52 Ancestors, Week 4- Tamar Kirk 1736-1779

~52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks~

~Week 4~

As you're researching your family history, it's always fun to come upon someone who has seen a piece of history. You imagine what their exact experiences were like...how you would have been in that same circumstances...would you be as brave as they had been? 

When British settlers started colonizing New England, Indian attacks were frequent. We were, in fact, invading and taking their land. Why wouldn't they attack? I have a couple of other ancestors who have experienced an Indian attack first-hand... (I wrote about my 7th great-grandfather 4 years ago in my other 52 ancestors blog- you can read about him here.)

(Image taken from Google Images, Powhatan Wars)

The person I'm writing about today is not about my direct linage ancestor, but a cousin. Tamar Mendenhall ('nee Kirk) and her son Caleb Mendenhall.

Tamar Kirk

b. 02 Aug 1736 in East Nantmeal, Pennsylvania 

d. 1779 in Georgia

Tamar was the daughter of William Kirk and Mary Buckingham. She married Phineas Mendenhall (1742-1826) on 15 Jul 1762 in Pennsylvania. Phineas is my 2nd cousin, 9x removed. Tamar and Phineas had 5 children: Mary, Grace, Caleb, Joseph and Tamar.

Yesterday, I was researching more information on Caleb Mendenhall, Tamar's son and discovered an Indian tale that has been documented and published:

Friends and the Indians 1655-1917

by Rayner Wickersham Kelsey, PH.D

Page 73 & 74 from book "Friends and the Indians"

The Quaker Peace

Just prior to the Revolutionary War the Quaker frontier in Georgia began to waver somewhat on account of the Indian troubles and meetings were held irregularly. The climax of the trouble came when Tamar Kirk Mendenhall and the youngest song held in captivity for about two years. It is probable, however, in this case also that these Friends did not uphold the usual Quaker testimony of fearlessness and trust, as they had retreated from their homestead earlier in the year and had returned to gather the ripened grain when the tragedy occurred. It would seem from both of the above accounts that the safety of Friends lay in the consistent attitude of peace that set them apart in the eyes of the savages from all other "white settlers".

The above instances, of five persons killed and members of two families taken captive, all occurred in New England or the southern colonies where Friends had had no controlling voice in shaping the Indian policy. It is probable also that Friends suffered somewhat, at least in property, at the time of King Philip's War in New England. In New Jersey, on the other hand, there never occurred an Indian war, and in Pennsylvania when the Quaker Peace Policy was finally overthrown by the non-Friendly authorities, the preservation of the lives and property of Friends was remarkable. 

This account is somewhat detailed, but one thing that I think was "wrong" was that this states that Tamar and her youngest son was taken...Caleb. From what I know, Caleb was not her youngest. Either way, it is an interesting account. I am slightly disappointed because I haven't been able to find a date to go with this incident. I want to say that they were only held captive for 2 years and then released...as it states. Tamar died in 1779 at the age of 45, her son Caleb died in 1846 at the age of 76. It appears that Tamar died when Caleb was just 10 years old so it had to have been between these first ten years that they were taken. I do have two other children in my tree that Tamar and Phineas had- Joseph (b. 1772) and Tamar (b. 1774)...which if these children were true, then that leaves a 5 year window between 1774 and 1779 that they could have been taken.

Whoever is reading this, do you have anymore information on this abduction? Do you know if Tamar and Phineas had 2 more children after Caleb? Leave me a comment :)