Death by Indian

Several of the Wallen/Wallin/Walling  (or W. for clarity) family members are said to have died in Indian attacks.
I believe that many of these accounts are just variations of  these  three incidents.

 John W.'s (1740-1836) wife did die in an attack 17 Mar 1785 though  there is no evidence yet about what her name was. He may have been married several times.
 John W.(1740-1836) was likely attacked at his home, reputed to be on the outskirts of the "civilized" area.
 Joseph W. (1735-1792) and a younger man named Thomas W. did die in an attack near Lot
 
John's Wife
Name may have been Francy, Lucy, Hale,McKinney,Cox or Roberts, no records have yet given proof of her name.
Colonel Arthur Campbell wrote to Governor Patrick Henry on March 26, 1785:   “since the muder of Mrs. Wallen, which I mentioned in my laster letter, a Mrs. Cox was shot at the Indians, but hapilly escaped."
On the same day Col. Joseph Martin, who had built Martin’s Station in Powell Valley also wrote Governor Henry, from his home in Henry Co., VA, stating : “i Ihave enclosed a letter from Ellis Harlin, who is from Chickamauga. On the 17th instant a party of Indians came to the house of John Wallen." Spring Creek area on March 17, 1785 
TL NOTE  I have found no details of just how Mrs. W. was killed , though the story is that she was scalped . Martin says she was killed about 15 miles from his station, which would have to be up Powell Valley, thus placing their residence somewhere in the vicinty of the present Rose Hill Community. This John W. was a son of Elisha W.  Sr., (1708-1785) and brother of Long Hunter Elisha W. (1732-1814),  for whom Wallen’s Ridge in Powell Valley was named.

The Home Invasion
...quotes Thomas Carter’s letter found in the Draper manuscripts:
"Sometime in the year 1789, John Wallen build a small cabin at the mouth of Stock Creek where Clinchport is situated now. He located his cabin on the Kentucky Path, and no double, helped to entertain some of the hundreds of settlers who were emigrating to Kentucky at the time oveer the Wilderness Road. Wallen was not left long in the peacable enjoyment of his new home in the wilderness. Benge and his forest bloodhounds soon found his cabin. One morning, must at daybreak, his wife, opening the door was shot at by an Indian and slightly wounded. Quickly closing the door, she bared it to prevent its being forced. Wallen, who was yet in bed, then hastily across and snatching the gun from its rack, shot and killed the Indian nearest the door. The other Indians then rushed upon the house trying to effect an entrance, nor did they retreat until Wallen had killed three of them. After driving the Indians away, Wallen and his wife went to Carter’s Fort, eight miles distant.”
TL NOTE If this story is accurate on the date, then this lucky woman is a new wife of John's. I believe it might be true because the location seems different- now they went eight miles to Carter's instead of 15  miles to Martin's.

The Lot Attack
"Tommy Wallin who came to Wallins Creek.  There were about seven killed here. they were some of his boys who were killed. The Indians killed the seven Wallin men. Watts was an Indian. Wallin killed Watts brother in Tennessee is why they came here, said killing in Tennessee was above Kyles Ford. Hancock, County...some say that Wallin's dog led them to his body while others say that his dog stood over the bodies, protecting them from wild beasts. At any rate these men had been killed by Indians and it is the first known death of a white man to be scalped in Harlan County. The ridge, the creek and the town of Wallins' Creek were named for them. The actual location is at the end of the old abandoned logging road at a place which was referred to in old records as the Lot/Lott,  situated between Blanton Branch and Rob Blanton Branch TL NOTE  In 1993, the two most common names in that community(Knox/Harlan County, Ky) are Helton and Wallen . ( My 5th great grandfather John Helton is listed at Wallen Creek, Harlan, KY. The Tommy W. said to have killed the  Watts brother is an odd story about continuing to attack the indian after he was dead. )

Joseph and Tommy
From an account of Joseph's death recorded in a family Bible last reported to  be owned
the Weddel family: "Joseph was killed by Indians. There he built a fort and took a company of his settlement and his  oldest son Thomas Walling, 12 in number and over on to the Three Forks of the Cumberland to the place now called the Lot in the state of Kentucky. When there him and his son and 8 out of 12 others was killed by the Indians".
 Many say it was a nephew Tommy not actually his son. Story rates a likely . We do know that Milly W. was a widow in 1794. She was listed as such in a storekeeper's account book.


It was Elisha the Longhunter killed in KY on a hunting trip.
"On the hunters' return to camp the other men saw blood on the snow and found the remains of him and his companion; some say that Wallin's dog led them to his body while others say that his dog stood over the bodies protecting them from wild beasts.  At any rate, these men had been killed by Indians and it is the first known death of a white scout to be scalped in Harland County, Kentucky. The ridge where they camped, the creek, and the town of "Wallins" were named for him.
His body was found whence almost decayed recognized by the buttons on his clothes".

TL NOTE  This is not likely considering the records and grave in Missouri.   Long Hunter Elisha was still living in the valley in 1785, sometime soon thereafter leaving for Missouri , his time there appears well documented. Of course one of the Wallen boys killed could have been an Elisha namesake.

 TL NOTE Elisha W. Sr. (1708- about 1784) It could have been  Elisha Sr, killed that day  This version of Elisha Walling Sr's death has some credence. Since no will has been located  it would  indicate his death was unexpected, for normally when ill, a person would have written a will  (but at 76 ...?)  It is notable that the line " the first known death of a white" is often repeated in the various stories.    So this story rates a maybe. (If anyone has access to the original  source of the quote I would love to hear from you)

Sources to look for
1. Name: Hamilton, Mullins, Weaver. (1992). Unsettled settlements: Indian Forays on the Holston and Clinch Rivers 1773-1794. Clintwood, VA: Mullins Printing
2. Name: Wallen, Delmar H. Sr. (1993). Families and History of Sullivan County, Tenn, Vol I, 1779-1992. Complied by Holston Territory Genealogical Society.
3. Name: Wilder, M.H. & H. B. (1991). A Wallen/Walling Genealogy, vol II Baltimore: Gateway
4.Virginia State Papers, Vol. IV, page 20
5. O. C. Helton, "The Wallin's Creek Killings, Knox County, Kentucky", MS 1993,

FAMILY PATH   Turner to Tompkins, to Wilburn, to Wallen.