THE INDEPENDENCE COUNTY AR
CHRONICLE

Published Quarterly By The
Independence County Historical Society
Batesville, Arkansas

Vol. I October, 1959 No. 1

Editor
A. C. McGinnis, Batesville, Ark.

EARLY DAYS OF HISTORIC RUDDELL FAMILY
By PEARL RUDDELL RIEVES

Mrs. Rieves, a teacher in Batesville public schools, is a great
great great granddaughter of Capt. Isaac Ruddell. The name
Is closely identified with Independence County as Ruddell
Township, Ruddell Mill, and Ruddell Hill were named for 
the family.

As a child I did not have western movies and western 
TV shows but was familiar with a true story of frontier 
life as exciting as any western movie. It being the ad-
ventures of Capt. Isaac Ruddell and his family during 
the Revolutionary War. Some parts of their adventures
Were so much like fiction that as I grew older I began 
to doubt their authenticity. For my ability to quote 
Historical references and much of my information I am
Indebted to my uncle, Kirk B. Bart, M. D., who though
Not a Ruddell, found their adventures exciting enough to
Make a research study and prove them to be true.

On May 25, 1779 Captain Isaac Ruddell (during
Colonial day's names were often spelled as they sounded
And it is not uncommon to find two different spellings
Referring to the same man, in one document. I shall 
Use the spelling of Ruddell as it is used in the historical 
Reference that I quote) was paid a certain sum of money
For his company of Washington Militia to be sent under
Col. Rogers Clark to fight the British and Indians in 
Illinois and kentucky. This was the first entry of a 
Ruddell into the state of Kentucky. The next year isaac
Built Ruddell Station and induced others to settle there.
As he built the fort little did he realize the horrible 
Tragedy that was soon to over take the small band.

Collin's History of Kentucky, Vol. II, page 328 says:
"In the summer of 1780, a formidable military force, 
Consisting of 600 Indians and Canadians, under the 
Command of Colonel Bird, an officer of the British 
Army, accompanied by six pieces of artillery, made
an incursion into Kentucky. Such a force, accompanied
By artillery was resistless to the stockade of that state
which were altogether destitute of ordnance. The ap-
proach of the enemy was totally undiscovered by the 
people until, on the 22nd day of June, 1780, the report
of the field pieces announced their arrival before Rud-
dl's Station. This station had been settled the previous
year on the easterly bank of the south fork of Liking
River, three miles below the junction of Hinkston and
Stoner's branches of the same stream. A summons to
surrender at discretion to his Britanic Majesty's Arms,
was immediately made by Col. Bird; to which demand
Captain Ruddle answered that he could not consent to 
surrender, but on certain conditions, one of which was
that the prisoners should be under the protection of
the British, and not suffer to be prisoners to the Indians.
to these demands Col. Bird consented; then immediate-
ly the gates were thrown open to him. No sooner were
the gates opened than the Indians rushed into the station
and each Indian seized the first person he could lay 
his hands upon and claimed him as his own prisoner.
In this way the members of every family were separated
from each other, the husband from wife, and the parents 
from their children. The piercing screams of the child-
ren when torn from their mother's arms, the distracted
throes of the mothers when forced from their tender 
offsprings, are indescribable. Ruddle remonstrated with
Col. Bird against the barbarous conduct of the Indians,
but to no effect. Bird confessed that it was out of his
power to restrain them, their number being so much
greater than the troops over which he had control, that
he himself was completely in their power."

Destruction of Ruddle's and Martin's Fort by Maude 
Ward Laffety, page 28, says "The Ruddell family was the 
most tragic of all. When the gates of the Ruddle's Fort
were opened the three-year-old baby of Mrs. Ruddle
was snatched from her arms and thrown into the fire. 
Two small sons of Capt. Ruddle, Stephen and Abraham,
Were handed over to Shawnee Indians. They entered 
the family of Blackfish as foster brothers of the great
Tecumseh. Both boys became more like Indians than
white men siding with the former against the later."

Among the prisoners were George Ruddell and his 
wife Theodosia, who were among the early settlers of
Independence County. Some say Ruddell Township was
named for George while others contend it was named 
for his brother Abraham, who was a more romatic
figure with the Indian like ways. My family is descended 
from George and we like to think the honor was given 
to him.

George and Theodosia were separated and George 
spent many weary months looking for her.

Br. Barb says, "It may be said without hesitation 
that Isaac Riddle acted with perfect discretion and 
showed sound judgment in surrendering the fort with-
out a fight on being guaranteed the protection of the
British. It must be remembered that the stockade of 
Ruddle's Station was built entirely of wood and was 
nade to withstand rfle fire only. Huddled within its
walls were not only men and soldiers but also women
and children of the settlement. Capt. Ruddell besides 
being vastly outnumbered by the British and Indians,
had no cannons, whereas the enemy had six. To use
the words of Collins, 'Such a force, accompanied by
artillery, was resistless to the stockades of Kentucky.'
To have held out against such odds would have courted
certain disaster because of Col. Bird with his six cannons
would have reduced the fort in almost no time and 
brought needless slaughter to women and children. No
one knew this better than Captain Ruddell. As it turned 
out, however, this might have been preferable to the 
awful fate which overtook them after the fort's sur-
ender."

It is a wonder any survivied the terrible journey into
the Indian country and Canada. In the march there
were the invading force and about 170 miserable prison-
ers, loaded down with their worldly goods, things they
had rescued from their cabin homes. Here is a part of 
Col. Bird's report written July 1, 1780.

"I marched the women and children 20 miles one 
day over high mountains, frightening them with frequent 
alarms to push them forward in short, Sir, by water 
and land we came with all our cannons &c, 40 miles 
in four days… rowing fifty miles the last day -- we 
have no meat and must subsist on flour if there is 
nothing for us at Lorimiers."

Many cruelties, which the wily mind of the Indian 
thought up, were inflicted upon the prisoners. One 
woman's head was so injured from a kettle which
she was forced to carry upon it, until hair never again 
grew on it. A man's back was rubbed sore from a kettle
which he carried until he couldn't lie down. Some men
were scalped and forced to continue with the march. 
Many children were killed and scalped when they could 
not keep up. 

To add to their hardships their rations were very
small portions of musty flour or spoiled meat; just
enough food to sustain life. Col. Bird was accused of
holding out meat even when it was plentiful and going
to waste. Plentiful or not the prisoners were painfully
undernourished. 

After reaching Canada Capt. Isaac Ruddell and his 
wife were treated more kindly which aroused some 
jealousy among the others. This kind treatment may
have been due to the fact that Capt. Ruddell was a 
Mason.

Most of the adults captured at Ruddell's Station 
were eventually released from captivity, some within 
one year or two years, others after a much longer period.
Those released included the Ruddells.

Following the treachery of Ruddell's Station the
Indians decided to adopt the boys who proved to have
the nerve and endurance of Indian boys. One test the 
boys had to pass was carrying a live coal of fire under 
the arm and run a certain distance. Another test was 
to roll them down a steep bank. If one cried or in any
was failed the test put to him he was rejected as being 
unfit to become a member of the tribe and was killed.
If he did ot cry, he was adopted. Two of Capt. Isaac
Ruddell's children, Stephen, then about 10 years of 
age, and his younger brother, Abraham, who was 6, had
enough of the Ruddell hardihood and frontier prowess
to make them the equal, if not the superior, of any 
Indian boy. They were accepted and became regular
members of the Indian tribe.

For a number of years after then close of the Revolu-
tionary War, the fierce tibes wages almost constant 
war fare upon the whites of the Kentucky frontier. In
1795 Gen. Mad Athony Wayne was sent against them 
with a strong army. Wayne was sent against them.
One of the terms of the peace was that all whites held
captive otherwise residing among them should be re-
turned to their people. Here I shall quote from Colonel
Trabue, an eye witness to many of the events, and a
friend of the Ruddells:

"In the summer of 1795 I was with General Wayne 
at Grunsvil at the Indian Treaty. General Wayne hired
some of the first Indians that came to the Treaty to
go to other towns, and get the Indians to come to the 
treaty. General Wayne had a large number of cannons. He
would often muster and parade his men. They would 
fire their muskets and rifles and cannons when on 
parade, to the astonishment of the Indians. General 
Wayne's army made a martial appearance.

The Indians were hard to persuade to bring in the 
prisoners, and treat; but gradually they came, and 
brought a large number of prisoners. A number of men
and women that came to the treaty had been captured
when children and they now looked like Indians. I
was at Fort Jefferson about six miles from Grunsvil, and
at a distance, in the parade we saw an Indian riding 
uptoward the Fort, and when he was within about 200
yards from the fort he halted.

Captain McColester beckoned to him, and told him
to advance; so he came up some higher and stopped.
Captain McColester went out to meet him, I went with
him. We took no arms with us, and the Indian told 
us he was a chief and he was willing to talk about the 
treaty. 

He could speak broken English. When he told us 
what nation of Indians he blonged to, Captain Mc-
Colester asked if he knew Stephen and Abraham Rud-
dle. He said he did, so Captain McColester told him 
that the father of these Ruddles was at Grunsvil and 
wanted very much to see his children. The Old Captain
Ruddle had given many presents to other Indians to 
go to his children, and persuade them to come in.

Captain McColester invited the Indian when he first 
came up, to come in to the Fort and drink some whiskey
but the Indian refused. After talking some more and 
asking more particularly about the Ruddles the Indian
said, "Me" and struck his hand upon his breast saying,
"Me Stephen Ruddle." The Captain and I immediately 
shook hands with him, and told him how glad we were,
and that we knew his father was not far off, and that 
he, the Captain, would send a message for old Captain 
Ruddle.

Captain McColeston then went with the Indian 
Chief to where his company wasm and there found Abra-
ham among them. They all came to the Fort, Stephen 
Ruddle and his squaw, Abraham Ruddle and Abraham's 
adopted brother. They all alighted and came in, and
all had the appearance of Indians; they were painted 
and very dirty, but they had some silver trinkets hang-
ing about their necks and breasts, and some brooches
in their breech cloths and beads in the leggins and 
moccasins. I suppose they thought themselves very fine.

We gave them something to eat, but none could
speak English, but Stephen , and he in a very broken
manner. He and his brother Abraham Ruddle, had been 
taken prisoners at his father's fort at Licking in June
1780. He was then nine or ten years old. Stephen's 
squaw was ald and ugly.

In the fort several of the soldiers had their wives 
with them, and they gathered together to see these
Indians.

When Captain Ruddle came, Captain McColeston 
conducted him to his children. Old Captain Ruddle cried
our loud, and fell down on the floor crying and bewailing 
his condition. Said he, "My children are Indians." Stephen
took hold of his father, and siad, "Hold your heart, 
Father, hold your heart." The Indians, the white women,
and some of the soldiers all cried aloud, and Captain 
Ruddle continued crying aloud wherever he looked at
his children.

The next morning Captain Ruddle gave his sons some
clean clothes, and got them to wah off the paint, and 
put on some clothes. (One historian said they didn't keep
the clean clothes on long.) I gave Abram's adopted 
brother a shirt, and he was very glad to get it. We told
Captain Ruddle he ought to give Stephen's wife some-
thing, but he refused. As there was a store in the fort,
some of the soldiers got some calico, and the white
woman in a little time sewed it up, and when this was
given her she was highly pleased.

Among the Indians there are different grades of
Chiefs, some commanded 50 and some 100. Captain
Ruddle commanded 100, and it was said he was resolute
in battle. He told me he was in the battle when Brigadier 
General Gaumer was defeated; also when General St.
Clair was defeated; also when General Anthony Wayne
defeated them on the Maumee. 

The next day old Captain Ruddle and his children;
and the Indians who were with them all went to 
Greensville, and after two or three days, old Mr. Ruddle
told me he knew I could be of benefit to him. He said
his son Stephen had great respect for me, and he wanted
me to talk to him, and presuade him to leave his squaw
and go home with his father. But Stephen told me that 
although he was willing to go home he would not give 
up his squaw for any woman n the world, and she 
would do anything for him, and was mighty good to
him.

One night at Greensville Stephen said that all of 
his company's horses had run away. I asked him if
he was going to hunt them, and he said no, his squaw
had gone for them, alone. After two or three days she
brought them all back from a distance of 40 miles, five
horses in number. I then thought she was worth all the 
rest of the company together.'

Stephen Ruddle became a Baptist Missionary to 
the Shawness Indians. Captain Isaac and his wife Eliza-
beth passed away aboiut 1812. They are buried at Rud-
dell's Mill, Bourbon County, Kentucky, Ruddell's Station
has been restored as a historical site. 

Abraham married Mary Culp in 1797. he was a spy
and interpreter for General Harrison in the War of 1812.
Sometime about 1814 Abraham and his brother, George,
with their families, moved to Arkansas and settled in 
Independence County.

Theodosia, wife of George, died at her home in 
Batesville and legend says she was buried somewhere
in West Batesville near the Bayou. George, who out-
lived his wife by several years, is thought to have died
in Independence County at the age of 89, but not even
legend, so far as I know, says where he was buried.

The obituary of Theodosia appeared in the "Ar-
kansas Gazette" in 1930 under the heading "News of
Other Days" One Hundred Years Ago. (Arkansas Gazette,
October 5, 1830) Pioneer Dead (Communicated). Depart-
ed this life in the 69th year of her age, at her residence 
in Independence County, on the 20th days of September,
1830, after a protracted and painful illness of several 
months, Mrs. Theodosia Ruddell, consort of George Rud-
dell, Esq. In this estimable lady were combined the
qualities of a kind and dutiful wife, obliging neighbor,
and affectionate mother. Mrs. Ruddell was a native of 
Kentucky. (after Colonel Boone). She ws taken pri-
soner at the siege of Ruddell's Station, by the British and
Indians, in 1779, and continued with them about two
years, in upper Canada, undergoing many privations and
difficulties without a mummer. She received a slight
wound during the above seige, while engaged in pre-
paring balls for her husband and others, but this did
not deter her from the ardous task which she had 
undertaken. Her noble example stimulated others, at
the "time that tried men's souls." 

Ruddell Hill and Ruddell Mill were named for John 
Ruddell, son of George and Theodosia. Much can be said
of the adventures of the Ruddells in Arkansas, but I will
leave that for someone else to write about.

I hope I have not failed to give full recognition to 
all sources quoted, I am not a writer but have tried to 
put together in somewhat narative form what others 
have searched out and proven to be true.