The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-07-07
TRIP TO CALHOUN
SETTLEMENT


After living all my life within 20
miles of the spot where the massa-
ere occurred, and the head of our
family was buried, it was not my
privilege to visit this place until a
CIV months ago.
I we'll remember, nearly 80 years
ago, when quite small, visiting the
old home section of the Calhoun
family on Little river.
Our great-grandmother, Catherine
with her children, first settled in
Virginia, Augusta county. They
were of Scotch-Irish blood. The
mother, with her five children,
James, Ezekiel William, Patrick
and Mrs. Mary Noble, widow OF
John Noble first settled on Long
Cane creek, finally settling on Lit
tie river, eight miles from the sa-
vannah river, the neighborhood be-
ing known as Calhoun settlement.
William, the oldest son, (the great
erandparent of the writer), married
Miss Agnes Long of Virginia. They
had ten children. The third child,
Ann, was born in Virginia and was
only a few months old when they
moved South.
The Indians of the Cherokee
tribe, having gone on the warpath,
this settlement for the safety OF
their wives and children, about l5o
in number, with loaded wagons,
started out for Augusta, Ga. After
reaching Long Cane creek ten miles
off and two and a half miles to
Trickum (now known as Troy, they
were attacked by the Indians while
their teams were stalled in the bot
toms and the guns of the settlers
were in the wagons. Their whole
attention being occupied by extri-
eating their wagons (what a pity
there was not a Cateeche or lsa-
uueene, as she was sometimes call
ed, to have given warning, as she
had previously done, and saved the
early settlement of Ninety-Six),
were taken completely by surprise,
losing some 40 or more, mostly wo-
men and children, being brutally
murdered. Catherine, the head of
the family, and her son, James, the
youngest were included!
"A granite stone, erected by her
son, Patrick, father of John c. CAL
houn, marks the place where she
fell and where rests her remains on
Tie hill some little distance beyond
the. creek, where she had fled. Ann
and Mary, the youngest children of
William, were made prisoners, age
three and five. Mary not being
able to keep up, was scalped and
her body thrown in the creek. This
made a deep impression on Ann,
who spoke of it with much feeling
in after years. Tor IL years she
lived with her captors, enduring un-
told hardships. After she was re-
leased by a treaty near old Pendle-
ton, S. c., made by Gen. Andrew
Pickens, she was brought to the
home of her parents. She said that
the Indians beat her nearly to
death to make her eat lizards, raw
meat and snakes. Her family found
it hard to break her from this habit
which was formed in her captivity.
She would never learn to read and
write and had an aversion to wear
ing shoes. When 20 years old she
married Isaac Matthews and had
three children. She called her hus-
band Zachary. They were not a
very loving couple, and I have
heard my mother say that she re-
marked when Zachary died that size
neither "laughed nor cried" Her
brother, Joseph, owned the old CAL
houn mill property. He was the
grandfather of Mrs. Frances Mar
shall of Abbeville and John J. CAL
houn of Gainesville, Ga. Aunt
Anl's only son, Joseph, had IL
children. Mary, one Of them, moved
West. Some of her great-grand-
children are now living in Able