I have a friend who used to microfilm records for the Family History Department.\u00a0 She ran across a story that touched her so deeply that she made a copy for herself, so she could always remember it.\u00a0 She gave me a copy of her copy, so I could be touched too.<\/p>\n
This record comes from Western Pennsylvania, and is about an attack by the Indians and subsequent capture of Massy Harbison.\u00a0 Massy was able to escape, and later was asked to record her experience, as a public oath and outrage committed by Indians.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the year 1792, there were several attacks being reported in the Pittsburg area, by Indians.\u00a0 Massy\u2019s home was under protection, but on the night of May 21, Indians broke into her home, dragging her out of bed.\u00a0 She had a one and a half year old baby she was still nursing, as well as a three year old and a five year old.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tried talking to the Indians to calm them down, but they began \u201cflogging\u201d her with whipping sticks.\u00a0 Her three year old\u00a0started crying.\u00a0 One of the Indians picked\u00a0the child\u00a0up by his feet and \u201cdashed his brains out against the threshold of the door\u201d; then they scalped him.\u00a0 Massy gave a terrific scream, and the Indians beat her more.\u00a0 She tried to collect herself, still holding on to her baby, and noticed two of the Indians were actually white men painted in war paint.<\/p>\n
They took her by horseback and canoe to an island in the river.\u00a0 Her five year old was crying and in shock,\u00a0so an Indian took a tomahawk and killed him and scalped him.\u00a0 Again, Massy watched helpless and \u201cin a state of insensibility\u201d.\u00a0 She wondered why the Indians didn\u2019t kill her too.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, they tied her to a tree.\u00a0 She was still holding her baby during all this time.\u00a0 In the morning, having eaten no food, and with little rest, an Indian took her son\u2019s scalp and stretched it over a hoop.\u00a0 She says, \u201cI meditated revenge!\u00a0 I attempted to take his tomahawk, which hung by his side and rested on the ground, and had nearly succeeded\u2026when, alas! I was detected\u201d.<\/p>\n
Because of the beatings she had received, she was unable to open her mouth, so when they finally gave her a small piece of jerky, she could not eat it.\u00a0 She was determined to escape.\u00a0 At nightfall, her guard dozed by her side.\u00a0 She snored loud to make him think she was in deep sleep and waited.\u00a0 She had to be careful, so her child wouldn\u2019t cry and wake him up, but she was indeed able to get away.\u00a0 She nursed her baby for days just to keep him quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At one point, she heard footsteps along the path and scrambled to hide herself under a tree.\u00a0 \u201cAfter the savage had stood and listened with nearly the stillness of death, for two hours, the cries of a night owl, signals which were given to him from his savage companions, induced him to answer, and after he had given a most horrid yell, which was calculated to harrow up my soul, he started and went off to join them.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had to hide again, finding a log as protection, only to find \u201ca large heap of rattlesnakes, and the top one was very large and coiled up very near my face\u2026This compelled me to leave this situation, let the consequences be what they might\u201d.<\/p>\n
On the sixth day of her captivity and effort to return home, she was exhausted and unable to eat except to suck on grapevine leaves.\u00a0 She was full of despair.\u00a0 She came across some white men working on the opposite bank of the river.\u00a0 She called to them for help, but they were suspicious, thinking maybe Indians were using her as a decoy.\u00a0 She was able to convince them and they took a boat out to rescue her.<\/p>\n
As she was being doctored, they extracted one hundred and fifty thorns in her feet.\u00a0 Most of the skin had come off her body due to beatings, the rain, and the sun.\u00a0 She told them about her sons and they were able to find the body of her older son and bring him back to bury.<\/p>\n
\u201cYe mothers, who have never lost a child by an inhuman savage, or endured the almost indescribable misery here related, may nevertheless think a little, (though it be but little) what I endured; and hence now you are enjoying sweet repose, and the comforts of a peaceful and well replenished habitation, sympathize with me a little.\u201d\u00a0 Massy Harbison<\/p>\n
Now, why do I share this story with you?<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keep a journal.\u00a0 You may not have a story this graphic to tell your descendents, but they will want to know about your life.<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do your genealogy.\u00a0 There is no telling what interesting documents you will run across.\u00a0 Incidentally, as far as I can tell, this woman\u2019s work has not been done for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Strong women need to be remembered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have a friend who used to microfilm records for the Family History Department.\u00a0 She ran across a story that touched her so deeply that she made a copy for herself, so she could always remember it.\u00a0 She gave me a copy of her copy, so I could be touched too. This record comes from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[645,10],"tags":[268],"class_list":["post-1385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-historygenealogy","category-women-of-god","tag-women-massy"],"yoast_head":"\n