George Foulks-Frontiersman

The life of George Foulks (1769-1840) is the stuff movies are made of. His type of character is portrayed in dozens of settlers vs. Indians movies made about the dramatic westward movement of the new "Americans" into the Northwest Territory (Ohio), following the Revolutionary War. Captured by Indians as a youth, raised among the Wyandot tribe -- with full absorption of Indian culture -- he later turned his back on tribal life, and returned to the settlers...and then became a scout against Indian attacks. (Scouts were called spies, in those days.)

He was respected by Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, who quelled the Indian uprisings, and he may have been a scout for Wayne. He met the legendary Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), even as the orchard-planter was building his reputation as one of the nation's first prominent environmentalists.

There are other dramatic aspects of George's life. He knew his older brother, John, had been killed during the 1780 Indian raid in which he was taken captive. The Indians also captured his younger sister, Elizabeth. But they both knew their brothers, William and Jacob, had not been spotted by the Indians. They were in the family shelter, at the time of the raid, and the Indians chose to not invade the rudimentary cabin.

Elizabeth would go on to write a chapter of her own in Ohio history, as would William.

George's chapter has been well-documented in print. Here are some quotes, about his return home:

"The journey through the Ohio forests was not difficult for a young man trained as he had been for wilderness life, but as he neared the settlements, he began to fear that he would be mistaken for an Indian, as he was clothed like one of them. Finally, he reached the banks of the Allegheny River. Across the narrow stream he could see the cabin of a settler. This clearing was owned by Henry Ullery, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and was the home of his family.

"Dolly Ullery, a girl in her teens, heard George's calls, and bravely took her canoe and paddled over to the other bank. Satisfied that the youth was really a white man, she brought him back to the Ullery farm (Later, Dolly was to marry Jacob Foulks, George's young brother.)"

And, later, George was to marry Catherine, Dolly's older sister. You can read full details in:

George FouIks-Frontiersman, by Mina S. FouIks, Rebecca Griscom Chapter, East Liverpool, Ohio
Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, February, 1970

The magazine should be available in the archives of most large libraries.

George's life has also been recounted in a 1998 essay by David Bricker, a great-g-g-g-grandson who is one of the few Foulks descendants remaining in the areas of Pennsylvania and Ohio where they blazed frontiers in the 1800s. It's part of a posting of Beaver County, PA, history information here. David receives email at mailto:[email protected].

-- Thom Foulks, Colorado Springs, 1999

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