Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-08-18
MARY CRAIG--TIIE PIONEER
MOTHER.

MARY CKAlt--TIiE PIONEER
MOTHER.
The following touching story ga PIONEER
MorHER"-"how much Of woman's enduring
and cnnohling virtues is comprised in the sim
pie titlep'-is not fiction but fact; the ro-
maucr &C veniahle hisiury--accordin TO the
testimony Of the Cincinnati Chronicle.
Early in the spring Of 1913, and as soon
as the snow banks had well disappeared after
the long aud tedious winter, tall robust
man, Of middle age aud melancholy coun-
icnance, might have been seen, day after
DAY. examining the ancient tombstones IN
the different Cemeteries about New York.
lie had come from the Far West" the
place Of has nativity aud the active scenes
Of his life and was searching the grave-yards
ofihc city Tor the tombstone of his mater
nal grand parenis-the father aud mother Of
MAGi CaMG.
TO the enquirer the strangers story was
simple though interesting. aud exhibits one
Of thc many instances where real life sur
passes in affecting incident even romance
Itself
Ions Cruc the father Of May CRAio,
emirrs' "a from Scotland 70 New York a.
bout the ,car 1877, Mary bis youngest
daughter. hseing bccn born on the voyage
TO this country lie had barely become
comfortably sei,issi IN his new home, when
he was called 90 bid ~, family final adieu,
Marc then being kui * years old. The
widow aud her children semaincd in the
city of New York until the br,sking ont Of
the Revolutionary War. about ts-ce years
after. aud when Mary had attaiaSd her
smith year. 3 this early age. however, she
had imbbed Wing principles, and he,
whole soul was embarked in the success Of
that struggle Tor liberty. Soon after, the
city fell into the hands of the British and
her mother being lcll among strangers 10 a
distant land, and meeting wiIl an acquain-
lance aud ccuntrYman from Scotland, IN the
capiain Of a British vessel of war then in
harbor was induced TO give him her hand
in marriage The captain was Of cous q
devoted royalist, and his principles SO OPP
posed 10 the politics OF Mary, that she could
not brook the insults 60 which her opinions
were exposed, though personally treated by
her siep-iaihcr with great kindness and re-
+ speci. Mary therefore left home and took
shelter under the hospnabe roof Of Dr.
, UGisfed II EhrGbetkfolrR point, whore she
found a welcome bone aud congcnial poli,.
icial sentiments. Here during the remant
der Of that bloody war, Mary was exposed
, 10 us dangers and hardships II is known
that Elizabcthiown was the theatre Of fire.
qucni engagements between the contendne
parties, aud sometimes in the possession o.
, one. aud sometimes of the other Olcn th,
inhabitants, men especially. we're compelled
, 20 ly az midnight from their homes TO es
. cape capture aud imprisonment, if not death
4 Sometimes all, male and female, on aceoun
[. of the invasion of the llessian hofdes. ans
when they had not the force TO oppose them
- ere under the necessity Of flying for saletl
~ me place Of security. Ga such occa
SION larry sometimes remained behind Il
PFeyeh ~ cniTeatles the wanion desiruc
ton OF patrons property. Here he
liic was ION tly threatened for her impor
tuni'y, and, On 'e occasion sword wa
drawn TO oNecA the threat Al othe
times she would ~ her beneGctor's ri,
with bis wife and CIR IA II. through Nh
darkness Of midnigh' n sis retreat se,e,
or eight miles from Ei,yaA town. ole,
during engagements betWeeM te contend
ing armies. the Doctors houseA Inc bos
piial Of The wounded and dying\ .r,o,s
and she was the surgeons assis'A 4,
s,sunching wounds, taking of sAatM
limbs, aud administering drunk and ibadN
the wounded aud dying. Thus Mays TIME
was spent daring that long and bloody strug-
gle AZ rs close she found herself separa-
ted forever from her friends. Al the re-
capture Of New York, her step-lather had
rcmosed 90 Nova Scotia, whittier he took
all Of Marys family and circumstances pre-
vented them from ever meeting again.
"rhe war ended, but not Mary's hard
ships aud exposures Soon after the Rev
oluiion she was married TO a young man
who had accompanied Judge Symmes in his
first tour to the Miamies, with which he
WAS so delighted that he determined to em-
iaraic to ihe New Country. In l7SS, ac-
compauied by little colony, Mary and her
husband bent their course for their new
home; lived the first winter on the Ken
lucky side, and in the spring of llss, settled
at Columbia, FIVE miles above Cincinnati,
where the little colony erected a block
house aud garrison Here they remained
living ia cabin some three or four hun
drcd yards from the block house until
1891, when Mary's companion was taken
( from her and she was len widow in an
Indian country, with two babes, the eldest