SIXTH GENERATION

32. "SWAGO BILL" WILLIAM EWING^{(14) (2)(3)} was born on DEC 24 1756 in Bath County, VIRGINIA.^{(16) (17)(14) (10) (18)} He owned 745 acres on Swago Creek in 1774 in Greenbrier, County,WV. ⁽¹⁶⁾ He served in the military on OCT 10 1774 in Point Pleasant.^{(16) (18)} He owned Section 11 160 acres on a bend on Racoon River on JUL 22 1817 in HUNTINGTON, GALLIA COUNTY, OHIO.⁽¹⁶⁾ He died on OCT 7 1822 in EWINGTON, OHIO. ^{(16)(14) (10)(18)} He was buried on OCT 7 1822 in EWING CEMETARY GALLIA COUNTY OHIO.⁽¹⁸⁾ He was baptised into the LDS church on APR 12 1958. ⁽²⁾ He was endowed on JAN 30 1959.⁽²⁾ He has Ancestral File number 3538-9D.⁽²⁾
The town of Ewington,Ohio named after him. He served in Arbuckle's Company of Virginia in 1774 at the battle of Point Pleasant on Oct. 10, 1774 This is also referred to as the first battle of the Revolutionary war.

BARBARA LOUISE EWING POWELL graciously shared the following historical sketch.
EXCERPTS FROM--BOOKLET--THE EWINGS ONE AMERICAN FAMILY---WALLACE K EWING, GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN--JANUARY 1998.

Frontier nicknames such as "Indian John" and "Swago Bill" were useful in distinguishing people with identical names, which wasn't uncommon then.

The year 1774, William obtained by "tomahawk" rights to 745 acres on Swago Creek not far from his brother. The pioneers claimed land by walking the perimeter of the acreage they wanted and marking--presumably with a tomahawk--appropriate trees on the boundary. After living on the land 10 years and never being asked to leave, the settlers could consider the land their own. A later survey and grant of the land dated January 1st, 1795 and signed by Robert Brooke, governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, gave official title to William. He became known as "Swago Bill" for the creek which flowed over the land. William built a small cabin near the foot of the Swago. He married, and as his family increased, he built a second home, this one larger, two story structure about a mile away. The land was considered good for farming, with some rough, hilly topography, including limestone cliffs and scattered rocks.

On October 10, 1774, William participated in the Battle of Point Pleasant. Sometimes regarded as the first fight of the Revolutionary War, the successful outcome of the battle subdued the Indians along the outlying settlements for at least two years. It was part of a larger undertaking called Lord Dunmore's War. Lord Dunmore at this time was governor of the Colony of Virginia. Concerned about the increasingly defiant spirit of the colonists, Lord Dunmore looked for a distraction by declaring war on the Indians. Two militia units were formed. One, under the command of Colonel Andrew Lewis, marched along the Kanawha River in present day West Virginia to it's juncture with the Ohio River, not far from Point Pleasant, there to wait for Lord Dunmore and his unit. Together, the two units would cross the Ohio and march into Indian territory. Swago Bill, only 16 years old, enlisted in Captain Stewart's company, part of the regiment commanded by Colonel Lewis. The company formed at Camp Union, not far from the site of the Clendennin Massacre, near Lewisburg. Except for a few of the officers, the men wore no uniforms. Instead, the wore hunting shirts, leather leggins, and fur caps typical of the pioneers. They carried either flintlocks or muskets, bullet pouches, hunting knives, and tomahawks.

As Lewis' unit waited for Lord Dunmore's arrival, approximately 1,000 Indians, under the leadership of Chief Cornstalk, began to mass unseen on the other side of the Ohio, and were able to cross the river without being detected. They were discovered only by accident when two militiamen who were out foraging and happened upon the Indians encampment. One of the two militiamen was killed in the shots that ensued, but the other was able to return to his post near sunrise. About 150 of Lewis' troops went out in search of their enemy, but before they had gone a half mile from camp they were attacked by a much larger force of Indians.

The American forces fought in Indian fashion, keeping as much as possible behind trees,logs, or anything that provided protection. William was behind a tree when another soldier,rushing for cover, pushed him from his position and took it for himself. Instantaneously the soldier fell dead, shot through the head by an Indian bullet. William would have received the shot if he had not so unceremoniously been shoved aside.

Under the impression that Lord Dunmore's troops had arrived on the battle scene, the Indians retreated to the other side of the Ohio River. By the end of the baffle, eighty-one Americans were killed, and, according to one estimate, 233 Indians. Because of the battle, Lewis had to delay his excursion into Indian country for a week. During that delay the Indians approached Lord Dunmore seeking peace. Among the terms of the treaty was a stipulation that no white people should be allowed to hunt on the north side of the Ohio River. Most of the militiamen, including Swago Bill, returned to their homes immediately following the treaty.

Three years later he (Swago Bill) was back at Point Pleasant, a member of Captain Matthew Arbuckle's company of militiamen. Arbuckle and his troops had been ordered to Point Pleasant, to police the frontier in that area and to construct a fort, replacing Fort Blair, which had burned down for unknown reasons. The Revolutionary War was well underway, and the Indians, including Chief Cornstalk, were recruited easily by the British. On November 10, subsequent to an attack on a small contingent of militia men, the chief, his son, and two other Indians, who earlier had been taken prisoner, were being held at the fort. William was guarding the prisoners when a mob of angry soldiers rushed the fort with the intent of avenging the death of one of their comrades, and they threatened to kill William, too, if he interfered. Swago Bill protested the impending massacre, but was unsuccessful. Three of the captives were shot to death and, according to the report, one was "mangled." The soldiers who had a hand in the murders were brought to trial, but all were acquitted.

It appears that William's two years at Point Pleasant comprised the extent of his Revolutionary War experiences. Neither family folklore nor written records place him anywhere else. However, in 1783 he had another experience with the Indians, who were trying one last time to stem the flow of whites into the Greenbrier Valley, home to the Ewings and many other settlers in West Virginia. Still a bachelor, William got word that Indians were in the vicinity. He left the work he was doing and took himself and his team to the fort, six or eight miles away. A day or two went by with no incidents, and Swago Bill decided to return to his home to see if everything was in order. He retrieved the plow he had left in the field, and headed to his cabin when he heard some menacing noises. Looking up, he saw three gun barrels pointed at him and heard three clicks in rapid succession. Each gun had misfired. William dropped the plow and ran as fast as he could, with the Indians in close pursuit. After going over a crest of a hill, he veered off the path, dodged into the woods a short distance, and hid behind a benevolent tree. The Indians ran by his hiding place, and never were the wiser. Swago Bill continued through the woods on his journey to the fort, where he stayed for a few more days. The Indian threat seemed to evaporate, and the settlers returned to their homes.

By now the Greenbrier River area was becoming well populated. Among the Ewings' neighbors was the McNeill family, including little Mary. Born on Christmas Day, 1771, Mary was not quite 14 years old and William was five weeks short of 29 when they were wed in nearby Lewisburg, West Virginia on November 16, 1785. They set up housekeeping at William's cabin on the Swago Creek, and 15 months later their first born arrived, a daughter they named Elizabeth. By 1807 William and Mary had ten sons and two daughters, two more children than Indian John and his wife, Ann Smith, could claim.

The Ordinance of 1787, establishing the Northwest Territory and encompassing six
eventual states, had been implemented and the westward expansion of the United States was well underway. In the spring of 1810 Swago Bill and Mary decided to join Indian John and his family and many of their neighbors who had moved nine years earlier to the western part of Gallia County, across the Ohio River from Point Pleasant, where government land could be bought for $2.00 an acre. William's aim was to get out of the mountains and procure more arable land for his ever-growing family.

The Ewing train covering the difficult 160 miles consisted of three covered wagons fitted out with living quarters, 12 horses, and several head of sheep, swine, and cows. They carried the provisions necessary for the trail, as well as the equipment and tools they would need to build a new home. They built rafts at Point Pleasant and made several trips to ferry their train across the Ohio. - The journey was not over when they regrouped on the northern shore, since their final destination was a bend on the Raccoon River in Section 11 of Huntington Township, about 20 miles farther north.

William and Mary had left their home on the Swago without selling it, but on December 1, 1812 it passed into the hands of Sampson Matthews for "$1,200 current money of the State of Virginia" Two pieces of red sandstone from the chimney of the house on Swago Creek remain in the Ewing family today. Swago Bill and his family were settled in by early July, 1810, the date of the first election of the newly formed Huntington Township, which William and his son Thomas attended..

William had bought the entire northeast quarter of Section 11, 160 acres in all, at $2.00 an acre, payable at a rate of $80 down and $80 a year until paid. On July 22, 1817 he received a grant, signed by President James Monroe, which acknowledged payment in full. Son Thomas bought an adjoining 80 acres. The task that faced William and Thomas was awesome, but typical for the frontier settlers: to convert to farmland 240 acres of dense woods. Trees were cut, stumps pulled, brush burned, and the job was done. They fashioned the trees into usable lumber for home, outbuildings, and fences. The land became meadow, crops were planted, and the house was ready for occupancy by the spring of 1812, allowing the family to vacate the temporary structure they had lived in for two years. The permanent structure was a two-story building, made of hewn logs and with a stone chimney.


                                                                                Sunday Times -sentinel 19 July '81
 
They.. gave Ewington,OH its name to Honor Bill Ewing

By James Sands GALLIPOLIS William Ewing after whom the town of Ewington was named, was born December 24 1756 in Bath County, Va., the son of James and Margaret * Ewing. James Ewing was a Scotchman who had lived for some time in Londonderry, Ireland before coming to America in 1740. William Ewing's first acquaintance with Ohio came in 1763 when his brother John was captured by Indians and taken to the Scioto River. In 1774 William joined Arbuckle’s militia which became a part of Dunmore’s army assigned to attack Ohio Indians. At Point pleasant on Oct. 10, 1774, Ewing found himself in the thick of the fight when the Indians attacked the Virginians before Dunmore could go on the offensive. Ewing was later to write that he found himself in this battle firing at "redskins" from behind a sapling. One of his comrades rushed up to him and pushed Ewing from his shelter out into the open. From this cover Ewing’s comrade began to fire. Ewing was scarcely out of the way before Ewing’s comrade was struck in the middle of the forehead by an Indian bullet.
Ewing always claimed that be had trouble in this battle with his rifle. Each time that he took deliberate aim, his gun flashed in the pan. However, when he fired at random his gun never failed to go off. "If I ever killed anyone," said Ewing, "I never knew it." William was also present at Ft. Randolph (Point Pleasant) when Chief Cornstalk was killed in 1777. Presumably he was also present at the fort the following year when the fort was laid seige by Wyandot Indians led by Chief Half King. In 1785 Ewing, then 28, married the 14-year-Old girl Mary McNeill and the couple settled on the Swago Creek near Buckeye, W. Va. In time Ewing was nicknamed "Swago" Bill after the creek. "Swago" Bill blazed a line of trees around his property some years before he had clear title as was the custom in those days. The settlers were few and far between and Indians still posed a problem.
While plowing. Ewing received word that Indians were prepared to attack and so he sought shelter at the nearest fort. When he returned some weeks later his plow was covered with weeds and a brood of quails, was nesting under the plowshare. Ewing shouldered his plow with the intent to return to the fort and thus give Up claim on his Buckeye land for the time being. He had gone only a short distance through some woods when he heard thump-thump-thump ... click-click- click. "Swago" Bill turned and saw three Indians behind a log with their guns stretched out. It seems that the Indians’ powder was too damp and all three had misfired. William Dropped his plow and ran for the fort with three indians in close pursuit. Over a hill and into a gully they went. Here Ewing changed course and went UP a ravine. The Indians continued on the gully trail and thus "Swago" Bill had avoided capture. It was in 1810 that Ewing came to
  Gallia County,OH. He bought 160 acres of government land at $2 an acre and here lived (where Ewington now sits) until his death in 1822 It was in 1812 that Ewing built the first two- story cabin of hewn logs in the north- western part of the county. Among Ewing’s other credits was that he served as a Justice of the Peace most of the time he lived in Gallia County. "Swago" Bill’s descendants became numerous in Gallia County as well as in Hancock County. Ill.. and Hilisdale County, Mich. Mary McNeill Ewing moved in 1839 to Wilkesville with her son Andrew. In 1853 the 82-year-Old mother Mary Ewing headed out west in a wagon train along with this son Andrew. They first settled in Iowa and then five years later moved to Mercer County, Mo. It was here in 1858 that Mary died and was buried - some 800 miles from her beloved husband, "Swago" Bill Ewing.

James Sands’ address is Box 92 Clarksburg, Ohio 43115.

* NOTE Although this Margaret Sargent was once thought to be the wife of James Ewing it was never proven to be fact by anyone in the family. Further it was later withdrawn by the person who had it so published. To date we do NOT know who James married. We also have no bases in fact that James was ever a Capt. in the Revolutionary war. This was also an error made by early Ewing historians. There was a James Ewing married to a Margaret Sargent but it appears that he is NOT "our" James.

The above news article was graciously shared with us by Wally Ewing of Grand Haven, MI.










He was married to MARY MCNEILL on NOV 16 1785 in Gallia County, Ohio. ^{(16)(14) (18)}

33. MARY MCNEILL^{(2) (3)} was born on DEC 25 1771 in Swago Creek, Pocahontas County Virginia. She died in JUN 1858 in RAVANNA,MERCER CO. MISSOURI (summersett township). ⁽¹⁹⁾ She was baptised into the LDS church on APR 12 1958. She was endowed on APR 25 1958. She has Ancestral File number 3538-BK. Children were:

i. ELIZABETH EWING^{(2) (3)} was born on FEB 15 1787. She was born on FEB 15 1787 in Swago, Buckeye, Pocahontas Co., VA. She died on JUN 30 1852 in Ewington, Gallia, Ohio. She was baptised into the LDS church on APR 12 1958. She was endowed on MAY 23 1958. She was sealed to parents on JAN 4 1960 in the Salt Lake LDS temple. She was buried in Ewing Cemetery, Gallia, Ohio. She has Ancestral File number 3538-RS.
ii. THOMAS EWING^{(2) (3)} was born on JUL 10 1788 in Swago, Buckeye, Pocahontas Co., VA. He died on MAY 28 1874 in Huntington Twp, Gallia, OH. He was buried on MAY 28 1874 in Old Ewing Cem., Ewington, Gallia, Ohio. He was baptised into the LDS church on APR 12 1958. He was endowed on JAN 30 1959. He was sealed to parents on JAN 4 1960 in the Salt Lake LDS temple. He has Ancestral File number 3538-72.
iii. JONATHAN EWING was born in 1790.
JONATHAN EWING (Aug. 1, 1790--Sept. 3 1850)
son of Swago Bill Ewing

WRITTEN IN 1905
* This was copied from the George & Barbara Winkleman McCumber family
tree book, where some locations were listed as WEST Virginia. However, West
Virginia did not become a separate state until 1861. States listed before that date
will be referred to in these Ewing Bios as VIRGINIA.

In the mountains of Virginia, in Greenbrier County, near the present site of Buckeye,
Pocahontas Co., was located the home of William Ewing, son of James Ewing who
was Captain of the Augusta Co.,Virginia militia during the Revolutionary War.
He and his wife, Mary McNeil, made their start in life together Nov.16, 1785, and
built their home on Swago Creek, near that of their kindred , for at that time it was
well to be within call in cases of emergency. It was here that they raised a part, at
least of their family, ten boys and two girls, making up the number when complete.

Sometime about the beginning of the century, the tide of emigration began to flow
from the mountains of the Greenbrier region to the lands lying across the Ohio
River. John Ewing (the Indian captive), brother of William Ewing, who moved to
Ohio in 1801, was doubtless instrumental, if not the leader, in this movement.
He was followed by various members of the family, relatives and friends at different
times until in 1810, Wm. Ewing and family came to cast their lot among children
settled in and near Ewington, Gallia Co., Ohio. Among other property, the family
of Wm. Ewing brought ten "muley cows" with them from Virginia. Here Wm. Ewing
died Oct.07,1822 at the age of 66 years.

The third child of Wm. Ewing, born Aug.01, 1790 was named Jonathan. He came
with his father to Ohio in 1810, being at that time 20 years of age. Afterward,
probably before his marriage, he made a trip back to Virginia on horseback, in
company with Mrs. Rebecca Woods, she being a descendant of the Ewings through
another branch.

Jan. 11, 1817, Jonathan Ewing and Margaret McMillen, who, also had lived in
Greenbrier Co., VA were married and founded their home near Ewington, Ohio,
where they lived 32 years. Here they raised their family of eight children.

In the spring of 1822, fire swept them from their home and all they had in it, leaving
them to begin anew the battle for the welfare and comfort of themselves and little
family. But true to the spirit which enabled more than Ewing to overcome difficulties,
he set to work to build another house, which when completed, became their home
while they lived in Ohio.

In the fall of 1845, Jonathan Ewing, with a barrel full of dried apples, and in company
with his third daughter, Electa, made a trip to Fulton and Whiteside Counties in
Illinois, where his daughter, Sarah and her husband, Wm. Aleshire, and other relatives
had settled.

From Fulton Co., they with Wm. Aleshire, went to visit relatives on Rock River,
Whiteside County. While on this visit, Jonathan Ewing and Rueben Thompson went
to Davenport, Iowa, to visit Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Rowe-she being a step-sister of
Mr. Thompson and niece of Margaret Ewing.

On arriving there they found both Mr. Rowe and wife away from home, so they
proceeded to make themselves comfortable and prepared to spend the night. They
cared for their horses and made beds for themselves before the fire and went to sleep.
Sometime during the night, Mr. and Mrs. Rowe came home and finding men asleep in
his house, he at once begin preparations for an attack against the intruders, but, woman-
like, his wife, Emily, began investigations in another direction, which soon resulted in
the identification of the strangers and possibly saved the life of the subject of this sketch.
She went to the stable to see if she could find some horses that she knew, and on her
return, we can only imagine how she relieved her husband's anxiety by the information
that only kindred had invaded their domicile. Thus ended the nearest an adventure
of serious difficulty in which his living children remember Jonathan Ewing ever to have
been engaged. From this fact, we must conclude that he was a mild, peaceful citizen of
the community in which he lived. Sometime in the fall of 1846, before the river froze
up, he returned to Ohio.

On Sept. 10, 1849, he with his wife and children, George W. and Lucetta, and one
married daughter, Fidelia, who had married Phineas Matthews, and her family,
moved in wagons to Illinois. They arrived Oct.01, 1849, and settled in Hancock, Co.,
near Burnside, where he lived until Sept.03, 1850, when he died of a congestive
chill, aged 60. He lies buried in a cemetary near where he died. His wife, Margaret
survived him 34 years, dying June 14,1884, at the age of 87 years and was buried in
the cemetary near Carthage, IL.

Jonathan Ewing was a man who could do almost anything. In those days, men had
to make many things for themselves and families which now can more easily be
purchased ready-made. While it kept a man busy it developed skill in many directions.
He could spin, weave, knit and sew on his own buttons when necessary. He farmed,
made tar, made shoes, horse collars, split brooms, shuttles, lasts and ox-yokes and
taught school if a teacher was sick or absent. He taught some of his daughters to knit.
His daughter, Electa, relates that he taught her how to turn the "back seam" in a
stocking--her mother turning it too fast for her to learn from her how to do it.

When working for others he was modest in his charges, he would make a pair of shoes
for a man for a day's work and board himself and the man, too, while he was doing it.

He never held a higher office than school director and was not a member of any
secret order or church. Religiously he and his wife were firm believers in the
Universal Salvation of mankind, and strictly observed the Sabbath Day.

In politics he was a Whig and frequently attended political meetings, often taking
his daughters with him, as well as escorting them to other places of interest and
amusement. He was never pressed into service for his country, as at sometime in
his life he had the "white swelling" in one leg which disbarred him from such service.

At the time in which he lived he had a good education, being the best scholar of the
family and equal to any of them in intelligence. He was good in mathematics, reading
and spelling, and a plain,even writer. Specimens of his penmanship today show the
same evenness and other marks that characterize the handwriting of so many of the
descendants of both John and William Ewing. It is remarkable that such a similarity
can be traced after so many generations but it is a fact neverless. It is said of Indian
John Ewing (his uncle) that he could write so straight and evenly across the page
that it could be ruled as easily after, as before the writing had been done.

Superstition does not enter into the make-up of the Ewing family so far back as
history or tradition takes us, so of course Jonathan Ewing was not afraid to plant
his crops in his fields and vegetables in his garden when he got ready instead of in
the moon, as so many people are at this day. When hunting for water, he used a
spade rather than a forked stick, and the bugs would drop off of his hams just as
well if he hung the hocks up as if he hung them down. Among his descendants, this
freedom from superstition is found, they taking no stock in hobgoblins, spooks,
ghosts, etc., and if a graveyard lies along their way they can pass by it after night as
easily as their ancestors did in days gone by.

In the time of Jonathan Ewing, the use of whiskey was common and almost every
man was expected to use it as he would bread, yet he never used to excess and was never
drunk. He chewed tobacco but did not smoke (his wife smoked).

In his dealings with his fellow man, he practiced uprightness and honesty, doing unto
others as he would that they should do to him, so consquently he often lost in a
pecuniary sense in his trades, because he sold just what he represented; for instance,
his neighbors as well as himself made tar for sale, some of whom adulterated it, making
it thicker than the pure tar. When they sent it to Cincinnati to market, the adulterated
tar brought more than the pure tar, and those who were honest did not receive as
much for their labor as those who were less conscientious.

Matrimonially, the descendants of Jonathan Ewing have been unusually fortunate,
enough so, at any rate, that the divorce courts do not figure in their lives nor flourish
by their patronage, and the men have all, so far as we know, retained the covering
God gave them, the baldness being unknown in the family.

The descendants of the Ewing family have embraced many shades of religious beliefs,
and it is not known that any one went so far as to doubt the existence of the Creator,
yet none have risen so high as to proclaim the Word of God from his sanctuary.

It has been a source of family pride, that no serious disgrace has ever been attached
to the name of any member of the family and that in points of intelligence and
education they have always been equal to, and often superior, to the average of the
community in which they lived.
They have engaged in many callings in life, and while none have been wealthy, they
as a class have been good livers, being content with plenty of the necessities of life
and enjoying luxuries as they came within their reach.

Written by Mary Howell Finegan in 1905


iv. WILLIAM EWING was born on AUG 4 1792 in Greenbrier, WV. He served in the military in 1812. He died in 1847 in EWINGTON GALLIA CO. OH.
v. JAMES EWING was born on SEP 12 1793.
vi. JOHN EWING was born on SEP 9 1795.
vii. SARAH EWING was born on MAY 23 1797. She died in 1827. Sarah died childless at the age of 30
viii. ENOCH EWING was born on JUL 31 1799 in OHIO. He died on DEC 10 1885.
ix. JACOB EWING^{(2) (3)} was born on AUG 17 1802 in OHIO. He was born on AUG 17 1802 in Swago, Buckeye, Pocahontas Co., VA. He died on FEB 25 1878 in , Hancock, Illinois. He was baptised into the LDS church on APR 12 1958. He was endowed on MAY 23 1958. He was sealed to parents on JAN 4 1960 in the Salt Lake LDS temple. He was buried in Burnside, Hancock, Illinois. He has Ancestral File number 3539-00.
x. ABRAHAM MCNEIL EWING^{(2) (3)} was born on OCT 13 1804 in Swago, Buckeye, Pocahontas Co., VA. He died on FEB 14 1891 in Vinton, Gallia, Ohio. He was baptised into the LDS church on APR 12 1958. He was endowed on APR 25 1958. He was sealed to parents on JAN 4 1960 in the Salt Lake LDS temple. He was buried in Indian John Cem., Nr. Vinton, Gallia, Ohio. He has Ancestral File number 3539-15.
xi. GEORGE EWING^{(2) (3)} was born on JAN 21 1807 in Swago, Buckeye, Pocahontas Co., VA. He died on MAY 1 1883 in Ewington, Gallia, Ohio. He was baptised into the LDS church on APR 12 1958. He was endowed on JAN 30 1959. He was sealed to parents on JAN 4 1960 in the Salt Lake LDS temple. He was buried in Ewington Cem., Ewington, Gallia Co., Ohio. He has Ancestral File number 3539-2B.
16 xii. ANDREW EWING.