James' Bible contained the following inscription, supposedly writtenat C arlisle, PA, about 1784. Since that was the year James was bornsomeon e other than him must have written it:
James McElvain, his hand and pen;
Heel be good, God noes when.
- James Purdy, his book.
Residences and other events in his life:
OH
1804 James and his brother-in-law, Samuel King, were awarded $3 forca rrying chains for surveyors.
5/17/1818 Columbus, Franklin Co, OH. He was one of the earlypioneers o f the county.
He joined forces for the War of 1812 with Capt Vance's Co fromColumbus . He was made Ensign of US Inf 10/20/1813, then Bvt 3d Lt32d US Inf.
1819 Vincennes, IN. Migrating with several members of the family,sis ter-in-law, Martha, died enroute.
1820 Vigo Co, IN was his residence at census time. (Can't verify)
Vermillion Co, IL. He dropped the family off to stay with daughter,Ag nes and Moses Powell, while he and brother, Andrew, went tonorthern IL a nd Wiota, WI, lured by lead and zinc mining. FollowingJames' death, M oses took the family back to IN to safer territory.
The following probably belongs to another James McIlvain but untilthat m an has been determine, it will remain here.
Dep't of War, December 16th, 1830.
Sir: I have the honor to lay before you the annexed list ofappointment s in the Indian Department, requiring the sanction of theSenate, viz:
James McElvain, of Ohio, to be Indian agent at Piqua, in the place ofJ ohn Johnston, removed.
Very respectfully,
J. H. EATON.
The messages were severally read.
Ordered, That the message nominating James McElvain and others asIndia n agents be referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Gruesome details of James death were told by survivors and witnesses:
One day while they were at Spafford's farm, 6 miles SE of Ft Hamilton,h elping to tend his cornfield, the group left their guns at one endof t he field, working their way toward the other end of the row.Blackhawk I ndians waited until they were at the farthest point from
their weapons, then carried out a surprise attack, killing five ofthem .
Bennet Million "miraculously escaped after a chase of fifteen milesand a fter having swam the Pecatonica five times during the chase. Heat len gth arrived at Fort Hamilton in full lope - an hour by thesun."
A Million descendant who lived in the area said the field, being in af ertile horseshoe bend of the river made it easier for the Indians tocu t them off and Spafford was the only member of the party whoserifle wa s within reach.
Soldiers were dispatched to the scene and reported:
"The first thing that presented itself at the scene of the murder wast he headless body of the unfortunate Spafford who, it seems fromMillion 's statement, was killed at the first fire of the Indians andwas found n ear where the attack was made. Except where shot andwhere decapitatio n, there were no mutilations of the body. We foundthe missing head on t he bank of the river, several hundred yards fromthe body, with pretty m uch all the hair taken off. This was of fineglossy appearance, hence t he reason for taking it all. The bodies ofMcElwaine and Searles and a n Englishman called Johnny Bull were found
upon the opposite bank of the river, most shockingly mangled andmutila ted. The body of Spencer, who was supposed to have been killedat the s ame time, could not be found."
Lt Bracken wrote:
On our arrival there the first object that presented itself was thehea dless body of Spafford who had died facing his foes. Cool as hewas br ave he at once saw from the number and position of the Indiansthat fli ght was useless. Seizing his rifle he calmly awaited their
approach and his unerring aim sent one of his foes to eternity beforeh im. Then, like the lion at bay, he died, covered with an hundredwound s. While the Indians were thus partially checked by Spafford,the othe rs fled under cover of a ravine, which appears to have beenthe ancient b ed of the Pecatonica, to the river. On reaching theshore, McIlwaine a nd John Bull attempted to escape across it, andwere shot in the water. T heir bodies were taken out of the river byus. They had been scalped an d horribly mutilated."
And another:
"The company then proceeded to the farm and found the murdered men asd escribed by Lt. Bracken, with the exception of the headless body ofSpa fford which had no wounds upon it, as I recollect. The positionof the b ody when found indicated that he had been running, as therest of his c omrades when he had been shot. I think no one can tell.Million cross ed the river at the same time and at the same place thatMcIlwaine cros sed it."
And yet another:
"Spafford would not run, but stood at bay and was killed in the field.F rancis Spencer, who owned a part of the field, escaped through thefiel d, as did also another of the party. The other men swam theriver and w ere shot, as it seems, while trying to get up the fartherbank. When th e body of John Bull was fished out of the stream, hiswatch had
not yet stopped. Spencer was found some days later under the floor ofa n old stable of pig pen nearly crazed with fright."
Family tradition is that James' heart had been cut out and left on alo g.
Again from the soldiers' report:
"The other four bodies were brought together and buried in one commong rave, presenting a most appalling spectacle, such as only men ofnerve c ould have witnessed with any degree of composure. Afterburying these u nfortunate friends who had fallen victims throughtheir anxiety to rais e a crop of corn, we continued search forSpencer."
The burial site was by a big tree in an open field by the bend in ther iver; the remains were later moved by citizens to the villagecemetery n ear Wiota. The people of Wayne in 1898 erected a monumentengraved wit h the following:
On the front -
John Bull
Jas McIlwin
J Searls
John Dull
Spafford
Bennet Million and
Spencer escaped. (No mention of brother, AndrewMcElvai n)
On the back -
Erected by the People
of Wayne, 1898 to the Memory
of five pioneers of
This town, who with two
others left Fort Hamilton
Wiota, to hoe corn in Sec. 9
on the Bank of the Pecatonica.
They were massacred by
Blackhawk, Indians
June 14, 1832
