MANUSCRIPTS FROM The Burton Historical Collection COLLECTED AND PUBLISHED BY C. M. BURTON NUMBER 7 Edited by DETROIT, MICH., APRIL, 1918 THE MORAVIAN INDIANS OF OHIO AND THEIR WANDERINGS, 1782-1809. The story of the massacre of the Christian Indians at Gnadenheutten, Ohio, is perhaps the blackest page in the history of the treatment of the Indian in the United States. Still there is undoubtedly much to be said on both sides. Situated as they were between the English and the Americans, they were constantly under suspicion and were naturally harassed from both sides. The British believed that Zeisberger and Heckenwelder were friendly to the Americans and suspected that they sent valuable news to Fort Pitt, whereas the settlers on the frontier had little or no faith in the Christianity of the Moravian Indians and believed that they did occasionally take part in the raids on the settlements. Accordingly they were urged by the American government to move nearer to Fort Pitt for protection. The British, however, took action and in the winter of 1781 forcibly removed the Missionaries and many of the Christian Indians from their settlements to the vicinity of Sandusky. Col. DePeyster then ordered the Missionaries to go to Detroit and after carefully examining them as to their neutrality allowed them to return to the Sandusky. His treatment was kind and considerate and when the tragedy here related, occurred, the Missionaries and the remaining Indians were quite willing to accept his invitation to seek shelter under the protection of the British government. Undoubtedly the massacre had much to do with the cruel treatment of Crawford in the following June. The Moravians now settled on the banks of the Clinton (then called the Huron) River about three miles from the present town of Mt. Clemens. They remained there four years always with the hope of returning to their homes on the Muskingum. In 1786 they sold their improvements on the Huron and set out for their former abode. Finding it still unsafe they established themselves on the Cuyahoga at a place Loskiel calls "Pilgerruh” or Pilgrims' Rest. Being constantly annoyed by the Indians and by threatening reports, they moved farther west and settled on the Huron River, calling their home New Salem. This was probably in the vicinity of the present town of Milan, Erie Co., Ohio. They soon discovered that they were still in danger and after negotiations with the British authorities, the Missionaries led their Indians into Canada in 1791, spent a year on the Detroit River where Fort Malden was later built and finally obtained a grant of land on the Thames River (Riviere La Tranche) where they established Fairfield. Heckewelder's Narrative edited by Connelly; Zeisberger's Diary edited by Bliss; David Zeisberger and his Delaware Indians with extracts from his Journals, Ontario Historical Society, Papers and Records, Vol. XII, pages 176-198. |