Captives of British and Indians
Detroit - 1783

Amateur and professional historians are invited to submit comments and data relative to the names on this list. The purpose of this page is to identify each person and his place of capture as a way of learning more about their families. We don't know whether all these people were being held in Detroit--some may have been held at other sites by British or by Indians.

Date: 22 Feb 99
From: j.sellars@usa.net

I came across a newspaper article in a 1783 Pennsylvania Gazette that had a list of prisoners with the Indians. I've attached it to this e-mail.

Jim Sellars

The Pennsylvania Gazette, PHILADELPHIA,
August 13, 1783

Captain Dalton, Superintendant of Indian affairs for the United State, arrived here last week from Canada, which he left about a month since, in company with 200 Americans, who are at length happily liberated from a cruel captivity with the savages. But he is sorry to inform us that there are a number of unfortunate fellow sufferers, who are still retained as prisoners by the Indians. The sufferings of Captain Dalton and his lady have been very great, both having been many years prisoners with the enemy, and forced to endure the most cruel treatment from their captors. For the satisfaction of their friends, Captain Dalton has given a list of the unhappy people who are confined chiefly among the six nations , viz. the Shawanese, Delaware, Munseys, Ouiactenaws, Putawawtawmaws, &c. &c.

The List is as follows:

Jim Sellars: These are the individuals who still remained in captivity, not the returnees. The names of the people liberated were not mentioned in the article.

Andrew Armstrong and his sister
Silvester Ash, George Ash, Henry Ash, Abraham Ash, Isaac Ash,
Margaret Baker
William Bangle
James Barley
John Barton
William Benjamin
Jesse Bland
Benjamin Brooks
Adam Brown
Mrs. Brown and three children
Barbary Burger - James Sellars: Also in the list is Barbara Burger. Harold Eddleman: I think she is daughter of John Burger of Ruddlesfort and further checking is in progress.
Hannah Burk
James Cain
Martin Coile
Barbury Coile
Cristin Coile, Barbary Coile,
-- --- Calaway
Henry Calaway
Jonathan Calaway
Francis Colaway
Abraham Coone
James Cooper
Nancy Dalton is this a relative of the capt who wrote this list.
Isaac Davis
James Davison
Mary Denton
Timothy Dormin and his wife
John Dumford
Katy Dundas
Mary Emerick
Katy Etelmaw, David Etelmaw, Daniel Etelmaw - James Sellars: In the list is a David, Katy, and Daniel Etelmaw, probably a bad copying job of Etelman, aka Eddleman. Could be a clue
Elizabeth Fisher, Frederick Fisher
Polly Francis.
George Fulks
Elizabeth Fulks
Jonathan Gold
James Gray
Jonathan Hanna
Jonathan Hicks
William Hitchkok
Jones Hoy
John Jones
Mary Jones
Edmund Keer
Mary Kennedy and two children
Betsey McCormick
Valentine Lawrence
George Lech
Becky Lee, Sally Lee, Thomas Lee
Lucy Linn
Jonathan Long
Mary Long
Polly McCurdy
Barbara McFall
John McFall
George Mawfit
Charles McLane
Mary McLee
Susy McLee
Ann McLee
James McSwine
Darkey Miller
William Morgan
Kenmit Morris
Nicholas Oatman
Kijah Patterson
Peggy Pauland
Peggy Paulin
Betsey Plumer
Betsey Poke
James Rogers
Margaret Sheerer
Adam Shoemaker
Katy Sicks
Hugh Stear
James Stuart
Jonathan Trimble
Jonathan Troy
John Turney
Ambrose White
Abraham Whiteker
Polly Whiteman and her sister
Thomas Williams
Jonathan Wilson
Joseph Wilson
Sarah Wilson
Nicholas Wilson

Captain Dalton says, that on their way home, through Canada, they experienced the most polite treatment from the English officers, but were more than once abused by different parties of those wretches who had fled to Canada from the back parts of the United States, to avoid the vengeance of their countrymen, for the many horrid murders and burnings committed by them in conjunction with the English and Indians. As Captain Dalton has been among the savages for many years, has now given his friends and the public an estimation of the different savage nations they had to encounter with, the number of warriors annexed to each nation that were employed by the British, and have stained their tomahawks with the blood of Americans, viz.

Chactaws, 6008 Oneidas 160 Chickisaws, 400 Tuskeroras, 200 Cherokees, 500 Onondagas, 300 Creeks, 700 Cayugas, 230 Frankishaws, 400 Jeneckaws, 400 Oniactinaws, 300 Suiz and Southuze1300 Kickapoes, 500 Putawawtawmas, 400 Munseys, 150 Fulawain, 150 Delaware, 500 Muskulthe or Nation Shawanaws, 300 of Fire, 250 Mohickons, 60 Reinars or Foxes 300 Uchipweys,3000 Puyon, 150 Ottawaws, 300 Sokkie, 350 Mowhawks, 300 Abbinokkie, on the Oneidas, 150 St. Lawrence 200

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8160Warriors11690
Editor: the above list collapsed during conversion to HTML and will be rebuilt to its orginal form.

A small vessel from one of the eastern ports arrived at Quebec a little time before Captain Dalton left it; but the Captain being abused for keeping the American colours flying, and not suffered to enter, he left the port without breaking bulk, notwithstaning the articles he had to dispose of were much in demand at Quebec, and he was offered a great price for them.

This is the end of the article James Sellars copied from the Pensylvania Gazette of August 13, 1783

General Comments Received from Readers:

Date: 24 Feb 99
From: j.sellars@usa.net 

Dr. Eddleman,

The list of people in the newspaper article are the individuals who still remained in captivity, not the returnees. The names of the people liberated were not mentioned in the article. If these are your Eddlemans, the story of them being captive for ten years could be true.

Jim Sellars