Sanford Ransdell Sanford Wesley Ransdell ( September 11 , 1781 - July 30 , 1854 ) was an early American pioneer and soldier in the Battle of Tippecanoe . Ransdell was born in Orange County , Virginia on September 11 , 1781 . He was a descendant of Edward Ransdell who was a signer of the historic Leedstown Resolutions a document written up in defiance of the Stamp Act . Indiana Pioneer . By 1803 , Ransdell was living in Mercer Co . , Kentucky . Soon he emigrated to the frontier of the Indiana Territory where he was an early pioneer . He met and subsequently married , around 1808 , Rhoda Sampson , the daughter of William and Sarah ( Coleman ) Sampson in Harrison County , Indiana . William Sampson had served in the American Revolution with the Virginia troops . Their first child Frances Laura was born on March 15 , 1809 . Wartime service . On September 6 , 1811 Ransdell enlisted as a mounted rifleman in a regiment known as the " Yellow Jackets . " At quarter to five in the morning on November 7 , 1811 Ransdell ’ s regiment of eighty men , under the command of Spier Spencer , took part in the Battle of Tippecanoe at Tippecanoe Creek . This company occupied the right flank where according to General William Henry Harrison the fighting was , " excessively severe , " and that the men of Ransdell ' s company , " bravely maintained their posts . " Despite " having suffered so severely , and having originally maintained their posts . " During the fierce fighting two horses were shot dead from under Ransdell and his left thumb was shot off . The captain of the regiment , Spier Spencer , the first lieutenant Richard McMahan and the second lieutenant Thomas Berry were all killed in action . Ransdell was eventually mustered out at Corydon on November 24 , 1811 . In a message sent to the U . S . House of Representatives , General Harrison had this to say about Ransdell ' s company , " " With equal pride and pleasure , then , do I pronounce that , notwithstanding the regular troops behaved as well as men ever did , many of the militia companies were in no wise inferior to them . Of this number were the mounted riflemen , commanded by Captain Spencer . To them was committed the charge of defending the right flank of the army . That it could not have been committed to better hands , their keeping their ground ( indeed gaining upon the enemy ) for an hour and a half with unequal arms against superior numbers , and amid a carnage that might have made veterans tremble , is sufficient evidence . " " A year later Ransdell participated in the War of 1812 and served as a first sergeant in the 5th Regiment Indiana Militia in Captain Jacob Zenor ' s Company from October 20 to November 18 , 1812 . For his actions on November 7 , 1811 and his wartime service he would be awarded of land . Noah Beauchamp Affair . The Ransdells moved to Floyd County , Indiana by 1820 and again later to Vigo County , Indiana . On March 15 , 1827 , their daughter Frances married Noah Beauchamp , Jr . , the son of the blacksmith Noah Beauchamp . In 1840 , Noah Beauchamp , Sr . stabbed his neighbor George Mickelberry to death over a dispute . This famous incident culminated in a prolonged manhunt and trial that dragged both Ransdell and Rhoda into the witness box . Ransdell witnessed the coroner ' s inquest regarding Mickelberry ’ s death and was called to testify for the defense . Rhoda was also called to testify at the trial to verify that Mrs . Mickeberry had changed her story . Mrs . Mickelberry had previously stated various details to Rhoda and Elizabeth implying that if it had not been for Mickelberry ’ s daughter Delilah Decker , by a previous marriage , the killing would not have taken place . Ultimately , their testimony in favor of their daughter ’ s father - in - law proved fruitless : Noah Beauchamp , Sr . , was hanged on December 30 , 1842 . The family continued to live in Vigo County with the notorious incident hanging about them for over a decade before eventually moving away to Cumberland County , Illinois . Last Years . The Randells had a total of nine children the last one Daniel was born in 1835 and would serve as a private in Company A . 7th Regiment of Illinois during the Civil War . In 1854 both Ransdell and Rhoda died from an epidemic . Ransdell died in Cumberland County , Illinois on July 30 , 1854 . The two were buried side by side at Berry Cemetery in Toledo , Illinois .