Biographical Sketches: of Nathaniel Massie, Duncan McArthur, William Wells and Simon Kenton

This book, written in 1838, contains the true life stories of four of the greatest pioneers and frontiersmen who ever lived and participated in the early settlement of the territory northwest of the Ohio River which was opened for settlement by the Ordinance of 1787. In those days the old growth forest spread her canopy over the land and in her shadows lurked dangers of every kind. Many unwary pioneers and settlers lost their lives in wresting this land from the Indians who claimed it for their own and were willing to fight and die to keep it. The author, John McDonald not only knew these men personally, he also shared in many of the same adventures right along with them. His first hand knowledge and experience of the events shows itself in his writing. For every lover of history, this book is a treasure. This book is part of the Historical Collection of Badgley Publishing Company and has been transcribed from the original. The original contents have been edited and corrections have been made to original printing, spelling and grammatical errors when not in conflict with the author’s intent to portray a particular event or interaction. Annotations have been made and additional contents have been added by Badgley Publishing Company in order to clarify certain historical events or interactions and to enhance the author’s content. Photos and illustrations from the original have been touched up, enhanced and sometimes enlarged for better viewing. Additional illustrations and photos have been added by Badgley Publishing Company.