Jordans Killed by Indians

From
ST. LOUIS MISSOURI GAZETTE
April 10, 1813
Page 3, Column 4:

THE PRICE FAMILY IN PIKE COUNTY
John, the Pioneer of 100 Years Ago.
(I. Walter Basye)
The Bowling Green Times, Bowling Green, MO March 9, 1918

  Miles Price came from Wales about twenty-five years before the Revolutionary War and settled in Lincoln County, North Carolina. There he married a Miss Sharp and from this union came Thomas. For the purpose of this tracing no other children need be listed. Thomas served as a soldier in that war. On the 22nd day of December 1762, he married Isabella Sharp. Of this union there were twelve children as shown by his old Bible before me now, printed 181 years ago and records 156 years old. John, William, James, Eleanor, Thomas, Jemima, Ann, Reese, Elizabeth, Isaac, John (born January 25, 1788) and Isabella. You saw there were two Johns--the latter one is our subject. On account of age this record is growing dim and one name here may not be correct. Dropping all but John, we find that on the 29th day of November, 1810, he married Ann Barbour. There were nine children, four of whom Edith, Cynthia, Miles (pronounced Mi-las) and Thomas J. were born in Carolina. The other, Robert B., John H., Sally A., Emily J. and Lucinda J., were born in Pike County, Mo. The date of birth in the order given is as follows: January 15, 1812, January 15, 1814, March 15, 1816, February 13, 1818, January 1, 1819, April 24, 1823, January 9, 1825, October 11, 1827, and April 25, 1830. We do not continue this tracing to include descendants of these, but leave that for others. Miles went to Montgomery County, where about forty years ago he served as a county judge. Some of the others went to Lincoln County, Mo., where their uncle, Isaac, had settled. Isaac married Tabitha Wilkerson of St. Charles County, where he first settled. When Thomas J. Price, fourth child of John, was a few months old, his father conceived the idea of hitting the trail of that innumerable throng that was pouring over the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains for the Missouri country. So on the 28th day of September, 1818, he turned his face to the setting sun loading the family in a wagon, a schooner bed, with the usual accompaniment of the tar bucket swinging to the coupling pole. He kept a diary of the journey which is before me in his own writing, showing camping places, dates, expenditures, distance made each day, towns passed through, toll road and even the amount he spent for whiskey and brandy, which was not little. We should not judge too harshly the people who drank then. Every farmer who could afford it built a small still house of his own, made his own liquor freely and openly, good pure whiskey and brandy made of pure grain and fruit, drank it himself, gave it to his family and neighbors to drink without any compunctions of conscience. Men, women, and children drank it because it was pure and they considered it healthful and pleasant to the taste. Probably nine tenths of the people of Pike County then drank liquor. There may have been more drunkards then in proportion to the people than now, but there were fewer premature deaths and cases of delirium tremens. When one neighbor visited another the whiskey and sugar, or honey, were set before him and all drank freely. It was considered an insult and sufficient cause for discontinuing friendly relations if you were not asked to take a drink. Cups and glasses could not be had and gourds and horns were used for drinking purposes. "Will you take a horn?" was the usual mode of asking and the expression has not gone out of use. This diary was completed each day and afford an interesting study, especially as he approached the "land of promise." On the 15th of November 1818, he says "Campt at Massippi, 17th. campt at Dardenne, 19th campt at Galloways, 20th campt at R. Hemphills, 21st campt at Jas. Watson." This was November 21, 1818, just one hundred years ago, and only a few weeks before there was any Pike County and a few weeks after Louisiana had taken shape. The Watsons had been their neighbors in Carolina and preceded them to the new country. The year 1818 was the year of the greatest rush here. They commenced coming about ten years before, but ceased about 1812 on account of the Indian massacres caused by the war with England. By 1816 this was over and the blue-blooded Virginians, the stoical Carolinian, the down Easters and the Kentuckians either came on horse back, in covered wagons, on flat-boats, in canoes or on foot. After a lapse of 100 years we have come to a period in the history of the settlement, where we may wisely stop and take our bearing. There were hundreds of families, strangers to one another or nearly so, hurrying to locate near some spring where they may build their cabins and commence a new life. There is always a feeling of dependence among the first settlers of a country, that brings them nearer together, and makes them feel the necessity of assisting one another in raising their cabins to live in, and helping each other in the rude efforts in building homes for the wife and little ones, in felling the forests in preparation for cultivating the soil, so as to produce the necessary food for their systenance (sic). There is no era in the history of a country to which the old settler looks back with more pride and pleasure than when he confronted ? life in the wilds, where luxuries were unknown, and where human nature had to be studied in the rough. Oh we'd some power the gifted gie to help us better understand and appreciate the lessons from and of, the early pioneer. Would that those who lived in history would walk before us again in their native simplicity, rugged honesty and unbounded optimism. John Price settled on Buffalo and the farm is still known as the Price farm. All the country was infested by wild animals, snakes, etc. Every spring he and his neighbors had their snake hunts and he was usually chosen as leader, so much that he was known as the "snake killer." One spring they killed 9,000 rattle snakes. Their buckskin breeches and leather moccasins protected them from deadly fangs. The name of "snake killer" and John Price were synonymous. One day a stranger, a "down Easter," sought the way to Mr. Price's home. On the way out he met Mr. Price coming to town and inquired of him directions to reach the place. Mr. Price said to him: "I am John Price; what can I do for you?" "Yes, but I want the snake killer. Be you Mr. Price, the snake killer?" Being assured that he had found his man, they transacted their business in the road and both went to town. I find the following in his diary: "I was elected constable of Buffalo Township on the 5th day of August, 1822." This position, or the office of Justice of Peace, he held continuously for more than thirty years. In the discharge of his official duties he came in contact with most of the men in his community and his diary contains most of their names. It is rich in interesting records. Time and space forbid their mention here. I will, however, mention some marriages solemnized by him, mentioned in his diary: Spencer Wood and Relief McConnell, May 10, 1832; Washington Starrett and Margaret Grafford, October 7, 1832; Thomas Smith and Mahala Castile November 14, 1832; John C. Beasley and Marceena Hughes, August 27, 1846; Ed Emerson and Mildred Peay, November 23, 1848; Richard Jordan and Elizabeth Bartlett, September 9,1 1849; John Howell and Sarah Bunn, September 16, 1849; Batis Marine and Sevilie Soothorn December 20, 1849; James Wray and Jane Crossman, April 25, 1850. John and his wife, Ann Barbour, were buried at Buffalo Church. On his tombstone we read "Died September 26, 1864." I want to make this suggestion to his hundreds of descendants in the West that all who can, get copies liberally of this sketch which is based on data from his "ancestors" Bible that dates back 156 years, from his diary in his own hand, from statements in a rare volume, "Pioneer Families in Missouri," written by a descendant of Daniel Boone, and from his tombstone. I have every reason to believe that every date is absolutely correct. The chain is unbroken. The descendants are all eligible to become sons and daughters of the American Revolution. I deliver the Bible to Grover Price, son of Lum Price, ex-treasurer of Pike County, son of Thomas J. Price, son of John, son of Thomas, son of Miles Price who came from Wales about 175 years ago. 

Note from contributor: I have the original article, however, it is quite long and difficult to scan. The documents listed in the article are lost and unavailable. I have never been able to prove that Thomas Price was in the Revolutionary War, however, John Barber, the father of Anna Barber w/o John Price was!  Incidentally, the James Watson who is mentioned as a neighbor, was actually the brother in law of John Price.  James Watson married Sarah Barber, a sister of Anna.  Karen P. Myers

Miles S. Price, 61 years a ruling elder of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

Miles S. Price for 61 years a ruling elder in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church has been so faithful to the cause of the Cumberland Presbyteria in Missouri and especially in the salt River Presbyteria that his breathren gave the distinction of having this sketch spread before the Presbyteria. Miles S. Price, born in North Carolina March 15, 1816. He was converted by J. W. Campbell. He was ordained a ruling elder in the Buffalo Congregation (sic), now Ashley, in the Old Republican Meeting about four years after the organization of Salt River Presbyteria. There were present at this meeting Reverend J. W. Campbell, Samuel Parr, and S.Z. Ruby; ruling elders Barnett Lovelace and M.S. Price. Brother Price was President of the Montgomery County Sabbath school Association for two years and Vice President of Prairie Township Montgomery County for two years. He organized Middletown Sabbath School of which he was superintendent for thirty seven years. Written by I. B. White.

HISTORY OF OLD BUFFALO FORT

Written by Mrs. Caroline Coalter Jordan a Short Time Before Her Death, for Pike County Chapter, D.A.R.

John Jordan, born in 1766, was the grandfather of Mrs. Hamp Richmond, Mrs. Joseph Irwin, Mr. Jas. C. Jordan, W. A. Jordan, J. C. Jordan and several others. John Jordan came from York county, South Carolina, to St. Louis in 1808, then crossed the river at St. Charles, and for a time was in the fort at Troy, Mo. He came to Louisiana in 1809. He assisted in building the Buffalo fort, about a mile and a half from Louisiana, near the old Isgrig place. The spring was about thirty feet from the fort. A bridge was built over the spring to keep the Indians from seeing them going to get water. 

Capt. Robert Jordan was brother of John Jordan. As Capt. Robert Jordan and his son, 17 years old, were coming from work, he and his son were killed in the southeast corner of Buffalo graveyard, in a ravine, on the 30th day of March, 1813--fifty yards from where they now sleep their last sleep. Thirteen families went into the fort as soon as it was finished. Capt. Robert Jordan and son were the first bodies ever buried in historic old Buffalo. The morning the boy was killed he begged his mother to cut his hair short, so if killed by Indians they would not scalp him. They did not, but scalped his father. Andy and John Jordan were working near them and started at first report of fire arms. Andy's horse smelling the Indians, threw him. It was thought the British or French furnished the fire arms for the Indians. 

The first white child born in the fort married a Brandon, and before she died four generations were living in the same house with her. After the Jordans were killed by the Indians the government sent soldiers from St. Louis and took all of them from the fort, for it was a wilderness and all kinds of wild beasts and Indians everywhere.

Noble pioneers were they 
Who bore the heat and burden of the day; 
By their honest toil and prayers 
Freed us from so many cares. 
Blazed the way through the wilderness, 
Cleared the forests that were dense 
To make for those they loved a home, 
That they nevermore might roam. 

John Jordan stayed awhile in St. Louis, moved back about 1816 and built several huts, one of which was occupied by I. N. Bryson, Senior's father for awhile. James C. Jordan, Sr., still owns 106 18-100 acres of the original section of land purchased from the government, of his grandfather, John Jordan, patents issued by President Monroe in 1820. The fourth generation is now living on the same tract, never changed hands only by descent. Prior to the killing of the Jordans, a family by the name of McNeil was killed by Indians near Clarksville. 

The old meeting house on Buffalo was built the 20th of October, 1829, not far from where the new church now stands and not far from John Jordan's house. Those who assisted in its erection were Baxters, Watsons, Henrys, Jordans, Allisons, McConnells, Byers, Burbridges, Barnetts, Hemphills, Prices, Wamsleys, Findleys, Bishops, Underwoods, Scholls and all in the community helped in one way or another. No one remain, but most if not all, are buried in Buffalo cemetery and visitors to that hallowed spot often remove their hats when visiting the last resting place of those sturdy old fathers. The meeting house was used several years without a floor, the people sitting on the sleepers for seats. It was afterwards lathed, plastered and weatherboarded and made a comfortable place of worship and the old time religion was good enough for father, good enough for mother and it is good enough for the writer. A large portion of that old building is now in use as a barn on O. M. fry's place. 

Rev. E. D. Pearson (the boy preacher then), was licensed to preach in that old meeting house and fifty years from that time preached in the new church and ate dinner with Jas. Jordan in same house in which he ate fifty years before. The pioneer preachers were James Campbell, Samuel Pharr, Geo. Price, William Watson, Dr. W. W. Crockett, Dr. Tucker, all of whom have passed to the Great Beyond. 

Dear old Buffalo meeting house of long ago 
Over yonder on the hill, 
The voices that mingled there are still 
Sacred is their memory in our hearts, 
"Twas sad from them we had to part, 
Soon, ah soon, we all will meet 
Around the throne at Jesus' feet 
In that beautiful city above, 
Never to part from those we love. 

Soldiers of revolutionary fame were also buried there.

--- In connection with the above sketch, the following from James C. Jordan in regard to the old Buffalo church, will be found full of interest: 

Among some papers found in the ruins of the old residence of John Price, Esp., was a subscription paper to build Buffalo church of which the following is a verbatim copy: 

For the roof of the Buffalo meeting house there will be wanted 25 pairs of rafters 17 feet 6 inches long, 4 small plates 4 x 6 inches, 25 feet long, 4 posts 12 feet long 12 inches square, 5 girders 14 feet long 4 inches square, 2 logs 30 feet long 7 inches thick to face 1 foot in center and eleven thousand five hundred shingles 18 inches long 4 inches broad and 3/4 inch thick. We, the undersigned do agree to furnish the number of the above named materials that is annexed to our respective names on or before the 10th day of October, 1859, all to be delivered at the place that has been selected near John Jordan's residence: John Price, 50 rafters, 171/2 feet long; John Wamsley, 5 posts and 5 girders 14 feet long; A. C. Fitzhugh, $4.00 in plank; Andrew Jordan, 500 shingles; Milton Finley and David Bishop, 800 shingles; James Underwood, 8 pounds nails; Jacob Baxter, 1000 shingles; William Baxter, 1000 shingles; Elihu Watson, 1000 shingles; Josiah Henry, 1000 shingles; Robert Hemphill, 1000 shingles; James Allison, $2.00 in nails; Mount Scholl, 2 longs 30 feet long; Alexander Allison 4 small plates 24 feet long; Robert McConnell, 1000 shingles; Edward Byers, 1000 shingles; James M. Watson, 1000 shingles and 4 pounds nails; Roland Burbridge, John Jorddan, Robert Jordan, Joseph Barnett to furnish 8 logs, 6 to be 28 feet long, 2 to be 30 feet long, to furnish the rock and build the pillars and get the sills. 

None of those old pioneers that braved the ups and downs of the Pike county wilderness remain, and a goodly number of them sleep their last sleep in old Buffalo cemetery which was begun in March 1813 when Capt. Robert Jordan and son were killed by Indians; and visitors to those sacred grounds often remove their hats in honor to the last resting place of those grand old men. Several of the men that had a hand in erecting that old house I remember seeing when a boy at church: John Price, David Bishop, Josiah Henry, Edwin Byers, Joseph Barnett. Among those that preached were Rev. J. W. Campbell, Samuel Pharr, George Rice, William Watson, Dr. W. W. Crockett, Dr. Tucker, Dr. Ralston, Dr. E. D. Pearson and last, but not least, Enoch Jackson, colored, who preached to colored people then slaves. The colored people attended preaching with the whites and several were members. This old paper does not mention the completion of the house, and I presume that all in the community had a hand in erecting and finishing it for worship. It was built on land that my grandfather, John Jordan, settled on in 1809, when he first came here from York county, South Carolina. He afterward entered or purchased a section of land of which I still own the old homestead place of 206 18-100 acres. Have the original land patents signed by President Monroe on April 16, 1820. There are only two person at present living in this community who are descendants of those old pioneers living on the old homestead where they were born and reared--Mrs. Julia Barnett Price and James C. Jordan. The logs of this historic old house are still in use as a barn on the farm of O. M. Fry, one fourth mile west of where it was built in 1829. Some time after it was built it was weather boarded, lathed and plastered, and made a very comfortable house. About 1876 or 1878 the present house was built and the old house was sold to Mr. J. Y. Fry.

Note from contributor KPM: (Caroline Maria Coalter 1847-1904 m. William Augustus Jordan 1842-1918)

© 2000 Rhonda Stolte Darnell