Catherine Montgomery’s long, exciting and ultimately tragic life began in northern Ireland in 1683. She married another Scots-Irish neighbor, James Patrick Calhoun, and began raising a family. When she was 50, she and her husband and children crossed the ocean to America, settling just outside of Philadelphia in 1733. Eight years later her husband died, when Catherine was about 57. Soon, local troubles with Indians (and the French and Indian War), and the offer of free land in Virginia, pushed and pulled the much-larger family southward down the Great Wagon Road into Virginia. The family finally settled in a place of fertile lands along Calhoun Creek in Long Cane in what is now a part of Abbeville County, South Carolina. The settlement, which included many other families, was known as “Calhouns.” This area was on the disputed boundary between the British and Cherokee lands, which created continuing tensions and conflict between the Cherokees and the settlers. One contemporary source wrote what happened:

“They moved in the middle of winter and got there in February 1756. The place for a while was called North and South Forks of Calhoun Creek, where it joined the Little River. They were sixteen miles from the nearest Indian settlement and thought they would be safe there. The morning of January 31, 1760 a messenger came through the little settlement and told them that the Indians were on the warpath and moving toward their area. The afternoon of January 31st and the morning of February 1st were spent loading wagons and getting provisions ready to move out. About noon on February 1st, some 200-250 settlers moved out for Augusta, Georgia, a larger town about 40 miles southeast of their location. They had only gone about 10 miles when in crossing the Long Canes Creek, several wagons got stuck. By the time they had all the wagons across the creek it was dark so they camped for the night. Soon after dark, they were attacked by a band of Cherokee Indians. Some of the settlers escaped by horseback, some on foot, but most of them scattered finding shelter in the trees or whereever they could hide. Mostly women and children were killed as 23 settlers were left dead at the sign of the massacre. The Indians had burned all the wagons and nearly all the goods were stolen. In the group that was killed, Catherine Montgomery Stewart Calhoun was among them. She was 76 years old. A momument to the dead, including Catherine, was erected in the 1790’s by Catherine’s son, Patrick Calhoun. Two small girls, ages 3 and 5 of the Calhoun’s were abducted by the Indians. One eventually returned, but the other was never heard from again.

The following articles appeared in the South-Carolina Gazette: “Yesterday se’night the whole of the Long-Cane Settlers, to the number of 150 souls, moved off with most of their effects in Waggons; to go towards Augusta in Georgia, and in a few hours after their setting off, were surprized and attacked by about 100 Cherkees on horseback, while they were getting their waggons out of a boggy place. They had amongst them 40 gunmen, who might have made a very good defence, but unfortunately their guns were in the waggons; the few that recovered theirs, fought the Indians half an hour, and were at last obliged to fly. In the action they lost 7 waggons, and 40 of their people killed or taken (including women and children) the rest got safe to Augusta whence and express arrived here with the same account on Tuesday morning.” “Canes, who were attacked by the Cherokees on the 1st Instant, as they were removing their wives, children and best effects, to Augusta in Georgia for safety, is just come to town and informs us, ‘That the whole of those settlers might be about 250 souls, 55 or 60 of them fighting men; that their loss in that affair amounted to about 50 persons, chiefly women and children, with 13 loaded waggons and carts; that he had since been at the place where the action happened, in order to bury the dead, and found only 20 of their bodies, most inhumanly butchered; that the Indians had burnt the woods all around, but had left the waggons and carts there empty and unhurt; and that he believes all the fighting men would return to and fortify the Long-Cane Settlement, were part of the rangers so stationed as to give them some assistance and protection.'” “We have no late advices from Fort Prince George, or any consequence from places in that route. But from Fort Moore, we learn, that a gang of about 18 Cherokees, divided into 8 or 4 parties, on the 15th instant, way-laid, killed and scalped Ulric Tobler, Esq.; a Captain of Militia in those parts, as he was riding from his father’s to that fort; and shot Mr. William Calhoon, who was with him, in the hand; 3 other persons, who were in company escaped unhurt; the Indian who killed Captain Tobler, left a hatchet sticking in his neck, on which were 3 old notches, and 3 newly cut.”

For other versions of the story, including photographs, see these articles:

http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/mccormick-county/long-cane-massacre.html

http://www.next1000.com/family/EC/LongCane.massacre.html

http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/mccormick/S10817733008/

http://www.scnhc.org/story/south-carolina-s-forgotten-landmarks-the-long-cane-massacre

Family History – The Calhouns and Me

James Patrick Calhoun, Sr. (1688-1741) and his wife Catherine Montgomery (1683-1760), my 7^th great grandparents, were born in northern Ireland. Before crossing the ocean to Philadelphia in 1733, they had 5 children – Mary Catherine Calhoun, James Calhoun (1716-1760, my 6^th great grandfather), Patrick Calhoun, Jr., Ezekiel Calhoun and William Calhoun. In 1736 James Calhoun married Susannah Nancy Long (1720-1760, my 6^th great grandmother) a Pennsylvania woman, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. They had 5 children – Patrick Calhoun (1737-1777, my 5^th great grandfather), James Calhoun (1739-1794), Ezekiel Calhoun (1743-1744), Catherine Calhoun (1750-1803) and William Calhoun (1751-?). Patrick and James were born in Pennsylvania; Ezekiel, Catherine and William were all born in Virginia. This shows that by 1743 or 1744, the Calhoun family had begun the long migration southward along the Great Wagon Road, which led them to what is now Abbeville County, South Carolina. They arrived in 1756. They traveled and settled with other families that became key players in early South Carolina back-country history, including the Pickens and Norris families. James, Catherine and all 5 of their children lived the rest of their lives in South Carolina. My 5^th great grandparents Patrick Calhoun and Sarah McKinley were married in South Carolina in 1767; they had 7 children, of whom their daughter Mary Margaret Calhoun (1770-1852) was my 4^th great grandmother. Of these, Catherine Montgomery Calhoun “the matriarch of the Calhoun clan in South Carolina”), her son James Calhoun, and many other Calhoun relatives, died in the massacre.

The massacre site is located a few miles outside of the small community of Troy in Abbeville County, South Carolina. I visited the site some years ago, and found several tombstones. One of them, erected by my ancestor Patrick Calhoun, reads:

Patk Calhoun, Esq.

In Memory of Mrs. Catherine Calhoun Aged 76 years

Who With 22 Others

Was Here Murdered By the Indians

The First of Feb. 1760