Fort Amanda's "Drummer Boy"
Lewis Bayley
1784 - 1876
Lewis Bayley Falls in Love
Lewis was born in Haverhill, New Hampshire on Aug. 24, 1784. He was the oldest of 8 children born toTimothy and Zerviah (Blodgett) Bayley His birth name was actually Abraham Lewis Bayley. When and why he decided to use his middle name (Lewis) as his first is unknown but one possibility is that he did it out of respect for his Uncle Lewis Bayley who died in 1817.
The day after his 21st birthday (1805), Lewis packed up his belongings and began his 900 mile walk to Ohio. Along the way he stopped at an inn in Pelham, New Hampshire where he met and fell in love with the owner's 18 year old daughter, Betsy Butler.
After a short stay in Pelham, the love stricken Bayley continued his journey to Ohio. Once there he purchased a parcel of land in Harmony Twp. Clark County and built a cabin.
Note they spelled "Clark County" with an "e"
When Bayley finished work on his cabin, he walked back to his father's home in New Hampshire, arriving there just as winter was setting in.
At this point you may be wondering how long it would have taken Bayley to walk 900 miles. I did, so I decided to see what the internet had to say. I found that the average walking speed of a human is 3 miles per hour meaning that it would take 300 hours to walk 900 miles. Sunrise in Haverhill, N.H. on August 25, 1805 was about 5AM and sunset was around 7 PM. Assuming he didn't travel at night and walked a steady pace of 10 miles during the day, at 3 mph, (30 miles / day) he could have walked the 900 mile distance in 30 days. While its unlikely he kept that pace the entire trip, and assuming there were some days he didn't walk at all , I think it's safe to assume that the trip probably took him about 6 weeks making his arrival in Clark County around the middle of October 1805. We know that he built a cabin and returned home the same year arriving back in Haverhill "before winter set in" so lets see if my calculation works out.
If Bayley finished his cabin in 2 weeks, he would have left Ohio around the beginning of November. Using the same calculations as before, (4 - 6 weeks to make the trip), he would have arrived back in New Hampshire around the middle of December; well before Winter would have set in.
Once home Lewis and his brothers spent the winter months helping their father build wagons and gather supplies in preparations for moving everyone to their new home in Ohio the following Spring. In May the following year (1806) the Bayley family loaded their supplies onto their oxen and horse drawn wagons and started south toward Pelham, New Hampshire.
When they reached the tiny village of Pelham, they stopped at Butler’s inn, the same inn Lewis had stayed at the previous year. Apparently Lewis’ infatuation with the 18 year old Betsy Butler had not subsided because while there, he asked her to marry him, she accepted and they were married. Talk about a whirlwind courtship. Betsy loaded her belongings onto one of the Bayley's wagons, said her goodbyes to her family and friends. Sadly she would never see them again.
That's a Lot of Walking
The Bayleys arrived at their cabin near Harmony, Ohio in the Summer of 1806.
Little is known about their life there between 1806 and 1825, only that Timothy Bayley (Lewis father) died in September of 1825. Later that year Lewis and Betsy said goodbye to the family and moved to Lasalle County, Illinois. His mother and several siblings remained in Clark County. His mother Zerviah died there in 1852 at the age of 92. The Bayley name is still a prominent one in the Clark County today.
Onward to Illinois
The website shown below tells us a little more about the family while they were living in Illinois. https://lasalle.illinoisgenweb.org/1877history/1877historyvermillion.html Lewis Bailey, the first settler in the town of Vermillion, came from Ohio; first to Indiana, and then to Illinois in 1825. He first came to Ottawa, but located on Section 19, at the head of Bailey’s Grove, which was called Bailey’s Point. His son Augustus is claimed to have been the first male white child born in the county, while a daughter of Christopher Long was the first. George Galloway, son of James Galloway, of Fall River, has claimed the honor of being born before Bailey. The fact seems to be that Bailey's son was a few days the oldest, but he was born at Peoria, where his parents had gone in a canoe, in anticipation of the event, and soon after returned, having been absent from home eighteen days.
The location selected by Bailey was a romantic one, and he said it was a favorite resort of the Indians, who ever evinced a keen appreciation of the beautiful. Mr. Bailey's neighbors at first were only Indians. He always expressed a high opinion of his swarthy friends, and persistently claimed that they were more honest, friendly and trustworthy than the whites. He was doubtless somewhat misanthropic. He with his family left the county in 1844, and died in Oregon. He had two sons: Augustus (b. 1828) and Timothy (b. 1837).
Another Name Change
My family name has had several changes over the centuries. We went from Johnstone to Johnston to Johnson. We kept dropping letters from our name. First the "e" then the "t." Either we liked our new name or we just got lazy. BTW, If you noticed in the in the Lazelle county history reference above, the name was spelled "Bailey" I've seen it spelled it Bayley, Baley and Bailey. The picture below of Lewis and Betsys son Augusts shows him as "Bailey" His tombstone also says "Bailey". Apparently he must have thought "if dad can change his name, so can I." 
Augustus Bailey
1828 - 1905
Son of Lewis and Betsy (Butler) Bailey
The Death of Betsy Bayley
In 1840, fifty-three year old Betsy Bayley and their newborn child died a few days apart, possibly due to complications from childbirth. Three years later Lewis married 46 year old Mary Lake.
He operated a sawmill on the Vermillion River until 1849 when the family moved to Essex Township in Stark County, Illinois where he purchased a farm. The 1850 census lists his occupation as "Farmer."
On Mar. 26, 1861, his second wife Mary died. She was 63 years old.
Bayley had these words inscribed on her tombstone; “A Good Wife and a Kind Step-Mother.”
In 1870 Lewis was living with the Timothy Bayley family (probably a grandson) near Duncan, Illinois.
His Last Trip By 1875, Lewis Bayley, the oldest of 8 brothers and sisters had outlived all but one brother; Daniel (shown below). Apparently Daniel had done well for himself as his property was worth $12,000 dollars at the time, or the equivalent of 14 years of income for the average family at the time.
Happily Lewis was able to complete his last journey and spend time with his younger brother Daniel, who he had hadn't seen for many years. My guess is his last trip and his reunion was a joyous one. He certainly deserved it.
The following year (1876), Lewis Bayley, the drummer boy at Fort Amanda died near Forest Grove, Oregon. He is buried in the Mt. View Memorial Garden, 449 Watercrest Road. Forest Grove, Washington County, Oregon. Plot: Lot 89, Grave 1. (N45°32'05.52”,W123°08'23.87”)
"Once you were lost but now you're are found."
I hope what I've presented here helps readers think of people like Lewis Bayley, not merely as a historical figure, but as a living, breathing, human being, a loving husband, father and brother. A man who fell in love with an 18 year old woman on his way to the frontier and a man who, nearing the end of his life embarked on one last journey of 2000 mile to see his brother one last time.
Lewis Bayley's name fell from memory 200 years ago when the war ended. My goal is to continue to identify them and tell their stories so they're no longer forgotten.
"Now I'll Think of the Men There" During the Lantern Walk last October, sponsored by the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District, David May, local historian and a group of re-enactors, dressed as militia soldiers and setup a campsite at the monument. Meanwhile I gave a short talk about the fort at the shelter house before taking the group back to the monument. We had a "sentry" stationed at the bridge to check our credentials before entering their encampment. The intent ws to create the perception that we were talking with a ghost of a Fort Amanda soldier. I had prepared a script beforehand with responses to questions I'd be asking the "soldiers." They memorized there questions so it gave the appearance of an actual conversation. questions between me and soldiers stationed at the fort 200 years ago. The "soldiers" did an outstanding job of answering not only my questions, but those from the audience as well. Their adhoc responses not only added to the sense of authenticity to the event, some of the more humorous one evoked several laughs as well. The event was one I'll never forget and will always be grateful to David May and his group of "soldiers." They were awesome. While were returning back to the shelter house one of the ladies walking with me said, "That was fantastic. Now whenever I come out here I won't be just be thinking just about a fort any more, I'll be thinking about the soldiers here too." I remember smiling and thinking to myself; "YES, thank you. That's the whole point."
Update 7/27/18 When I woke up this morning, for some odd reason my first thought was "Lewis Bayley lived in Clark County during the War of 1812, why did he go all the way to Hamilton county to join the militia company there?" Turns out he my not have. I went back and read through Schillinger's journal and noticed that on Feb. 18th, the company had reached Dayton. A part of Schillinger's journal entry that day reads, "A number our men which was on furlough joined us this evening". Like the Captain of the company who didn't join the company until it reached Lebanon, I think Bayley was given permission to join the company when it passed through Dayton. Not a particularly Earth shattering mystery, but one that causes people like me to ponder endlessly.
He operated a sawmill on the Vermillion River until 1849 when the family moved to Essex Township in Stark County, Illinois where he purchased a farm. The 1850 census lists his occupation as "Farmer."
On Mar. 26, 1861, his second wife Mary died. She was 63 years old.
In 1870 Lewis was living with the Timothy Bayley family (probably a grandson) near Duncan, Illinois.
His Last Trip By 1875, Lewis Bayley, the oldest of 8 brothers and sisters had outlived all but one brother; Daniel (shown below). Apparently Daniel had done well for himself as his property was worth $12,000 dollars at the time, or the equivalent of 14 years of income for the average family at the time.
Daniel Dodge Bayley
1801 - 1893
Brother of Lewis Bayley
Not one to shy away from long lonely trips, Lewis decided to visit his 75 year-old brother Daniel near Forest Grove, Oregon 2,000 miles away. Before leaving home he told friends that he was “again goin pioneering.” The year was 1875 and Lewis was 91 years old. 
At 91 years of age, Bayley was well aware of his own mortality and during his long trip, surely must have, from time to time, reflected back on the events his long life. His life's journey had taken him from Haverhill, New Hampshire to Forest Grove, Oregon. He had literally walked across the United States. During his "pioneering" journeys, he met a young woman, fell in love, married, had a family, built a cabin in the wilderness, and served his country in war time, all the while struggling with the deaths of his father and mother, 2 wives, 7 brothers and sisters, and a son.Happily Lewis was able to complete his last journey and spend time with his younger brother Daniel, who he had hadn't seen for many years. My guess is his last trip and his reunion was a joyous one. He certainly deserved it.
The following year (1876), Lewis Bayley, the drummer boy at Fort Amanda died near Forest Grove, Oregon. He is buried in the Mt. View Memorial Garden, 449 Watercrest Road. Forest Grove, Washington County, Oregon. Plot: Lot 89, Grave 1. (N45°32'05.52”,W123°08'23.87”)
Personal Reflections
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "Soldiers win battles, generals get credit for them." The same can be said for the names of the soldiers who win the battles. We remember the names of famous generals but rarely remember the names of the ordinary soldiers. While transcribing Schillinger's journal I kept coming across names of individuals associated with Fort Amanda and I remember thinking to myself, "now what do I do with them.?" Admittedly I've known who Lewis Bayley was for several years, but that knowledge was only 1 dimensional; a name on a company roster. Then it dawned on me; Fort Amanda was only a thing; a wooden fortification with cabins and a stockade wall. The real story of Fort Amanda lies in the lives of the men and women associated with her history. Since then, I've compiled short bios on over 100 individuals associated with the Fort Amanda story. "Once you were lost but now you're are found."
I hope what I've presented here helps readers think of people like Lewis Bayley, not merely as a historical figure, but as a living, breathing, human being, a loving husband, father and brother. A man who fell in love with an 18 year old woman on his way to the frontier and a man who, nearing the end of his life embarked on one last journey of 2000 mile to see his brother one last time.
Lewis Bayley's name fell from memory 200 years ago when the war ended. My goal is to continue to identify them and tell their stories so they're no longer forgotten.
"Now I'll Think of the Men There" During the Lantern Walk last October, sponsored by the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District, David May, local historian and a group of re-enactors, dressed as militia soldiers and setup a campsite at the monument. Meanwhile I gave a short talk about the fort at the shelter house before taking the group back to the monument. We had a "sentry" stationed at the bridge to check our credentials before entering their encampment. The intent ws to create the perception that we were talking with a ghost of a Fort Amanda soldier. I had prepared a script beforehand with responses to questions I'd be asking the "soldiers." They memorized there questions so it gave the appearance of an actual conversation. questions between me and soldiers stationed at the fort 200 years ago. The "soldiers" did an outstanding job of answering not only my questions, but those from the audience as well. Their adhoc responses not only added to the sense of authenticity to the event, some of the more humorous one evoked several laughs as well. The event was one I'll never forget and will always be grateful to David May and his group of "soldiers." They were awesome. While were returning back to the shelter house one of the ladies walking with me said, "That was fantastic. Now whenever I come out here I won't be just be thinking just about a fort any more, I'll be thinking about the soldiers here too." I remember smiling and thinking to myself; "YES, thank you. That's the whole point."
Update 7/27/18 When I woke up this morning, for some odd reason my first thought was "Lewis Bayley lived in Clark County during the War of 1812, why did he go all the way to Hamilton county to join the militia company there?" Turns out he my not have. I went back and read through Schillinger's journal and noticed that on Feb. 18th, the company had reached Dayton. A part of Schillinger's journal entry that day reads, "A number our men which was on furlough joined us this evening". Like the Captain of the company who didn't join the company until it reached Lebanon, I think Bayley was given permission to join the company when it passed through Dayton. Not a particularly Earth shattering mystery, but one that causes people like me to ponder endlessly.
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