This is a document that I received from Helen Walts of Hurst, TX. The story is about, William Van Burkleo, one of her ancestors. His age is approximately the same as Isaac D. Van Burkelow. Isaac came to western Kentucky about the same time that William ventured down the Ohio to Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. His travels are related in the following text. In the papers Helen Walts sent me there is mention of an Isaac as a witness on some probate documents. William Van Burkleo is from Kent county in Delaware. Isaac also listed Delaware on Kentucky census records as his place of birth. I suspect very strongly that they are related to each other.

The following text is from the State Historical Society of Missouri. The story was originally published by the Banner News. It is William's own account of his travels as a 10 year old boy from the headwaters of the Ohio river to Kentucky and eventually his home near St. Louis. It was published as follows:

[The text listed below is as I received it from the article. It has no puncuation and many words are spelled phonetically. I found the best way to understand the story is to print it out and read it.]

The first day of June 1854 (written)

A small sketch of my life and of anchent times from 1794, at which time I was 10 years old. I was born in the state of Dilawar, Kent Co. in June 11, 1784 and when i was abought 4 years old my father moved to the Monangahalah where he stayed two years and then moved to Kantucy in the hottest indien times 3 famileys of us inbarked in a flat boat for limestone, which is now in mason county, Kantucy--when we arrived their I saw the first indien barbarity--their was three flat boats just landed which started a day before we did had bin delayed by a large number of indien Konoes the boats were well made the atact was mad in the night the indiens atemted to land the boats but was bravely resisted by all in the boats, men women and children they fought with guns axes knives and the indiens after a long fight and los of a grate meny men retreated and boats floated on til they come to limestone whare they got help to land__they had just landed when we got their the scene was so alarming that I never will forget it__I think there was about 60 soles big and little amungst which their was but one man and two women that was killed or wounded my father went on board the boats and I went with him and of all the hored sites I have ever witnessed it was the worst some dead and dying some crying some morning their was horses cattle and people lying dead all over the boats we then moved out amougnst on the waters of licking to miles station where times was pritey warm the first night we got their the indiens stole all our horses from the wagons which was in a few steps of the block hous and so when the while we stay in Kantuckey on the first sunday morning after we got to the station a young man went out to git his hors the indiens had tied the hors in the brush with the bell open killed the young man and skelped him in site of the bloc house we stayed there and lived on wild meet and homney bread pound in a morter ontil the war was over the year wane whip my father volunteered and went to Ohio and join the Armey as a spie and as soon as wane last battle was over he returned home which was the first indien skelp I ever saw he brought 2 or 3 skelps and a tomahauk some other trinkets which was a grate test in the station he then move to Ohio we arrived at sensanata a few days after wance trety with the indiens sensanata was a smawl village, we remained their until the fawl 1798 when old david dust returned home from his countrey on viset to se his brother who was taken prisner by the indiens and brought to this cuntry david dust was a close nebor to us he brought such grate news abought the spainish cuntrey my father fixt up and we started with his familey in one smawl flat boat and his cattle in a large boat but the ohio was so that we cold not git along we then turned the cattle out on the indien side and drove them along the bank and lay with the boat that had the family every night which was very bad the bufalow and bar often skerd the stock and gave us much troble we got to the 6 mile iland which was 6 miles above louisville last of november where we put up for winter we wintered finely games was planty as soon as they broke he bought a flat boat and put the cattle aboard and set out again and floated untel we come to Ft. Massac whare their was a garason of soldiers their we had to stop and git a pasport we then floated on til we got to the mouth of ohio whare we stopped to kill bare meat to do us thru the summer intending to make a pevogue to come up in but exadently their was a keele boat com along going to the solen after salt we got the famley in that and crossed the cattle over the mississippi through swomps and marshes which was a seveir job I waded maney times to my waist through sipers wees and fawling over them in the water til I was half drounded ontill we got Cape Gerado which was the first settlement we found their was laramore which was a indien chief a comident when we got their we had eat aney thing for 2 days he gave us some homney and drey venison which was grate nurishment we then drove on through the shone and dilawar town whare we found a grate deal of friendship, they gave us dry venison to last us misear as was cold then which is whare we found the famely father rented a hous for the sumer picked out his in bobveeta bottom move to it in the fawl and became nabors to the indiens for their own town was onley 4 miles from us he became so dissatisfied that he determined to leave the cuntry and sold out intending to git it all in salt and take it to nashvile salt was worth 4 dollars a bushel then in tenosee and intended bying cotten and taking it up the ohio he moved to salenes to collect it he their got his debts all turned over on Speners? and left have books they was careing on the slat works he stayed their a year trying to collect it and the brook and he lost it all but abought hundred bushels he then moved to St. Charles which was called petit coat and stayed their one year being still dissatisfied took what he had in salt and went to tenosee sold it for cotten and started up the ohio I was 14 years old he gave me chois to go thought it best to come back heir I got back abought the last of september when I got to St. Charles their was 2 men by the name of Garder that was fitting out for a expedition up the missouri raping and I joined them and went along we went abought 5 hundred miles up the missouri and when we got amongst the hostile indiens their I learned my first lesson abought indiens we ware in a Konoe and had to dodg from side to side of the river to keep out of their way sometimes we wold slip up some of the smawl rivers whare he was afraid to shot and then we wold live on bever meet when their was plenty of buflow and deir all around us we was 7 monts that we saw no whit man nor had nether bread nor salt--in the spring we come down the river lamen we met 2 hunters abought the last of may we come down to mak arrangements to start up againe the next fawl but when I got to St. Charles their was a man awaiting for me with tidings from my mother that father was dead as she wished me to come to her assistence, I started the young man and myself in a bark kono which I brought down with me to eh mouth of ohio in it then walked up the ohio killing our meet as we went till we got to the volking cave on ohio where I found my mother with 7 children I then bought a large pevouge and heired 2 young men and started back and before we got to the mouth of the ohio 2 of my little brothers died but we come on taking us pirty ni all sumer to git to portage desoux. I stayed with her til maried old Mr. Gatey and sens that time I have bin strugling for myself in 1811 I was maryed I then bought 100 arponds of land at 1 dollar per arpond it join hisen and overall, in the point I paid for it with 200 bushels of corn and the next fawl I was in debt to old James Mongon 75 dollars for my wedding sute which consisted of a hat, coat, shirt and pants of a cheap quality which I paid for the same fawl in venson and peltry then said to my wife we are out of debt and got a good peas of land I ask no odds of the world I then worked on at home and abroad having good luck ontill the fawl 1812 when the indien war broke out when my god look turned to bad luck some time abought the first of october in the night I was warned to be at portage desoux the next morning by sun up armed and aquipt for their was a grate bodey of indiens at the south of alinois I started before day the next morning and was their by day light the company met and was mustered by Capt. Samuel Grifeth and was ordered up the mississippi near the mouth of alinois whare we stood gard that day and night and the next day with though aney thing eate except a few apples we got at portage the evening we was cawled in and sent home after previsions to return next morning which was good luck for me if it had not bin so my famley wold have all bin murdered for the indiens atacted my hous that night they fired a platoon in the bed whare my wife and myself was asleep broke my wife's leg and hit me with 7 buck shot in my thi which awoke me I new what was up and sprung to my gun which was hanging in the rack over the head of my bed but just as I got my gun from the rack one stept in the hous my wife said pointed his gun at me and fired and sprung out of the house the powther bunt me and blinded me so that I never got to see them for they doged round the house and bawl hit me in the hip but I did not fawl I got behind the foot of the bed that stood behind the dore intending to mak the best fight I could I set waiting for them to brake I for some time with my gun cocked in my hand and the buchwr knife in my mouth haled them but no answer I spoke in french and indien and told them to come in but they made no answer I told my little brother in law ho was wetting at my back to shut the dore which he did at that moment the attemted to burst the back dore I got their as soon as I cold and held it too till they boy secured it I then by help of the boy and a hand ladder that was in the house got up in the loft whare I opened holes that I cold see out but never got site of them they found out I was there and left I lay their all night and watched with grate dificulty when I wold rase up to luck out I wold faint before I cold ly down my wife lying below bleeding but never moned she told me that her leg was brock when day light came the boy tuck a hors and went for assistence which came as soon as possible we was taken to St. Louis County to her brother doctor fallises (Fallis) whare we stayed till the next spring I got so that I cold walk with croches I then came back to the point to squier Syrses for my house was burned down in the night in the night after we was shot they burned down my house with everything that we had and from that my fence tuck fire and burned one hole string of it and I lost my hole crop which was 30 acres of corn and all my truck they shot one hors and stole two I then moved whare I now liv and was determined to see them out I mad strong dors and made port holes all around the house but they never tryed me agane but when they had the fight at the sinque hole I cold heir the guns so plane I expected it wold be my turn next and when they killed Dreling in Gore sealy's yard standing talking to Sealy in the dore they fired 21 guns at the dore Seley shut the dore and got his gun they come runing from the brush some stoped to skelp Reling and the rest come runing to burst the dore when they got in a few feet of the doe George was at a port hole and let the foremost one have it he fell with his head against the dore stop several of them gathered him and packed him off and they left, their to be 2 rangers stayed the night their that night but had no guns one of them had just steped out on his business and had just returned and set down as he saw a indien sliping on him he sprung with his britches in his hand at that moment the guns all fired and the indien tuck after him but soon lost site of him Charley run to white fort which was about 2 miles from their tha gathered about 10 or 12 men and put out for Sealy's before they got their they saw the indiens in prara careing for the dead indien they hurried on to the hous found Sealy unharmed but David Realing Kiled and Skelped they amediatly persued to the bank of Quiver whare the indiens tuck weater Realing was a ranger he had his gun broke in a batle and was to home doctring it the next was Elick sensor near Looka spring he was on a horse hunting the indiens was in ambush shot him off ove his hors and skelped him he was a fine young man I nevour was able to do moliti duty agane but had maney skouts after them on the settlement governor Clark sent me 3 men to stay with me all the time and my brother in law stayed all brave fellows we made it a rule to never open the dore til sun up then we wold skout round a little to see if thare was aney sins one morning we found a trale in the woods so fresh that the dew was nocked off the weeds apearde to be 10 or 12 of them about a half a mile back to a smawl parara I went about 50 yds. ahed on the trale the rest followed each one abought 25 steps behind an nother so that the cold not git mutch advantage of us I went abought 100 yds. and then I discovered a smawl pach of trash (?)

I bakned to the boys to stop when I got to the little pach I bakned to them to come on the indiens had stoped thare and had been eating lying down, they had bent the bushes and vines togather mad a sort of a flind we then followed them across the little prara in to the brush we then turned back and rased some men and porsued them but they scattered and we cold not find them we had maney such chases as that have run them several times till they tuck weater for the river was all over the prara in 15. I will say something abought the battles and defeats the time that Capt. James Callaway was defeated their was a large boddey of indiens come into this settlement near luter iland and did some mischief Capt. Callaway rased a company and porsued then he was a corages and experienced fellow rushed along without a spy and when they come near the narrows on luter whare the bluf come close to the to the bank old Capt. Wm. Ramsey porposed to go up the bluf and go round he said there was danger in following thru the pas Callaway laghed at him and told him he was a coward Ramsey was a old exspranced indien fighter said he you may cawl me what you pleas I shall go round and before he went near enough to ascertain he hole fact then made their retreat with the nuse that Callaway was defeated they fought to the last but the indiens killed defeated then all Capt. Ramsey's battle on the mississippi near the mouth of salt river he com on a boddy of (indiens) camped on the bank the river he sent his brother allen Ramsey and 3 other men as spies they crawled so neare up behind the camps one old indien having a looking glass in his hand saw them, throw the glass sprung to his (feet) allen Ramsey being fore most shot him the five then commenced the spies treed themselves and fought some time til their was several killed and in both sides til at length the indiens retreated one by one sliping under the bank of the river Ramsey left at the same time knowing that their was a large boddy of indiens way lade the on they a hot battle there several killed and on both sides so gut in tuck more men went back to take care of the dead and wounded the time of the battle at sinque hole the indiens attacted fort bouward by fiering on some men that went out of the fort to a old huse that was near they lay in the brush by the road side as the men was on their return to the fort over a slue of back water whare the men had their conoe in site of the fort the indiens fired on them and killed them all at the same time the indiens fired on the fort from a nother quarter Capt. Crage leaving a few men in the fort raleyd on them whare the killing the boys but haveing to go round the slue the indiens retreated to the brush Crage soon over tuck them abought the same number that atact the boys they fired and run and in a short distance their armey was placed they fired kiled Capt. Crage as he was foremost and wounded several more they retreated and fought back ontil they come to the mout of a holow that heads near the sinque hole luetenent Spere tuck command of the men porsued them the indiens got across the holow on the hill sid whare they had the advantage of the ground their they made a stand Spears pushed on them they kept retreating up the holow til at length Spears got on the other hill side their they fought for some 2 or 3 hours ontil Capt. D. Musac got thare with a part of his men after some time the indiens began to scatter and finely retreated and the wounded and such as cold not make their escape run in the sink hole Spears atented to charge on them but they was so well conseled that he found he cold do nothing with them after making maney attempts and had several men kiled and wounded they sent and got a pare of cart wheels and made a battry on them against they got that done it was getting dark Musick tuck a part of the men and went round the other side and the battry was to move down at the same time Spears rushed to fast was shot in the head old saint Scoot shot the indien in the head the same momet it was dark and the left--when they went back next morning the indiens had put the dead indien on Spears had cut off Spears head from the sine (spine) the indiens had fixt the sink hole for that purpose had dug with their tomahake so they cold hide their was a grate deal of blood
(Maher collection)

The text ends here, as the rest of it was lost over the years.