The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-05-22
From Dayton.
barbara CT Sve Green

Barbara CT ave Green
Died May 9th, 1886, at the age OF Ninety
three years, I've and half months. She
had been confined 10 bed for about two
menths, and gradually and gladly passed
away like an infant going to sleep. 1t was
her desire to cast off this earthly tabernacle
and be present with her Lord.
She retained her faculties to the last,
with the exception of her sight, OF WI ch
she had been deprived for the past seven
or eight years. She was never heard to
murmur or complain of her misfortune,
but on the contrary seemed cheerful and
happy. WI
She was born in Shenandoah. county, Vir-
ginia, November 18th, 1892. At the age
of thirteen she, with her parents, removed
TO Licking county, Ohio, being in the year
1905, and lived there until the fall OF 1929,
when she and her companion, John Green
and family, removed to this county. A
few incidents of their journey will show
the hardships and privations of those early
pioneer days. We quote her own words
from statements made by her to one of her
grand daughters, who hes recHed them:
1--WE started nom Licking county, Ohio,
on the first Of November 1929 tor the state
VI luClC WClC al thV Soih
pany. Father had gone to Illinois the
September before We started and bought
land. He and three other men rode on
horseback around by Cleveland and along
the lakes. When they reached Chicago,
where there were only two families besides
the garrison, father bought some provisions
and in paying for them pulled out quite a
roll of bills. That night his brother, Wm'
Green, dreamed there were robbers CON-
ing and woke the others up, but they re-
fused to start out In the night just for
dream, and he went to sleep again only to
dream the same thing again, and when he
had heameA II three times he told
them they could stay there if they
wanted to, he was going to leave; so they
all started and socn after they saw three
men following for the purpose of stealing
they m )ney. ,
"When we reached the Wilderness in
Indiana, a man who lived on the edge OF
the woods told us it was impossible for us
To 90 on, as the mud was so deep, unless
we could travel ON the wagons already stuck
IN the mud but If we were foolish enough
to try it, We must leave those two smart
little boys Jesse and David), for we would
surely freeze to death. But we did 60 on
and the men cut new road through the
woods for sixty miles, about ten miles
day.
Then, when we got to Cicero river, we
had to take the wagons over with bed cords
One wagon, loaded with mill irons and
blacksmith tools, was so heavy that 1t tip.
ped over, and We lost q good many things.
Then the next place we came to was
Sugar creek, and II was so high we had to
pull the wagons over with ropes again and
cut trees for Us to walk on. Then there was
swamp next to the creek that the men
had to carry Wv women ever on their backs
Between freQ60is and Nsttle creek there
were five days the herses had nothing to
eat, as the prairie was burnt, and they be-
came so weak they got stack in ravine
and could hardly pail the empty carriage
out.
Zone evening we only had bread and tea
for supper, but that night father came back
with corn and beef that he had obtained at
Holderman's Grove, and We were the hap
piest people yen ever saw. We spent the
next night at the Grove and the next day
home, at what Is known as William Duna-
vans farm"
She lived ia the town of Rutland some
thing over xesr when she renewed to
Dayton, bsins at this place at the time of
the Black Hawk war In 1882. OF this war
she says: con the 18th of May, 1882, the
girls and | were at the spring, near
where the feeder bridge now stands, when
Eliza came dbwa On horseback and told us
that the Indians were cemlng, and we
wosld have " - to Ottawa Immediately.
Then we wert b a place a couple of miles
below Ottawa and stayed there all night,
and the third day returned home again.
This was Sunday, and the next day the men
made a stockade around the house out OF
plank. After II was finished they tried it
to see if bsiiet would 20 through it, and
as it did, they hang feather beds all around
There were about sixty people here at the
time, and We were so crowded that they
had to sleep on tables, under the beds and
all over the house"
Mr. Green had intended to remain in his
improvised fort during the war, but at about
twelve o'clock at night, hearing of the mas
sacre en- Indian creek, and fearing there
might be too many Indians, all those in the
fort went to q tfaTa. When we got to OF
tawa there was no fort there, only a log
cabin on ihs Hxth side Of the river, but
they soon built fort on top OF the hill
We went 10 ne Sort, but there was 80 much
confusion there that we had the log house
moved up - sas hill and lived In 1t. The
next day company of soldiers from the
southern pars Of sAe state passed through
Ottawa on the way up the river"
Grandma Green bore all the hardships
and privations incident to the settlement of
two new countries and lived to see the de
vrIop nent of this vast prairie country far,
very far beyond her anticipations When
she came here she supposed that In time
she might see the country settled around
the skirts Of timber, but never in her early
days did she anticipate seeing the prairies
settled up. OCCASIONAL