American Indians of the Ohio Country in the 18th Century

In the mid–17th century, the Iroquois Confederacy launched a war for control of the burgeoning fur trade industry. These conflicts, known as the Beaver Wars, were among the bloodiest in North American history, and the resulting defeat of the Erie nation led to present-day Ohio’s becoming devoid of significant, permanent Indian inhabitants. Only in the first quarter of the 18th century did tribes begin to tentatively resettle the area.
This book details the story of the Beaver Wars, the subsequent Indian migrations into present Ohio, the locations and descriptions of documented Indian trails and settlements, the Moravian Indian mission communities in Ohio, and the Indians’ forlorn struggles to preserve an Ohio homeland, culminating in their expulsion by Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act in 1830.

Paul R. Misencik is a former airline captain and retired division chief of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He is a member of the First Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line, a living history foundation. Sally E. Misencik is a former sociologist and teacher with a sincere appreciation of Ohio’s many small but valued libraries and historical societies that provide a wealth of Native American history. They live in Reston, Virginia.

Paul R. Misencik and Sally E. Misencik
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 292
Bibliographic Info: 83 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7997-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3850-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Part I.—The Repopulation of Ohio in the 18th Century
One. The Beaver Wars or Iroquois Wars (c. ­1628–c. 1677) 6
Two. The Wyandot and Miami Migration into Ohio 13
Three. The Shawnee Migration into Ohio 23
Four. The Lenape (Delaware) Migration into Ohio 27
Five. The Mingo Migration into Ohio 35
Six. The Ohio Thoroughfares 40
Part II.—Towns, Villages and Posts of ­18th-Century Ohio
Seven. The Moravian Mission Communities of Ohio 56
Eight. Towns and Posts of Northeast Ohio 90
Nine. Towns and Posts of Southeast Ohio 155
Ten. Towns and Posts of Northwest Ohio 163
Eleven. Towns and Posts of Southwest Ohio 215
Afterword 257
Chapter Notes 259
Bibliography 268
Index 273

“Fascinating…recommended”—Midwest Book Review