Good Day and Happy Holidays, My GGG Grandmother and I have traced back to a Richard Sisson. I obtained this story from papers my mother had and were given to me upon her passing (Eleanor Mahaffy, Daughter of Flora Pauline Lyon, Daughter of Walter Benton Lyon, Son of Edmond Clayton Lyon, Son of Edmond Burk Lyon and Harriet Ellen Sisson). I hope you enjoy this. A STORY TOLD BY HARRIET SISSON LYON AS REMEMBERED BY HER GRANDSON, AUBREY LYON Before they (Edmond Burke and Harriet) had any children of their own, a woman came to their place with two little Indian boys. She appeared to be Indian but she said "I was a white child that had been stolen when real small and raised by the Indians." She didn't know who she was "but know I kept track of you through the years. I am the women who came and warned the settlers to get to the Fort at the start of the Black Hawk War." (See note 1) She was sick and knows she could not live long and wanted them to take the two little boys, which they did and raised them. Soon after my father was born (which was in 1851) they moved upon Paint Creek about a mile south of Walkon, Iowa. (See note 2) (Paint Creek and the upper Iowa River are the only trout streams in the state.) The Indians used to come in the summer and seine and smoke the trout for winter. The two boys got to going down to their camp and one day they didn't come back. A few years' later grandfather and grandmother were taking a load of wool to MacGregor to be made into cloth. It was winter and the snow was deep. As they were going through some heavy woods an immense black dog came bounding out of the timber and jumped up in front of the team trying to stop them, then it run off into the timber for a ways, then back to them barking and coaxing them to come with him. So grandfather left grandmother with the team and went with the dog. Down on a small creek about a mile off the road was a cabin, everything in it was smashed, and showing there had been a big fight. In the cabin were five white men, all scalped and badly mutilated. Of course, all they could do was to turn it over to the sheriff at MacGregor. He said they know these fellows had been making whiskey and selling it to the Indians but had not located them. Sometime after that, my father said he was small and sitting on the floor when he looked up to an Indian standing in the door, he was so big he filled the doorway. He said, "Mother, don't know me?" and stepped in and picked grandmother right up in his arms. It was Tommy, the youngest boy, the other was Lige, and their last name was Wishart. (See note 3) He stayed around a day or two and left and they never saw him again. All he would tell them was that Lige was dead. Some time later, grandfather, who was always friendly with the Indians, got the whole story from an old Indian friend. It seems that Lige had gone down to this cabin supposedly to get some whisky and got in a row over something and they killed him. When Tommy found out he went down there and wiped all five of them out in their own cabin single-handed. (See note 4) NOTES: (1) This happened near Fort Dearborn, (now Chicago) when Harriet was about 11 years old. (2) Deeds - one dated Nov. 17, 1853 and filed May 22, 1854 and a second one dated Nov. 17, 1853 and filed Dec. 23, 1853 showed that Edmond and Harriet Lyon sold their property on the Turkey River to a Benjamin Torrey and to a John W. Walker, probably a relative of his sister Susan's (3) Wishart. In the 1850 US Census for Clayton Co., Jefferson Township Eliza Wishart, age 14, female, white, birthplace British Poss., school within year. Thomas Wishart, age 10, male, white, birthplace British Poss., school within year are included with the family of Richard Pearson and Mary A. Pearson - (Mary A. Pearson was the mother of Edmond Burke Lyon.) (4) Lige is probably the nickname for Elijah. When I looked at the Pearson entry it seemed to be nearly illegible. The professional genealogist who sent me a copy of the Richard Pearson house hold may have had trouble deciphering it also. Or the census-taker may have not heard the name correctly and written Eliza instead of Elijah. He may not have been able to read his notes and copied it onto the official form incorrectly. Note to readers: I don't know who put this info together I got it from a family member who has passed on. Sincerely, Sharon Foss "Tomorrow hopes that we have learned something from Yesterday" --John Wayne--