Fort Amanda's Namesake

Fort Amanda's Namesake

How the stories of Captain Thomas Poague building Fort Amanda and naming it for his wife originated is unknown. What we do know is those stories are simply not true.  

Let's Start From The Beginning

    The United States went to war with England (again) on June 15, 1812.  Governor Shelby of Kentucky immediately called several  militia regiments to active duty with orders to advance into the state of Ohio and join General Harrisons army there. Leading one of the regiments was Lieutenant Colonel Robert Pogue of Mayslick, Kentucky.

Walking Across the Ohio River (Literally)

    On August 27, the Kentuckians crossed the Ohio River at Newport Ky. and entered Cincinnati. It was not a difficult task as the Ohio River in 1812 was less than a foot deep at that point. In fact, it was said that at certain times of the year, a man could actually walk across the river from Newport to Cincinnati, or if he was on horseback, he could easily make the trip without getting has trousers wet.

    Once across the river Pogue’s men set up camp near the courthouse where they remained a few days while final arrangements were made for the march north. During the months of September and October, some of Pogue's men provided escort services for supply trains while others helped build roads linking St. Marys and Defiance. The middle of October, Pogue ordered Capt. Thompson Ward to advance with his company to the west bank of the Auglaize River and construct a fort.  The area had been ceded to  to the United States as part of Gen. Anthony Wayne's 1795 Greenville Treaty.  Pogue 's boyhood home was Fort Harrod so he used it as a model for his new fort.  (Harrodsburg, Ky) Click this link.   Fort Harrod - Pogues' boyhood home

Naming of the Fort

    It was customary at the time for commanders to name their forts after politicians, national heroes, governors and even themselves, i.e.

Fort Barbee - Colonel Joshua Barbee

Fort Washington - President George Washington  

Fort Jennings - Colonel William Jennings      

Fort Wayne - General Anthony Wayne         

Fort Hamilton - Alexander Hamilton     

Fort Jefferson - Thomas Jefferson 

Fort Meigs - Governor of Ohio Return Jonathan Meigs  

What makes Pogue's fort unique is that he chose to name his for his 11 year-old daughter Hannah Amanda.

Why Fort Amanda and Not Fort Hannah?

    Amanda was born Hannah Amanda Pogue on March 3, 1801 on the family plantation a mile and a half southeast of Mayslick, Ky. The Pogue family were among the first settlers in Kentucky and by 1812 had acquired several thousand acres, tobacco being the major crop. Amanda was the fifth of nine children born to Robert and Jane Hopkins Pogue. Her infant sister, Anzie had died 15 months earlier making Amanda the oldest living daughter.
    When Amanda turned 16 years-old the family decided it was time for her to become an educated young woman. The school they chose for her to attend was Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky.

The University has a very impressive alumni including;

As Amanda was preparing to leave for school, her older brother William Pogue wrote to their mother on November 4, 1817 offering to help her get settled when she arrived. Notice in his letter he refers to her as Amanda. In fact several documents show that that was the name she went by all her life. 

“If Amanda wishes to go to Lexington to  school, I desire you, or some of the family to inform me when she is ready to come, that I might make arrangements with Mr. Blythe for her schooling and also know where she will board or where she would desire to board and find out when the next quarter will commence that she might know when to prepare, and when she is ready, I will go down for her when she is ready as I promised.”

NOTE:  The “Mr. Blythe,” William referred to in his letter was 55 year old Dr. James Blythe, an instructor at Transylvania University. Dr. Blythe taught Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Astronomy and Geography. He taught at the university from 1798 until 1831 when retired as chair of the Chemistry dept.  

Transylvania University, in 1817   

Transylvania University's as it looked when Amanda attended classes there. The original main building, erected in 1816, was located at 3rd sts. in Lexington. It was destroyed by fire in 1829.

Transylvania University today  

Ned Beatty passed away on June 13, 2021 at the age of 83.  Click on the link to read about his long and outstanding career:  Bio of Ned Beattty

The Cost of Higher Education

In 1817 the tuition at Transylvania University was approximately $125 per year. It included room and board, firewood, use of the library and fire in the recitation room (study hall). If a student wanted to live off campus, the cost for room and board, laundry services including mending (sewing) was about $30 a year, but they were required to furnish their own bedding, firewood and candles. Room and board at Transylvania University in Lexington today is $55,000 a year.

Marriage

There is strong evidence to suggest that Amanda met her future husband, Dr. James Ephram McDowell while both were enrolled at Transylvania University, she in a Liberal Arts program and McDowell in the medical school. On Monday, September 9, 1822, twenty one year old Amanda and twenty five year old James E. McDowell married and set up home in Flemingsburg, Kentucky.
    The picture below is of the marriage obligation bond signed by Amanda's father Robert and her future husband James E. McDowell. Note the name, Amanda H. Pogue, 

The Unknown Years

Basically nothing is known about Amanda's life from her marriage date in 1822 until her death 5 years later.  Whether she and James had children is unknown, however, census records suggest that it's possible they had at least one son.  I will continue to pursue this.    

Amanda's Death

On New Years day, January 1, 1827,  twenty-six year old  Amanda died at the home of her parents.  The cause of death is unknown and because sister Jane Isabella died 4 months later, most likely from Cholera, a common killer at the time, the assumption is that Amanda died from the same thing.  In Jane's obituary it states that she died after a "long and severe illness" which could explain why Amanda died at her parents home, the thought being they were her caregivers.   Amanda's obituary reads:

"At the residence of her father, (Gen. Robert Pogue,) in this county, last week, Mrs. Amanda McDowell, consort of Dr. McDowell of Flemingsburg."

Again, notice the name "Mrs. Amanda McDowell..."

The Search for Amanda’s Grave

In1991, my wife, our oldest son Mike (then a student at OSU) along with Mrs. Francis Rice, great great grand niece of Amanda and her husband Early went to the site believed to be the old Pogue homestead.  

(L-R) Mike Johnson, Frances Rice, Early Rice, Me)

Using a shovel handle with a nail in the end, I jabbed around the ground for several minutes when suddenly I heard a “clink.” I scrapped the dirt back and saw the name Edwin Pogue (1797-1841). Edwin was Amanda's older brother. I knew right away we were in the right place.

  

Grave of Edwin Pogue 

Once She Was Lost, Now she is Found

As we continued our search for more graves I heard my son Mike shout out “Hey dad, look at this.” I walked over to where he was standing and there it was, Amanda's grave.  There are no words to describe how I felt at that moment.

 
  

  

IN

Memory of

Hannah Amanda McDowell

Consort of Dr. James E. McDowell

who departed this life Jan 1^st

1827. Aged 25 year 9 months 28 days

 

The slab covering the grave was tilted so my first impulse was to try move to move it so it set level but I was afraid I might damage it.  I decided to leave it alone.  I washed the dirt away so I could record the transcription.    

    At the head of Amanda's grave we found the grave of Amanda’s younger sister Ann (1808-1838).  The slab covering her grave was 3 feet wide and 6 feet long and the inscription was carved in handwriting script. It reads:

 To the Memory of Mrs. Ann Eliza Garrison who departed this life Oct. 10, 1838

Beneath this tomb of faithful trust

Lies the remains of Eliza’s dust

Called by God to us most dear

Joyful she quit this dusty sphere

She bid to us a short farewell

Then rose to glory with Christ to dwell

In Heaven she lives where Jesus reigns

Happy and blessed in all those plains

And from the portals of the skies

Invites us ever upwards rise

To enjoy the bliss of Heavenly love

Bestowed by Christ on all above

Then radiant saint enjoy thy rest

With saints are blessed

Till we shall join thy blessed employ

In that eternal world of joy

Keep her dear dust through sacred tomb

In sacred slumbers till Gabriel comes

And wakes with triumph her sleeping clay

To join the triumphs of that day.

    The stones shown in the picture below are believed to be the gravestones for Robert Pogue (1766 – 1833), builder of Fort Amanda and his wife Jane Hopkins Pogue. (1767 - 1846)

    In 1846 Jane Hopkins Pogue, Amanda’s mother died at the age of 79.  She had outlived her husband and 8 of their 9 children and was by all indications the last to be buried on the site. Their second oldest, William Lindsay Pogue, the man who volunteered to help Amanda move to Lexington outliving their  35 years dying in 1881at the ripe old age of 87
    Before the day was out, we had found more than a dozen graves, some we believe were Pogue family servants.
1. Hannah Amanda McDowell (1801-1827)
2. Edwin Pogue (1797-1841)
3. Robert Pogue (either the twin (1803-1804) or (1806 – 1836)
4. Elizabeth Pogue Coale (b.? d. 1853)
5. Minerva Kincaid
6. Sally Lynn
7. Eleanor Burgess
8. Robert and Jane Hopkins Pogue (?)
9. Ann Eliza Pogue Garrison (

I drew a map of the location of each stone along with the transcription on each and gave a copy to the Mason County Historical / Genealogical society.

Return Trip 19 Years Later

In 2010 my wife and I decided to go back to Kentucky and re-visit Amanda’s grave. No particular reason, I just wanted to see it again. What I found shocked me at first. All traces of the gravestones were gone. Cattle grazing in the woods over the years had caused the dirt and mud and vegetation to settle on the stones and now they were no longer visible.  They're still there, you just can't see them.  Luckily I made a map of the graves we found there so I have general idea of where Amanda's is.   Not being able to see or though her stone again was a great disappointment.

But Then It All Came Together 

 As time wore on and the more I thought about all this, the more I began to wonder if perhaps this is the way the story of Amanda was supposed to end. First of all, for almost 200 years no one knew who Amanda was. Secondly it was only through a chance postcard to the postmaster in Mayslick we were able to connect with a living relative (Frances Rice) who, turns out, had letters from the Pogue family, some mentioning Amanda. Thirdly, Mrs. Rice said she thought she knew the general area of where the Pogue family lived 1812 . We found the site along with traces of where the home sat.  Nearby was  the Pogue cemetery containing Amanda's grave.  And lastly, how could the grave markers visible for almost 200 years disappear from sight in the course of 19?  

    During those same 200 years the name "Amanda" was given to:

1. Fort Amanda State Park
2. Fort Amanda Road
3. Fort Amanda Canoe Livery
4. Fort Amanda General Store
5. Fort Amanda Specialties
6. Lake Amanda
7. Amanda Township

At the risk of sounding a little corny here, the whole scenario seemed as if Amanda had "stuck around" long enough for us to find her.  Who knows, maybe in some odd way she wanted us to find her. 

     In the end it doesn't make any difference, I found closure in the joy and satisfaction of just finding her and hopefully Amanda found hers in knowing we haven't forgotten her.