Blog Post #4: The Native American History of Tuscarawas County

        I have always been told that I have Native American heritage. I never really knew what that meant until I took a class called History of Ohio last year. Native Americans have always loved the Ohio Valley and they called these lands home. Even Native American tribes that did not live in this area claimed this land and killed off neighboring tribes that also tried to claim it. I've always found this interesting and the fact that the land that I live on was once claimed by Native Americans and was their home fascinates me.

        In fact, there was a tribe that lived in Schoenbrunn in the 1770s-1780s, then moved to Gnadenhutten because they felt that Schoenbrunn was unsafe. This tribe was called the Delaware tribe.

        The Delaware Indians actually had adopted Christian customs from two Moravian missionaries. The two missionaries were David Zeisburger and John Heckewelder. These Indians were given the nickname "praying Indians". 

        These two missionaries loved the Delaware Indians and greatly respected them. They set up a small settlement and created a peaceful environment for them. They called Schoenbrunn "Beautiful Springs". 

        The amazing thing is, this settlement was the very first in Ohio! Right here in New Philadelphia! This settlement also included the first schoolhouse in Ohio and Ohio's first code of law. 

        This settlement included 60 houses, like an average New England settlement. David and John both wanted the Indians to be self-sufficient and create a peaceful environment for them. 

        This beautiful village became dangerous and they fled to Gnadenhutten to be safer, due to war (American Revolution). Gnadenhutten means in their Native Language "Huts of Grace". 

        As the war raged on, David Zeisburger and John Heckewelder were not trusted by the British and they arrested the two and kept the Delaware Indians in captivity. In February of 1782, the British had set them free and the Delaware Indians came back to Gnadenhutten to continue their lives in peace. 

        The Delaware Indians did not see the last of war, though. A man named David Williamson had hated Indians and wanted to pillage on Indian tribes with his hateful army of militia from Pennsylvania and Virginia. They went to Gnadenhutten in March of 1782, just a month after the Delaware were released from British captivity. 

        When Williamson arrived, he was struck with instant confusion because he was welcome with open arms and smiling faces from the Indians. Enraged at the hospitality, he arrested all of the Delaware Indians and they were to stand trial for treason. They held a mock trial and they declared the Indians were to be executed. 

        Throughout the rest of the night, the Indians had prayed and sung hymns and praised their God for the last time. 

        The next day, they were brutally murdered and scalped by the militiamen. Only 2 Delaware Indians escaped. There were no charges brought up on David Williamson and his militia army.

        In 1789, David Zeisburger and John Heckewelder came back to the settlement and buried the remains of the Indians in the last Indian mound created, made by White settlers. 

        Now you're probably wondering why this is so important to me. This is important to me because in the 1700s, Indians were considered savages and were hated widely by settlers. But, there were great examples of how Indians adopted Western customs and they were still preyed upon. This happened on the land were standing on and this gives this story so much more power. I feel that its vital to remember this and how the Ohio Valley was stolen, not shared. 

(Information from Dr. Todd Hartline, History of Ohio)

David Zeisburger, Moravian Missionary

John Heckewelder, Moravian Missionary