[techteach]

I have that book too. I bought it at Fort Bedford in PA. Lots of interesting stuff in that book.

Cindy

[MarcSnelling]

I’ve gotten further into the book and can see that the presence around Shamokin carried on into the 1770s 1780s. There is also at least one account of mixed marriage.

Here Henry Bickel who lived where Henry Mertz now does was shot. He had come there to help roll logs. His family was not disturbed. They plundered Emerick’s house of everything and loaded him down with baggage. After proceeding a little way they pulled down a sapling sharpened the end of it impaled the babe and let it fly in the air. Emerick became so exhausted with his load that he sat down upon a log and refused to go any further. One of the Indians sank his tomahawk into his head and killed him. One of the daughters died from excessive bleeding at the nose on the journey through the wilderness. They were taken to Niagara 1 and the wife and daughters married Indians their captors and many years ago Mrs Emerick and her Indian husband came to Henry Myer’s near Harrisburg in order to draw some money coming to her from her grandfather’s estate. Thus far I had the story from Benjamin Shell court crier of New Berlin Emerick was an uncle of Mr mother and the Emericks came from what is now Dauphin county and settled as he heard the story in the Shamokin country

…

9th August 1786 John Aurand appointed guardian of Margaret and Catherine Emerick children of David Emerick deceased. Finally there is a release recorded at Lewisburg dated the 26th of September 1816 from James Thompson to George Schoch which recites that David Emerick left a widow named Catherine and two daughters Margaret intermarried with James Thompson and the other intermarried with George Bauder and he Thompson releases his wife’s share of David Emerick’s estate amounting to $5516.75. So it seems that the wife and at least one of the daughters married their captors who many years after came back and received their share of the estate of the man they murdered. Mr Shell said Mrs Emerick was infatuated with the Indian style of life and endeavored to persuade some of her female relatives to go off with them when here. The recollection of one of the old inhabitants of the Valley was that they came here in grand style on horseback Mrs Emerick decorated with all the tinsel of Indian dress.

Haven’t seen the Bickel name before (other than Taxi Driver). Wondering if it is a variant of Bechtel/Becktell/Beetel.

[Author]

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