John Conway - Frontier Kentucky Station Hunter

I try to model my RevWar/frontier Kentucky persona after an ancestor who came to Kentucky in the mid 1770's. His name was John Conway. Here is his story as he enlisted in the Virginia Militia in 1776. Reenlists with his younger brother Jesse as one of Bowman's 100 who are sent to the aid of Kentucky arriving to defend the settlers at the 1778 Siege of Fort Boonesborough. He helps rebuild Hinkston's Station, then is captured by the British and Indians at the doomed Ruddles Station. All this is taken from depositions quoted here in John Conway's own words:

"I followed hunting in early times.

In the month of April or May 1776, I entered the service as an enlisted soldier in the company commanded by Captain James Newell and was marched to Cheyels? lead mines in Montgomery County, Virginia to guard said mines against the Tories and Indians and served out the full term of 6 months, the period for which I enlisted and was honorably discharged at said mines in Montgomery County, Va.

And that I again entered the service for the term of 18 months in the month of May 1777 as an enlisted soldier under Captain William Buchannon, Col. John Bowman, and was marched to Boonesboro in the State of Kentucky where I served out the above term of 18 months, guarding the fort, during which term the British and Indians besieged the said fort for nine days and nights; when they abandoned the siege Capt. Boone was there as one of the commanders.

In the year 1779 I traveled with about 25 men the road from Boonesborough to the Lower Blue Licks. At the time I went from Boonesborough to Lower Blue Lick I recollect we crossed Hingston fork and went into big buffalo road that led from Grant's station to the lower Blue Lick at the place known by the name of Ready Money Jack's. I recollect at this time that Colonel Richard Calloway, Colonel Daniel Boone, Cyrus Boone, Joseph Drake, Ephriam Drake, William Buckhammer, Flanders Calloway, Samuel Henderson, James Bell, George Linch, Wiliam Hancock, Jeremiah Price, Thomas Foote, James Mankins were with me on trip to Lower Blue Lick.

After my discharge at Boonesboro, I still remained in Kentucky and in April 1779 went with Captain Isaac Ruddle and settled Ruddle's Station on the south fork of Licking River and continued then acting as a guard and Indian spy for Ruddle's Station until the 24th of June 1780, when after a severe battle with the British and Indians we were compelled to surrender, the British being about 300 and the Indians about 700 strong and armed with artillery; that I was marched by the British and Indians, with the other prisoners they had taken at Ruddle's and Martin's Stations [including parents, brothers and sisters] to Detroit, and was kept there as a prisoner until the fall of 1784. When we were liberated, I returned to Kentucky.

In the fall of 1787 I volunteered in the company of Captain William _____, Benjamin Logan's Campaign against the Piqua town of Indians on the head of Mad River in the State of Ohio, that we fought the Indians, defeated them, and took some prisoners, and this campaign I served the period of 50 or 60 days."

Further research indicates that John's little sister Sally was recovered from an elderly Shawnee couple after 9 years. John's younger brother was scalped and survived. The Conways returned to the Ruddles Station area and settled there. John married Annie Sutton, the daughter of another soldier Nathaniel Sutton and settled in the Bourbon/Nicholas County, KY area.

My main departure from this scenario consists of moving up the indian capture period to integrate my family into my reenacting. My wife is a Jamaican indian and my children play 1770's half-breed Shawnee youths. My son "Joshua" Psaiwi Ptweowa is scout and interpreter.

Another frontier ancestor was a local Kentucky hero named Simon Kenton. When I give presentations, some of my stories include Kenton and Boone among others. My involvement with trekking gives me practical woods, river, horse and tactical experiences to draw on.