Buffington Indian Genealogy
Note From Brad Humble: The following information is the most complete set of information about Mary Smith, Elizabeth Logan,Joel Buffington, William Logan, John Logan, Chief Logan, Chief Shikellamy that I have been able to put together briefly but giving enough historical background to support my opinion.
My opinion is that researched from the Buffington side the link from Joel Buffington and Elizabeth Logan marriage leads to any conclusions that we are related by marriage to Chief Logan and Chief Shikellamy is very doubtful. Trying to link the genealogy from Chief Shikellamy back to the Buffingtons is simply a flight of fancy.
Do the Buffingtons have any Native American Bloodlines? Of course. The Buffingtons as well of the rest of my ancestors have been none to choosy in who they decided to intermingle DNA. Every form of royalty and scoundrel has not dropped far from our family tree. Here is a link to Thomas Buffington, a Cherokee Chief.
Joseph Buffington, b. 1776, 3rd child of Joel and Elizabeth Logan Buffington,
Joel Buffington, b. ca 1744 in Hampshire Co., VA, d. 17 March 1821, in Mason co., Va (on Buffington Island). married ca 1772 Elizabeth Logan, d/o William Logan and Mary Smith." (Interesting that Mary Smith was rumored to be a Cherokee Indian,)
John Logan, d. 1757, Cumberland Co., PA; married Janot.they had 6 children:
1. Alexander, b. before 1736, d. 1762-63, Cumberland Co., PA,; m.
Mary_____ and had 8 children.
2. William Logan, b. before 1736, d. 25 July - 12 Aug. 1768 Cumberland
Co., PA: m. Mary Smith, she died after 1768. They had 5 children:
Twins, Alexander & John, b. after 1747.
3. Elizabeth Logan, married ca
1772 Joel Buffington. 4. Tennant. 5. Elinor, b after 1747."
3. Iounna; m. before 1757, ____Townsley.
4. Mary, d. before 1762; m. before 1757, John Ervin (Ewing).
5. Elinor.
6. Martha."
A quote from the history of the Logan Family where he his John Logan's
will recorded;
"Our ancestor is John Logan, son of William. It appears he lived in Bucks County and he could have been of the family of Alexander who came to America in 1684. John moved to West Pennsboro TWP in Cumberland Co.,
PA. His wife was Jonet. According to tax records, John, Alexander, and William Logan paid taxes in West Pennsboro TWP in 1751. History records that John Logan was the only surviving committeeman on the Pensylvania
Council in 1743. John died in 1757 in Cumberland Co., and according to his will left his wife, Jonet, his sons, Alexander and William, and daughters, Iounna (Townsley), Mary (Ervin), Elinor Logan and Martha
Logan." Will is then recorded.
John's sonisWilliam,His will is also recorded in Hommer's book. I won't type it all here. a paragraph speaks of Elizabeth;
"Elizabeth Logan, daughter of William and Mary, is our ancestor. It is accepted through family tradition that Elizabeth was part Indian. History supports this belief. A Great nephew of Elizabeth, John
Alexander Logan, was an important figure in Illinois history in his day. He was a son of Dr. John Logan, son of John who was a brother of Elizabeth. In a story of the achievements of John Alexander Logan(1826-1886) it mentions his ability in oratory and says he presented an impressive image as an orator of the spread eagle type with a large amount of flowing black hair "which showed his Indian heritage". In a letter from Jennie Buffington to Mrs. J.W. Carter (Emma Buffinton),
written in 1921 is .... "...don't be shocked when I tell you our father's great grandmother was an Indian"...... this would be Mary Smith, mother of Elizabeth Logan. Jennie Buffington's brother had done
extensive research on the Logan family, which was unpublished.
Elizabeth Logan married Joel Buffington ca 1772 and her story as "Lady Buffington" is recorded in the Buffington Family. (which I add here.)
"According to Joel Buffington's gravestone record he was born ca 1744. He was born in Virginia and married Elizabeth Logan ca 1772. She was affectionately known as Lady Buffington. They had 9 children.
"Joel lived in Hampshire Co., VA during the Revolutionary War. During the War he spent 7 years hauling freight between Virginia and Baltimore. Since Joel was a Quaker and did not endorse participating in
combat this was his way of assisting in the war effort. Joel and Elizabeth were still in Hampshire Co. as late as 26 June 1792 as evidenced by a deed for 150 acres on Abraham Creek on Allegheny Mountain to William Vandiver. They were " of Hampshire Co". They also sold land there to John Johnston which was recorder 18 May 1795. It may be that about this time they moved on westward. Probably the inheritance of land from their father urged them on to the Ohio River area. Joel is
listed in the History of Meigs Co., OH, as being among the first settlers of Sterling Bottom at Portland, OH. He became a large land owner, not only because of his inheritance, but also in his own right. HE purchased an island of 150 acres of fertile land in the Ohio River
from the Duvals in 1787, so he must have visited this part of the country before he moved his family. This buying of the island was hailed as a "considerable transaction". It was thereafter called Buffington Island, a name which clings to it today. It is located a few miles above Ravenswood, WV, near Sherman. The land in the vicinity of the Island along the Ohio shore was called "Buffington Fields", and there was a boat landing named Buffington. The Island became a gracious
home for the Buffington family for 50 years."
Genealogy From Doug Buffington
One last explanation of Mary Smith’s origins that deserves consideration is that she was the sister of Chief Logan who married William Logan (not related). These events would place her connected to the family and within the proper time frame. Mary Smith’s birth in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania is also significant because Chief Logan and his father’s family were known to have lived in Cumberland county where Chief Shikellamy governed the Susquehanna (Susquehanna) of Shamokin. It was there that Mary Smith met and married her husband William Logan whose family had lived in Cumberland for three generations. After moving on to settle in Missouri, William and Mary Smith moved to Hampshire County, West Virginia where both Joel Buffington and Elizabeth Logan were born. Because five of their children were born there, we may assume this is where they were also married.
William Logan
Marriage 1 Mary SMITH b: ABT 1740 in Missouri
Children:
John LOGAN b: ABT 1751 in Missouri
Alexander LOGAN b: ABT 1753 in Missouri
Tennant LOGAN b: ABT 1757 in Missouri
Elinor LOGAN b: ABT 1759 in Missouri
Elizabeth LOGAN b: ABT 1754 in Hampshire, West Virginia.
Her siblings were twins, Alexander and John; Tennant and Elinor
Amelia Ann LOGAN b: 1783 in Missouri
The Miller family has provided the following family tree:
Name: Shikellamy Surname: Shikellamy Sex: M Birth: in Montreal, Canada Marriage 1
Mrs. Shikellamy, Cayuga Indian
Children:
1. Taghneghdoarus (John) Shikellamy
2. TaghahjuteShikellamy (James Logan) Mingo Chief
b: 1725 in Osco, New York
3. John Petty
4. Cajadies
5. Mary Smith b: Cumberland, Pennsylvania
The Cox and Tarrant Families in Illinois have provided a different family makeup for Chief Shikellamy.
1. Anne Shikellamy Logan
2. John Talgyeeta Logan
3. James Tahgahiute
4. Sayugntowa
5.Unhappy Jake
6.Tachnechdorus
IT APPEARS THAT THESE ARE DIFFERENT WIVES OF CHIEF SHIKELLAMY.
Chief Logan
Father was a French Canadian trapper who later became Chief of the Oneidas.
THE SHAWNEES
" Chief John Logan (Tay-Gah-Jute) "
Logan was born in 1725, to a Cayuga Indian maiden. His Father was a French Canadian trapper who later became Chief of the Oneidas. He assumed the name
of the Secretary of the Colony of Pennsylvania, a good friend of his Father who represented the Indians to the Governor of Penn. Later Logan married a Shawnee maiden. He is described as a Mingo which was not a tribe but a loose confederation of the fragments of several tribes from the North East.
Initially Logan and his Father were good friends of the white people in their area and provided them with important advice and assistance. At the end of the French & Indian War, the Shawnees refused to accept the treaty by which the Iroquois surrendered the Ohio Territory, on which they lived, to the British. The Shawnee began to raid the settlements all along the frontier and the settlers retaliated. On April 20, 1774, several Indians, including Logan's family, crossed Yellow Creek near Pittsburg to visit a trading post run by Simon Greathouse. While there he got them drunk on rum and murdered them all. Logan mistakenly held Capt. Cressap responsible and began a murderous, vengeful assault on the Clinch and Holston Settlements.
After ravaging the territory, he withdrew by way of a tributary of the Big Sandy River (in Dickenson County). He was pursued by settlers led by a man named McClure. Logan ambushed and defeated his pursuers on what is now McClure's Creek, and withdrew through The Breaks.
In July of 1774, Logan captured William Robinson on the Monongahela River. When his braves wanted to burn him at the stake, he made a passionate speech on his behalf and defiantly cut him free. Three days later, he came to Robinson and asked him to record a
message to Capt. Cressap explaining his actions and inquiring why he had killed his family. " What did you kill my people on Yellow Creek for? The white people killed my kin at Conestoga a great while ago, and I thought nothing of that. But you killed my kin again on Yellow Creek and took my cousin prisoner. Then I thought I must kill too, and I have been 3 times to war since; but the Indians are not angry, only myself." (July 21, 1774 Capt. John Logan) He left the message attached to a war club at the murder scene of John Roberts at King's Mill.
After the Shawnees were defeated at Pt. Pleasant, Logan indicated his vengence was spent, but that he would never sign another treaty with the white man. Afterwards, he approached Patrick Porter about taking a young Indian boy (Dale) as his son. Although
Initially fearful, Porter eventually gave in to the persistent Logan. Dale, who he renamed
Arter Dale, was raised as his child, learned to read, and became a frontier Preacher for many years in the Scott and Wise County area.
Logan was described by one of the settlers as, "the finest human specimen, red or white, that I have ever met." He made a great friend - and a terrible enemy.
Shikellamy's real name was Ongwaterohiathe. 'It has caused the sky to be bright for us'. This famous Oneida chief has also been called Swataney. When a tribe was conquered by the Six Nations, a deputy or vice -gerent was sent by the Iroquois or Six Nation Council to watch over the tribe. Shikellamy was such a deputy sent by the Great Federal Council of the Six Nations 'Onondaga' in 1728 to watch over Deleware, Shawnee and other tribes in the Valley of the Susquehanna River in what is now the State of Pennsylvania. This chief was highly respected, by not only the Six Nations, but by the white colonial folks as well. He was always the friend of the white man and upon many occasions treated white settlers with great kindness. He never drank the white man's firewater because, as he once said, "I never wish to be a fool." He tried to prevent the sale of this cursed drink to those Indians under his trust. One of his first acts as Vice-Gerent was to send word to the colonial officials that unless they stopped peddling rum among his people, friendly relations between the Six Nations and the Colony of Pennsylvania would cease. This ultimatum to the Pennsylvania Government was delivered in 1731. Because of the harm that liquor peddlers were causing among their people, many Indians were moving west to the Ohio Valley where the French were trying to alienate them from English interests. The English had reason to fear friendly relations between the Six Nations and the French.
Shikellamy was asked by the English to go to Onondaga and invite the Six Nation Chiefs to go to Philadelphia, the object, to secure the friendship and alliance of the Six Nations in case of a war with France and also to try to get the Ohio Indians to return to the Susquehanna country to act as a bulwark against the enemy. Though they mistrusted the English, three of the Six Nations sent delegates to the council '1732'. At Philadelphia the English were very concerned and uneasy as to whether the Six Nations were their friends or whether they would favor the French. They were put at ease by one of the speakers of the Confederacy who, informed them that the Governor of Canada had met them in council, as they suspected, and had told them that he intended to war upon the English colonies and wished the Six Nations to remain neutral! The answer of the Iroquois speaker to the French Governor as regards the request was as follows: "Onondiio (name for French Governor) , you are very proud! You are not wise to make war with Corlear (English Governor of New York), and to propose neutrality to us. Corlear is our brother. He came to us when he was little and a child. We suckled him at our breasts. We have nursed him and taken care of him until he is grown-up to be a man, He is our brother and of the same blood. He and we have but one ear to hear with, one eye to see with and one-mouth to speak with. We will not forsake him nor see any man make war upon him without assisting. We shall join him and, it we fight with you, we may have our father, Onondiio, to bury in the ground. We would not have you force us to do this but be wise and live in peace." 'Pa. Col. Records, Vol. 3., It does not make the author proud to know, that at this moment, officials of the state that bears the name of Corlear are backing a bill, now before Congress, S-192; that will, if passed, take away the few rights and promises left to the Six Nations, the Confederacy that nursed their fathers until they had grown to be men. 'Write to Chief Clinton Richard, Pres. I. D. L. A., Sanborn, N. Y. for information.'
In the execution of his office Shikellamy conducted many important embassies between the Six Nations and the Government of Pennsylvania. It was through this chief that the Treaty of 1736 was called at which delegates from all of the Six Nations were present at the Council Hall in Philadelphia. Over a hundred Iroquois attended this council. At this council the Iroquois deeded to the State of Pennsylvania all of their Susquehanna lands. When most of the delegates had returned home, and several weeks later, another deed was drawn up by the whites and those Indians who had remained 'most of them drunk' signed away lands owned by the Delaware Indians. Became of this act, the Delawares and other Indians sought the alliance of the French and from 1755 to 1764 Pennsylvania was drenched in blood of an Indian war. Old William Penn, a sincere and honest man, never stooped to crooked dealings with the Indian people. His sons, however were not of the same make as their father, but were more interested in personal profit and trickery. The results of this shameful act was one of the bloodiest wars in colonial history.
Because of the help of Shikellamy in cementing a friendship between the Six Nations and the Colony of Pennsylvania, a future nation, the United States, was made possible. If the Six Nations and the French had formed an alliance, there can be no doubt that the result would have been the destruction of all the English colonies on the coast. Shikellamy was the mediator between the Colony of Pennsylvania and the Six Nations. He was the key to the friendship of the Iroquois.
Old Shikellamy became ill with fever and passed away Dec. 6, 1748. Said the Moravian missionary, Zinzindorf, of Shikellamy, "He was truly an excellent and good man, possessed of many noble qualities of mind, that would do honor to many white men. laying claims to refinement and intelligence. He possessed of great dignity, sobriety and prudence, and was particularly noted for his extreme kindness to the inhabitants with whom he came in contact." AMERICA OWES MUCH TO THIS GREAT IROQUOIS!
Leaving To-ri-wa-wa-kon and the grave of Shikellamy, the Mohawks traveled up the great river Susquehanna until they arrived at Lewisburg. Here they visited an ancient Indian village site which was an earlier residence of the noted Oneida chief Shikellamy. Continuing still north up the river the warriors arrived at still another of Shikellamy's towns. Here the great chief also resided, just south of the Village of Milton, Pennsylvania. From this village site the Mohawks traveled over a road that was once called, The Sheshequin Path. This ancient Iroquois trail was used by Conrad Weiser and Shikellamy on trips through this region of beautiful hills to the six Nations Capitol at Onondaga. This Indian trail connected the Iroquois country and the Shamokin area and is spoken of as, The Peace Path. Many an ancient Iroquois traveled over this beautiful trail coming from or going to the Land of the Ho-de-no-sau-ne.
Still traveling north up the great river, the warriors 'north of Towanda, Pa.' came to the meeting place of the Indian trails, the plans where the trail joined the Iroquois Country and the Shamokin Area. Still traveling up this Indian path, the Sheshequin Path, the Mohawks arrived in the vicinity of Athens, a town of Pennsylvania. In this location many important events of Indian history took place. This was also known as Tioga Point and several important councils of the Six Nations were held here. This was the site of the ancient Indian Village of Tioga. This was the Indian gateway from New York into Pennsylvania and had been an important Iroquois highway for generations. At Athens they saw, the Carring Path, the Indian voyager down the Chemung River lifted his canoe and carried it a hundred and ninety yards across the neck to ascend the Susquehanna River. This area around Athens was known by the whites as the "Pine Plains." In 1790 near this spot Timothy Pickering met Red Jacket and his Senecas. They were on their way to the Peace Council at Tioga Point. Just south of here was Queen Esther's Town. Near Green's Landing, on the terrace below, lived this French-Indian woman, Esther Montour. Near here stands Spanish Hill, ancient village site of the Andante Indians' who were an Iroquoian people, of the Six Nations. The Mohawks visited the Tioga Point Museum at Athens where they were fortunate enough to meet a woman of Indian blood, Elsie Murray, director of the museum. This woman, an Indian authority, gave the Mohawks the history of the region.
Leasing Tioga Point, the Mohawk left the main trail and heading west they arrived at the Village of Knoxville. Here, in Iroquois days, was a noted Seneca Iroquois village known as "Mingo Town." This Seneca sentinel village, located here at the eastern end of "The Forbidden Trail" during the mid-18th century, was the place where the white man was forbidden to pass. All white travel westward was halted here. Post, provincial agents, was turned back at this point in 1760. It is interesting to know, that at the head of a stream near here, Cowanesque Creek, is a short trail that led to where the Village of Raymond is now located. There it met the head-waters of the Allegany River down which it was possible to travel either by canoe or by a well-worn trail to the distant Monongahela River, 352 miles away and places farther down the Ohio River. This early route to the Mississippi Valley was used by the Iroquois for generations.
Leaving Pennsylvania the warriors headed down the Chemung River to the Seneca Village site of Newtown near Elmira, N. Y. At the City of Owego they saw a marker that had the following inscription: "Ka-nau-kwis, known as Captain Cornelius. In time of need here, he supplied venison and corn flour to family of pioneer, BenanuellBeuel." They recognized the Indian name as an Onondaga name and the thought came to them that there were many other instances of Iroquois hospitality and friendship to the early white settlers, occasions that deserved memorials and markers so that Americans of today would know that here in this beautiful country of America once lived a people who possessed of many characteristics that are admired today.
Heading north through a beautiful hill country the Mohawks arrived again at Onondaga, Capitol of the Six Nation Iroquois Confederacy. From here they headed north for the thousand Island Bridge. Crossing this they were again in Canada. Traveling south along the shore of Lake Ontario they were soon in the Thendinaga Mohawk Reservation.
Introduction: The Effects of a Great Speech