Isaac Ruddell
Isaac Ruddell | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1737 |
| Died | January 1812 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Isaac Ruddle |
| Occupation(s) | Militia officer and landowner |
| Known for | Early Kentucky frontiersman and pioneer; founder of Ruddell's Station in Bourbon County, Kentucky. |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Bowman (c. 1765-1809) |
| Children | 5 children |
| Relatives | George Bowman, father-in-law Isaac Bowman, brother-in-law Joseph Bowman, brother-in-law John Jacob Bowman, brother-in-law John M. Ruddell, grandson |
Captain Isaac Ruddell (1837-January 1812) was a 18th century American militia officer and Kentucky frontiersman. He was the founder of Ruddell's Station, one of the earliest settlements in Bourbon County, Kentucky. During the American Revolutionary War, the settlement was destroyed by a joint British and Shawnee party under British officer Captain Henry Byrd in 1780. He and his family were held prisoner in Detroit for over two years before their release.
He was also a brother-in-law to Kentucky pioneers Isaac, Joseph and John Jacob Bowman. His grandson, John M. Ruddell, was a prominent Kentucky statesman and landowner.
Biography
Born in the Colony of Virginia, Ruddell was a captain in the Washington County militia and, in 1750 or 1765, he married Elizabeth Bowman. In 1774 or 1775, he accompanied the Bowmans to Kentucky and, while living in Boonesborough, Ruddell joined his brother-in-law John Bowman who was en route to Harrodsburg with two Virginia militia companies. Ruddell would later replace John Dunkin as one of Bowman's officers. [1] He also served under General George Rogers Clark during the Illinois campaign, in charge of the Corn Island party and of the military stores left there. For his service, he was awarded 3,234 acres of Clark's Grant in the Indiana Territory. [2]
In 1779, he established a fortified settlement known as Ruddell's Station in Bourbon County one mile from present-day Lair Station. The fort was built on the site of Hinkston's Station which was previously abandoned several years before. [3] Along with Martin's Station, the settlement became home to a large number of Pennsylvania German families over the next year. During the American Revolutionary War however, an Shawnee raiding party led by British officer Captain Henry Byrd left twenty settlers dead. The survivors, along with he and his wife, were force marched to Detroit where they remained prisoners until the end of the war. [3] [4]
During the march to Detroit, Ruddell was separated from is wife and children. Shortly after arriving in Detroit, Ruddell protested to the commandant of Byrd disregarding his agreement of safe passage in exchange for their surrender. He was reunited with his wife and two daughters, however his two sons were turned over to the Shawnee who were eventually adopted by the tribe. Stephen Ruddell, 12-years-old at the time of the attack, was accepted into the family of Chief Blackfish and eventually became the adopted brother of Tecumseh. [5]
Shortly after their arrival in Detroit, Ruddell and his family were allowed to live on a nearby island where they grew corn and supplied food for their fellow prisoners. He also reportedly helped several men to escape from the camp. He and several other prisoners were allowed to return to Virginia in 1872. Soon after arriving however, Ruddell was accused by several of his fellow prisoners to collaborating with the British and was charged with treason in Frederick County but was acquitted. [6] His friendship with the commandant is thought to have been based on Byrd's poor treatment of Ruddle's party as well as both men belonging to the Masonic fraternity. [2]
Ruddell gave a written account of the attack which began appearing in newspapers in late-1783. Returning to Bourbon County in 1784, they built a home on a branch of the Licking River four years later. He also built a grist mill on the northside of Hinkston Bridge and, in 1795, a saw mill which was operated by his son Abram. The mills are still in existence, known today as Ruddell's Mills. He also donated land to the Stoner Mouth Church and cemetery. [7] He died in January 1812, only three years after his wife. [2]
References
- ^ Hammon, Neal O. and Richard Taylor. Virginia's Western War. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2002. (pg. 62) ISBN 0-8117-1389-X
- ^ a b c Hayden, William. Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio, 1778-1783. Indianapolis: Bowen-Merrill Company, 1896. (pg. 142-143)
- ^ a b Kleber, John E. The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Louisville: University Press of Kentucky, 1992. (pg. 107-108) ISBN 0-8131-1772-0
- ^ Randall, Emilius O. and Daniel J. Ryan. History of Ohio: The Rise and Progress of an American State. Vol. II. New York: Century History Company, 1912. (pg. 280)
- ^ Tucker, Glenn. Tecumseh: A Vision of Glory. New York: Cosimo, Inc., 2005. (pg. 39-40) ISBN 1-59605-207-4
- ^ Dicken-Garcia, Hazel. To Western Woods: The Breckinridge Family Moves to Kentucky in 1793. Rutherford, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 1991. (pg. 84-85) ISBN 0-8386-3342-0
- ^ Wells, Dianne; Melba Porter Hay and Thomas H. Appleton, ed. Roadside History: A Guide to Kentucky Highway Markers. Frankfort: Kentucky Historical Society, 2002. (pg. 162) ISBN 0-916968-29-4
Further reading
- Drake, Louise Carson. Kentucky in Retrospect: Noteworthy Personages and Events in Kentucky History, 1792-1967. Frankfort: Kentucky Historical Society, 1967. ISBN 0916968006
- Eckert, Allan W. The Frontiersmen. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1967. ISBN 0-553-25799-4
- Hoeman, Andree Sieverin. Partial History of the Riddle--Beavers Families of Botetourt County. Beavers-Riddle Family Association, 1981.
- Wayland, John W. The Bowmans: A Pioneering Family in Virginia, Kentucky and the Northwest Territory. Staunton, Virginia: McClure Co., 1943