THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Biography of
Frances Slocum
(Due to length divided here into two parts)
Meginness, John F., Biography of
Frances Slocum: The Lost Sister of
Wyoming, Williamsport, Pa.:
Heller Bros. Printing
House, 1891.
Concerning this memorable visit, Harriet, now Mrs. Lewis, of Madison, N. Y., added her recollections as follows:
On reaching the house we found our aunt seated in a chair, looking very much as represented in the water color portrait now in possession of Judge Bennett, with her two daughters standing by her.
Her father, Mr. Joseph Slocum, after the accustomed salutations, told his sister that he had brought his oldest and youngest children to see her. The coldness and reserve of the former visit were now entirely gone, and Frances expressed great joy upon the occasion of again seeing her brother, and particularly that he had brought his daughters so far to see her. The mother and daughters immediately commenced an animated conversation upon the subject of the family resemblances, which were observable. The old lady looking at her nieces earnestly, passed her hand down her cheeks, stopping the motion at the posterior point of her lower jaw. There is an unusual fullness and prominence at (page 119) that point of the Slocum face. Continuing, Mrs. Lewis said: The preparations for dinner were soon commenced. They spread the table with a white cotton cloth, and wiped the dishes, as they took them from the cupboard, with a clean cloth. They prepared an excellency dinner of fried venison, potatoes, shortcake, and coffee. Their cups and saucers were small, and they put three or four tablespoonfuls of maple sugar in a cup. They were told our way is not to use so much sugar. They seemed very anxious to please, and would often ask, 'is that right?' The eldest daughter waited on the table, while here mother sat at the table and ate with her white relations. After dinner they washed the dishes and replaced them upon the shelves, and then swept the floor. We were surprised at these evidences of civilization, and on asking our aunt why they did these things, she made answer that her mother used to do so, and she had always done it, and taught it to her daughters. It was, therefore, a uniform rule in her house to wipe the dust from the dishes when they were put upon the table, and when the meal was concluded to wash and return them to the cupboard, and then to sweep the room.
In the afternoon all left but Mr. Slocum, his daughters and Miller; the last remained till near night, when he returned. We strolled over the premises, and visited the burying ground. They raise a pole over the grave fifteen or twenty feet high, with a white cloth at the top, which remains until destroyed by time. The premises showed great skill and industry for savage life, and no little order and attention to comfort in its arrangements. The house was a double hut. A neighboring squaw came in to help do the work, and the Indian daughters kept close to their white cousins, and talked with them incessantly. They supposed (page 120) candles would be wanted, and to meet the emergency, the squaw melted some tallow, twisted wicking on a stick, and with a spoon poured the tallow down the wicks until quite a respectable candle was produced.
For supper they had the breast of a wild turkey stewed with onions, quite a delicate dish. When they came to retire, the pillow, all there was in the house, was assigned to Mr. Slocum by his Indian sister. They pay great respect to age. They had six beds, principally composed of blankets and other goods folded together. They were made of almost everything. We slept sweetly, and after taking a comfortable breakfast, commenced making preparations to return to Peru.
After breakfast a white man came to purchase a steer, and brought with him a colored man as an interpreter. He could not trade for the want of the money, as he might move away, and that would be the last of it. No business transaction takes place in the family without the consent of Frances. She usually makes the bargains herself.
The colored man served so well in the capacity of an interpreter that my father retained him for the purpose. My aunt was more free in her communications through him than she had been through Mr. Miller, and gave many circumstances in her history and recollections which she had not previously given.
They seemed anxious to tell their white relations as much as possible about themselves, and to make as favorable an impression as possible. They had made in the spring eleven barrels of sugar.
The eldest daughter took a fancy to Miss Harriet Slocum, dressed her in Indian costume, and said she looked like her daughter who had been poisoned.
"Would I not make a nice squaw?" asked Harriet.
"Yes, beautiful squaw," replied her cousin, "will you be in the place of my daughter, and live with me?"
On being told that her friends could not spare her, she was satisfied. She seemed sensible that she was asking too much; but could the boon have been granted it would have been most grateful to her heart.
The brothers and sister had prevailed on Frances to have her portrait painted by George Winter, an artist then living at Logansport. It was executed in due time. Subsequently another was painted, and both are now in the possession of friends at Wilkes-Barre.
Before leaving Frances made an effort to prevail upon her brother Joseph to come and live with her; and not to be outdone by her brothers, who had made such liberal offers if she would come and live with them, she told Mr. Slocum that, if he would come to her village and live, she would give him half of her land, and this would have been no mean present. Her sincerity and earnestness in this proposition were affecting. No arrangement, however, could be made by which the brother and sister- so long separated, and to each other as dead, and now so mysteriously brought together and united in affection- could spend their remnants of life in the same neighborhood. They both bowed submissively to what was evidently the order of Providence, and tried to adjust their feelings to the separation.
The time for parting finally came, and as Frances, her daughters and Capt. Brouillette shook their relatives warmly by the hand, they gave them the most ample assurances of their high gratification with the visit, and the affection they had manifested for them in coming so far to see them. Capt. Brouillette gave Mr. Slocum the most ample assurances that he would take good care of his mother-in-law while she lived, and so far as known he sacredly carried out his promise.
This was the last time Mr. Joseph Slocum saw his sister, although he frequently heard from her down to the close of her life. His brother Isaac, however, who lived within a short distance of her home, took an active part in looking after her welfare, and visited her a number of times before she died.
The section of country where Frances lived at this time was in Miami County, which was erected March 1, 1834. It contains an area of 384 square miles, and as its soil is rich, and the land lies well, it enjoys the distinction of being one of the finest agricultural counties in Indiana. Peru, the seat of justice, was a rough, uninviting settlement at the time of the visit. At first it was known as Miamisport, and was started when the canal was being constructed. When the name was changed the place began to grow slowly, but it was a long time before it gave promise of amounting to much. It is now a prosperous little city, has a number of manufacturing industries, and contains many beautiful homes. There were no public roads at the time Judge Slocum and his daughters were there, excepting Indian paths, which in some places had been sufficiently widened to admit of the driving of wagons over them. To-day the country is noted for its fine roads and turnpikes, and the one running up the river and passing where the Indian villages stood, is especially fine, and affords a charming drive.
The Slocum homestead is now in Wabash County, being situated just across the Miami County line. Wabash County was organized in 1852, and the city of Wabash, now the seat of justice, was founded in 1849.
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