St. Vrain Massacre

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Of the 6 men with F. St. Vrain who were ambushed near Kellogg's Grove, one man, believed to be killed, is unaccounted for. His name is Aaron Hawley. There are references to Black Hawk having been seen riding Mr. Hawley's horse near the end of the war, yet his body was never found despite a widespread search by militia and US infantry following reports of the massacre. Elijah Iles mentions something in his book about a man coming in to Dixon's Ferry (while his men were there) on foot who claimed to have escaped from an indian ambush north of the Ferry. While several other survivors on horseback made it to Galena safely, I have seen no evidence that any courier went to Dixon's Ferry to alert the men there. Iles doesn't mention the man's name or what became of him after he passed on the news of the massacre. Could Hawley have escaped the massacre on foot? Iles arrived well after the incident involving the death of William Durley near Buffalo Grove, so it couldn't have been one of the men who excaped from where Durley was shot down. Does anyone else have any take on this? Just curious.

[Robert Braun]

Greg... it appears that as the massacre unfolded, Aaron Hawley went his own way, while Thomas Kenny, Aquilla Floyd, and Alexander Higgenbotham rode through the woods and prairie towards Galena.

Despite having the fastest horse in the party, what apparently happened is that  Aaron Hawley was cut off and shot from his mount while mired in the mud. His body was never found, despite the searches you mintioned.

I am not entirely certain whether or not all thee of Higgenbotham's party arrived in Galena at the same time. We are left with the assumption they did, but that might not have been the case. Perhaps the fellow to whom Iles was referring was one of the three survivors to make it to Galena.

BTW... Higginbotham re-appears again throughout the war. For example, he accompanies Dodge to the battle ground at Pecatonica June 16, 1832. He weilded two pistols and a flintlock rifle during that engagement.

At any rate, it would appear that the Winnebago murdered Aaron Hawley.

r.

[Greg Carter]

I think you are probably right, it just stood out that Iles never mentioned who the person was. Just a minor point, Aaron Hawley's family is buried in the same cemetery as the Spafford Farm Massacre marker is located.
GMC

[tcrawford]

Hello everyone,
I am doing genealogy on the Fowlers and Hales.
My info to this point indicates that William Hale was the father-in-law of John Fowler.
(John was the son of Mason Fowler.)
Any and all my info is from internet articles.
I have read several articles on the St. Vrain massacre.
All the articles name William Hale and JOHN Fowler as killed in the massacre.
I have visited the Kent, Illinois monument web site. The site list William Hale and a
JOSEPH H. Fowler but no JOHN Fowler.
I have been unable to find any benefits issued to their widows (Land Bounties,etc.)
Any thoughts? Thanks

[Robert Braun]

Regarding the Kellogg's Grove monument near Kent, IL:

There are numerous problems with the monument engravings-- misspellings, and in at least one case, outright fabrication.

The "Joseph Fowler" you mention is almost assuredly John Fowler. Perhaps the long oral tradition surrounding the dead of the Stephenson County area grew hazy by the time of the monument's erection and dedication.

As for Aaron Hawley, family tradition holds that he was captured at some point after the de St. Vrain massacre, scalped, and burned at the stake. Just why this occurred is thus far a mystery. We are in contact with the Hawley family and hopefully will have more to report after the 2013 commemorative encampment at the monument site.