Margaret Van Horn Dwight was born December 29, 1790. Most of her family in Conn. died, so on Oct. 19, 1810, Margaret left New Haven to go to her cousin’s in Warren, Ohio. There she met William Bell, whom she married, December 17, 1811. The family genealogy records that Margaret Dwight Bell became the mother of thirteen children, that she died on October 9, 1834, and that she was “a lady of remarkable sweetness and excellence, and devotedly religious.”
She traveled in the wagon of Mr. and Mrs. Woolcott, their daughter Susan and son Erastus, while in an accompanying wagon were a Mrs. Jackson and her son, John and his wife.
I picked her account of just one of her days and nights on the road, but they were typical of most. –S.M.
Sunday night. They were in central Pa., probably about at present-day Breezewood and the date was Nov. 11, 1810. –S.M.
Margaret’s Account
About sunset, we left the baker’s & came down to the Creek, but found it was impossible to get over the wagon, & the road was so intolerable between the place we had left & the creek, that we could not go back, & what to do, it took a long time to determine; but at length Mr W concluded we had better come over to a dirty tavern this side, & let Erastus sleep in the wagon. The stream runs so fast, that we did not dare cross it alone, as there was nothing but a log to cross on; so the waggoners & our own party, were oblig’d to lead & pilot us over the stream & thro’ a most shocking place as I ever saw. We fare worse & worse, & we cannot endure much more & live.Susan & young Mrs. Jackson have been quite unwell all day. I never felt in better health, & my spirits are pretty good, considering all things. We are not able to get beds here, & are to sleep on the floor to night- There is another family here, with several little children. They say there has been a heap of people moving this fall;- I don’t know exactly how many a heap is, or a sight either, which is another way these people have of measuring things. I have such an enormous appetite the whole time, that I have been in some fear of starving- for food of every kind, is very scarce- Money will not procure it, & nothing else I am sure, will- for they love money better than life, if possible. 4 Sabbaths we have pass’d on the road, & I suppose 2 or 3 more will pass before we get among people who “remember the sabbath day to keep it holy”. We find no books to read, only at the bakers to day I found part of a bible, and a Methodist hymn book. I hope tomorrow to write you from a comfortable place 6 or 8 miles at least from the next mountain.
Monday morn- We have now I think met with as bad as can befall us. Never, never did I pass such a night. We could get no bed & for a long time expected to be oblig’d to set up all night, but we could get no room nor fire to stay by, & the landlady was, so kind as to give up her bed to us; so Mrs. W & Susan went to bed there, while I went to bed with Mrs Jackson in another room. I took off my frock & boots, & had scarcely lain down, when one of the wretches came into the room & lay down by me on the outside of the bed- I was frighten’d almost to death & clung to Mrs Jackson & I lay for a quarter of an hour crying, & scolding & trembling, begging of him to leave me-At last, when persuaded I was in earnest, he begg’d of me not to take it amiss, as he intended no harm & only wish’d to become acquainted with me. A good for nothing brute, I wonder what he suppos’d I was- I don’t know of any thought word or action of mine that could give him reason to suppose I would authorise such abominable insolence. A man & his wife, who are here, & their family, John Jackson & his wife, & Mrs Jackson, were all in the room. The moment he left, I put on my frock & was going in to Mrs W & Susan, but I could not get to them without going thro’ the room where all the waggoners were, & Mrs Jackson did not think it safe, so I got on another part of the bed where none of them could come near me, & had been there about 10 minutes when Mrs. W & Susan came into the room both crying, & as much frighten’d as I had been, for one of the creatures had been into their room, & they could scarcely get him out- Mr W was asleep in the waggon, & the landlord was so afraid of these waggs that he did not dare stay in his own house, for they threaten’d to put him into the creek, if he did not continue giving them liquor. His poor wife was then oblig’d to bear it all, & she was very much distress’d on our account. She was not to blame for anything that happen’d, for as long as her husband suffer’d it, she could not prevent it. At last, Mrs W went to bed with Mrs Jackson & me, & Susan lay down with John & his wife. We lay but a few minutes, when one of them came into our room again crawling on his hands & knees- Mrs W & I sprung up & run out into the mud in our stocking feet & were going to call Mr W, but the creatures came out to us & begg’d us not to, & pledg’d their honor (of which you may suppose they possess’d a great share) that we should not be disturb’d more so we determin’d to go back; but we did not go to bed again till just morning, when some of us slept nearly an hour, which was every wink of sleep we could obtain during the whole night. The fellows were all but one, very still afterwards. Indeed, there was but 2 who made any disturbance, & only one of those was very bad, but he was a complete child of the evil one- the vilest, worst, most blasphemous wretch, that ever liv’d. Mr W came back to the house this morning, threaten’d them with a prosecution- They are quite angry- they are in the employ of a man who is moving; he is a merchant & they carry his goods to Pittsg.
Margaret finally reached her cousin’s in Warren, Ohio, on Saturday, Dec. 1, 1810, where she was made welcome. Such a trip was a terrible ordeal for a twenty-year-old, well-born young lady; however, folks like her just kept on moving west, no matter the hardships. –S.M.
