David Washington Gerard (abt. 1786 - 1813)

Born about 1786 in Huntingdon County, , PA.

Ancestors

Husband of Rhoda (Hathaway) Carey — married 10 Dec 1806 in Ohio

Died 18 Aug 1813 at about age 27 in Miami Co, OH

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Biography

David was born about 1786 in Huntingdon Co, Pennsylvania, the son of Nathaniel and Mary (Lloyd) Gerard. In 1799, Nathaniel and his young family left Pennsylvania and settled in present-day Miami County, Ohio near Troy where Nathaniel established a tannery business.^[1] This was the first permanent settlement in Miami County, which later became Staunton township but was then known as Dutch Station. Beers provides a colorful description of the settlement in his History of Miami County . . . ^[2]

The little "Dutch Station," the embryo settlement of the now noble county, has been given a prominent place in the general history. Her noble pioneer fathers-the Knoops, Gerards, Hamlets and Tilders, of 1798-these brave men pushed their way through an unbroken wilderness, amid all the dangers of wild beasts and wilder Indians, established a little cluster of cabins, cleared out each a patch of ground, went out armed to the prairie near by to cultivate a little crop of corn, and anxiously watched and waited for the tide of immigration to flow toward them, which hope was realized in the following spring by the advent of John, Abner and Nathaniel Gerard, Joseph Coe, Uriah BIue and Abram Hathaway, who increased the strength, comfort and social elevation of the little forest settlement. As the Indian retired and apprehensions caused by his presence subsided, settlements sprang up, clearings were made, crops put out and improvements carried on. The soil, once cleared of its heavy timber, was admirably adapted to the growth of all the cereals necessary to the support of an increasing population.

On 10 Dec 1806, David married Rhoda Hathaway (1790-1850).^[3] Rhoda and David had 4 children before his death in 1813: Abner Hathaway Gerard, Mehetable Gerard, Isabel Lloyd Gerard, and David Washington Gerard Jr.

According to several histories of Miami Co, David was the last white man killed by Indians in Miami Co, which appears to have occurred on 18 Aug 1813. A newspaper article, published on 13 Sept. 1813, described the circumstances surrounding his death. ^[4] It read as follows:

Piqua (O), Aug, 21

On Wednesday evening the 18th of the present month, the British allies made an irruption [sic] into the neighborhood of Piqua, fired on David Gerrard and a Mr. Ross who were at work some distance from the house making puncheons. Ross made his escape unhurt, but Gerrard not being able to get out of the way, fell a sacrifice to the tomahawk and scalping knife; from this the savage proceeded some distance to where Henry Dillbone and his wife were pulling Flax, fired on Dilbone and shot him thro' the body, after which they dispatched his wife with the knife and tomahawk, in the act of holding up her hands and begging for mercy. The murderous wretches made good their retreat and in all probability have returned to their employers at Malden to receive the reward of their services. Both Dillbone and Gerrard left families of small helpless children. The party who committed the above murders passed Wapaghkonetta, where they were spoken to, avowed thier intention of coming to Piqua and said they were sent by the British, and that several parties of Indians had been sent to different parts of the frontier. From many circumstances which have come to my knowledge I am induced to believe these visits will be repeated upon our defenceless [sic] inhabitants. Those residing in places of danger will do well to be on their guard.

In haste, your ob't. servt.

John Johnson [sic, Johnston] *

* During the War of 1812, John Johnston was the Indian agent at a stockaded U.S. Army supply post and blockhouse near Piqua, Miami County, Ohio.

Another description of this atrocity was published in Beers' History of Miami County: ^[5]

KILLING OF DILBONE AND WIFE.

The second and principal alarm was from the killing by the Indians of three persons on Spring Creek, about the middle of August, 1813. The first was David Gerard, about four miles north from Troy. Gerard and a man by the name of Ross were hewing timber about one hundred yards from the former’s house, when Gerard was shot. Ross fled and gave the alarm. This was 4 o’clock P. M. The Indians scalped Gerard, and fled without disturbing his family. Two miles further north, a man and his wife by the name of Dilbone, at work in a flax and corn patch, pulling flax, were attacked. Dilbone was shot through the breast, but ran through the corn, a short distance, to the fence. He saw the Indians attack and tomahawk and scalp his wife, but, being mortally wounded, could give no aid. He secreted himself partially, and the Indians did not find him. The Indian in this attack lost his rifle, which was picked up the next day. These Indians, upon obtaining this additional scalp, fled. It appears that in this foray there were two Indians, one a lad half grown, and they only had one rifle. These murders being just before night, Dilbone was not found till next morning. He lived till the afternoon, and the writer saw him previous to his death. It was ascertained that these parties passed privately through this Indian camp at the agency, and immediately went on north to the British to receive their reward for the scalps. The Indians who committed these murders, it was supposed, came down the river in a canoe from the Indian encampment, under the guise of a fishing party, as a party of three or four Indians were seen by the writer of this article, among others, on the river, near the mouth of Spring Creek, the evening previous, and they disappeared rather mysteriously.

There is some confusion as to the father of David Gerard. The Gerard Genealogy book ( p. 36) ^[6] claims same David was a son of Nathaniel and cites The History of Miami Co, OH ^[7] with a detailed account of the Indian attack when David was killed. This contradicts the account in the Biographical History of Miami Co, OH ^[8] which claims David was the son of Henry. "... Henry Gerard surveyed a large portion of the land in Miami county, and as compensation for his services received about eight hundred acres, extending from Spring Creek to Troy. Some of his survey field notes are now in possession of the father of our subject. Mr. Gerard took an active part in the early development of the county. He built the first mill within its borders, and in all possible ways aided in its progress and advancement. In his later life he removed to Attica, Indiana, where he died at the extreme old age of one hundred and twenty-four years. Isaac Gerard was the first teacher in Concord township, and David Gerard, a son of Henry, was the last white man killed by the Indians in this county. He and a companion, by the name of Ross, were hewing timber one afternoon about four o'clock in 1812, when two Indians passed by and shot Gerard. Ross made his escape, but the Indians proceeded two miles further north, where they found Mr. Dilbone at work in a flax patch, mortally wounded him and also scalped his wife before his eyes."

Because Nathaniel Gerard was the administrator of David's estate (File 76), it would appear that Nathaniel was the father, not Henry.

On 2 Jan 1816, Rhoda remarried to a widower, Cephas Cary, who had 8 children of his own. Together, Rhoda and Cephas had an additional 8 children, viz. Benjamin W., Stephen C., Sally A., Simon B., Mary T., Harvey G., Jason S., and Milton T. ^[9]Rhoda Hathaway Gerard Carey died on 16 Dec 1850 and is buried in the Carey Cemetery at Hardin, Shelby County, Ohio.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ The History of Miami County, Ohio (Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880, pp. 221-222
2. ↑ Ibid. pg. 387
3. ↑ Ohio county marriages, Montgomery County, 1803-1827, vol A1. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-S59T-CQ?i=6&cc=1614804
4. ↑ Virginia Argus, Richmond, VA, Sept 13, 1813, pg 1 https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024710/1813-09-13/ed-1/seq-1/
5. ↑ The History of Miami County, Ohio, W. H. Beers & Co. Chicago, 1880, pg, 251
6. ↑ The Garard/Garrard/Gerard/Gerrard/Girard Descendants of Rev. John, Elias, & William by Robert and Carolyn Gerard (2002 ed) pg. 36
7. ↑ Ibid
8. ↑ A Genealogical and Biographical Record of Miami County, Ohio, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, 1900, pg 510
9. ↑ History of Shelby County, OH, R Sutton & Co, Philadelphia, 1883, pg 189
10. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17254892/rhoda-carey

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Sara Patton for creating WikiTree profile Garrard-79 through the import of lenon-shanks-gerard.ged on Nov 19, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Sara and others.