ford the swollen Roanoke River, the baby was drowned. The rest of the family were prisoners about a year.
Finally the whites and Indians exchanged prisoners and the Bates family went back to the home settlement."
Source: Perry Co., Illinois web-site
Note: If Elizabeth was about twelve years old at the time of her capture by Indians, she was most likely taken about 1762. This coincides with the Cherokee War in South Carolina.
∼Child of Thomas Wells and Susannah Cole is:
i. Lewis4 Wells, born 1750 in Greenville County, South Carolina; died August 12, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.He married Elizabeth Bates 1771 in Greenville County, South Carolina; born 1750 in Virginia; died October 04, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.
Lewis and Elizabeth were the parents of 11 children:
Lewis Jr., Thomas Bates, Susan, Elijah, Martha Ann (Williams), Sarah (Pyle), Kiziah (McElvain), Mary (Pyle), Elizabeth Bates (Winters), Joseph and Giles.
SURNAMES
McELVAIN, Kiziah [WELLS]
PYLE, Mary [WELLS]
PYLE, Sarah [WELLS]
WELLS, Thomas
WELLS, Susannah [COLE]GAMBLIN WELLS
WELLS, Lewis
WELLS, Lewis, Jr.
WELLS, Thomas Bates
WELLS, Susan
WELLS, Elijah
WELLS, Martha Ann married WILLIAMS
WELLS, Sarah married PYLE
WELLS, Kiziah married McELVAIN
WELLS, Mary married PYLE
WELLS, Elizabeth Bates married WINTERS
WELLS, Joseph
WELLS, Giles
WILLIAMS, Martha Ann [WELLS]
"...It must have been about the time of the Revolution that little Elizabeth Bates was stolen by the Indians. She was 12, the oldest of five children. Her parents had gone to a clear spot in the South Carolina wilderness where they had raised a crop. The group was preparing to return to the settlement, fearing an Indian attack. The father was helping the mother mount a horse when a war whoop broke the stillness.
Mrs. Bates begged her husband and neighbor to run. the women and children were taken prisoners. In camp, in the evening, some of the tribe brought in scalps. Elizabeth knew by the color of the hair and the bloody clothes that her father and his helper had met their deaths.
A little baby brother was born after that. then the Indians continued to retreat with their captives and in attempting to ford the swollen Roanoke River, the baby was drowned. The rest of the family were prisoners about a year.
Finally the whites and Indians exchanged prisoners and the Bates family went back to the home settlement."
Source: Perry Co., Illinois web-site
Note: If Elizabeth was about twelve years old at the time of her capture by Indians, she was most likely taken about 1762. This coincides with the Cherokee War in South Carolina.
∼Child of Thomas Wells and Susannah Cole is:
i. Lewis4 Wells, born 1750 in Greenville County, South Carolina; died August 12, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.He married Elizabeth Bates 1771 in Greenville County, South Carolina; born 1750 in Virginia; died October 04, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.
Lewis and Elizabeth were the parents of 11 children:
Lewis Jr., Thomas Bates, Susan, Elijah, Martha Ann (Williams), Sarah (Pyle), Kiziah (McElvain), Mary (Pyle), Elizabeth Bates (Winters), Joseph and Giles.
SURNAMES
McELVAIN, Kiziah [WELLS]
PYLE, Mary [WELLS]
PYLE, Sarah [WELLS]
WELLS, Thomas
WELLS, Susannah [COLE]GAMBLIN WELLS
WELLS, Lewis
WELLS, Lewis, Jr.
WELLS, Thomas Bates
WELLS, Susan
WELLS, Elijah
WELLS, Martha Ann married WILLIAMS
WELLS, Sarah married PYLE
WELLS, Kiziah married McELVAIN
WELLS, Mary married PYLE
WELLS, Elizabeth Bates married WINTERS
WELLS, Joseph
WELLS, Giles
WILLIAMS, Martha Ann [WELLS]
Family legend has it that Elizabeth and her mother were kidnapped by Indians. The following early telling of the story was in a letter from Mary Williamson Bradley to Howard Kimmel. Mary was the daughter of Joan (Pyle) and Frederick Williamson, granddaughter of Jack and Sarah (Wells) Pyle, great-granddaughter of Lewis and Elizabeth (Bates) Wells.
"...It must have been about the time of the Revolution that little Elizabeth Bates was stolen by the Indians. She was 12, the oldest of five children. Her parents had gone to a clear spot in the South Carolina wilderness where they had raised a crop. The group was preparing to return to the settlement, fearing an Indian attack. The father was helping the mother mount a horse when a war whoop broke the stillness.
Mrs. Bates begged her husband and neighbor to run. the women and children were taken prisoners. In camp, in the evening, some of the tribe brought in scalps. Elizabeth knew by the color of the hair and the bloody clothes that her father and his helper had met their deaths.
A little baby brother was born after that. then the Indians continued to retreat with their captives and in attempting to ford the swollen Roanoke River, the baby was drowned. The rest of the family were prisoners about a year.
Finally the whites and Indians exchanged prisoners and the Bates family went back to the home settlement."
Source: Perry Co., Illinois web-site
Note: If Elizabeth was about twelve years old at the time of her capture by Indians, she was most likely taken about 1762. This coincides with the Cherokee War in South Carolina.
∼Child of Thomas Wells and Susannah Cole is:
i. Lewis4 Wells, born 1750 in Greenville County, South Carolina; died August 12, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.He married Elizabeth Bates 1771 in Greenville County, South Carolina; born 1750 in Virginia; died October 04, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.
Lewis and Elizabeth were the parents of 11 children:
Lewis Jr., Thomas Bates, Susan, Elijah, Martha Ann (Williams), Sarah (Pyle), Kiziah (McElvain), Mary (Pyle), Elizabeth Bates (Winters), Joseph and Giles.
SURNAMES
McELVAIN, Kiziah [WELLS]
PYLE, Mary [WELLS]
PYLE, Sarah [WELLS]
WELLS, Thomas
WELLS, Susannah [COLE]GAMBLIN WELLS
WELLS, Lewis
WELLS, Lewis, Jr.
WELLS, Thomas Bates
WELLS, Susan
WELLS, Elijah
WELLS, Martha Ann married WILLIAMS
WELLS, Sarah married PYLE
WELLS, Kiziah married McELVAIN
WELLS, Mary married PYLE
WELLS, Elizabeth Bates married WINTERS
WELLS, Joseph
WELLS, Giles
WILLIAMS, Martha Ann [WELLS]
"...It must have been about the time of the Revolution that little Elizabeth Bates was stolen by the Indians. She was 12, the oldest of five children. Her parents had gone to a clear spot in the South Carolina wilderness where they had raised a crop. The group was preparing to return to the settlement, fearing an Indian attack. The father was helping the mother mount a horse when a war whoop broke the stillness.
Mrs. Bates begged her husband and neighbor to run. the women and children were taken prisoners. In camp, in the evening, some of the tribe brought in scalps. Elizabeth knew by the color of the hair and the bloody clothes that her father and his helper had met their deaths.
A little baby brother was born after that. then the Indians continued to retreat with their captives and in attempting to ford the swollen Roanoke River, the baby was drowned. The rest of the family were prisoners about a year.
Finally the whites and Indians exchanged prisoners and the Bates family went back to the home settlement."
Source: Perry Co., Illinois web-site
Note: If Elizabeth was about twelve years old at the time of her capture by Indians, she was most likely taken about 1762. This coincides with the Cherokee War in South Carolina.
∼Child of Thomas Wells and Susannah Cole is:
i. Lewis4 Wells, born 1750 in Greenville County, South Carolina; died August 12, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.He married Elizabeth Bates 1771 in Greenville County, South Carolina; born 1750 in Virginia; died October 04, 1846 in Duqoin, Perry County, Illinois.
Lewis and Elizabeth were the parents of 11 children:
Lewis Jr., Thomas Bates, Susan, Elijah, Martha Ann (Williams), Sarah (Pyle), Kiziah (McElvain), Mary (Pyle), Elizabeth Bates (Winters), Joseph and Giles.
SURNAMES
McELVAIN, Kiziah [WELLS]
PYLE, Mary [WELLS]
PYLE, Sarah [WELLS]
WELLS, Thomas
WELLS, Susannah [COLE]GAMBLIN WELLS
WELLS, Lewis
WELLS, Lewis, Jr.
WELLS, Thomas Bates
WELLS, Susan
WELLS, Elijah
WELLS, Martha Ann married WILLIAMS
WELLS, Sarah married PYLE
WELLS, Kiziah married McELVAIN
WELLS, Mary married PYLE
WELLS, Elizabeth Bates married WINTERS
WELLS, Joseph
WELLS, Giles
WILLIAMS, Martha Ann [WELLS]
Inscription
Elizabeth, Wife of Lewis Wells.
Died Oct 12, 1846.
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