CHRISTMAS EVE, 1851. One of the few survivors of the famous battle of the Blue Licks died that night in Griggsville.
Abraham Scholl had not arisen that morning when his daughter, Betty Gibbs, called him. He complained of feeling
tired. Betty Gibbs sent for Dr. Hugh L. Sutphin, noted early-day physician at Perry. The doctor came. He said it
would soon be over. The old pioneer was dying.
Betty sent for her sister, Eliza Ann Steele. She came. Her father recognized her. He talked with her about many
things.
Boone Scholl, the old man's nephew, a son of Kentucky Peter, came to Abraham's bedside and said to him: "Uncle
Abe, tomorrow's Christmas." "So it is," replied Abraham; "is there anything going on?"
"Only the churches are having services," Boone told him. "My, how times have changed," said
Abraham, as the light faded. The old Indian fighter was dead.
Adaline Scholl Cochran, granddaughter of the pioneer, she who died in 1923, told the story of that Christmas Eve
in Griggsville in a letter she wrote in 1920.
Said she:
"He (my grandfather Abraham) passed peacefully away. No sickness. Said he felt tired and didn't get up. Aunt
Betty Gibbs sent for the doctor. He told them he would soon go. They sent for Eliza Steele. He knew her and talked
about things as he always did. Uncle Edward Boon Scholl went to him and said, ‘Well, Uncle Abe, tomorrow's Christmas
for those who live to see it.' Grandfather said, ‘Well, so it is; is there anything going on?' Uncle Boon said,
‘Oh, just the churches will have services." Grandfather said, ‘My, how times have changed. Back in Kentucky
they always had some jollification at Christmas.' In a few moments he passed away. The Dr. was there and said,
‘Now that's the way nature intended for man to die.'"
Edward Boone Scholl (grandson of Edward Boone), in a letter to Lyman C. Draper, collector of Boone manuscripts
at Madison, Wisconsin, dated at Griggsville August 25, 1854, said of Abraham's death: "He (Abraham) retained
his memory to the last and died without any disease as pronounced by a physician and when he was cold to his elbows
and knees he would talk and say nothing was ailing him and died without any apparent pain."
Abraham was 86 years and 9 days old, according to his war record at Washington, D. C., which states that he was
born December 15, 1765, in Rowan county, North Carolina. According to the recollection of Edward Boone Scholl and
to a statement contained in a brief obituary notice published in the Pike County Free Press at the time, Abraham
was 87 years and 4 months old, the birth date here appearing as August 24, 1764. In a court deposition made in
Clark county, Kentucky, on October 10, 1805, Abraham stated under oath that he was then 41, this court document
tending to substantiate the August, 1764, date. In other records the place of Abraham's birth is given as Augusta
county, Virginia.
Boone Scholl stated that Abraham "served three months in the old war (the Revolution), being 16 years old
when drafted." Abraham's war record shows that he enlisted in 1781 in Fayette county, Virginia, Virginia (Kentucky
was then a part of Virginia) and that he "served several short terms in the Virginia troops with Cols. John
Todd, Benjamin Logan, Daniel Boone and Trotter." He served with his brothers, Peter and Joseph Scholl, in
nearly all the Indian excursions in the "country of Kentucke." He was one of the company of seven that
went out to bury Daniel Boone's young brother, Edward (Neddie) Boone, when the latter was killed and scalped by
Indians on October 5, 1780. Boone Scholl told in his letters to Draper of having heard Abraham relate the circumstances
and that when they arrived at the place where the Indians had killed young Boone they "saw a wildcat eating
the wound." Neddie Boone was the ancestor of the Elledges and numerous of the Scholls who settled in this
region in early days, many of his descendants being still resident here.
Some Scholl descendants have contended that Abraham Scholl died on Christmas Eve, 1852, a year later than the date
above given. The 1852 date however is erroneous. His death notice was printed in the Pike County Free Press in
December, 1851. Boone Scholl, in a letter to Draper, offered as evidence that Abraham died December 14, 1851, the
fact that his death occurred the day before his (Boone's) son William was married and that William "was married
on the 25th" and "Brother Esta commenced a series of meetings at the same time" and that "a
certain sister of our church died and they was both brought in the church at the same time." The Pike county
marriage license records show that Boone Scholl's son, William P. Scholl, married Martha A. Shelley December 25,
1851.
The old Indian fighter was buried in a beautiful plot in Griggsville cemetery, in a grave which the sexton at the
cemetery says was long lost. There also are the graves of his wife, Tabitha Noe, who died in 1864, and those of
his daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Charles F. Gibbs, and their son, James Polk Gibbs, a veteran of the War
of 1861-65. Here, by the grave of this comrade of Boone, a great crowd of relatives and friends gathered on July
4, 1935 to dedicate a marker to this veteran of the memorable Blue Licks defeat, of which Edward Boone Scholl wrote:
"I recollect distinctly there was sixty widows made that day."
This battle of the Blue Licks described by Theodore Roosevelt as "the last battle of the Revolution,"
was fought on the Licking river, under the scorching sun, on August 19, 1782. It was one of the bloodiest days
of Kentucky's bloody history. News of the terrible disaster to the whites brought sorrow and gloom to nearly every
home in Kentucky. Many of Kentucky's bravest fell that day. Scholl, whose participation in this battle has been
recounted in an earlier chapter, was not yet 18.
It will be remembered that young Scholl, as he escaped from that deadly ambush into which the Kentuckians had been
led, contrary to the advice of Daniel Boone, passed Daniel's young son, Israel, who was attempting to cover his
father's retreat, and saw Israel, wounded to death, sink to the ground with the blood gushing from a great wound
in his breast. From Lyman C. Draper's interview with Abraham's brother, Joseph Scholl, on June 15 and 16, 1868,
it is learned that Abraham reaching the river (Licking) on the retreat, said to his kinsman, Andrew Morgan, "I'm
afraid I can't get over the river with my rifle, and I can't part with it," and that Morgan replied, "Hold
on to my shoulder as we pass the river and we will mutually support each other," and they did so, and Scholl
saved his rifle.
Abraham, it is stated, brought this treasured rifle with him when he came to Illinois and, upon his death the gun
fell to his son, Peter Scholl. With this gun that barked at the Blue Licks, Peter Scholl, it is said, was accustomed
to sit on the doorstep of his home in Pike county and shoot wild turkeys that came into his clearing. Present members
of the family do not know what became of this gun which, if it could be located, would be a valuable relic.
Edward Boone Scholl, although born 19 years after the Blue Licks defeat, heard much of this famous battle when
he was a boy in Kentucky. Speaking of it in a letter to Lyman C. Draper, written at Griggsville August 25, 1854
he said: "Daniel Boone was 2nd in command and when they got to the river they saw several Indians running
from the bank. In holding a consultation Daniel Boone, knowing the position of the ground and advantage the ground
would give the Indians, objected, saying those Indians would only decoy them, which proved true. Their commander
in chief (McGary) twitted him with cowardice, to which he replied, ‘I can go as far as any of you.' One of his
sons fell in the battle. I recollect distinctly there was 60 widows made that day. How many fell I don't recollect."
Rachel Scholl Denton, Abraham's sister, writing of this battle in 1844 when she was 71, said: "Five of the
Boone's Station men were killed and one, John Morgan taken prisoner and returned. Israel Boone was killed, and
Squire Boone, son of Samuel, had his thigh broken, and his neighbor, Samuel Brannon, gave up his horse to escape
and was himself killed before he reached the Licking. But Boone reached the Station with his shattered limb dangling
in the cane and grape vines and sometimes thrown against his horse's rump."
Miss Mary L. Horton of Rockport, Illinois, worked earnestly to prove the Revolutionary service of Abraham Scholl
and finally secured a permit from the Registrar General of the D. A. R. to mark his grave with an official D. A.
R. marker. This permit was dated May 25, 1932.
On July 4, 1935, a bronze tablet was dedicated to this veteran of the "dark and bloody ground" by the
Nancy Ross Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Ceremonies at the grave included an address of
welcome by Mayor Anson Northup of Griggsville; ritual opening by the D. A. R. regent, Mrs. Earl Grigsby, and acting
chaplain, Mrs. Ralph Gray; brief incidents from the life of Abraham Scholl by his great grandsons, Abraham Key
Wilson of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Jacob E. Scholl of Chicago; reading by Mrs. Ross Lemmon of the official permit
from the national society of the D. A. R. to mark the grave of the Indian fighter; unveiling of the marker by a
great great great granddaughter; placing of the flag by a great great great grandson; placing of a wreath by Miss
Marjorie Nighbert of Pittsfield for the Nancy Ross Chapter; dedication of the marker by Miss Mary L. Horton, chairman.
The Reverend O. F. Jones of the Griggsville Methodist church offered invocation and benediction, and sang a solo,
"The Story of Old Glory," and Mrs. Neva Grigsby read a magazine article describing "The Most Historic
Spot in Kentucky."
As early as 1827, at a meeting of the settlers at Scholl's cabin, provision was made for the education of the settlers'
children. A teacher was appointed and instruction was undertaken at first in the homes of the various subscribers.
A little later, John Cavender was employed and a log school room built on the Harrington lands east of Scholl's,
this being the first school house in the great early-day precinct that had been named by the county commissioners
at Atlas "Coldwater Precinct."
On July 4, 1935, a bronze tablet was dedicated to this veteran of the "dark and bloody ground" by the
Nancy Ross Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Ceremonies at the grave included an address of
welcome by Mayor Anson Northup of Griggsville; ritual opening by the D. A. R. regent, Mrs. Earl Grigsby, and acting
chaplain, Mrs. Ralph Gray; brief incidents from the life of Abraham Scholl by his great grandsons, Abraham Key
Wilson of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Jacob E. Scholl of Chicago; reading by Mrs. Ross Lemmon of the official permit
from the national society of the D. A. R. to mark the grave of the Indian fighter; unveiling of the marker by a
great great great granddaughter; placing of the flag by a great great great grandson; placing of a wreath by Miss
Marjorie Nighbert of Pittsfield for the Nancy Ross Chapter; dedication of the marker by Miss Mary L. Horton, chairman.
The Reverend O. F. Jones of the Griggsville Methodist church offered invocation and benediction, and sang a solo,
"The Story of Old Glory," and Mrs. Neva Grigsby read a magazine article describing "The Most Historic
Spot in Kentucky."
Boy Scouts and veterans of the World and Spanish-American Wars marched in the parade, led by a fife and drum corps.
A firing squad officiated at the grave and a bugler sounded the assembly call and taps.
The bronze tablet unveiled on this occasion bears this inscription:
"Revolutionary Soldier — Abraham Scholl, 1765-1851 — erected by Descendants under the auspices of the Nancy
Ross Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution — 1935."
On the beautifully shaded lawn at the home of Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Butler in Griggsville, the Scholls held a family
reunion on the day of the unveiling. Present on this patriotic occasion were representatives from four generations
of Scholls, reaching into the sixth generation from Abraham. Through the Edward P. Scholl family at Mt. Sterling
are seven generations in direct lineal descent from the Blue Licks veteran, as follows: Abraham, William (son),
Silas W. (grandson), Edward P. (great grandson), Ada Scholl Bullard (great great granddaughter), Irma Bullard Scholl,
wife of Earl Scholl (great great great granddaughter), and Nelson Ellsworth Scholl (great great great great grandson).
Scholl descendants recorded at the time of the unveiling by Jacob E. Scholl of Chicago were as follows (revised
as to generations by the present writer):
Grandchildren of Abraham were Mrs. Anna Eliza (Wilson) Manker (then 87 and since deceased) of Florence, Illinois;
Mrs. Annie (Scholl) King and her husband, Michael R. King (the latter deceased), then of Buckhorn and later of
Mt. Sterling, Illinois; Mrs. Minnie (Scholl) Robison and her husband, James Robison, of St. Louis, Missouri; and
Abram (William) B. Gibbs of Curryville, Missouri.
Great grandchildren: Abraham Key Wilson and wife Mary J. (Mathes) Wilson of Lincoln, Nebraska; John S. Wilson and
wife, Nora (McWherter) Wilson of Baylis, Illinois; Frederick T. Manker and wife, Floy (Callender) Manker of Florence,
Illinois; Mrs. Almeda (Wilson) Balston and Robert Balston of Arthur Street, St. Louis; A. C. Barrow of Auburn,
Albany; Jacob E. Scholl of 4736 Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago; and his wife, Mrs. Catherine N. (Burns) Scholl of 2021
Olive Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa; Mrs. Rosa Lee (Slover) Lyons and husband, Edward Lyons of Route 2, Bloomington,
Illinois; Edward P. Scholl and his wife, Maude (Buskirk) Scholl of Mt. Sterling; Tracy E. King, then of Mt. Sterling
and now of Canton, Illinois; Mrs. Ethel (King) Walker of 1701 C. Street, Sparks, Nevada; Mrs. Edith (King) Peters
of 8445 South Gate Avenue, South Gate, California; Mrs. Grace (King) Hill of Hersman, Illinois; Mrs. Lois (Tucker)
Orr (now deceased) of Perry; Miss Mary Gibbs of Griggsville; Mrs. Josie (Fisk) Harshman and her husband, Peter
Harshman, of Rockport; Mrs. Florence (Slover) Cunningham of Ft. Madison, Iowa.
Great great grandchildren: William W. Scholl of La Junta, Colorado; Mrs. Emma (Haney) Petty and husband, Hicks
Petty, then of Pittsfield and now of Springfield, Illinois; Charles Scholl of Mt. Sterling, Illinois; Pearl Scholl,
then of Mt. Sterling, now Mrs. Lozell Hatch of Peoria; Mrs. Lettie (Carpenter) Orr of Griggsville; Joseph, Eugene,
Frederick and Earl Manker of Florence; Mrs. Ada (Scholl) Bullard of Timewell; Paul B. Scholl of New Hampton, Iowa;
Lloyd D. Scholl of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Raymond Scholl of Mt. Sterling; Earl Scholl of Timewell; Mamie (Scholl) Noble
of Camp Point; Mrs. Marie (Gebhardt) Orr, wife of Ralph Orr of Baylis; Andel Walker of Sparks, Nevada; Edna Carol
Peters and James Peters of South Gate, California.
Great great great grandchildren: Freida Marie and Alberta Lucile Orr, daughters of Ralph Orr of Baylis; Zelma Lois
Orr, daughter of Lee Orr of Griggsville; Edna, Fred and Henry Bullard, children of Ada Scholl Bullard of Timewell;
R. T. Scholl of Timewell; Irma (Bullard) Scholl, wife of Earl Scholl of Timewell; Charles A. Swanson, husband of
Florence (Shinnebarger) Swanson of Bloomington, Illinois.
The last of Abraham Scholl's 18 children died more than a generation ago. Of his 108 known grandchildren, only
three now survive, the youngest more than three score and ten. Among his descendants are numbered many noted men
and women - lawyer, doctors, educators, bankers, industrialists, rugged individualists who have made themselves
conspicuous in every field of endeavor. Of them, one commentator has said: "A mighty line, writing glorious
history along the way."
From the Scholl cabin on Griggsville Prairie emanated powerful influences that helped mold the destiny of this
region. The strength of the Boone influence upon the early development of Pike county is a newly discovered factor
in that development, that is now being presented for the first time. Scores of Boone descendants played a part
in this early history. Two Boone daughters sleep in unmarked graves in Pike county, one in a lost cemetery near
present Griggsville, another in ground now included in the French cemetery at Milton. The county is the burial
place of a large number of men and women of the Boone line. For scores of years the plow and the reaper have been
driven over numerous of these Boone graves, their drivers little suspecting that the dead were there. In developing
this history the writer has discovered no less than seven lost or hitherto unknown burial grounds of Boone descendants
in Pike and Scott counties.
While the Rosses and the New Englanders were developing a civilization around ancient Atlas in the south, the Scholls
and their southern kin were developing another around present Griggsville and Perry in the north. These two social
organizations, involving the widely divergent ideals of widely separated parallels of latitude, were destined to
meet and mingle and out of the crucible of a new experience was to come a sturdy civilization partaking of the
merits of both. Thus was laid the foundation upon which we stand today.
As early as 1827, at a meeting of the settlers at Scholl's cabin, provision was made for the education of the settlers'
children. A teacher was appointed and instruction was undertaken at first in the homes of the various subscribers.
A little later, John Cavender was employed and a log school room built on the Harrington lands east of Scholl's,
this being the first school house in the great early-day precinct that had been named by the county commissioners
at Atlas "Coldwater Precinct."
As early as 1826, in Scholl's cabin, the first preaching was heard in the northern woods. In October of that year,
Stephen Ruddle, noted pioneer Christian minister who had spent 16 years as a captive among the Indians in the Ohio
country, preached at the house of his friend, Scholl. He and Scholl had known each other as boys in Kentucky, prior
to Ruddle's capture by the Indians at the fall of Ruddle's Station in 1730. Abraham was two years older than Stephen,
he being 62 and Stephen 60 at the time the latter preached at Scholl's house in 1826. Ruddle, in the same year,
preached the first sermon heard in the south, at Thomas Barton's log house in what is now Pleasant Hill township.
Ruddle, captured when 14, escaped his Indian captors after 16 years spent in their Ohio fastnesses, returned to
Kentucky at the age of 30, and located in Scott county, that state, whence he came in 1817 to Ramsey Creek in Pike
county, Missouri, where, as early as 1810, there had settled a colony from Kentucky, pioneer forebears of several
pike county (Illinois) families, among them Joseph McCoy, Daniel McCue, Eli Buckaloo (spelled Burkalew in Missouri
records), and Joel Harpole (spelled Harpool in Missouri).
Thus ends the story of Abraham Scholl and his descendants. The story of his brother Peter Scholl's children, descended
directly from the Boone family, will be told in succeeding chapters, their story being interwoven with that of
the Elledges. The story of those early Scholls may well close with these lines from Cushman, quoted by Miss Mary
L. Horton at the dedication of the marker to the Blue Licks veteran:
"Renew their breed, Almighty God,
Those pioneers of yesterday;
Renew in us, Almighty God,
The spirit of the pioneers."