Bailey, Ann (1742–1825)
Bailey, Ann (1742–1825)
Legendary frontier scout. Name variations: "White Squaw of the Kanawha" and Mad Ann. Born Ann Hennis in Liverpool, England, in 1742; died in Gallia County, Ohio, on November 22, 1825; came to America, probably as an indentured servant, in 1761; married Richard Trotter (d. 1774); married John Bailey; children: one son.
Legend has become inextricably bound to the adventuresome life of Ann Bailey. We know that she arrived in America from England in 1761. Her marriage to Richard Trotter, a Shenandoah valley settler, ended with his death in the battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774. The widow then donned male attire, armed herself with a tomahawk and rifle, and forged a new life as a frontier scout, "Indian fighter," messenger, and spy.
Known as the "White Squaw of the Kanawha," or Mad Ann, she married her second husband John Bailey, and moved to Clendenin's Settlement, now the site of Charleston, West Virginia. In 1791, when the settlement's Fort Lee was under attack by Native Americans, Mad Ann pulled off her most famous exploit. Volunteering to ride through dangerous forest and enemy lines to replace a dwindling supply of gun powder, she accomplished the 200-mile trek to and from Fort Union—now Lewisburg—in less than three days. After the death of her second husband, Bailey lived with her son in Ohio. She died there on November 22, 1825.
Barbara Morgan , Melrose, Massachusetts