A Death at Fort Amanda

Pvt. Charles Murry

June 1, 1813

Saturday the 26th June Clear & pleasant
Schillinger finally finished his work on a headboard for Charles Murry’s grave. In his journal he wrote that he “finished a grave board for the grave of Charles Murry of our company with the following inscription and epitaph. Inscription in capitals engraved

IN

MEMORY

OF

CHARLES MURRY

OF

OHIO MILITIA

DECEASED

JUNE 1ST 1813

My Debt is Paid

Passengers prepare to pay

Each one your Debt

And in your graves to lay

Judging from his comments on what the finished product looked like, he obviously did it with great care and compassion, using only a pocket knife. He wrote that he carved the wording of the inscription in capitals letters and the epitaph in italics.




Very little is known about Charles Murry, other than he was a private in Hosbrook’s company and he died at Ft. Amanda on June 1st, 1813. What we do know is that his will was administered by a woman named Sarah Murry. Whether Sarah was his wife, mother, sister, we don’t know at the moment but the search for that relationship continues

Murry's Worldly Possessions

Captain Hosbrook collected Murry’s personal possessions and gave them to Sarah Murry when he returned home in August 1813. They actual piece of paper listing the possessions is on file in the County Courthouse in Lebanon, Ohio. The list of items includes;
1. Murrays pay for the previous 2 months $15.00
2. Cash from Captain Hosbrook $3.00
3. An I.O.U. to private Isaac Whitman $10.00
4. Cash that he had on hand $6.00


This is to certify that this is all the property within my knowledge in the county of Warren. This 10th of February, 1814. Sarah Murry


I understand there is a little property elsewhere which I will look for. There is no debt come to my knowledge as yet. S.M.

They Actually Docked His Pay

Authors note:
Private Murray’s pay was $8.00 per month or 25 cents a day. His pay from April 6 to June 4 would normally have been $16.00 but because he died 3 days before the end of the pay cycle, they deducted 77 cents from his pay; hence his last pay was $15.23 instead of $16.00. He apparently owed someone 23 cents because his last pay was for only $15.00.
Whether Captain Hosbrook donated $3.00 or the men in the company took up a collection for Sarah is unknown. Murry did owe Isaac Whitman, a private in the company $10.00.







Notice how they deducted 77 cents from his pay

Sarah Murry Administers the Estate


In Estate Records Book 1 , Warren County page 77 is the letters of administration for Sarah Murry.

October 21st 1813. Letters of administration granted to Sarah Murry to administer on the estate of Charles Murry deceased who is to give bond in $100 with John Murry and Percy Kitchel her bail
Thomas Espy
David Espy
John Parkhill
Bond taken and letters granted.

Where Was Charles Murry’s Home?

This is all speculation at the moment but this is what I’ve found so far.
Thomas and David Espy were brothers. The 1820 census records show the Espy brothers and John Parkhill living in Deerfield Township in Warren County, Ohio. Percy Kitchel was an attorney and the relationship of John Murry, no doubt a relative, but the relationship is unknown at present.
At the time this was being administered, there were only 4 towns in Deerfield Township; Socialville, Mason, Foster and Twenty Mile Stand. An 1875 map of the township shows an “A Murry” living in Twenty Mile Stand at the intersection of SR 3 and Columbia Rd. It is very possible this was the location of Charles Murry’s home when he left for Ft. Amanda in 1813.

In Memory

Visitors to the park will see 2 grave markers inside the fenced area at the park. One is for a Captain Enoch Dawon with the inscription “Murdered by Indians.” The other, a newer marker bears the same inscription as that written on Murray’s original headboard. There is a reason for this. No records have ever been found for a “Captain Enoch Dawson,” so many, like this author believe the grave is simply one of several long held traditions involving site. On the other hand, we do know that Charles Murry died and is buried at Ft. Amanda. My suggestion of course is that Murry is buried in the grave marked for Enoch Dawson.
In 2000, I presented my work to the Ohio Historical Society with supporting my claim that it's Murry buried inside the enclosure. While they agreed that in all likelihood, Murry is buried there, without an exhumation and DNA check it cannot be proven conclusively. Wink wink.
They did say that there was enough evidence to allow us to erect a grave marker for Murry within the enclosure which we did in 2000. The project, a combination of volunteer work by an area Boy Scout and BP Amoco, included a new historical marker near the obelisk and a brass place fastened to the 1812 grave stone with Schillinger’s original engraving. Finally after 187 years Charles Murry’s final resting place was marked.

Eagle Scout Ryan Ohl and companions at marker dedication

Installing the Grave Marker

Boy Scout Mark Walpole and helper

That same year, descendants of 3 of the men stationed at Fort Amanda were invited to the dedication ceremonies; Mrs. Early (Francis Pogue) Rice of Mayslick, Kentucky, 3rd great granddaughter of the builder Robert Pogue, Daniel Hosbrook of Cincinnati, 4th great grandson of Captain Daniel Hosbrook and Susan Ohl, a relative of the journalist Ensign Schillinger. It was an emotional moment to see the direct descendants of Ft. Amanda’s defenders meet for the first time after 187 years.

The Reunion

Sunday, November 12, 2000

From L-R Daniel Hosbrook, 4th great grandson of Captain Daniel Hosbrook, Francis Pogue Rice, 3rd great grandson of Lt. COl. Robert Pogue, Susan Ohl, descendant of Ensign William Schillinger.

The first reunion of the Fort Amanda Ohio Milia Company in 187 years.


A special thank you to all the re-enactors who brought the War of 1812 back to life with their uniforms and demonstrations and talks. John Carne of the Allen County Museum and Bob May, local historian and re-enactor made the day even more special.

Unsung Hero's

Adults aren't the only ones who love Ft. Amanda. Over the years local Boy Scouts working on their Eagle Badges have made several significant additions to the site. Young men like Ryan Ohl whose project involved the installation of the flag pole and base at the entrance to the park, Jordan Hensley whose project involved the placement of a stone markers inscribed with the names of the soldiers stationed at Fort Amanda soldiers erected in the old cemetery and Mark Walpole whose project included the installations of the historical marker near the monument and the Murry grave marker. These young men designed their projects, went through an arduous approval process, solicited funds, made arrangements for the procurement of materials and then supervised the installations. We all can be very proud of these young men and their contributions to the Ft. Amanda site.

Mrs. Rice and her husband Early died a few years ago but I’ll always remember how proud she and the other descendants felt at that dedication day in 2000. It was truly a glorious day and one I'm sure Private Charles Murry would have appreciated.