BUSHWACKER’S
The persona of: THE OLDE’ BUSHWACKER
The character of my persona is: The Squire David Deal. He is my Third Great Grandfather. I portray David during the late part of his life following the War of 1812. He is old by frontier standards, and has lived a full life having fathered and raised 10 children. He served with his brother-in-law and a close family friend to lay out the lines of demarcation for the whole of Perry County in Eastern Ohio, He fought Tecumseh’s army of Shawnee Warriors during the English siege of Fort Meigs (while serving as a member of the garrison of the Ohio fort), and upon his passing, President Hayes took time off from his own busy schedule to attend David’s funeral.
David lost his wife (Mary Magdaline /Obermeier/ Deal) in Perry County to consumption. Later He joined up with three of his sons at Lower Sandusky on the Sandusky River. At this point, he was in his mid 60’s and was still working. David became the first Sheriff of Sandusky County and also served as an officer of the courts. His duties included serving Warrants and Process documents throughout the county. Much too old to engage in the physical apprehension of outlaws and villains, David became skilled in the art of taking his quarry (Both man and beast) by laying in wait…Hence he became known as “The Olde’ Bushwacker”. He lived and worked in the Sandusky County Seat of Lower Sandusky, Ohio, a town at the base of the lower rapids of the Sandusky River. David served as one of the Founders of the town and owned and operated a roadhouse in the center of the community.
Lower Sandusky had its beginnings as a village of Wyandot Indians. It was a rough town being situated along the old Scioto Indian Trail and at the head of the navigable portion of the Sandusky River. It was also the point where the Ohio Woodlands met with the Tall Grass Prairie and the Great Black Swamp. Lower Sandusky was a stopping off place for a hodgepodge of drifters, gamblers and most every type of outlaw imaginable. Most found their way into the community on their way Westward. It was also a haven for runaway slaves and a magnet for slave and bounty hunters. The year was 1817.
In 1835, Cyrus Bradley traveled through Lower Sandusky. He described it in his journal as a swampy place and a breeding ground for flies. Little else could be said for the community. In 1849, Lower Sandusky residents changed the village's name to Fremont, in honor of John C. Fremont, who had just acquired California for the United States. What with the Sandusky River, Sandusky County, The villages of Sandusky and Upper Sandusky plus Lower Sandusky, it was little wonder that anyone received their mail at all. The name change was a wise move.