Dear HCPD Family,  Those of you that may have interests in subject family or
have information concerning Levi Douglass and his military career, I need help establishing that information.

Barbara write concerning her need: "when Levi was supposed to have fought or
"served" to use the DAR term.  Besides, DAR wants more than a book as reference. I need to track down what types of "encounters" he may have been involved in to find the commander's name, then try to find something in the commander's records (probably unindexed) that would mention his service, or some billing or payment record (also unindexed).  They seem to have gone from one commander to another, depending on the time and place something happened."

The messages below and may or may not give you a better in sight into what is needed.
Thanking you very much in advance.   God Bless each of you,  Addie here

My message to Barbara 9-15-2002
Barbara, How well I can understand your nervousness concerning the granddaughter!  This world now........... leaves much to be desired in the way of peace and tranquility. I have just finised reading the book entitled, "Time of Terror, Time of Healing" by David Smith. I have really appreciate it and gives some understanding and sense to todays happenings to think about seriously.

 Of course, I will remember her in prayer.
Have already put her on my prayer list.

I have sent you some of my notes on Levi Douglass earlier. however as I reviewed them again the following paragraph is in the notes I sent you but just to visit it again:

     "In 1771 Sotha Hickman came to Harrison County with a party of explorers which included Levi Douglas.  They camped on Ann Moores Run which today is the town of Anmoore.  In this area they hunted buffalo and other game.  At one point in their expeditions they were captured by Indians, but they managed to escape.  Levi claimed hundreds of acres of land near Brushy Fork and it is here that the Douglas family started in Harrison County,

Here, he farmed, raised his family and served his country in the Revolutionary War.  It was about 1770 that he married Nancy Merrick and they had five children, Levi died June 1787."

It would seem, and I am not an expert which is an under statement, that there should be an application made for a pension in court.  Or the payroll records - as close as Sotha and Levi were I would think he may have served under Captain William Lowther with Sotha, who was with Capt. Lowther in 1780.

"HICKMAN, SOTHA (1749 - 1834)
Private, Virginia Troops, Revolutionary War; part of time in Capt. William Lowther's Company. Comm. of Pensions. Hickman, Charles Lewis"

 Following is taken from the M805 series NARA microfilm. Abstracts of
Revolutionary War Pension and Land Bounty Applications 1800-1900.

Sotha Hickman
Pension claim S. 5516, born June 10th 1748 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Resided at Nutters Fort Monongahela Co. Virginia. Volunteered in the fall of
1780. Again in 81 and 82.  Capt. William Loathers Co. and Capt.
Nutters.Pension executed July 17th 1832 while a resident of Harrison Co.
Virginia.

There may be the same thing for Douglass or Douglas or some such spelling.

Sotha is also credited with 132 days service in Lord Dunmore's Ohio expedition in 1774.   Captain Lowther's company was in the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774,  $40 a year.

  Perhaps a time period there for Levi also??
Sotha Hickman appeared on July 17, 1832 in open court of Harrison County, at age eight four to apply for a Revolutionary War Pension.  He received one at the rate of $46.66 per annum.  (Certificate #12525 - Act of June 7, 1832, Virginia Agency

Perhaps a search of records there might turn up Levi Douglass.  I cannot believe that there is not a record for Levi with his serving in the Revolutionary War but as I search my notes all I find at this time is only reference to it.

I have quotes some of the comparative things on Sotha hoping that they might laterally work for Levi or whatever.  But what does an old lady know!
grinnnnnnnn

As far as old Levi looking down and giving us the laugh, I would say he is just sleeping away but won't it be great if we get to visit with them in the earth made new!  Oh what a conversation that would be!

I trust your move is progressing as planned and I am going to post this message to the list in the hopes that some of the Douglass Interests will see it and respond.  Take care, and God Bless you and your family,   Addie here

This message was of interest to me in a couple ways.  I will offer below for what it is worth a portion of my notes for my husband's ancestor Sotha Hickman which deals with that time period and blockhouses, stockades and forts.

Also a note under Benjamin Coplin who married Josinah Mount Dec 11, 1798. One of their daughters, Rachel Coplin, married Jacob Van Meter Hickman who is thought to be a descendent of William Hickman (2nd), the same William my husband's descends from.  However my husband descended through Arthur Hickman, s/o of William 2nd, while Jacob Hickman is thought to descend from Arthur Hickman's brother Joshua Hickman

Note from Sotha Hickman's file:
In the spring of 1772 they selected lands on which to establish homes. Sotha choose 400 acres overlooking Elk Creek, where Elk View Cemetery is now located in Clarksburg, W. Va. The 400 acres adjoined that of Thomas Nutter, on whose land Nutter's Fort was erected.   Later Sotha acquired one thousand acres on Elk Creek, by right of preemption included his settlement made in 1773 and adjoining land of Matthew Nutter, which includes the present site of Quiet Dell.  He brought his family out from the east the following year, and his son Arthur was born in Nutter's Fort on February 7, 1773.  Sotha
boasted that this son was the first white child born in Harrison County that he raised the first crop of corn and owned the first rooster.

Forts, blockhouses and stockades were very necessary for the survival of settlers.  There was danger and unrest because of the French and Indian Wars.  Later the British kept the Indians stirred up against the settlers.

A fort, such as Nutter's Fort, is described as the strongest structure, since it combined the best features of blockhouses and stockades.  It was rectangular in shape, with sides composed partly of cabins, connected to each other with palisades to form a stockade wall.  The doors of the cabins opened onto a common court.  Heavy gates in the wall let the occupants out or in.  Some forts had two storied blockhouses at each corner with holes in the top wall to be used to fire on the enemy in any direction. Stockade and cabin walls also contained portholes.  Settlers inside were generally safe, as Indians did not often openly attack a fort, and seldom-captured one.  But they lay in wait on the outside and settlers were often attacked with rifles, tomahawks and knives when they ventured outside.

As a rule from, winter until spring families could live in their cabins with relative security. The woods without foliage made it difficult for Indians to ambush.  They were scantily dressed to face winter elements, and snow made it easy for pioneers to tract them.  However, at the return of spring the Indians began their massacres, and settlers once more fled to the fort for the summer.  In order to cultivate their small crops close by the fort, they left their sanctuary in companies, each man with a weapon.  Inside the fort women and children looked out through the openings at the valleys, hills, and woods and longed to be in their homes.  Nights could be monotonously long and dreadful sounding, filled with the shrieks and cries of birds and animals, and the voices of Indians answering one another.

Benjamin Coplin's Notes:
    Benjamin Coplin was born in Rockingham County, Virginia on March 28, 1752 and settled in 1770 in Harrison County, (West) Virginia.  He served in the Revolution as a private in the Frontier Service at Nutter Fort, Powers Fort, and Forts on Simpson and Elk Creeks.  He received his pension on September 16, 1833 in Harrison County.  In 1806 he was given a contract to build a bridge over Elk creek for $1,850; he was sheriff of Harrison County 1807 - 1809; and was one of the trustees of the town of Bridgeport (on Simpson Creek) in 1811.  This worthy gentleman married twice and had 24 children.  He died on September 5, 1834 and is buried at Bridgeport, West Virginia.
    

The first wife of Benjamin Coplin, by whom he had 12 children, was Deborah Shinn, a member of the family which established Sinnston, West Virginia (southeast of Fairmont).  Most of the numerous descendants of the first marriage remained in the Harrison County Area.  On December 11, 1798 Benjamin Coplin married Josinah Mount born 1781 in Virginia, died 1843 in La Porte County, Indiana.  From this marriage there were 12 children, among them Rachel Coplin who married Jacob Van Meter Hickman. 

According to William D. Coplin of 325 Mellow Lane, La Canada, California 91011 (whose exact relationship is not clear) Josinah Mount's marriage to Benjamin Coplin
in 1798 was signed for by William White, who stated that Josinah was his ward.  She was probably connected with the family of John Humphrey Mount (1746 - 1801) a Revolutionary Soldier who had 6 children in Cranbury, New Jersey and removed to the Virginia frontier near Clarksburg (County seat of Harrison County) shortly after the war and had other children.  He later returned to New Jersey where he died; the record of his children does not include a Josinah.

Hopefully this might add to what you have had.  God Bless you and yours,
Addie here

Addie's Childhood poem!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY TO ALL HCPD'ers!

When I was a child I had to learn this poem when I went to our little country school!  The poem always was special to me but I had to have help this year remembering all the lines but here they are!  However there are some other lines that I cannot bring to mind.  There was a line that said something about Hurrah is the pudding done.

The pudding on Thanksgiving Day was always a special dish.  We called it Plum pudding and it was an English dish.  Made of flour, eggs, suet,candied friuts, molassaes, rasins and currants and other goodies I don't recall right now.  The mixture was fairly thick and was tied in a white tea towel or "rag" and boiled for 3 or 4 hours.  A sweet white sauce was prepared for it and it was delicious.  Oh how I would like it once again.  Makes my mouth water to think about it.

Anyway I hope l will file this poem away for safe keeping but then these days there is nothing like putting something up for safe keeping and then forgetting where I put it!
And maybe I will find all of it someday.

This poem always takes me back to being a little child. My mind's eye sees my home, my parents so plain and reciting this poem on our walk to my granddad's house on Thanksgiving morning!

Every Thanksgiving Day we walked the one-half mile to my granddad's to eat dinner and spend the day with family on my dad's side.

If it was snowy my dad would pull me on the sled.  My dad would also whistle songs on the way.

My granddad always said the blessing.  He always sit in his special chair with a big tall back and arms seated at the end of the table and a snow white table cloth on the table.  The table all laden with all kinds of goodies!

These are my precious memories of Thanksgiving Day when I was a child way over 70 years ago! I wanted to share my special childhood poem with you all.

God Bless you all and do have a special Thanksgiving Day with family!  Addie here

Over the River and
Through the Woods

Over the river and thru the wood,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh,
Thru the white and drifted snow, oh!
Over the river and thru the wood,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes,
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and thru the wood,
To have a first-rate play;
Oh, hear the bell ring,
"Ting-a-ling-ling!"
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day-ay!
Over the river and thru the wood,
Trot fast my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day.