My Journey Back In Time, USA
Two rivers meet, and two cultures clash. At the convergence of the Ohio and the Kanawha rivers, lies the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The history that occurred here belies its size. Called Tu-Endie-Wei by the Shawnee and Point Pleasant by the soon-to-become Americans, the first battle of the Revolutionary War took place here in what would become West Virginia almost a hundred years later. Here, our nation’s independence began, and here is where my journey led me. I come from a large family and have moved a lot. Yet, I have never really fit in anywhere, never felt ‘at home’ in any of the places I sojourned.
I got interested in genealogy as a way to interact with my dad, and went to court houses, libraries, reunions, cemeteries and to homes of relatives I had never met, eventually leading me to the Point. The Battle was mostly fought by Virginians, under Andrew Lewis and the Shawnees lead by Cornstalk. I have ancestors who fought on both sides of the Battle of Point Pleasant.
Cornstalk made forays into Virginia in the years prior to the Battle, plundering and murdering Virginians, some of whom were my ancestors. Mad Ann Bailey, immortalized and interred at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, lived in one of these settlements alongside my Clendenin’s. Mad Ann led an amazing life as a scout during the Revolutionary War and the later skirmishes with the Shawnees.
My journey to find my Shawnee ancestors led me to the top of the Indian mound in Dunbar, West Virginia. I wanted more, so my husband and I drove to Point Pleasant. The site of the Battle is Tu-Endie-Wei State Park and an original 18th century tavern is now a museum stuffed with artifacts including a letter signed by Daniel Boone and a piano someone hauled across the Allegheny Mountains. The kitchen is situated in the basement. I could well imagine Daniel Boone, sitting there and ordering a pint.
After touring the museum, we walked along the river where murals painted on the flood wall tell the history of the area, allowing us to stroll back into history.
From the river walk, we walked back to the point amid the statues telling the stories of Cornstalk, the colorful Mad Ann Bailey and Captain Lewis. I looked in vain for my Virginian ancestors names on the massive stone monument honoring these soldiers. Once again, belonging, and yet not.
The Americans are still here. You can sit under a tree or on a bench, close your eyes and almost hear the battle raging and Cornstalk shouting encouragements. I imagined the river being shallower then because Nonhelema, Cornstalk’s sister and other Shawnee women waited patiently, yet vainly across the river, armed with war clubs for the warriors to drive the Virginians across the river to them. Early morning hunters discovered the ambush, that morning, however and gave the alarm to the Virginian camp. Victory went to the Virginians, but subtly, underneath, if you listen closely, the Shawnee, thought to have been driven out, can be heard as well. They weren’t all rousted. A remnant retired to the hills and eked out a quiet life, blending in. I’m descended from these remnants. I’ve never fit in, either. I used to think I belonged in another century, but now I think that may not be the case. The reason may lie deeper – deep in the roots of my ancestry.
About the Author:
Helen Curtis lives in the bluegrass region of central Kentucky, not too far removed from the West Virginia mountains where she was born and which continue to call to her these many years later. She and her husband do 18th century reenactments for school groups to keep the old ways alive.
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