Arms of the Ohio Frontier

[groundhog107]

I am the 5th Great grandson of Captain John Baker of Bakers Station fame. I did not know that until reading a Allen Eckart book called Dark and Bloody River which I recomend to anyone. Capt Baker lost his life as well as two sons and a daughter to the Shawnee. At the time of his death he was with John Wetzel of Lewis Wetzel fame.  I have become very interested in his life and most importantly the weapon he relied on.  I have had no luck finding out much about the weapons of the day other than they were typicaly smaller calibers than most common front stuffers.  Can anyone point me in a direction wherer I could find more information about the arms of the Ohio Frontier???

Thanks

HOG

[necchi]

The only thing that comes to mind specific to Ohio is the Vincent; but that's 1840 ish > I'm sure alot of famed Pennsylvania long rifles made it down there
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/partDetail.aspx?catId=13&subId=80&styleId=317&partNum=VINCENT-OHIO-PERC-PARTS-LIST

A time frame would help, because of the river's, Ohio territory would have/is part of early trade routes. They where coming up the Mississippi from New Orleans and down the Bruel from the Great Lakes in the 16th century, with that date in mind there could have been anything, so a time frame of your ancestory will help narrow down the common military and trade rifles of the time.

[DennyRoark]

The time period was from the 1780's and up.  A large part of Ohio was offered up to Revolutionary War soldiers in 40 Acre or so plots.  A couple of land speculator companies bought huge parcels for resale.  The area was predominately settled thru PA and KY and by the Ohio River.  By 1801, Ohio was a state.  Eckart's book The Frontiersman goes into great detail about this area thru historical fiction using diary excerpts of Simon Girty, Simon Kenton and many others.  It's very accurate and can't be put down for long.  Simon Kenton's Shawnee name translated into The man who's gun is always loaded.  After years of skirmish and retaliation fighting, Kenton was feared as a god by the Shawnee.  I HIGHLY recommend this book!

[Rangr44]

"In 1784, Captain Baker erected a blockhouse surrounded by pickets on the Ohio River near the mouth of Fish Creek, across the river from Powhattan Point.
It became known as "Baker’s Station" and afforded protection to the settlers of Cresap’s Bottom and those of the lower end of Round Bottom.
It was on an Indian war path that led from the Muskingum River deep inside Ohio, eastward up Wills Creek, across a divide, and down the Big Captina to the Ohio River at Powhattan, then up Fish Creek to the interior of Virginia.
Because of the strategic location, it became a popular rendezvous for hunters and Indian scouts.
Although there were never any soldiers officially garrisoned at Baker’s Station, there were always plenty of defenders present, especially in times of trouble.

In 1787 John Wetzel and his son, George, were at Baker’s Station when they and Captain Baker noticed some Indians on the Ohio shore walking leisurely about. Baker shot at one and killed him.
The others appeared frightened and ran away leaving the dead Indian behind. Baker and the Wetzels crossed the river and were viewing the dead Indian when several shots were fired at them.
Apparently the Indians had feigned fright to lure the whites into a trap.
Captain Baker fell, mortally wounded.
The Wetzels "treed" and commenced firing back.
Several more men crossed the river to reinforce them and drove the Indians off.
Captain Baker had crawled a short distance from where he had fallen and was alive but he died soon after arriving back at the station.
He was buried on a flat near a stream called "Grave Yard Run" at the upper end of Cresap’s Bottom."


http://www.garlock-elliott.org/narrative/johnbaker_01.html


JMO, he most likely would still have been carrying whatever he used during the revolutionary War, but an English fowler or an early rifle - such as an early Lancaster, or Early VA - would be appropriate.


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[necchi]

Neat story, it's amazing to find your lineage to such ancestors groundhog,,

I can trace my Matriarcal liniage back to 1740 Virginia but no such luck with any historical stories/records as such.

I did find Civil War Musters though of some GG Uncles.