Story 22: Melting Pot

I am I melting pot of several different ethnicities. My mother’s parents are Irish, 

English, Scottish and German, as well as, a small amount of Welsh, Dutch, 

Scandinavian and French. My father’s mother is Irish and Dutch  and his father is 

Persian. I asked my grandma about some interesting stories of our ancestors. I picked 

the people that are from the areas near where I have been, like Fort Steuben or 

Western PA.

My grandmother lives in Eastern Ohio, and we visit her often. She is very 

interested in genealogy, has researched our family tree back to the early 1600’s, and 

has entered it into ancestry.com. At first it didn’t seem that interesting, just looking at the 

dates of people’s deaths or where they were born, but as she started to tell me the 

stories it became more exciting. Maybe it was because I started to imagine them as real 

people instead of just names and dates.

The first story I chose, from the many she has shared with me I picked because it 

took place during the French and Indian War. We had already studied that in class, so I 

had some background knowledge. When the war started, many settlers wanted to move 

to land outside of government approve areas. On their own they moved farther west into 

Pennsylvania and settled land in Indian Territory.  The state tried to stop this because 

they didn't want to upset the Indians of western PA.  My ancestor, John Martin (my 7th 

great grandfather), was one of these settlers. In the summer of 1755, the Indians carried 

the war across the Allegheny Mountains.  On November 1st, they attacked the pioneers 

at Big Cove, (now in Fulton County – then it was called Cumberland County, PA).

 At the time of the attack, John Martin was on a trip to Philadelphia taking his 

horses with him.  His oldest son, Hugh (my 6th great grandfather), was 17 years old and 

was away from his home warning neighbors of the impending attack.  Upon returning 

home, he saw his cabin in flames and a band of Indians ransacking it. His Mother, two 

brothers and three sisters were held captive. Since he was unable to help he kept 

hidden.  When it was safe he traveled eastward, to meet a group of armed men and 

returned to the Cove. He was too late and his family was gone. John Martin came home 

and they rebuilt their cabin. The Mother (my 7th great grandmother) was held captive for 

a short time, then taken away from her children.  The French took her to Quebec, 

Canada where she worked as a servant.  She was eventually able to secure her 

freedom.  During this time a French merchant of Quebec who was trading with the 

Indians secured the little girl, Janet Martin (youngest child), and took her to home. Mrs. 

Martin saw her there, recognized her and legally claimed her.  After a few years they 

were able to sail to Liverpool, England and then return to Philadelphia and their home at 

Big Cove.

Mary Martin, the oldest, would not adopt the Indian ways, so she was beaten to 

death by the squaws.  Martha, James and William Martin were held captive for about 

nine years.  They traveled as far as the Scioto Valley in Ohio. Somehow their father, 

John, learned their lives had been spared.  After the Indians defeat in 1763, John Martin 

and other families returned to them at Fort Pitt. Besides the historical connection, this 

piece of my family history makes me thankful I didn’t grow up in that time period, and 

I’m amazed at the perseverance that Janet showed. She was probably very scared and 

lost her hope. “When you are going through hell, keep going”, Winston Churchill.

The second story I chose was also from around the same time period and from 

the Scots-Irish part of my family. Sarah Clark was born, 1766 or 1767 near Carlisle, 

Cumberland County, PA.  Her father, John Clark, died when she was young and she 

was not close to her mother.  Sarah worked as a servant starting at 11 years old. She 

worked for several families including the home of John Douglas. It was here that she fell 

in love with his son, who happened to be love with Ann Carothers.  Ann was the 

daughter of John and Mary Carothers (my 7th great grandparents on the other side). 

Sarah decided to remove the object of his affections. She obtained work in the 

Carothers' household. As time passed, she plotted her scheme to get rid of Ann and 

bought some white arsenic. However, she didn't want to hurt any of the others in the 

family, just Ann.  She put the arsenic in the leaven which they used to make bread.  

Unfortunately, all of the family living in the house became ill. John Carothers died, 

February 28, 1798 and Mary Carothers died June 3, 1798.  Andrew Carothers, son and 

brother, suffered long-lasting health issues but did not die.  Ann also suffered ill health. 

Still intent on killing Ann, Sarah purchased yellow arsenic, and her plot was discovered.  

Sarah was apprehended, imprisoned, eventually tried and found guilty. She was 

sentenced to hanging and her confession spoke of her remorse for her crime. "That may 

be an awful lesson to all young women, in the desire of a martyr of contending 

passions."  The story itself seems like a Lifetime movie, however a lesson can be 

learned from her confession. Don’t let unhealthy emotions like envy or jealousy cloud 

your judgment.

  My grandmother and I had talked about going on a road trip around 

Pennsylvania this summer. She wanted to go to some court houses, graveyards, 

churches and libraries to research some records and expand her family tree knowledge. 

Initially, I just wanted to go on a trip with my grandma and get more driving experience. 

Now I’m looking forward to learning more of my family history and expanding my 

knowledge of my Ethnic DNA. Hopefully, not all the stories will be tragic.