Pioneer Times 2013

		Graphic Enterprises - Home of the Pioneer Times USA - A Web Site for Living History

Welcome to 2013
New Events - New Stories

Each year in January we start with a new front page to the website. Over the course of the year we continue to add photos and stories as they happen. If you are looking for a story from 2012 all of those stories are still on the site but they have been moved inside so that we begin 2013 with “a clean slate.”

Celebrating 10 Years

Pioneer Times Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary on
March 25, 2013

We started with a site with about 15 pages intending to showcase the photos of the living history events we had attended. The first time we deleted photos and replaced them with new ones we received emails asking us not to remove past pages. So today with over 975 pages, thousands of photos, stories, newsreels, book reviews and interviews - you can search and read about history, look at photos from the present and compare them with photos of the same event 10 years ago, order a T Shirt or a video, find links to museums and historic venues, find out what happened on This Day in History or check the calendar of Coming Events for information on the events you would like to attend.


	Like us on Facebook and let us know your favorite feature or photo from the past 10 years.


	March is Women’s History Month

National Women's History Month's roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women's Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn't until 1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the President has issued a proclamation.


	New Featured Women’s History Articles


	Frances Slocum : White Women in a Native American Culture

		Jenny Wiley - Frontier Captive


	Check our Women in History Page for additional articles, features and links to Women’s History Month Websites.


	Kentucky and the War of 1812


		By Kathy Cummings

The War of 1812 was not fought on Kentucky soil. But from it’s very inception Kentuckians played major roles. The British impressing soldiers from American ships is usually the main cause given for this second of the United States’ wars. But the situation with Canada and the British was also deteriorating on the western frontier. Indian attacks on frontier settlements had continued long after the American Revolution came to an end. The Battle of Fallen Timbers inOhio in 1794 and the ensuing 1795 Treaty of Greenville opened the Northwest territory to new settlement.

But the Indians began to unify under the leadership of Tecumseh and his brother, known as “The Prophet.” Tired of seeing their lands eroding to a new onslaught of settlers, this became the other side of the War of 1812.

Settlers from Kentucky had been some of the first to claim land in Ohio and Kentucky. On September 3, 1812 the small settlement of Pigeon Roost in southern Indian was attacked by a roaming band of Indians. The tiny settlement was made up of about 10 families that had emigrated from Kentucky. Twenty of the settlers and their children died that day. The most notable battle for the Kentuckians was the Battle of the River Raisin.. The defeat of the Kentuckians there, quickly dispelled the idea that the war would be a short one and that Kentuckians would overtake Canada and bring the British to the bargaining table. Governor Isaac Shelby had returned to office as Kentucky’s fifth governor. He had served as the first Governor and then returned to his home feeling his service to his state was over. But the need for a war time leader had seen Shelby elelcted again and he not only served as Governor but he raised 3,500 troops for the war effort and served as a military leader most notably in the Battle of the Thames. He was also instrumental in naming
Indiana’s territorial Governor William Henry Harrison to command the troops.

On other fronts of the War, Washington City ( the nation’s capital was attacked and burned in 1814) and another British force made an attack on New England. Andrew Jackson gathered another force to head off troops at New Orleans. By this time Kentuckians were done with the fight. When the War Department demanded Shelby raise 2,500 troops for Jackson he found it necessary to draft troops. Even then he was only able to arm about 1200. The Battle of New Orleans brought a conclusion to the fighting.

Militia Soldiers in the War of 1812

Kentucky was 3rd only behind New York and Ohio in men recruited for the War of 1812.

New Hampshire - 246
Massachusetts - 208
Rhode Island - None
Connecticut - None
Vermont - 2,434
New York - 14,866
New Jersey - 808
Delaware - None
Pennsylvania - 4,494
Maryland - 318
District of Columbia - None
Virginia - 901
North Carolina - 595
South Carolina - 1,046
Georgia - 378
Kentucky - 7.805
Tennessee - 510
Ohio 10,135
Louisiana - 550
Indiana Territory - 1,694
Mississippi Territory - 651
Illinois Territory - 963
Missouri Territory - 44
Michigan Territory - 555




		Kentucky’s soldiers actively fought and died in battles from Canada to New Orleans. Many troops from other states only manned stationary garrisons while Kentucky’s soldiers both regular and militia fought actively in the war. Indiana territorial governor - William Henry Harrison made his name in this war and later became President of the United States. In addition to Governor Isaac Shelby


	other famous Kentuckians served including Green Clay. Clay was a revolutionary soldier, a large Kentucky land holder and father of famed emancipationist Cassius Clay. He left his home Clermont (later renamed White Hall) in Madison County, Kentucky to lead troops at Fort Meigs.

Another famous soldier was frontier Indian fighter William Whitley. He left his home at Sportsman’s Hill at the age of 64 and enlisted in the war. He was killed at the Battle of the Thames as was Indian Chief Tecumseh. Whitley was buried in Ontario, Canada.

Daniel Boone, tried to enlist in The War of 1812 but was not called upon. Boone was 78. Simon Kenton was only 58 and living in Ohio. Troops from Kentucky travelling through stopped and received welcome at his home. Kenton’s family discouraged his enlistment, but as he had so many times before Kenton acted on his own and following the troops became a scout for them. Because of this no formal papers exist showing Kenton’s service. But he was nearby after the Battle of he Thames, and was brought forward and asked to identify Tecumseh’s body since he had known him for many years. Kenton was one of the few that always maintained that it was not the chief’s body. For he was certain that the Indians would not have left his body behind.