Sherry Chandler

Assimilation

The sons of Isaac Ruddle who assimilated with the Shawnee after the fall of Ruddles Station were Stephen, who was 12 at the time, and Abraham, who was 6. Stephen �returned to civilization� and became a minister and a missionary to the native people. Abraham appears to have lived his life with divided loyalty. It�s hard to gauge the truth of some of these accounts as they are somewhat jingoistic.

[Abraham] was an adept in the use of a tomahawk, though his white blood restrained him from its more barbarous uses.

Both brothers were reputed to be tight with Tecumseh.

Ruddles Mills

After the Revolutionary War, Isaac Ruddle was able to overcome his reputation as a surrender monkey. The decision to surrender had rankled some of his cohort. Ruddle returned to Kentucky and established a mill town a few miles upstream from the station he lost to Captain Henry Byrd and the Shawnee. Nestled in a valley at the confluence of Stoner and Hinkston Creeks, Ruddles Mills is still going, though in reduced circumstances. Other settlers didn�t fare so well. Some 200 were held at Chilicothe for 15 years. Two of Ruddle’s sons were adopted by the Shawnee and took native wives.

Ruddles Station

Sweet gum buds with view of Ruddles Mill Road.

Ruddles Station, a fortified settlement on the South Fork of the Licking River near the Bourbon/Harrison County line, was established in 1775 as Hinkston�s Station, by John Hinkston who has left his name on Hinkston Creek. Hinkston traversed a game trail from Blue Licks to establish this settlement with help from the likes of Simon Kenton. Hinkston abandoned the station, and it was re-established in 1779 by Isaac Ruddle. Ruddles Station was surrendered to the British and Indians in 1780 under conditions of considerable animosity. Surviving settlers were marched to Detroit and held for the duration of the Revolutionary War.