It's not *exactly* a diary, but here's the telling of the death of my 4th GGfather, Andrew Sharp (the same guy who is Alexis' DAR patriot), as told by his youngest child, who was born 11 days before he was killed. It is written with her original spelling and grammar. Maybe Alexis can hook us up with his profile.
"All is well. With your request, I sit down to write some particulars about my Father's death. He was a Militia Captain and served under George Washington in the Revolutionary War.
My Father, Andrew Sharp, was married to my Mother, Ann Woods, in the Year 1783 in their native place in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and with a family of one child moved to Crooked Creek, Indiana County. This being a new county, there was no chance for schoolihg his children. My father after settling there ten years, he was determined on having them schooled. He swapt his place for one in Kentucky.
We moved to Blacklick River and got into our boat. We started in the evening. The water was too low. We had to land over a night and a day. We started the next day. We got two miles below the falls in the Kiskiminetas River. We landed. My father had a canoe tyed to the side of the boat. It got loose going down over the falls and father went back for it. When he was away there was a man came and told us the Indians was coming again. By the time Father was got back all the women and children were in the boat.
The men went out to tye up the horses. The sun was an hour and a half in the evening. They thought it was best to go up to Halls and stay to morning. When they were tying up the horses, seven Indians fired on them. They were hid behind a large tree that had fell down about fifteen steps off.
The first fire they shot fathers right eyebrow off. When he was cutting one end of the boat loose, he got a wound in the left side. When he was cutting the other end loose, they shot him in the other side.
Father got the boat away before they could get into the boat. He saw an Indian among the trees. He called for his gun. Mother gave it to him. He shot him dead.
The boat got into a whirlpool and went round and round for awhile. When the open side went toward land, they shot in at us. They folowed us twelve miles down the river. They called for us to go out to them or they would fire again.
Mrs. Conner and her son wanted to go out to them. Her husband was laying. He died the next morning. They were all killed and wounded. Father told him to desist or he would shoot him. He fell dead that moment across my Mother's feet by a shot from the Indians. There were two dead men and two wounded. One of them died the next morning. There was no woman nor child hurted. There was twenty in all.
One man run up to Mr. halls. They took my fathers horses. The others got theirs. My mother work the boat the whole night. We got within nine miles of Pittsburgh. -Again daylight. There was men out on the Land burien some that was killed the same day my father was wounded. Jhey came in a canoe to the boat to help us a long. One man went on before us and had the doctors reddy when we got to Pittsburgh. There was a great many kind neighbours come to see us when we landed.
Father lived forty days after he was wounded. He was willing to died. He said if it had been the will of providence for him to live to see his children raised he would have been satisfyed. He left them to the care of providence.
Many a time I went and covered my self up and wept when I heard him moaning when his wounds was adressing. He got b~tter and could sit upon the bed and talk to people when they came to see him.
They shot the cannons the fourth of July. The Doctor did not want them to shoot the cannon. He said it would make the wounds run. The one in his back began to run and mortyfy. There was three wounds in him.
He died the eight day of July in the forty second year of his age in the year ninety four. He is buried in Pittsburgh.
There was friends to follow his remains to the grave but a younger sister and myself and my mother was not able to go. The youngest child was, eleven days old. There were plenty of neighbors to go. It was a wet day. He was buried with the honors of war.
After my mother got well, I went with her to the graveyard and showed her where father was buried.
He (Father) went over the mountains to see his father and mother before he went away. He bought school books and Bibles for all that was able to go to school. He did not live to see his children sent to school. He had a brother come to see him when he was laying on his Death bed. He went home after some time.
My father sold the boat himself. He knew he would not go ~own the river any farther. His brother came back again; he was dead before he got back.
My uncle stayed with us till there was wagons sent for us. We went over the mountains to Cumberland County and lived there three years. When we got there, my father had another brother come to see us.
The clothes that was on father when he was wounded. Mother showed them to him. He looked at every bullet hole that was in them. He wept like a child.
We lived in Cumberland County three years and went to school. We were all good common schollars but oh it was at the expense of my fathers life.
We got our own place back. We moved home and we all lived together. We did not hire abroad. We got along wonderful well. Providence was very kind to us oh how thankfull we ought to be to God for preserving us through such dangers.
It was a party of twelve (Indians) at went to Pittsburgh to trade. The people would not trade with them. They got angry and killed all Lhey could that day.
There was three men went down the river i n a canoe before ~s. One of them was shot dead. The other two was wounded. One of them died- The other got well- He lived in a room next to fathers room. He would come into see father before he died. It was the last war that was in that part of the country. It was in the year ninty four when all these things happen.
I never had any spite at the Indians. They were very bad treated.
There was seven children living at the time of my fathers death. They are all dead but myself. I am the olds of them. My mother lived fifteen years after fathers death.
I was born in the year one thousand seven hundred and eight four in february fourteenth. I was married to my husband, Robert Leason, in the year one thousand eight hundred and two. He departed this life February twelft aged eight seven.
Hannah Leason"