The Story of Mary Draper Ingles
Mary Draper Ingles lived with her husband, William, and two young sons, Thomas age four and George age two, in Drapers Meadows, Virginia. Mary and William’s marriage is thought to be the first white wedding west of the Alleghenies, and Mary the first white woman in Kentucky.
In July 1755, while William and Mary’s brother, John, was tending to the fields, Mary, age 23, and her sister-in-law, Bettie, along with the children were at the cabin. A war party of Shawnee Indians surprised and attacked Drapers Meadows. Several were killed, and Mary, Bettie, and Mary’s boys were kidnapped.
Though no official documentation exists, it is believed that Mary was pregnant with a baby girl at the time of the kidnapping and delivered the baby three days out on the trail. Fearing for the lives of herself and her children, Mary convinced her captors she could travel and was allowed to ride a horse for the remainder of the journey.
Statue of Mary Ingles
Courtesy of Matt Langford
They traveled up the New River to the Kanawha River. At this point, the boys and Bettie were all separated from Mary and sent to three different Shawnee Indian camps, and Mary was taken to a camp down the Ohio River to Big Bone Lick in Kentucky. Here she helped make salt and made herself useful by picking herbs and berries for meals. Others who were kidnapped were there too. She made friends with an old Dutch woman kidnapped from Pennsylvania. In September, during one of the times they were gathering herbs, Mary and the old Dutch woman slipped away from the camp. It is believed that Mary was forced to make the difficult decision to leave her baby behind with a Shawnee woman for sure the baby would die if Mary tried to take her along.
Following the Ohio River, Mary and the old Dutch woman walked on the Kentucky side of the river towards home. They ate anything they could find; berries, walnuts, pawpaws, and roots, all the while following the river. Mary was forced to run away from the old Dutch woman as she became crazed with hunger, even attacking Mary. Mary remembered the rivers they traveled as she was kidnapped, so she knew she needed to follow them back the same way. She stayed beside the Ohio River, to the Kanawha River, and back to the New River. Winter was now approaching. Mary’s feet were bare and her clothes hanging in tatters. She was suffering from hunger and exposure to the elements. However, Mary pushed herself on. After 43 days of travel and 700 miles, she reached cliffs that she recognized. On the other side would be the farm of Adam Harmon. In her weakest state, she climbed the cliffs and collapsed at the top, later to be found by Adam and his sons. She was soon reunited with William and John, who never stopped looking for their family. They learned that George had died in captivity, and was able to ransom for Bettie’s return. It took 13 years to find and ransom for Thomas’ return. After so long living with the Shawnee Indians, he didn’t remember any English or the white ways. It took him a long time to acclimate himself to their world again, and he would often run away. Mary and William bought land on the New River and established Ingles Farm, and across the river, Ingles Ferry and Tavern. This became a prominent stopping place on the Alleghany highway. Together they had four more children: Mary, Susan, Rhoda, and John. Mary outlived William and remained in their one-room log cabin until the age of 83, and was buried on Ingles Farm, not far from her old cabin.
There are many plaques along the route that Mary walked, honoring the courage and bravery of this amazing woman. Two statues now stand in her honor, marking each end of her journey; one in Boone County, Kentucky shown above, and the other on the banks of the New River in Radford, Virginia.
This summary was written by Patty Hons, a chapter member and a direct descendant of Mary Draper Ingles.