Blair County Indian Raid November 1777
Contributed by Bob Howsare
I have been looking in Blair County for information on the Indian raid that occured in Northern Bedford County November 1777, now part of Blair County, Taylor Twp I believe-----The father MARTEN AND ONE SON JOHN Houser were killed, I understand they were buried on the Rice Farm Taylor Twp Blair County---Two were captured, Martin who was with the Indians three years, Rachel who was taken to Logstown and released after seven years, she was released and returned marrying a man named Barron in Someset Co Pa---there is some copy to this event in the old Martinsburg Herald newspaper and also it is mentioned in the Brumbaugh History---this had to be the Delaware Indian Tribe that was involved there, they had a town in Huntingdon County and were aligned with the British---Hope this helps some to Identify some of the happenings by the Indians--------Bob Howsare
In 1777, the British launched a major offensive from Canada. In order to provide a strategic diversion for operations in the Northeast, officials in Detroit began recruiting and arming Indian war parties to raid American settlements.Unknown numbers of American settlers in present Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania were killed in these raids. The intensity of the conflict increased after enraged American militiamen murdered Cornstalk, the leading advocate of Shawnee neutrality, in November 1777. Despite the violence, many Ohio Indians still hoped to stay out of the war. This was a difficult task because they were located directly between the British in Detroit and the Americans along the Ohio River. -- Wikipedia.com
If anyone has any additonal information concerning these events, please email me. -- Nancy Piper