Some Gave All -- Lucasville Remembers Vietnam

Many years ago, some of my English classes in conjunction with Mr. Clarence Bender's history classes held a special ceremony at Valley High School honoring Scioto County casualties of the Vietnam War. To our knowledge, twenty-four residents died in the war. We acknowledged the name and service of each combatant, and we lit a candle in remembrance of each.

To my knowledge, no graduate of Valley High School died in Vietnam. However, three men with Lucasville addresses are listed as casualties. Lucasville residence includes an area much more sizable than the Valley School District. Please use the comment section in this entry to add information to this report.

As part of the Lucasville Bicentennial of 2019, we wish to recognize these three men. The Lucasville Area Historical Society honors these brave soldiers and their ultimate sacrifice for America. Gone, but not forgotten – Frank Allen Newman, Michael David Noel, and Gary Lee Sargent.

Frank Allen Newman

Frank Newman was born December 7, 1947. He enlisted in the army via regular military. He had the rank of Specialist Six. His occupation or specialty was Helicopter Technical Inspector, and he served with 1st Aviation Brigade, 11th Aviation Group, 62nd Aviation Company.

Newman experienced a serious casualty which ultimately resulted in loss of life on May 24, 1972. This occurred in or around South Vietnam, Thua Thien province. Circumstances of the casualty were attributed to: "Died through hostile action .. air crash on land."

Newman is buried at Lucasville Cemetery, Scioto County, Ohio. He is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, VVM Wall, Panel 01w, Line 31. 

Listed are some of the awards and medals that Specialist Six Newman either received or may have been qualified for. This is probably not a complete accounting. There may be other awards received we do not have records of:

★ National Defense Service Medal ★ Purple Heart ★Vietnam Campaign Medal ★ Vietnam Service Medal

Frank Allen Newman

Specialist Six
62ND AVN CO (CORPS), 11TH AVN GROUP, 1ST AVIATION BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
Lucasville, Ohio
December 07, 1947 to May 24, 1972
FRANK A NEWMAN is on the Wall at Panel W1, Line 31

Frank Allen Newman

ON THE WALL:	Panel W1 Line 31
This page Copyright© 1997-2018 www.VirtualWall.org Ltd.
PERSONAL DATA:
Home of Record:	Lucasville, OH
Date of birth:	12/07/1947
MILITARY DATA:
Service Branch:	Army of the United States
Grade at loss:	E6
Rank:	Specialist Six
Promotion Note:	None
ID No:	275462742
MOS:	67W20: Aircraft Quality Control Supervisor
Length Service:	**
Unit:	62ND AVN CO (CORPS), 11TH AVN GROUP, 1ST AVIATION BDE, USARV
CASUALTY DATA:
Start Tour:	03/28/1972
Incident Date:	05/24/1972
Casualty Date:	05/24/1972
Status Date:	Not Applicable
Status Change:	Not Applicable
Age at Loss:	24
Location:	Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam
Remains:	Body recovered
Repatriated:	Not Applicable
Identified:	Not Applicable
Casualty Type:	Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason:	Helicopter - Crew
Casualty Detail:	Air loss or crash over land
URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dn/NewmanFA01a.htm
Data accessed:	7/13/2018

A Special Entry from “The Wall of Faces” http://www.vvmf.org/wall-of-faces/

Final Mission of U.S. Army helicopter CH-47C tail number 68-15854

POSTED ON 10/15/12 - BY WKILLIAN@SMJUHSD.ORG

Crew included WO1 James A. Barefield (KIA), CAPT Harry L. Thain (KIA), SP6 Frank A. Newman (KIA), PFC David L. Brooks Jr. (KIA), and SP5 Charles W. Gaches (KIA).

In May 1972, I was an artillery advisor to South Viet Nam units in I Corps. Originally, I was the senior advisor to an ARVN 175mm gun battalion. The unit was not yet combat ready when the Easter Offensive started with North Viet Nam’s attack across the DMZ. The unit was ordered north to support the ARVN Third Division.

A day later I was ordered to replace the Third Division’s artillery advisor. I went to Quang Tri City. Just before it fell, I was rescued by a young WO1 flying an OH-6. He took me to Hue where I worked trying to get the ARVN’s I Corps Artillery’ Fire Support Center up and running. Sometime later, as an economy of force measure, a decision was made to emplace a personnel radar to cover the approaches to Hue. The plan was to lift a squad of ARVN engineers with construction materiel to a mountain top where they would build a bunker for the US manned radar. After the bunker was completed but before the roof was completed, the radar would be lifted in place.

The support of a Chinook was obtained. I now know it was from the 62nd ASHC. I marshaled the ARVN engineers and materiel on a grassy field along the Perfume River in Hue. I had a US Army sergeant advisor named Brooks and a Vietnamese sergeant from the engineer unit with me. SFC Brooks had radio contact with the Chinook while the Vietnamese sergeant had contact with the engineer squad.

All was going according to plan as the Chinook made trip after trip delivering the engineers and the materiel. I decided to get the next trip out to the site but saw an old monument at the far end of the field. As a history buff, I wanted to look at it. So, I told SFC Brooks that I would take the following lift. I walked down to the monument and using my high school French was able to decipher that the monument had been erected in the 1880’s by a Foreign Legion penal battalion. As I was reading the monument’s words, I saw SFC Brooks waving me back. I ran down the field and he told me that the Vietnamese sergeant had received a radio call from the mountain site telling that they were receiving sporadic mortar fire. Most disturbing was that the engineers reported the fire was over, short, left and right of their position.

Being artillerymen, SFC Brooks and I instantly realized the enemy’s plan. They were getting the range and would fire when the helicopter was on site. I called the helicopter and told them not to go in. I explained I was an artillery officer and knew what would happen. The pilot told me that they would go in. I again told him not to go. He said something about going in and then going back to his base to refuel. It was the last I heard from him. Moments later, the ARVN engineers reported that the helicopter had been hit, crashed, and the crew was dead. (Submitted by Brian M. O’Neill, LTC (R) FA) [Taken from vhpa.org]

Michael David Noel

Michael Noel was born on February 18, 1949. He was a 1976 graduate of Piketon High School. Noel enlisted in the Army via Regular Military. He had the rank of Specialist Four. His occupation or specialty was Materiel Storage (military materials) And Handling Specialist, and he served with Usasupcom, A Company.

Noel experienced a serious casualty which ultimately resulted in loss of life on September 11, 1970. This occurred in or around South Vietnam, Ninh Thuan province. Circumstances of the casualty were attributed to: "Died through hostile action."

Noel is buried at Rush Township Burial Park, Rushtown, Scioto County, Ohio. He is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, VVM Wall, Panel 07w, Line 56.

Listed are some of the awards and medals that Specialist Four Noel either received or may have been qualified for. This is probably not a complete accounting. There may be other awards received we do not have records of:

★ National Defense Service Medal ★ Purple Heart ★Vietnam Campaign Medal ★ Vietnam Service Medal

Michael David Noel

Specialist Four
A CO, TROOP COMMAND, ARMY SPT CMD CAM RANH BAY, 1ST LOG CMD, USARV
Army of the United States
Lucasville, Ohio
February 18, 1949 to September 11, 1970
MICHAEL D NOEL is on the Wall at Panel W7, Line 56

Michael David Noel

ON THE WALL:	Panel W7 Line 56
This page Copyright© 1997-2018 www.VirtualWall.org Ltd.
PERSONAL DATA:
Home of Record:	Lucasville, OH
Date of birth:	02/18/1949
MILITARY DATA:
Service Branch:	Army of the United States
Grade at loss:	E4
Rank:	Specialist Four
Promotion Note:	None
ID No:	290484111
MOS:	76V20: Materiel Storage And Handling Specialist
Length Service:	**
Unit:	A CO, TROOP COMMAND, ARMY SPT CMD CAM RANH BAY, 1ST LOG CMD, USARV
CASUALTY DATA:
Start Tour:	03/11/1970
Incident Date:	09/11/1970
Casualty Date:	09/11/1970
Status Date:	Not Applicable
Status Change:	Not Applicable
Age at Loss:	21
Location:	Ninh Thuan Province, South Vietnam
Remains:	Body recovered
Repatriated:	Not Applicable
Identified:	Not Applicable
Casualty Type:	Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason:	Ground casualty
Casualty Detail:	Misadventure (Friendly Fire)
URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dn/NoelMD01a.htm
Data accessed:	7/13/2018

A Special Entry from “The Wall of Faces” http://www.vvmf.org/wall-of-faces/

Michael took my place that night on September 11, 1970

POSTED ON 5/26/15 - BY MICHAEL P. COLLINS MIKECOLLINS54467@ATT.NET

Michael and I worked at the U.S. Army Depot in Cam Ranh Bay. Michael worked the first shift from 0600hrs to 1800 hrs. I worked from 1800hrs to 0600hrs. When I reported for work on the night of Sept. 11th, I was told to go back to my barracks and report back for duty at 0600 hrs. On Sept. 12th. Michael took my place the night of the 11th. The Army depot was hit by rockets that night. And as a result Michael was KIA. I still carry guilt. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him.

RIP, brother. You will never be forgotten,
Michael P. Collins

Gary Lee Sargent

Gary Sargent was born on June 29, 1942. He enlisted in the Army via Regular Military. He had the rank of Sergeant. His occupation or specialty was Field Artillery Crewman, and he served with 101st Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion, 320th Artillery, Battery B.
Sargent experienced a serious casualty which ultimately resulted in loss of life on August 13, 1966. This occurred in or around South Vietnam, Quang Nam province. Circumstances of the casualty were attributed to: "Died through hostile action.” He had been in Vietnam about 18 days when he was killed.
Sargent is buried at Rushtown Cemetery. He is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, VVM Wall, Panel 10e, Line 2.

Listed are some of the awards and medals that Sergeant Sargent either received or may have been qualified for. This is probably not a complete accounting. There may be other awards received we do not have records of:

★ National Defense Service Medal ★ Purple Heart ★Vietnam Campaign Medal ★ Vietnam Service Medal

Gary Lee Sargent

Sergeant
B BTRY, 2ND BN, 320TH ARTILLERY, 101ST ABN DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
Lucasville, Ohio
June 29, 1942 to August 13, 1966
GARY L SARGENT is on the Wall at Panel 10E, Line 2

Gary Lee Sargent

ON THE WALL:	Panel 10E Line 2
This page Copyright© 1997-2018 www.VirtualWall.org Ltd.
PERSONAL DATA:
Home of Record:	Lucasville, OH
Date of birth:	06/29/1942
MILITARY DATA:
Service Branch:	Army of the United States
Grade at loss:	E5
Rank:	Sergeant
Promotion Note:	None
ID No:	52505275
MOS:	13B4P: Cannon Crewmember (Airborne Qual)
Length Service:	06
Unit:	B BTRY, 2ND BN, 320TH ARTILLERY, 101ST ABN DIV, USARV
CASUALTY DATA:
Start Tour:	07/27/1966
Incident Date:	08/13/1966
Casualty Date:	08/13/1966
Status Date:	Not Applicable
Status Change:	Not Applicable
Age at Loss:	24
Location:	Phu Yen Province, South Vietnam
Remains:	Body recovered
Repatriated:	Not Applicable
Identified:	Not Applicable
Casualty Type:	Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason:	Ground casualty
Casualty Detail:	Misadventure (Friendly Fire)
URL: www.VirtualWall.org/ds/SargentGL01a.htm
Data accessed:	7/13/2018

Donald Trump: "To Russia With Love"

“They think it’s Russia. I have President Putin — he just said it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

– Donald Trump; July 16, 2018; Press Conference

Today may be described as one of the lowest points of foreign policy during the term of any American president. Watching this press conference for U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was disturbing to say the least. It serves to remind us of the dealings of a seriously inept man attempting to function as the leader of the free world. Political condemnation of Trump's actions (or lack of action) has been swift and continuous. Many agree he is a true danger to the future of America.

United States intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the 2016 United States election. Putin denies it. And, Trump refused to say, but he expressed doubt about whether Russia was to blame.

In the press conference, Trump did not criticize Putin or the cyber-attacks that the US intelligence community says he coordinated to help Trump’s 2016 election campaign. “I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,” Trump said.

The timing of the Trump-Putin meeting was exceptionally awkward. Just days ago, the Justice Department indicted 12 Russian intelligence agents on charges of hacking the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Dan Coats, director of National intelligence, said the US intelligence community has "been clear" in its assessments of Russian interference in the 2016 election, describing their actions as "ongoing and pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy."

Coats assesses …

“The role of the Intelligence Community is to provide the best information and fact-based assessments possible for the President and policymakers. We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.”

Republican Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there's no doubt that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. He added that any statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin contradicting the US intelligence's assessment is "a lie and should be recognized as one by the President."

Burr reports …

“Russia has conducted a coordinated cyberattack on state election systems, and hacked critical infrastructure. They have used social media to sow chaos and discord in our society. They have beaten and harassed U.S. diplomats and violated anti-proliferation treaties. Any statement by Vladimir Putin contrary to these facts is a lie and should be recognized as one by the President.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was "appalled" by President Trump's comments at his press conference with Russia's Vladimir Putin, saying he "could get worse than his performance at the NATO summit – but it sure did."

"He took the word of the KGB over the men and women of the CIA. The President put what's best for him over what's best for the security and well-being of the United States … When it comes to the interference in our 2016 elections, the President has managed to point his finger at just about everybody except the culprit ... The one person he hasn’t blamed is the person he stood shoulder to shoulder with this morning: Vladimir Putin."

Texas Republican Rep.Will Hurd criticized President Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hurd tweeted that "the President is wrong," saying Russia did interfere in the 2016 election.

Hurd says …

“As a former CIA officer and a Congressman on the House Intelligence Committee, I can affirmatively say there is nothing about agreeing with a thug like Putin that puts America First.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan said:

“There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals. The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.”

In a blistering shot at President Trump, Republican Sen. John McCain called today’s news conference "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory." He added that it was a “recent low point” in the history of the presidency, calling the summit “a tragic mistake."

McCain explains …

“The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake. President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up to Putin. He and Putin seemed to be speaking from the same script as the president made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair questions of a free press, and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to spew propaganda and lies to the world.”

Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, made it clear that he believes the intelligence community and special counsel Robert Mueller's indictments. Cornyn says Trump seems concerned his election is being delegitimized by critics.

According to Cornyn …

“I don’t think we should be taking a former KGB colonel’s word for what their intelligence apparatus is doing or not doing. I believe our intelligence community, and their assessment, and I think what special counsel Bob Mueller just indicted — the 12 GRU officials — is spot on. So I don’t know what the President is trying to use some sort of carrot-and-stick approach with Putin, but I believe the intelligence community.”

Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, joined in. “This is bizarre and flat-out wrong,” he said. “The United States is not to blame.”

Sasse says …

“America wants a good relationship with the Russian people but Vladimir Putin and his thugs are responsible for Soviet-style aggression. When the president plays these moral equivalence games, he gives Putin a propaganda win he desperately needs.”

Jeff Flake, Republican senator from Arizina, tweets …

“I never thought I would see the day when our American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”

According to Mike Murphy, Republican strategist …

“I just saw the most depressing, disgusting, toadying, weak, moronic, lie-stuffed, and damn near traitorous public hour in the long history of the American Presidency. A dark day.”

And John O. Brennan, who was C.I.A. director under President Barack Obama, speaks of impeachment:

“Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”

Sources

Julie Hirschfeld Davis. “Trump, Putin and the ‘Incredible Offer.'” The New York Times. July 16, 2018.

Luke Harding. “Trump-Putin meeting reactions: 'Russia is not our ally', says Paul Ryan – live.” The Guardian. July 16. 2018.

Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha, Brian Ries and Sheena McKenzie. “Trump and Putin meet in Helsinki.” CNN. July 16, 2018.

History For Sale: Sargent's Station on Wakefield Mound Road

3174 Wakefield Mound Road, Piketon

Would you like to buy a beautifully restored home with a farmhouse? How about one with a very rich history that used to be a stop for the Underground Railroad? The Sargent home at 3174 Wakefield Mound Road in Piketon is your dream come true. It is for sale. You have the opportunity to own a piece of history.

The Sargent family, which had manumitted their slaves in Maryland in 1781, moved to the Ohio frontier for the express purpose of combating "the horrors of slavery." The Sargents' home was built around 1799 by Snowden Sargent, a Revolutionary War patriot, at a site overlooking the Alembic. (Alembic – a uniquely shaped ancient earthwork, about the size of a football field, relocated in 2006 alongside Rt. 23.)

The Sargent Home was positioned to overlook Pike County's most elaborate Indian earthworks. In front of the Barnes Home lay the Barnes Works, a complex arrangement of geometric mounds. The structure served as a central marker along the Great Scioto Trail. The home, which still stands, has extensive underground tunnels emanating from its cellar.

In Ohio, the Sargents linked with a prominent political clan of like convictions, the Barnes family. James Barnes served as owner and editor of the Scioto Gazette (now the Chillicothe Gazette), while helping to establish Underground Railroad connections in Ross County. His nephew, John Barnes, Jr., built a grand home just south of the Sargent estate. Both James and John fought fugitive slave laws as Ohio state legislators. The Barnes Home also is well preserved.

Three of John's male descendants would marry Sargent girls, uniting the families and creating a nexus of UGRR activity at the strategic center of southern Ohio. Together, the Barnes and Sargents founded the Sargents Methodist Episcopal Church. A spin-of that church was established as Bailey Chapel in Wakefield, the first and only Methodist parsonage in south-central Ohio. The parsonage served as a training center for liberationist preachers.

Sargents Station, located between Piketon and Wakefield, was founded and named around 1800. It was named after the three Sargent brothers who came from Maryland in the 1790s, to establish stations to help Negro slaves who had managed to get across the Ohio River. Strategically chosen at the center and narrows of the Lower Scioto Valley, astride both the land and river routes going north from Portsmouth. Sargents Station was a principal stopover along the Scioto Trail, en route to Chillicothe and the Pee Pee Settlement in northwest Pike County. The term “station” came from the Stations of the Cross but now is termed the Underground Railroad.

Snowden Sargent IV, who was born at Sargents Station, Ohio migrated to eastern Illinois in 1830, at the age of 19. He became a wealthy rancher, and the patron of a Whig attorney his same age, named Abraham Lincoln. At Snowden's arrangement, Lincoln visited Sargents Station in 1848, on his way to serve out his term in Congress. He stayed at the Barnes Home, hosted by Isaac Newton Barnes and Mary Sargent Barnes. This visit may explain why Lincoln took his first public stand against slavery immediately upon his arrival in Washington, authoring a bill to outlaw slavery in the District of Columbia.

Barnes Home at Sargent

John Barnes, Jr. served the area for many terms as state representative and judge, and founded the Whig Party of Henry Clay in Pike County. Henry Clay, himself, and the famous archaeologist Ephraim Squier were regular guests at the Barnes home. The house was rebuilt around 1870, faithful to the original home, probably to preserve it as a shrine to Lincoln.

In 1900, the last passenger pigeon ever seen in the wild was mounted and displayed in the house, was mounted and displayed in the house, then occupied by the former Pike County sheriff, Henry Clay Barnes and his wife, Blanche, who died as a likely result of arsenic poisoning from her taxidermy.

Today, the Sargents Historic Preservation Project works to preserve the historic and prehistoric sites of Sargents Station and to establish a Sargents Station Historic District.

A Monumental Connection

John R.T. Barnes was born near Waverly on May 17, 1830. His father, William, had served as an adjutant in the War of 1812 and his grandfather, John, had served as a lieutenant with the 7th Virginia in the Revolutionary War. John had come to Portsmouth in 1858 and had worked as a clerk at a dry goods store on Front Street owned by William Elden.

When war broke out, John R. T. Barnes enlisted in Company G of the First Ohio Volunteer Infantry on April 16, 1861. He was killed at the battle of Vienna, Virginia (now in West Virginia) on June 17, 1861 along with five of his comrades from Portsmouth including Eugene G. Burke, Thomas C. Finton, Joseph C. Smith, Philip Stroad and Daniel Sullivan.

A news item dated February 14, 1918 in the Waverly Watchman is about Henrietta Roe, who died at the home of her nephew, J.B. Kinney. The article relates that “Miss Henrietta Roe, aged 85, departed this life. Miss Roe was born 1834 at Richmond Dale, moving to Waverly with her parents when she was but 5 years of age. She has resided here ever since.”

The Watchman article explains the Barnes and Roe relationship ...

“The death at Waverly of Henrietta, familiarly known to many residents of Pike County as: 'Aunty' Roe, at the advanced age, recalls to the mind in her life that few other persons remember. When the Civil War broke out, she was engaged to wed John Barnes, who at Lincoln’s call enlisted in Co. G. VI and went to the war front. He was the first to give up his life from this county in the war and a statue of him is above the soldier’s monument in Tracy Park in Portsmouth beside Chillicothe Street.

“Naturally Miss Roe (Rowe) mourned the death of her lover, as his true sweetheart, she never married, but spent her life at the old home, surrounded in her declining years by friends and relatives who ministered to her every wish.

“In the years following the war the Ladies of the Union Soldiers’ Aid Society raised funds to erect a monument to honor those who served and gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the Civil War.

"It took a dozen years to raise the $7,500 for the 40-foot monument. On May 30, 1879, a dedication took place in Tracy Park. Atop the monument is a statue of John R.T. Barnes, who was the first man from Scioto County to die during the Civil War.”

* Extra Trivia – We all know the first shots of the Civil War occurred January 9, 1861. But, did you know this? The Star of the West was fired upon as it approached Ft. Sumter. The ship was captured by the Confederates, being the first prize taken in the war by either side. It was sunk in the Yazoo River. Captain William Moore, brother-in-law to the ship’s captain and a steamboat captain himself, wishing a remembrance, visited the wreck and obtained a port hole window that is a part of the family’s mausoleum in Greenlawn Cemetery in Portsmouth, Ohio.

References

http://www.piketoninfo.net/sargents-station.html

https://circaoldhouses.com/property/sargents-station/

https://circaoldhouses.com/property/sargents-station/

https://www.newswatchman.com/blogs/pikes_past/article_45e64997-0351-5b29-b86d-b2eee6440ddb.html

https://adventuretrail.weebly.com/the-barnes-home.html

“A Civil War Romance.” Sargents Historic Preservation Project. Waverly Watchman. April 04, 1918.

The Long Road to Lucasville, Ohio -- Beginnings 1819

Let's trace the paternal roots of our founder, John Lucas, to ensure Lucasville residents know the history. It is a proud family story of incredible fortitude and accomplishment. We hope it is shared with present-day inhabitants and future generations. Research the history of these people because exploring the Lucas family will provide much more detail about their impact on Ohio and on America. 

T. K. Cartmell, historian and author of Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendents, says, “The Lucas name is prominently mentioned in every war period from the Indian massacres to and through the Civil War.” The records of the 55th Regiment of Virginia Militia, Berkeley County, after the Revolution through the War of 1812 – years 1795-1815 – are replete with changes of officer assignments. They include the names of William Lucas, Edward Lucas, Robert Lucas, Joseph Lucas, John Rion (Sarah's father), William Lucas Jr., Edward Lucas Jr., and Roberts Buckles, Jr. The older men were veterans of the Indian wars and the Revolution.

* Robert Lucas (Founder's Great-Great-Grandfather)

Robert Lucas (the original “Robert” from England) was born about 1630. He was the son od David and Amanda (Mehan) Lucas of Wiltshire, England. In 1651, Robert married Elizabeth Coggill (Cowgill) and lived in Longbridge, Deverill, just south of Warminster, Wiltshire.

* Then, Robert goes to Bucks County, Pennsylvania

In 1679, Robert embarked on the “Elizabeth and Mary” out of Weymouth and emigrated to Bucks County in William Penn's colony (Pennsylvania). In the next year, his wife and their eight children took the ship “Content” out of London and followed him to America where he became a surveyor and farm owner along Falls River in Bucks County.

* Edward Lucas Sr. (Founder's Great-Grandfather)

Edward, the son of Robert Lucas and Elizabeth Cowgill, was the sixth of eight children. He was born May 14, 1659 or 1670 (sources differ). He was a supervisor of Falls Township and a member of the Friends Monthly Meeting for thirteen years. Monthly Meetings are the basic unit of administration in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

* Edward Lucas II (Founder's Grandfather)

Edward Lucas II was the son of Edward (Sr.) and Bridgett Scott. He and Bridgett had eight children, four sons and four daughters. Edward II was born Christmas Even 1710, the eighth child.

* Then, Edward II goes to Virginia

Edward Lucas moved from Bucks County, Pennsylvania and settled sometime prior to 1740 on a plantation he named “Cold Spring.” One of the earlier settlers there, Lucas and others first built log houses surrounded by stockades on their farms and forts as refuges from the marauding Indians.

The Lucas farm was about three miles from town on the road to Charles Town. Their first log house on the land was burned by the Indians. It had probably been abandoned as there is no account of any loss of life there.

Historian Samuel Kercheval explains how early settlers during the Indian wars “enjoyed no peace excepting during the winter season when, owing to the severity of the weather, the Indians were unable to make their excursions into the settlements.”

Edward Lucas likely built his permanent home on his Cold Spring plantation sometime after receiving a 1760 grant from Lord Fairfax

Edward married Mary Darke about 1732 or 1734 (sources differ). Frontier life was very hard, especially for the women, many of whom died in childbirth and young. Mary was only 34 when she died in 17433, leaving five small children.

The oldest, Elizabeth (born January 13, 1735) married William Hall of Halltown, Virginia, an Englishman. The other four children were boys: John born in 1736, died in infancy; Edward (III) born in 1738; Robert born in 1740; and William born in 1742.

Edward III lived and died in Virginia. (Robert Lucas was the son of Edward Lucas III and Elizabeth Edwards.)

* William Lucas (Founder's Father)

William, son of Edward Lucas II and Mark Darke, was only two when his mother died. He grew up and married in the county. His wife was Susannah Barnes and they had six boys and six girls, all born in the part of Frederick, then Berkeley, that is now Jefferson. One daughter Susannah Lucas, a twin born in 1773, married Robert Buckles and they migrated to Scioto County, Ohio. William's son Robert (1781-1853) became a Governor of Ohio in 1832 and the first territorial governor of Iowa. William's youngest son, John, born June 16, 1788.

William served in the French and Indian War, under William Darke (later General) and in 1776, became a First Lieutenant, in Captain William Morgan's company of volunteers that reinforced General George Washington, in New Jersey. William built a large a large stone, L-shaped, 2-story house near Shepherdstown (now West Virginia) known as "Linden Spring." William moved to Ohio and died on July 2. 1814. in Lucasville, where he is buried.

* Then, William and family go to Ohio.

* John Lucas – Founder of Lucasville

John Lucas, son of William Lucas and Susannah Barnes, moved with his family to Ohio circa 1802, when he was twelve. John married Mary Lucas, the daughter of Robert Lucas and Sarah Rion. John Lucas and Mary Lucas were first cousins once removed. (Mary Lucas's father, Robert was first cousin to John Lucas.)

John is credited with founding the town of Lucasville on land warrants of his father given for Revolutionary War service. There he opened a tavern which he operated until his death on July 31, 1825, age 37. By his father's will he was left 376 acres in Scioto County. When he died in 1777, William Lucas was buried in the Lucasville Cemetery with full military honors. No artistic rendering of John is known to exist -- we can only speculate on his appearance through family ties.

The Family Line – A Simple Reference

(Not including all children)

Robert Lucas and Elizabeth Coggill

To

Edward Lucas (Sr.) and Bridgett Scott

To

Edward Lucas II and Mary Darke

(Remember Edward Lucas II also had a son, Edward Lucas III who married Elizabeth Edwards. They had another son, Robert Lucas II?, who married Sarah Rion, the mother of John Lucas's wife, Mary. A little complicated, isn't it?)

To

William Lucas and Susannah Barnes

To

John Lucas and Mary Lucas (the daughter of Robert Lucas and Sarah Rion – John's cousin)

Haystack Knob -- Lucasville, Ohio

There are lists and there are lists ...

Jordan Adkins  Rosemary Adkins  Ruth Adkins  Hazel Andronis   John Artis            Alice Barker

Don Barnett      Murbel Bice         Walter Buckle Nell Bumgarner  Peggy Campbell  Robert Chestnut

Larry Comer    Beulah Creech     Mike Davis      Betty Dillow      Barbara Dunham Velma Eichenlaub

Bob Herald      Fred Humston      Mary Johnson  Louise Kennedy  Judy Lemaster   Alice McKenzie

Ilse Melior       Betty Merritt         Betty Morgan  William Morgan  Lucille Moulton Ann Oakes

Harold Patrick  Gladys Pfleger     Irene Preston    Dorothy Russell  Glenn Schuler     Clare Slaydon

Andy Steele III Ralph Stewart      Patty Sullivan  Joan Uhl             Charles Violet     Beulah Wells

Ed Williams     Alberta Wolford   John Wolford   James Young      Charles Zaler      Raymond Zaler

This is a list of community stalwarts who worked so hard on the Lucasville Sesquicentennial of 1969. As you see, a great many widely recognizable names appear on the list. And, so many others also offered time, money, and sweat to make that celebration a one-of-a-kind success. Those of us who remember the celebration marvel at the tremendous job citizens did to make the Sequi unforgettable. Folks, I can assure you these names represent truly remarkable people who loved their community with all their heart.

2019 marks the Bicentennial of Lucasville. A much, much smaller group from the Lucasville Area Historical Society has been laboring to plan commemorative events and appropriate ceremonies for next year. As far as I know, this is the only community group involved in making the celebration a reality. 2019 will be here before we know it, and the society needs your help to make the 200^th birthday a success. Some of the events require many more human resources than we presently can muster.

I understand the sacrifice people make to pledge their assistance. It is difficult for many to attend meetings and lend a hand – especially older citizens and those with busy schedules. Then, I think of that list above. So many of those individuals were not spring chickens and they were busy folks, too. These people made lasting impressions in Lucasville because they refused to say “no” when assistance was needed. In fact, the list reads like a “Who's Who” of prominent influences.

Don't we owe each new generation the same initiative and commitment? I think so. I am sure we continue to nurture the same great values and beliefs of those in Lucasville of old. Buildings and streets and faces may change, but the earnest spirit of the area remains. And, it will prevail as long as people take an active role as stewards and stewardesses of our land.

Sometimes I hear comments like ... “Well, people don't really care about these things anymore” or “There just isn't a core of committed folks around now” or “No one wants to waste time on stuff like that.” Imagine how our youth react to these utterances. If they hear these statements and take them to be true, they come to believe in a defeatist mentality. I know the Lucasville community not only has a strong heritage and a committed tradition but also has an enduring base of proud residents. People young and old continue to move into our area and find a place of acceptance and cordial pride. The area is still a splendid valley of opportunity.

This Bicentennial is an opportunity for all locals to celebrate our history while building our social integrity. Nothing like working together on a common goal can strengthen the ties that bind us together. I hope more people decide to dedicate time to the planning and the execution of the events in 2019. 50 years ago the Sesquicentennial was a booming success, and there is no reason the 200th commemoration should be less fitting. By the way, no age is too young or too young to get involved – there is work for all.

The historical society is busy making wonderful plans. Bless all of those kind souls – a group of maybe 20 or 25 at full muster. I am not shortchanging the tremendous work being done. It is spectacular that so few can do so much. I just know that so many things would be so much better and easier to accomplish if more took an avid interest. Please, consider how you can help make the Bicentennial a great celebration, one worthy of our fair town. May we build a list of citizens that makes those on the list above proud.

NOTICE: The next Bicentennial Planning meeting will be held on July 12, 2018, at 6:30 at Emmanuel U. M Church basement in Lucasville, Ohio. Everyone is invited.

Before Boone -- Christopher Gist and the Ohio Company in the Scioto River Valley

George Washington’s wrote that “he knew of no person so well qualified for the undertaking

as Capt. Christopher Gist. He has extensive dealings with the Indians, is in great esteem with them, and well acquainted with their manners and customs. He is indefatigable, patient, most excellent qualities where the Indians are concerned. And for his capacity and zeal I dare

venture to engage.”

Here in the Scioto River Valley history is so rich. Beginning with the ancient mound builders, the area has hosted pioneers and settlers who have keenly shaped American society with their words and deeds. It is always rewarding to learn of those who played a prominent part in the shaping of the land. Such a person was Christopher Gist, a true American hero and frontiersman. Though not as well known as Daniel Boone or Kit Carson, Gist was one of the very first important European explorers of the Ohio Country.

Christopher Gist was born near Baltimore, Maryland in 1705, one of six children of Richard and Zepporah Gist. Not much is known about his early years. It is commonly held that Christopher spent his early years on the home plantation and in helping his father with his expanding mercantile business. Before his marriage, he received a gift of 350 acres of land from his father. In 1728 at the age of twenty-three, Gist married Sarah Howard with whom he had six children.

It is likely Christopher learned surveying from his father. By the time of his father’s death in 1741, Gist was an accomplished explorer, surveyor, and frontiersman. By 1750, Gist had moved to northern North Carolina along the Yadkin River. In an ironic twist, one of his neighbors was frontiersman Daniel Boone.

In 1748, twenty influential gentleman of England and Virginia formed the Ohio Company and petitioned the King of England for a grant of land on the branches of the Allegheny. That same year Thomas Lee, a member of His Majesty's council in Virginia, organized the Ohio Land Company. Its backers comprising a dozen wealthy land owners in Maryland and Virginia, including Lawrence and Augustine Washington, elder brothers of George, as well as a prosperous merchant of London, James Hanbury.

The company, formed with the stated objective of settling lands and engaging in large-scale trade with the Indians, was given a grant of 500,000 acres within the Dominion of Virginia but west of the mountains, all the way to the Ohio River and the Kanawha, with the stipulation that the company establish 100 families on that land within seven years.

In that same year, the Ohio Company hired Christopher Gist to survey along the Ohio River from its headwaters near the Lenape (Delaware) village of Shannopin's Town (modern-day Pittsburgh) to present-day Louisville, Kentucky. Gist was to be given 150 pounds for searching and discovering the lands on the Ohio River as low as the great falls, and if his services merited more, to be handsomely rewarded. He was to be supplied with all necessities and was to keep a journal of his travels, discoveries, and transactions with the Indians. An agreement was also made with him for settling families on the company's land.

All of this was taking place during the struggle between the French and English for control and possession of North America, of British control and imperial policy, and of the ongoing boundary disputes between Virginia and Pennsylvania.

That winter Gist mapped the Ohio countryside between Shannopin's Town and the Great Miami River. At the mouth of the Scioto River, Gist crossed into Kentucky and eventually returned to his home via the Yadkin River.

During the winter of 1751-1752, again in the employ of the Ohio Company, Gist returned west and explored much of the land that comprises modern-day West Virginia.

In November 1753, Gist met Washington when he was appointed to carry the fateful letter ordering the French to vacate British territory. The relationship became permanent when Gist was asked to help Gen. Edward Braddock lead his army through the wilds to capture Fort Duquesne in the spring of 1755. Gist was also expected to bring a large number of Indian warriors along with the regular troops. Because of several issues, only eight warriors were present at Braddock’s defeat on July 9.

“Gist led a team of roughnecks whose job it was to keep Washington safe because he had no experience in the wilderness,” said Brady J. Crytzer, an adjunct professor of history at Robert Morris University.

It was due to Gist’s and Washington's joint observations that the Ohio Company decided to erect a fort at the forks of the Ohio just southwest of Shannopin’s Town, rather than two miles farther downriver at Shurtees Creek as had originally been planned. This post ultimately became a strategic military post for operations in the Ohio Country.

Through the Ohio Company, Gist developed a very close association with George Washington. Traveling with Washington to the Ohio Country in 1754, Gist served as scout, messenger, and Indian agent. It was Gist’s reconnaissance that alerted Washington to the French presence at Great Meadows and allowed for the subsequent massacre of Jumonville’s forces. Gist was also at the battle at Fort Necessity the following month.

Gist solidified his place in history, twice saving the young Colonel George Washington's life.

On one of these occasions in the winter of 1753, while they were returning alone through what is now Butler County (Penn.), a traitorous Indian guide fired upon them when but a few feet away. The shot missed, and Gist was upon the Indian in an instant, seizing him before he could reload. He would have killed the unsuccessful assassin, had Washington not intervened. The Indian was kept for some time and then was given “undue consideration” and released.

After this harrowing experience, they traveled all night and all the next day, traversing the present northern Allegheny County, and arrived at the mouth of Pine Creek (Etna) on December 28, where they found the Allegheny River full of floating ice.

Historian and biographer Lawrence A. Orrill wrote …

“Washington was footsore and weary from making his way through the wilderness and snow but, after a night's rest, they constructed a raft of logs...

“This proved a hazardous venture for they were compelled to force their way with poles through the jammed ice. When they were almost across and had floated with the current to a point near the present Washington Crossing Bridge at Fortieth Street, Pittsburgh, the young major, fatigued and inexperienced, lost his balance and plunged into ten feet of water. He was fortunate enough to be able to grasp the raft and, with the assistance of Gist, was drawn to safety. As they were now jammed in the ice it was impossible to reach the shore. They drifted to an island, where they remained all night, and the next morning they reached the shore by walking over solid ice.

“Gist had all his fingers and some of his toes frozen, so severe had been the cold during the night, but they made their way over a hill, through the present East End of Pittsburgh, to Fraser's, where they intended taking horses for the remainder of the journey.”

Through his relations with Native Americans, Gist contributed significantly to English western expansion in North America. He helped strengthen the alliance between the Native American "Old Briton" and English interests against expanding French interests. He was crucial to Washington's western expeditions and was recommended by Washington as "the most proper person I am acquainted with to conduct the business of surveying western lands and negotiating with the Indians.”

Gist provided England and its colonists with the first detailed description of southern Ohio and northeastern Kentucky. While Daniel Boone is generally given credit for opening Kentucky to white settlement, Gist preceded the frontiersman by more than fifteen years.

Gist spent his last years among the Cherokee tribes in the South, where he served as an Indian agent. He became known by the Indians as “Father Gist” because of his efforts in their behalf. Little is known of Gist's later years or whereabouts. He died three years later in 1759, possibly of smallpox, while in either South Carolina or Georgia. His writings, published in 1893, offer excellent firsthand descriptions of the frontier environment, Indian life, and the campaigns that marked the beginning of the French and Indian War.

From the Journal of Christopher Gist

In September 1850, Gist was given instructions by the Ohio Company to “search out and discover lands upon the River Ohio and other adjoining branches of the Mississippi down as low as the great Falls thereof.” He was told to observe in particular the soil, the wideness and deepness of rivers, and other prominent “courses and bearings” of the land as well as the to survey “the Nations of Indians who inhabit there, their strength and numbers, who they trade with, and in what commodities they deal.”

The company was especially interested in a large quantity of good, level land which they measured and affixed “the beginning and bounds in such a manner they they may be easily found again by the description.” It was Christopher who provided one of the first and most detailed survey descriptions of southern Ohio and northeastern Kentucky.

Of particular interest to Scioto locals ...

At Maguck (present-day Circleville) Gist discovered “a little Delaware Town of about ten families” by a field with “a small rising in the middle” which “gave prospect over the entire plain and the Sciodoe Creek.” Gist described it as “fine rich level Land, with large meadows, fine clover bottoms and spacious plains covered with wild rye: the wood chiefly large walnuts and hickories, here and there mixed with poplars, cherry trees and sugar trees.”

Further south as Salt Lick Creek the company found salty streams running into the lick. Gist wrote here “the Indians and traders make salt for their Horses of this water by boiling it; it has at first a blueish colour and somewhat bitter taste, but upon being dissolved in fair water and boiled a second time, it becomes tolerable pure salt.” (Note – This was the site of the Scioto Salt Works in Ross County, which in early days was the source of supply for this portion of Ohio.)

Then, the group found a small Delaware Town of about twenty families on the southeast of Sciodoe Creek (five miles above the mouth of the Scioto on the east branch of the river, in the present Clay Township, Scioto County.) who offered them lodging. This was the settlement of Windaughalah, whom Gist called “a great man and chief” and “much in the English interest.” The famous head chief and warrior of the Delawares, Buckongahelas, was Windaughalah's son.

Gist wrote …

“He entertained us very kindly, and ordered a Negro man that belonged to him to feed our Horses well; this night it snowed, and in the morning tho the snow was six or seven inches deep, the wild rye appeared very green and flourishing thro it, and our horses had fine feeding.”

The company went into council with the natives of the town, and Windaughalah assured them they “would not hear the voice of any other Nation” for they were were “to be directed” by them, “the English.” There was also a promise made to meet as Loggs Town in support of “about 500 fighting men, part of the Six Nations.”

Later, at the mouth of the Sciodoe, opposite Shannoah Town, the group fired their guns “to alarm the traders,” who soon answered and “came to ferry them over to the town – the land about the mouth of the Sciodoe Creek,” a place rich but broken with fine bottoms.”

Shannoah Town was situated upon both sides of the River Ohio, just below the mouth of Sciodoe Creek, and it contained “about 300 men, about 40 Houses on the south side of the river, and about 100 on the north side,” with a “kind of State-House where they hold their councils of about 90 feet long featuring a light cover of bark.” Several different tribes, including the Seneca and Lenape from north of the Ohio lived in Shannoah. It was, however, primarily a Shawnee village.

French soldiers and fur traders were some of the first to mention Shannoah in their records. Fearing potential Shawnee alliances with the British, and thus incursions into their claimed lands, the French attempted to persuade the Shawnee to move their communities farther north but were not successful.

Within a few years after Gist's visit, Shannoah Town was destroyed by a great flood. Irish-born fur trader George Croghan was there at the time; the water was near fifty feet above the ordinary level. The Shawanese removed to the plains of the Scioto in 1758 and sent for those of their tribe, at Logstown, to join them. By 1760, the Shawnee had consolidated near present day Chillicothe, Ohio.

Gist provided England and its colonists with the first detailed description of southern Ohio and northeastern Kentucky. Why is the story of Christopher Gist less well-known than that of more popular scouts? His skills and courage were more than a match to any other more famous pioneer. In fact, biographer Kenneth P. Bailey attests that Gist did as much as anyone of his day to foster western experience. Bailey says, “Gist might have been recognized as the outstanding frontiersman of colonial history.’’ I hope you now know a little more about the story of this important, early-American historical figure.

And, falling very close to the tree ...

Christopher's son Nathaniel was a scout for General Braddock and was present when the General was killed in 1755. Nathaniel and a Cherokee maiden, Wut-teh, gave birth to Sequoyah, whose English name was George Guess, or Gist. Sequoyah went on to develop the Cherokee alphabet in 1821, and he represented the western tribes in Washington. The Sequoia tree is named for him.

Sources

Dan B. Fleming. The Encyclopedia of West Virginia. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2113. 2012.

“Christopher Gist.” Washington Library Center for Digital Histoy. Digital Encyclopedia.

“Christopher Gist.” Ohio History Central.

“Christopher Gist.” Roots Web. https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=adgedge&id=I7016.

Lawrence A. Orrill. Christopher Gist and His Sons. 1932.

Marylynne Pitz. “The Next Page: Sculptures of explorer Christopher Gist and Indian leader Guyasuta took circuitous route to their new home.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 10, 2016.

Allan Powell. “Historical Marker Barely Scratches the Surface of Christopher Gist's Story. Herald Mail Media. June 9, 2016.