Daniel Greathouse facts for kids

Daniel Greathouse (born around 1752, died 1775) was an early settler in colonial Virginia. He played a key role in an event called the Yellow Creek Massacre in 1774. This event helped start a conflict known as Lord Dunmore's War.

Biography

Daniel Greathouse was born in Frederick County, Maryland, around 1752. He was one of 11 children of Harmon and Mary Magdalena Stull Greathouse. Around 1770, his family moved from Maryland to Virginia. Daniel owned about 400 acres (1.6 square kilometers) of land in Ohio County, Virginia. He married Mary Morris, and they had two children, Gabriel and John. Daniel Greathouse was a direct descendant of Herman Groethausen, who came to America from Germany around 1710.

Native Americans in the Ohio Valley

In the early 1700s, the Ohio Valley was home to a diverse group of Native Americans called the Mingo. They did not have one central government. Like other tribes in the area, they were influenced by the powerful Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy included the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora peoples. The Mingo originally lived closer to the Atlantic Coast. However, European settlers pushed them westward into what is now western Virginia and eastern Ohio.

During the French and Indian War, the Mingo sided with the French. After the French lost the war, more American colonists began settling in the Ohio Valley. This led to growing tensions between the settlers and the Mingo people.

Rising Tensions and Conflict

By 1774, the disagreements between American settlers and Native American tribes had grown much worse. There had been killings on both sides. A dispute between Pennsylvania and Virginia over the area around Pittsburgh also added to the unrest. Scouts returning to Fort Pitt reported that a war seemed unavoidable. John Connolly, a British official, sent warnings to settlers in faraway areas to be ready for attacks.

Yellow Creek is a small stream that flows into the Ohio River. It is located on the western side of the river, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). It was also about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west-northwest of Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh). Joshua Baker lived at the mouth of this creek and ran an inn. Many people in the area had already left because of John Connolly's warning. Baker was also getting ready to leave when a Native American woman told him that some Native Americans were planning to kill him and his family. Baker quickly sent word asking for help.

The Yellow Creek Massacre

Daniel Greathouse led a group of 21 men to help Baker. They arrived at Baker's inn on April 30, 1774. Baker hid Greathouse's men in a back room. Seven Native Americans came across the river to Baker's place. Among them were Logan's brother and two women and a child who were also related to Logan. Logan was a well-known warrior of the Mingo tribe.

When Logan's brother put on a hat and coat belonging to one of the settlers, the settler shot and killed him. Greathouse's men, who had been hidden, rushed out. They killed all the remaining Native Americans except for the child. As they left the inn, they saw two canoes of Native American men. These men were painted and armed for war, and they were coming across the river. Greathouse's group fired at them, killing most of the people in one canoe. The others turned back.

This massacre, coming after several other incidents, completely broke the peace between the white settlers and the Native Americans. It is seen as the direct cause of Lord Dunmore's War in 1774. The Native Americans took terrible revenge on the white settlers. Chief Logan mistakenly blamed Colonel Michael Cresap for his brother's death. In turn, Cresap disliked Greathouse for his part in the event.

Daniel Greathouse died in 1775 from the measles. He was about 23 years old. He passed away in Yohogania County, Virginia. Colonel Cresap also died that same year.