Ms. Scruggs & Write Away,

With your constructive comments and encouragement
you have created a 'monster'. :-)) so I'm baaack.

This time I'm asking ---would you 'dress-up' this interview, or for accuracy include it as it was written?

This (Rachel) is the daughter of Candis, Betty's grandaughter mentioned in my earlier Posting. One more Post to follow, A Eulogy(?) for Rachel written by Benjamin Arnett in 1876 when he was then the Rev. Arnett and the pastor of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Urbana, Ohio.

Thanks again, for any and all comments.

Art Thomas
***************
Draper Interview of Rachel Magee Reno

This interview is from a microfilm copy found in the "Draper Manuscript Collection".
The original manuscript is owned and housed by The State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The interview was taken by Lyman C. Draper between 6 Jul and 30 Oct 1863 and can be found in Series S, Volume 17, pp 281-2. The Draper Collection is contained on 116 rolls of microfilm and is a collection of historical materials, documents and personal interviews covering American History from 1740-1891 by Lyman C. Draper
(1815-1891).

INTERVIEW OF RACHEL RENO by LYMAN C. DRAPER

"And now RACHEL RENO-now over 80 years old - an African woman, born in
BLUE JACKET'S TOWN near Bellefontaine, her mother having been captured in Kentucky by the Shawanoes, - having early went to live with the Col. Alex McKEE family a little below Sandwich, Canada : Col. McKEE often spent some of his winters on the river Thames, he had many pet animals including deer; a pet deer hooked and gored him in the leg and he died of Lockjaw. He left one or two sons and Mrs. McKEE, part Indian, Col. McKEE having a Shawanoe wife.

SIMON GIRTTY was good to prisoners - often saved them - having got cut and hacked over the head in forcibly rescuing them.
BLUE JACKET lived and died near Brownstown, he was a good Indian, had a son named GEORGE BLUE JACKET .
RACHEL RENO said of her own accord that SIMON KENTON'S Indian name
was Cut-Ta-Ho-Tha which meant to be "blackened" or "condemned man" prepared for burning at the stake”.

Art's Notes: Bellefontaine is located in Logan County, OH, Shawanoes are often referred to as Shawnees, Col. Alex McKEE was a British Loyalist and Indian Agent, Simon GRITTY and Simon KENTON were Frontiersmen and Pioneers who helped in the settlement of Kentucky and what later became the Northwest Territory. George BLUE JACKET is reputed to have attended a school run by Indian Agent Col. Johnston, near Piqua, OH in Miami County.

IF, Rachel was over 80 years of age in 1863, she would have been born ca 1783 or earlier. The reported raid took place 24 June 1780 (Martin’s Station).

Her mother was a slave named Candis and was owned by the family of Rene LaForce, a French Huguenot, who migrated from Goochland County, VA into Kentucky. There is an account of LaForce's Family, including two daughters and a slave girl being captured in a raid of Shawanoes, led by a Capt. Alex McKEE, with the daughters and the slave girl going to Canada with McKEE. Records indicate that Candis, mother of Rachel was the slave girl taken by Alex McKee.