I have compiled a list of a number of versions of the story of the Poe brothers, Andrew and Adam, and the Wyandot Indian war party in 30 Sep 1781. Details differ in each account, but all are entertaining. More importantly, the stories provide a glimpse of the brutal life endured by the first settlers on the Ohio River frontier in the 1780′s. This hand to hand combat is arguably the most well known and most exciting tale of the frontier Indian wars.
Adam Poe, the Indian fighter, is the grandfather of most of the Poe steamboat captains.
This list will be updated as new sources are found. Although each Poe genealogy report I have collected also has an account of the Indian battle, those accounts have not been included in my list. Only books, printed and electronic editions, and published articles have been listed.
It is worth repeating ― Kentucky had Daniel Boone; Texas had Davey Crockett; the Tri-State centered around Georgetown, PA had the Poe brothers.
1. Capt Adam Poe, “Early History of the Poe Family in America”, East Liverpool Crisis, about 1890, p 7-12.
2. Allan W Eckert, “That Dark and Bloody River, Bantam Books, New York, 1995, p283-290.
3. Rev Joseph H Bausman, “History of Beaver County Pennsylvania”, The Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1904, p 161-163.
4. M Randall, Jr, Esq, “The Canadian Reader”, Walter & Gaylord, Stanstead, L.C., 1834, p 167-172.
5. Author Unknown, “The Poe Brothers and Big Foot”, Beaver County Historical Milestone Vol 22 No 2, Summer 1997.
6. William Dean Howell, “Stories of Ohio”, American Book Co, New York, 1897, p43-46.
7. Samuel Kercheval, “A History of the Valley of Virginia”, 1833; 3rd ed 1902 (Electronic ed 2009), EagleRidge technologies, Rockwood, TN, p 240-243.
8. Author Unknown, “Moravians and Wyandots”, Westmoreland Co Genealogy Report Chapter XXII.
9 Ben Douglas, “The History of Wayne Co Ohio from the Days of the Pioneers and First Settlers to the Present Time”, Robert Douglas, Publisher, Indianapolis, IN, 1878, p 830-834.
10. Alfred Creigh, “History of Washington Co, Pennsylvania”, 1870, p62.
11. Patrick M Reynolds, “Pennsylvania Profiles The Poe Brothers”, The Red Rose Studio, Willow Street, PA, 1985.