Hi Guys! To those of you w/ the Benge book, I would really appreciate it if you could tell me if there is any information in it, concerning Benge and Jenny Wiley. Jenny Wiley State Park in KY commemorates my fourth great grandmother and her captivity by the Indians, but the area was VA at the time this took place. In all the accounts that I have read there is no mention of Benge, but of a Cap John, but lately Benge's name has started cropping up. My ancestor, Jenny's daughter Jane was the first born of the children after returning from captivity. One branch of Jenny's family says that Jane is the daughter of Benge. I am copying a story of Jenny Wiley below, and I would like to know if anyone or if the book mentions Benge as a part of the party who captured Jenny Wiley. Nancy S Jennie Wiley has a state park named for her in Kentucky. She was captured by the Indians and escaped. Her story is known as The Indian Captivity of Mrs. Jennie Wiley. Two books have been written about Jennie; Dark Hills to Westward is a fictionalized version of her capitivity and also White Squaw which I believe is a children's book. The following article was sent to me by Joann Sparks Reitenour of Birmingham, Alabama. she said that her sister Ruby Sparks Campbell had sent it to her. The article is a copy and says "Profile" Jenny Wiley Survivor by Olive Smith Stone. The bottom of the page of the article says, "22 Back Home in Kentucky". "Editor's Note: Some of history's best stories are passed from generation to generation. This story is the author's account of what her family's tradition reports her great, great, great grandmother Jenny Wiley, endured during her captivity with the Indians. Although history text books repeat much of this information, this is a story that has survived over 200 years in the Wiley family - just as Jenny survived her trials in the wilderness. Jenny Sellards, the daughter of Hezekiah Sellards, was born in 1760 and married Thomas Wiley in 1779. Hailing from Northern Ireland and traveling with a group from Strausburg, Virginia, he and his brother settled near the Sellards in 1777. After their marriage, Jenny and Thomas lived in a cabin at the Walkers Creek settlement in Virginia on the edge of the frontier. In 1789, they had four children and another on the way. One early October morning, Thomas and his brother went genseng hunting while a pregnant Jenny stayed home to work at her loom. Her younger half-brother was playing with the children when John Borders, Jenny's brother-in-law, stopped by the cabin to take them to his place for the night. Jenny was almost done with her weaving and told him they would be right along when she finished. Thinking back, John later said his horse seemed a bit 'spooked' as he left. The Indians must have been near by. Jenny had banked the fire in the fireplace as she prepared to spend the night away when a group of Indians burst through the door. They grabbed her and Tomahawked her half-brother and three of her children, later scalping them. Jenny and her youngest child, Tommy, were spared, but were kidnapped by the angry raiding party. The Indians fled the cabin, taking supplies such as pots, pans, food, and a musket. As rain began to fall, the Indians left the cabin burning as they dragged Jenny away. The scalps of her family hung clearly visible on her captor' belts. page 23 March/April 1994 Her woolen clothing was soon soaked and heavy. Jenny quickly grew tired from carrying the weight of her young son, her unborn child, and the stolen supplies her captors piled on her. She traveled too slowly to suit the Indians. Soon the baby grew hungry and tired and began crying. Growing impatient with the young boy, an Indian dashed him against a tree, ending his life. They dragged Jenny along, making her walk in her agony and grief until she was numb with pain. They planned to take her to the Shawnee Village at Chillicothe, about 300 miles away - 300 miles of brush, rocks, rivers, and streams. Traveling at night, the party continued to prod Jenny along. They kept moving at a rapid pace because a search party wouldn't be far behind. When they stopped at daylight, Jenny was given parched corn and dried meat. Her feet were swollen in her wet footwear. The untanned leather shrank when wet, and her heavy woolen clothing hung in shreds from the brush and briers. Her wet, heavy hair hung loose on her shoulders. She grieved her losses and began to wonder if she herself would survive. As they neared the Tug River, a scout reported the search party was gaining ground. The tribe knew their only escape lay across the river. With a brave swimming on each side of her, Jenny weathered the current and rocks. On the other side, her captors camped in a cave and bound and gagged her and watched for the rest of the party. Hot on the Indians trail, the search party soon found Tommy's remains and buried him. Assuming Jenny had met the same fate, they gave up their search for her. Jenny's son, Robert was born in a cave a short time later. She was given a knife to cut the cord and thought of using it in an escape attempt. But she knew she was too weak. When the baby was a few months old, the Indians tested him to see if he would make a warrior. They tied him to a piece of bark and pushed him into the cold river current. If he cried when the cold water hit him, he would be considered cowardly; if he didn't cry, they would adopt him into the tribe. She watched them murder the boy when he screamed. Jenny worked as the camp slave skinning game, cooking, gathering wood, and making clothing. The only task she remotely enjoyed was when she was allowed to gather plums and nuts. This, she felt, would provide her opportunity for escape. Unfortunately, she was always closely guarded. But, as time passed, she adjusted to the Indian lifestyle, trying to win friends and earn their trust. When the Indians were ready to move on, a young brave piled his possessions on top of the heavy load Jenny was already carrying. When she threw it it off, he replaced it. Losing her temper, she threw the load down again and flogged him until he retreated. Expecting to die for her act of rebellion, Jenny was surprised when her captors laughed and applauded her actions. This newly-found camaraderie was not permanent. After the Indians captured a group of white men, they celebrated and burned them at the stake. In their excitement, they decided to burn Jenny also. Fearing this, she asked a native friend, Cap John, to simply shoot her. Cap John knew English and had helped her learn some of the Indian tongue. Instead of shooting her, he decided to buy her and return her to his camp so she could teach the women there to weave. When Jenny saw him hand over his gun to tribal leaders following some discussions, she knew she had been bought. (There are three pictures on this page: one of Alifair (Williamson)Webb born in 1834, daughter of Richard and Mary Jane Wiley - third generation from Jenny Wiley, - Alifair looks like my uncles Walter and Freddie Sparks - also a picture of Pricey Smith and her older brother Lawrence at her Evans, W.VA. home about 1959 - great, great grandchildren of Jenny Wiley and my (NSM) great grandmother, and a picture of the author and her cousin.) Profile continued from page 23/ p.36 As Cap John's group traveled back to their camp, the men often went hunting. Not trusting Jenny, he tied her up to prevent escape. During her time with these Indians, she befriended a small dog and gave it scraps when she dressed the game. One fateful day, she was left tied under a rock cliff, lying with feet bound and her hands tied to a stake above her head. As it began to rain, Jenny worked the stake loose and rolled until her wrists were under the dripping overhang. The wet rawhide loosened - she freed her hands and feet. Taking a knife, a blanket, and the small dog (realizing it could be used to track her ), Jenny fled. Using skills she learned from her captors, Jenny carefully made her way through the forest. She hoped the rain would wash away all signs of her trail. After traveling all night, she found shelter in a hollow log and soon fell asleep. Awakened by sounds of her angered captors, Jenny reluctantly used the knife to kill the dog, fearing it would give away her location. The Indians approached the log, and Cap John struck it with his tomahawk, shouting, "White Squaw die!" Too scared to move, Jenny stayed in hiding long after the Indians left the area. Lost, Jenny wandered through the woods. Her knowledge of edible plants kept her from starving, but no doubt exposure, exhaustion, and lack of nourishment led to hallucinations. She later said visions helped her find her way. Once a voice told her to turn right at a sycamore tree, another time she followed a red bird. She was convinced the Indians continued to follow her. Her path eventually led to Big Sandy River where she spied a white man across the river. The man quickly constructed a rough raft and crossed the river. Once she joined him on the raft, it began to fall apart. Jenny, the survivor, took over from her frightened rescuer and paddled the two to shore, Angry Indians appeared on the opposite shore just as they reached safety. The settlement to which Jenny returned was actually the newly built Harmon's Station. She warned the settlers of a planned Indian raid and afterwards traveled to Walker's Creek where she and Thomas were reunited after almost a year. In 1800, Thomas and Jenny moved to River, Kentucky, and made their home, ironically, near one of the caves where she was held captive. There they raised five more children. Jenny often said, "God gave me back the five I lost." Jenny had only a few years left with Thomas - he died in 1810. She, on the other hand, live 71 years before her death in 1831. Jenny is buried near the state park named in her honor in Prestonburg. Thomas is buried nearby. Like Jenny, her descendants are survivors and today can be traced across the United States. Editor's Note: Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonburg is open year-round offering lodging, camping and recreational opportunities. The Jenny Wiley Story is performed biennially and is scheduled this year.(1994) For information, call 606/886-2711." This story differs in quite a few details from the story passed on in my family. Most notably Jenny waded down several creeks in making her escape, realizing that if she continually went down stream, she would find an intersection with another creek or finally a river where there might be people. She also recognized the need to hide her footprints from Indians who were excellent trackers. She also in our story suffocates the dog accidentally by holding its muzzle to keep it from barking when the Indians were near and she and the dog were hidden in the hollow log. The log incident also differs in that while Jenny slept a spider spun a line from the top to the bottom of the opening and proceeded to build a web. When the Indian leaned over to look into the log, he saw the web and didn't look further, thinking no one would be inside since the web was unbroken. .