Hi Sandy I too would like the text file you mentioned about this incident. I also seem to have some connection to this, I have it mentioned in the notes one a woman on my tree, but had no detailed information. This would be a great help. Thanks Sue K. sue@kaiconsulting.com -----Original Message----- From: SDunavan@aol.com <SDunavan@aol.com> To: ILLASALL-L@rootsweb.com <ILLASALL-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Saturday, November 07, 1998 2:47 PM Subject: [ILLASALL-L] Davis & Indian Creek massacre >Cheryl -- I have Rachel & Sylvia Hall's account of the May 1832 murder of the >settlers on Indian Creek in a text file, which I would be happy to send you >(just email me personally; its pretty long to put on the list). Rachel & >Sylvia were the two daughters who were kidnapped for about a week and a half >and ransomed back from the Winnebago tribe (who were neutral) in southern >Wisconsin. I'm descended from Rachel Hall. Sorry I can't help you out with >Davis' parents. > >There is a monument in Freedom Twp. in a small park called Shabbona Park (in >LaSalle Co. near Harding, IL) where the victims of the attack were buried in a >mass grave. The incident was part of the Black Hawk War, and is mentioned in >many history books on that topic. Depending on the book, you get very >different views of the whole thing. Many of the accounts written in the 19th >c. are published in different county history books (like in the various >LaSalle Co. histories). > >Basically, a few local Pottawatomi Indians who had a grudge against Davis (one >had been beaten by him for taking apart a dam that the settlers built which >was hurting fishing at the Indian village) took advantage of the unrest going >on and with a group of maurading Sauk & Fox Indians attacked the Indian Creek >settlement. The Davis & Hall families had been warned twice by Shabbona (a >friendly chief from the Pottawatomi village) but as nothing happened the first >time, thought they would take their chances at defending themselves at their >cabins. When the attack finally came, many of the men were out in the fields >planting and a few of them were able to escape. > >The massacre fueled an absolute frenzy of fear in Ottawa and in settlements >all over Illinois, and hundreds of ill-equipped volunteer militia were rapidly >formed (you can read more about these groups in books on the Black Hawk war). >Rachel & Sylvia became celebrities after their rescue, and the state of IL >gave them some land. Rachel's husband supposedly read about this in a >newspaper in IN and hurried over to marry her -- all the records seem to show >she was only 15 at this point! > >Anyway, let me know if you (or anyone else) wants the text file mentioned >above --Sandy Dunavan > ><< I thought this would be of interest to someone besides me, William Davis is >my gr.-gr.-gr.-grandfather. I am also interested in finding out more about >this Indian attack and the names of Williams parents. >> > > >==== ILLASALL Mailing List ==== >Do you have access to information pertaining to LaSalle County and willing to do >lookups to help others find their ancestors? If so, please contact me at: >spenader@earthlink.net >