CHAPTER I.
COLONEL EBENEZER ZANE.
Biography has, with much truth, been styled the most interesting,
as well as the most entertaining species of literature.
It is the only way in which individuality can be exhibited.
What a fund of knowledge is found in Plutarch; what an
invaluable treasure to the future will be Sparks' Life and
Writings of our incomparable Washington.
Cicero has eloquently observed, that—
"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living."
This, however, is unhappily not strictly true in the west. The
memories of our pioneer fathers are passing away; and unless
ome attempt speedily be made to rescue them from impending
oblivion, they will soon be forgotten. The heroes who flourished
before Agamemnon, says the great Roman lyric poet,
passed into forgetfulness for want of a recording pen. Shall
such be the fate of the gallant men, who devoted their energies
and their lives to building up, in the great valley of the
west, the noble Republican structure, now the heritage of us
all? It has long been charged upon us, that we are culpably
neglectful of the memories of our great men; that we seem
to despise glory, or despise the means of perpetuating it; and
trust to tradition for "transmitting the story of our birth,
growth, and struggle for independence." This is a severe, but
not an unmerited reflection; and henceforward we hope to
have no more cause for reproach. The character of every
man in the west, who took any active part in the settlement
of the country, contains abundant material for a most interesting
biography. What can possess more of interest to the
people of the present day, and of this particular region,
than a narrative of the toils, struggles and adventures of the
men, whose unshod feet tracked in blood the snows of the
upper Ohio; whose single-handed combats with the fierce and
relentless savage, are unsurpassed in the annals of border
warfare?
With this brief introductory notice, we shall proceed to give
a sketch of one who took no ordinary part in reclaiming and
settling North-Western Virginia.
Col. Ebenezer Zane was born October 7th, 1747, in the
county of Berkeley, Virginia. The family is of Danish origin,
but at an early day moved to France, thence to England,
and, towards the latter end of the seventeenth century, emigrated
to America. One branch of the family settled in New
Jersey, nearly opposite Philadelphia; the other in Virginia.
The subject of our notice sprung from this latter branch. The
spirit of restless energy, which so distinguished the old Norseman,
was not long in exhibiting itself in some of his Virginia
descendants. At the age of twenty-three, with no friend but
his faithful dog, and no weapons but his knife and gun, our
intrepid hero struck out into the untrodden wilderness, to
hunt himself a home, and make himself a name in the immense
regions stretching far out toward the setting sun. On a bright
morning in June, 1770, he stood upon the high bank of the
Ohio, just above the confluence of Wheeling creek, and gazing
upon the outspread landscape of island, hill and river, his enraptured
vision comprehended all, and more than realized his
most extravagant expectations. The scene before him was
one of perfect repose. The morning mist just lifted from the
bosom of the clear, calm river, was gliding slowly upward,
revealing to the lone pioneer a panorama of unsurpassed loveliness.
Not a breath of air disturbed the glittering dew drops
which hung upon the forest leaves, but all was the unbroken
stillness of nature, save when an occasional feathered songster
sent his shrill notes through the echoing vale. But our
young adventurer was not the man to look upon such a scene
with a painter or a poet's eye. He saw at a glance the great
advantage of the point, and at once resolved to make there his
home. This act showed him to be a man of much judgment
and sagacity. At that early day, he saw all the advantages
presented by the locality. He clearly realized in his mind's
eye the prophetic line of Bishop Berkeley; and that some
point on the Ohio, near where he stood, must eventually become
an important place through the trade and travel of the
west. How well that conception has been fulfilled, let the
most flourishing city in the State attest.
Building a cabin, and remaining one season on the Ohio,
Mr. Zane returned for his family, and having induced a few
resolute friends to accompany him, moved west in the spring
of 1772. Deeming it unsafe to carry his family direct to
their new abode, he left them at Redstone; and, in company
with his brothers, Jonathan and Silas, (see Note A., close of
this chapter) and two or three others, proceeded to take possession
of his rights in the west. At that time there was
not a permanent Anglo-Saxon settlement from the source to
the mouth of the Ohio. The little band at Wheeling stood
alone in the immense solitude stretching out for thousands of
of miles, now the abode of millions of freemen! What a
change in one single life-time! What miracles of beneficent
and glorious, social and political changes, have been wrought
in that interval! Seventy-nine years ago the valley of the
Mississippi, with its mighty river sweeping through an immensity
of space, was as little known as when Ponce de Leon
sought there for the fountain of perennial life, which was to
restore to his veteran limbs the vigor and freshness of youth.
Behold it now! Did the magic wand of the magician ever
work greater wonders in the kaleidoscope of his mystic art?
With their sturdy arm, the Zanes soon opened a "clearing,"
letting the sunlight into the heart of the forest, and in due time
had the satisfaction of gathering a good crop of corn. Completing
his cabin,[1]
and making other preparations for the
safety of his family, Mr. Zane visited Redstone, and that fall
effected a final removal. With the opening of 1773, came
quite a number of settlers from the South-branch, and then
was permanently formed a settlement which has grown to a
city of many thousands.
Mr. Zane married Elizabeth McColloch, sister to the daring
borderers whose services on the frontier we have already had
occasion so often to mention. She bore him thirteen children,
Catharine, Ann, Sarah, Noah, John, Samuel, Hetty, Jesse,
and Daniel, with four who died early, bearing names afterwards
given respectively to some of those enumerated above. Of
this sterling matron, about whose generosity, devotion, and
zeal so much has been said, we regret that our limits will preclude
the possibility of adding more. Suffice it, her whole
life was the best commentary upon, and her children the best
illustration of, what such a wife should be.
The clearing of Col. Zane embraced about ten acres, comprehending
that portion of the present city of Wheeling, lying
along Main and Market streets, from the brow of the hill to
a point above where the Suspension Bridge crosses. It was
girdled on every side by the dark green forest, save on the
west, where swept the beautiful river.
Col. Zane's intercourse with the natives having been marked
by mildness, courtesy, and honorable dealing, his hamlet
escaped the fury of the savages, and nothing occurred to
mar the pleasure of his western life, until the fall of 1777.
Having elsewhere noticed in detail the attack on Fort Henry,
in September of that year, it will be unnecessary to say more
at this time, but pass on to the consideration of our personal
history.
Col. Zane received, from time to time, various marks of
distinction, from the Colonial, State, and National governments.
He was a disbursing officer under Dunmore, and enjoyed
under the commonwealth numerous civil and military
distinctions. He always preferred, however, the peace and
quietude of his own home to the bustle and pomp of public
place. He was as generous as brave; strictly honorable to
all men, and most jealous of his own rights. He possessed,
in an eminent degree, the constituents of a true gentleman—
the disposition to render unto all their due—the quick, delicate,
accurate perception of others' rights and others'
claims. His temperament was nervous-bilious—quick, impetuous,
and hard to restrain when excited. He was, in short,
a plain blunt man, rude of speech but true of heart, knowing
nothing of formalities, and caring about little else than his
family, his friends, and his country.
The personal appearance of Colonel Zane was somewhat
remarkable: dark complexion, piercing black eyes, huge
brows, and prominent nose. Not very tall, but uncommonly
active and athletic, he was a match for almost any man in the
settlement, and many are the incidents, in wood and field, told
of his prowess and his strength. He was a devoted hunter,
and spent much of his time in the woods. But few men
could out-shoot, and fewer still out-run him. In illustration
of his skill with the rifle, we will give an incident. About the
year 1781, some of the whites in the fort observed an Indian
on the island going through certain personal movements for
the especial benefit of those within the fort. Colonel Zane's
attention having been drawn to the indelicate performances,
declared he would spoil the sport, and charging his rifle with
an additional ball, patiently waited for the chap to re-appear.
In a moment his naked body was seen emerging from behind
a large sycamore, and commencing anew his performances,
Colonel Zane drew upon him a practised aim, and the next
instant the native harlequin was seen to go through a peculiar
gyration, believed not to have been "in the bills."
Colonel Zane was a man of true courage, as is exemplified
by his almost single-handed defence of his own dwelling, in
the fall of 1782.
The government of the United States, duly appreciating
his capacity, energy and influence, employed him by an act
of Congress, May, 1796, to open a road from Wheeling to
Limestone, (Maysville.) This duty he performed in the following
year, assisted by his brother Jonathan, and son-in-law
John McIntyre, aided by an Indian guide, Tomepomehala,
whose knowledge of the country enabled him to render
valuable suggestions. The road was marked through under
the eye of Colonel Zane, and then committed to his assistants
to cut out. As a compensation for opening this road, Congress
granted Colonel Zane the privilege of locating military
warrants upon three sections of land; the first to be at the
crossing of the Muskingum, the second at Hock-hocking, and
the third at Scioto. Colonel Zane thought of crossing the
Muskingum at Duncan's falls, but foreseeing the great value
of the hydraulic power created by the falls, determined to
cross at the point where Zanesville has since been established,
and thus secure this important power. The second section
was located where Lancaster now stands, and the third on
the east side of the Scioto opposite Chillicothe. The first he
gave principally, to his two assistants for services rendered.
In addition to these fine possessions, Colonel Zane acquired
large bodies of land throughout Western Virginia, by locating
patents for those persons whose fear of the Indians deterred
them undertaking personally so hazardous an enterprise.
After a life full of adventure and vicissitude, the subject of
our notice died of jaundice, in 1811, at the age of sixty-four.
