Alexander McGuffey, also known as Sandy (November 22, 1767–March 1, 1855), was a Scottish American scout on the
Ohio frontier during the
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...
. He was the father of
William Holmes
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and
Alexander Hamilton McGuffey, who edited the ''
McGuffey Readers
The Eclectic Readers (commonly, but informally known as the McGuffey Readers) were a series of graded reader, graded primer (textbook), primers for grade levels 1–6. They were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th centur ...
''. Their mother Anna Holmes McGuffey provided their earliest education and ensured that they received a good formal education outside of their home.
Early years
Alexander McGuffey was born on November 22, 1767 in
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...
in the southwestern corner of Scotland. His parents were Ann McKittrick and William McGuffey. Nicknamed "Scotch Billy", his father was a farmer and a clobber, which could mean that he painted pottery to look like oriental ceramics or that he repaired shoes with glue. When McGuffey was five or six years old, his family immigrated to
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...
. They landed in Philadelphia in August 1774 and then established a farm in
York County, Pennsylvania
York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...
.
On May 27, 1779, McGuffey joined the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
(1775–1783). More than half of the soldiers were believed to have been Scottish-Irish men, who had a "deep seeded hatred of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
".
During William's absence, the family continued to farm the land and they opened and operated a tavern.
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
and his officers visited the tavern several times during the war.
McGuffey was used to seeing soldiers and he learned about the war by listening to conversations amongst the tavern's patrons. At the end of the war, William McGuffey returned to run the farm. He also managed the tavern and he began cobbling shoes.
In 1789, the McGuffey family set off on the
Cumberland Road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...
, likely in
Conestoga wagons, for western Pennsylvania, which had just been opened for settlement. Williams's 18 year-old daughter Elizabeth died and was buried along the trail. McGuffey and his 21 year-old sister Catherine completed the journey with their parents to
Washington County, Pennsylvania
Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington.
Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The county i ...
. The family ran a farm in
Finley Township near
Claysville
Claysville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area since 1950. The population was 728 at the 2020 census. Claysville Elementary School, part of the McGuffey School District is lo ...
. Land was cheap there and Scottish-Irish settlers were finding success as farmers and makers of iron and whiskey. Buffalo, deer, otter, beaver, small game, and turkeys were ample sources of food and animal furs. The McGuffeys identified themselves as
Covenanters
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...
who supported a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
. They were against drinking, slavery, and dancing. They were also against governmental and church regulations.
Scout
![NW Native Tribes, 1792](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/NW_Native_Tribes%2C_1792.png)
Native American tribes of the
Northwestern Confederacy
The Northwestern Confederacy, or Northwestern Indian Confederacy, was a loose confederacy of Native Americans in the Great Lakes region of the United States created after the American Revolutionary War. Formally, the confederacy referred to it ...
—including
Ojibwas
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
,
Odawa
The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...
s,
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
s,
Miamis
The Miami ( Miami-Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is now identified as North-central Indi ...
,
Delawares
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
,
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
s, and
Senecas
The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west w ...
(originally of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
)—raided settlements in Western Pennsylvania and throughout the
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...
. Boats transporting freight from
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
to
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
along the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
were subject to attack.
![Duncan McArthur at statehouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Duncan_McArthur_at_statehouse.jpg)
In 1790, McGuffey and his best friend
Duncan McArthur
Duncan McArthur (1772April 29, 1839) was a military officer and a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th governor of Ohio.
When first elected to state office as a representative, he was serving in the ...
volunteered to be scouts at
Fort Pitt, an
American Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
stronghold.
Samuel Brady
Captain Samuel Brady (1756–1795) was an Irish American Revolutionary War officer, frontier scout, notorious Indian fighter, and the subject of many legends, in the history of western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. He is best known for repo ...
trained and tested their ability to hunt, shoot, run, and swim. They were also tested on their ability to spy on tribesmen and how they would manage confrontations with Native Americans. Both Duncan and McGuffey were accepted and sent out on military expeditions. They were outfitted in a
homespun suit, buckskin leggings, and a
jerkin
A jerkin is a man's short close-fitting jacket, made usually of light-coloured leather, and often without sleeves, worn over the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries. The term is also applied to a similar sleeveless garment worn by the Briti ...
, and they were given a tomahawk and a dirk. The tomahawk was used to cut trees to create a shelter and to cut their way through the forests of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
McGuffey first served out of a small fort near
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...
and operated in the
Ohio River Valley
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinoi ...
.
![Ohio Country en](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ohio_Country_en.png)
In the early 1790s, the young men served under General
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...
and
Arthur St. Clair, with the objective to push Native Americans out of the
Ohio Territory.
Being a scout was dangerous, they could be killed or scalped. McGuffy had a number of close calls, once a shot just missed him and penetrated the tree that he was standing behind. Another time, a shot hit his powder horn, but missed him. Other close calls were when he was spotted by a number of Native Americans and he ran away, until they covered a great distance and his pursuers finally gave up. McGuffey served until 1796.
McArthur served during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
and attained the rank of general. He was elected governor of Ohio and established the "Fruit Hill" estate near
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...
.
Life
Washington County, Pennsylvania
![Fence and structure at the McGuffey Boyhood Homesite](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Fence_and_structure_at_the_McGuffey_Boyhood_Homesite.jpg)
In December 1797, McGuffey married Anna Holmes (born 1776), whose parents were Jane Roney Holmes and Henry Holmes of the "Rural Grove" farm in Washington County. The Holmes were among the wealthiest Scotch–Irish in the county. Jane was educated in the frontier school system. McGuffey and his wife built a log cabin on the Rural Grove farm and they lived there for five years.
During that time, the couple had three children Jane (b. 1799),
William Holmes
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
(b. 1800), and Henry (b. 1802).
McGuffey was a farmer. He also built houses, roads, and bridges. He managed the repercussions of droughts, floods, pests, and wild animals on the frontier.
In 1789, Washington County had about 1,540 residents, 840 of whom were enslaved people. The county's Scot-Irish residents were either aristocratic Presbyterians or conservative Covenanters. They had different opinions about slavery, alcohol consumption, politics (
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
s vs.
Jeffersonians), and morals. They took opposing sides during the
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...
(1791–1794). The McGuffeys were Covenanters.
Connecticut Western Reserve in Ohio
Background
The first European settlers began moving into the area in 1798. McGuffey began clearing the land and building a log cabin in 1800. The area had a great source of game, nuts, and berries. The land was flatter than western Pennsylvania, which made for easier cultivation of crops, like potatoes, squash, beans, corn, oats, and wheat. The community included Pennsylvania Germans
anabaptists
Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...
, who shared improved farming methods, and New Englanders of conservative
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...
stock, who shared how to tap trees for syrup and build gristmills.
Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
and Scotch–Irish also moved into the diverse community. The community of varying backgrounds, had a hatred of war, slavery, and drunkenness. They had shared values, such as providing children good educations.
Children in the community were taught to read, write and spell, and memorize verses using the ''
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
'' and other books. Some children were taught using ''
The New England Primer
''The New England Primer'' was the first reading primer designed for the American colonies. It became the most successful educational textbook published in 17th-century colonial United States and it became the foundation of most schooling befor ...
'' and Webster's ''
Blue Back Speller''. Children's books and novels were used by some to teach reading and spelling, such as ''
The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes
''The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes'' is a children's story published by John Newbery in London in 1765. The story popularized the phrase "goody two-shoes" as a descriptor for an excessively virtuous person or do-gooder.
Plot
''Goody Two- ...
'', ''
Mother Goose's Melody
The figure of Mother Goose is the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. As a character, she appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as a nursery rhyme. This, howeve ...
'', ''
The Pilgrim's Progress
''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a progenitor of ...
'', ''
Robinson Crusoe
''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...
'' and ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...
''.
The McGuffeys
In 1802, the McGuffeys left Washington County with their three children and his parents, William and Ann McGuffey.
They bought a 160-acre farm in the village of
Coitsville, Ohio of the
Connecticut Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms of ...
, near and east of
Youngstown
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...
.
McGuffey sat on the local school board, was a "house appraiser", and was a "lister of property". Anna homeschooled their children. During the winter,
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and Jane boarded and attended Rev.
William Wick's school in Youngstown, about five miles from their house. They studied there until Wick's death in 1814.
William began teaching at the age of 14 and between teaching positions, he studied at Old Stone Academy in
Darlington, Pennsylvania
Darlington is a borough in northwestern Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 248 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
History
Darlington was settled in 1804 and incorporated on 28 March ...
, where Rev. Thomas Hughes was the headmaster. William then helped his much younger brother
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
attain an education.
They both contributed to the creation of the successful ''
McGuffey Readers
The Eclectic Readers (commonly, but informally known as the McGuffey Readers) were a series of graded reader, graded primer (textbook), primers for grade levels 1–6. They were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th centur ...
'' textbooks for elementary education. His wife Anna died while the family was still in Ohio.
Shenango River, Pennsylvania
McGuffey returned to western Pennsylvania and lived along the
Shenango River
The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long,[Daniel Drake
Daniel Drake (October 20, 1785 – November 5, 1852) was a pioneering American physician and prolific writer.
Early life
Drake was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, to Isaac Drake and Elizabeth Shotwell. He was the elder brother of Benjamin ...]
of
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
visited the McGuffeys at their Shenango River homestead. His daughter Elizabeth M. Drake married McGuffey's son Alexander.
Drake, who was 62 years of age at the time, founded the first medical college west of the Alleghenies. Like the McGuffeys, Daniel Drake and his parents had experienced struggles on the frontier, and Dan was sent to Cincinnati in 1800 to receive an education. He became a physician and lived in comfort. His and McGuffey's grandchildren lived a life of luxury and attended private schools.
Death and legacy
McGuffey died on March 1, 1855 in
Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Mercer County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 110,652. Its county seat is Mercer, and its largest city is Hermitage. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803.
Merce ...
.
In 1847, Drake visited McGuffey and they talked about his days as a scout. Afterwards, Drake wrote a short biography of McGuffey's life. He shared the biography and his thoughts about his life with their shared grandchildren:
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuffey, Alexander
1767 births
1855 deaths
American people of Scottish descent
People from Washington County, Pennsylvania
People from Mahoning County, Ohio
Ohio Federalists
Pennsylvania Federalists
American militiamen
Covenanters