Held Prisoner in Hampton Roads

A wagon train . . .

. . . and a sad story about my 5th great grand aunt, Jenny Laughridge.

Taken from a handwritten sketch of the Trimble and McClure families by Louisa Smith, a grand-daughter of John and Mary Trimble, handed down by her mother, who was Elizabeth Trimble, born in 1803 and died in 1860. This sketch was written in about 1910.

In the early settling of Kentucky several families started to move from Virginia to Kentucky. There were several covered wagons, and at night they would "round up" and part of the men would keep watch for fear of the Indians.

They had kept watch for several nights and were not molested and concluded they would lie down and rest. Very soon they were awakened by a cry from the Indians. They were overpowered and scared so they could not defend themselves. The Indians took the feather beds, ripped them open and scattered the feathers all over the ground. The women ran and hid themselves, but one Mrs. Jennie Laughridge, a sister of John McClure and Elizabeth McClure Trimble, tried to conceal herself and children in a hollow stump.

One of the children crying betrayed their hiding place and the Indians seized them, took them by the feet and knocked their heads against a tree and killed them. Then they tied her on a horse and compelled her to follow them. They ran leading the horse and it would rear and plunge but she was tied on and had to go with them. She thought she was doomed to be separated from her people but as she rode along she broke off a weed as often as possible to guide anyone who might follow to rescue her.

After riding all night and all day the Indians untied her and let her walk. About dark she hear guns firing and some one shouted "come on boys". She knew it was her friends after her. She made a desperate effort and sprang away from her captors.

The Indians were afraid of the guns, although there were only two of them, but they fired their guns and rushed on them so it scared the Indians. She ran to her friends, they helped her on a horse and her brother got on with her and galloped away. they rode all night expecting to be overtaken by the Indians.

They had to hunt their way and got back next morning about daylight. She was so tired and hungry she was almost exhausted. She was never like herself again. Her mind was almost ruined. She lived for several years but was never well nor able to work again.