The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
State of Service: VA
Qualifying Service: Patriotic Service
Reverend Moses Renfro was born 2 January 1728 in Jamestown, James, Virginia to William R and Elizabeth (Cheney) Renfro. He married Hannah “last name unknown” and their marriage was blessed with eleven children: Elizabeth Turpin, James, Mary Neff, Jesse, William M.D., China, Eleanor Haley, and William. He served during the American Revolution as a Captain in the Virginia militia. Reverend Moses Renfro has been credited with the naming of the Red River in the western part of North Carolina which became Tennessee. Moses, Joseph, Isaac, James, Nathan and Solomon Renfro accompanied Colonel John Donelson in a flotilla of settlers which emigrated down the Tennessee River in 1779. At the mouth of the Tennessee River, the expedition went up the Cumberland River to the Red River and beyond to Nashboro, which became Nashville. The Red River enters the Cumberland River at present-day Clarksville, north of Nashville. Some of the Renfro family were killed in an Indian attack on Renfro Station on the Red River in 1780.His daughter, Elizabeth, was the subject of a 24 July 1930 Missouri newspaper article describing her escape from an Indian attack. He is also credited for taking an oath of allegiance in 1772 and providing provisions to the Patriot cause.He passed this life 14 January 1824 in Crab Orchard, Lincoln County, Kentucky.
PA ARCH, 5TH SER, VOL 7, PP 134, 136; MAYHILL, LANCASTER CO PA DEED ABSTRACT & REV WAR OATHS, P 164
Author: Ian Alexander Anspaugh
Father: William R. RENFRO b: 1702 in Jamestown, James City County, Virginia Mother: Elizabeth Ann CHENEY b: 1704 in Virginia, United States c: 28 APR 1717 in Christchurch, Middlesex, Virginia, United States
Marriage 1 Hannah RENFRO b: 1731 in , , Virginia Married: ABT 1754 in , Bedford, Virginia Children Thomas RENFRO b: 1759 in Virginia, United States Jerusha RENFRO b: 1761 in Of, , Tennessee James RENFRO b: 19 NOV 1763 in Tennessee Judah RENFRO b: 1764 in Virginia, United States Lydia C RENFRO b: 1757 in Bedford CO VA John RENFRO b: 1775 in Virginia, United States
Marriage 2 Elizabeth TURPIN b: ABT 1748 in Bedford County, Virginia Married: 24 MAY 1773 in Bedford (Independent City), Virginia, United States 3 Children Turpin RENFRO b: 1774 in Bedford Co., Virginia Hannah RENFRO b: 1775 in , Franklin, Virginia Mary RENFRO b: 1777 in , Bedford, Virginia Jesse RENFRO b: 1779 in Of, Bedford, Virginia William RENFRO b: 14 NOV 1781 in Gerrard County, Kentucky Eleanor RENFRO b: 1787 in Gerrard, Kentucky, United States
Moses Renfro was born in Jamestown, VA on January 2, 1728. He died on January 14, 1824 at the age of 96 in Kentucky. He was the son of William Renfro and Elizabeth Cheney. He was married twice and had 12 children. He was commissioned as a captain the the Virginia Militia. He took the Oath of Allegiance in 1772 . He provided money and provisions for defense against Indian raids in the Western Frontier. He was a land surveyor and a Baptist minister. He was also a famous gunsmith and “A Renfro rifle was a passport to the West.” He fought in sqirmishes up and down the frontier in the battles against the Tories (and Indians). when I do research Moses it always comes up with the founding of Tennessee and the naming of the Red River and th settlement of Renfro Station there. Moses Renfro was one of the first European settler into Tennessee. It also comes up with an Indian Massacre where Moses survived, but many or his relatives did not.
Moses Renfro and company left Fort Patrick Henry in VA to go to Renfro Station in Red River Tennessee around 1779. The party was planning to move to what is now Nashville, TN. Moses Renfro and family joined the Donaldson party. They traveled down the the Holston River to the Cumberland River-a journey over 2,000 miles. They fought off hostile indians, starvation, dangerous white water rapids, killed and ate buffalo, etc. An account about it was written down and Theodore Roosevelt said it was “the greatest adventure in the winning of the West.” The mythology of the big battle at Upon arriving at the mouth of the Tennessee River, part of the group opted to stay with the current and continued downstream to Natchez and New Orleans on the Mississippi River, calling out farewell until they could no longer be heard.
Yet, through much struggle and determination the rest of the group paddled and poled against the currents of the Ohio and then the Cumberland for weeks. They later told tales of shooting buffalo, bears, and “a delicious swan” to stave off their hunger, along with cooking herbs they found in the Cumberland river bottom, which some called “Shawnee salad”. They reported it to be “a poor dish – just better than nothing”. (John Donelson Jr. 1780)
Then finally, they arrived at the mouth of the Red River, otherwise known as present day Clarksville, Tennessee, on April 12th, 1780 where the group divided again. A portion led by Moses Renfro took their leave in order to travel up the Red River searching for a suitable settlement location. The rest of the group continued up the Cumberland River towards present day Nashville.
A young man named Armistead Miller was part of the Renfro party and later relayed, “…about 80 souls and some negroes, went nine miles up Red River, and settled upon the bluff.” The location Armistead spoke of is at the mouth of present day Passenger Creek and was originally called Fort Union.
He also shared that the group, “made a fort of half-faced camps two rows from the river, and the ends open. They cut off some bushes, and planted some corn and pumpkins without a fence. They caught sturgeon, one six feet and other fish, and hunted buffalo, elk, bear, deer, ducks, and geese.”
Armistead also reported that one member of their group was attacked by a panther while hunting near the station. It seems there was no shortage of wildlife to either hunt or fear and that the diversity of the wildlife was much greater than what we experience today.
The leader of the settlement, Moses Renfro, was also known to be a fine gunsmith, and it was said that “a Renfro rifle was a passport all over the west.” Also, Moses and some of his family members, Jesse and Isaac Renfroe, were all three Baptist preachers.
Apparently, there was little chance the station would be left without spiritual guidance. The influence of the Renfroe family upon the group seemed to be so significant the settlement became known as Renfroe Station rather than Fort Union.
The Cumberland Compact
As the settlers of the various stations spread out across present day middle Tennessee, they attempted to organize themselves. They felt it necessary to create some form of government since they were so far removed from civilization. They created a document called “The Cumberland Compact” which called for the election of 12 representatives or judges from the different stations or forts. One of these representatives was to come from “Fort Union.”
Only white men over the age of 21 could vote for the judges, or serve in the other capacities such as clerks and sheriffs. The document stipulated that all men over the age of 16 must serve in the militia and also provided for needed services such as estate administration, enforcement of the law, and other legal matters.
There was one law in particular, the law against stealing, which was stringently enforced on the frontier. Consequences for stealing in the settlements ranged from capital punishment by hanging or lashes and branding. Yet, though the compact brought some order and security to the settlements, it could not effectively protect the pioneers from their primary threat. Violence at Renfroe Station
It did not take long for the Native Americans, in this case most likely from the Chickasaw tribe, to become aware of the new settlement on the Red River. The first occurrence of violence perpetrated upon the Renfroe party happened on a Sunday in June 1780, approximately two months after their arrival. The daily lives of the pioneers at that time were concerned with survival as they gathered food and hunted local game, while living in their half-faced camps.
Fields along the river bottoms needed to be cleared and corn planted. Also, substantial shelters needed to be built before the arrival of winter. Yet, while the settlers were still trying to begin these projects, the Native Americans began to make them feel very unwelcome. At first, their tactic was not an all-out assault on the settlement, but seemingly to weaken the group by picking them off whenever they were isolated or vulnerable in some way.
For example, Armistead Miller relayed that in June of that year, “John Lumsden…was in a mulberry tree gathering fruit…Three Shawnees were seen slipping through the bushes, and all fired, killed Lumsden, scalped him, and dogded (sic) off. The whites carried in his body and buried it. The next day, Nathan Turpin, went out hunting, and on his return was killed and scalped within 300 yards of the station. All was now consternation. Men were sent to French Lick, Heaton’s, and Mansker’s for aid to move to those stations.” (Armistead Miller, 1844, Draper Manuscripts)
The settlement had barely existed for two months before the inhabitants decided to abandon it out of fear. Yet, even though the settlers stayed only for a short time, they left behind artifacts and remains along the Red River. Due to the findings of a local relic hunter, the location of the settlement can be approximated near the mouth of Passenger Creek.
As the settlers proceeded with the removal of their party to other stations, a guard of 15 or 20 men were sent to escort them. They divided the approximately 80 settlers into two groups. The route used was an existing bison trail or game path that ran south from Port Royal, through Robertson County alongside Millers Creek, then through modern-day Coopertown before crossing Sycamore creek. The first group arrived safely at French Lick, but the second group was not so fortunate.
After the first day of travel the second group decided to camp at a spring that emptied into Sycamore Creek. At this same time, a party of Chickasaw traveling south intercepted the travelers. Consequently, at daybreak of what was to be their second day of travel to the other relatively safe frontier stations, approximately 50 Chickasaw attacked the settlers.
Armistead Miller later shared with an historian what he remembered about that day. “Between daylight and sunrise, Joseph Renfroe and negro, Jessie went to the spring to get water, both were shot down, and then the Indians dashed in and fired upon the camp. One Indian ran up and tomahawked Abraham Jones….old Jacob Johns fought till he shivered his gun to pieces. He was finally killed together with his wife and daughter.”
Hugh Bell relayed, “A sharp battle of some 30 minutes ensued. At the first fire, James and Samuel Hollis ran off to the Bluff at French Lick. A negro who belonged to one of the Turpins fought with distinguished bravery, encouraging his master and the others never to yield while life lasted.”
Another member of the group, Robert Weakley, remembered that “Mrs. Jones escaped with her son, Shadrack, a lad, and an infant daughter, Betsy, in her arms”. She hid underneath a shelving rock with her children hoping that the attackers would not find her or hear her young children. She waited and hid there for an entire day and night when finally a relief party rescued her.
Overall, the attack resulted in 15 deaths among the settlers. The families that survived the attack were then scattered amongst three different stations that were located in or near present day Nashville: French Lick, Mansker’s Station, and Heaton’s Stations. Conclusion
The violent attacks would continue in the Cumberland region until the end of the 18th century and not all of the pioneers were willing to remain in order to hold onto their land claims. Less than half of the 244 signers of the Cumberland Compact remained. Approximately 40% of the signers were either killed or missing.
Sources
Text: Death of Reverend Moses Renfro Which included many Renfro's and other relatives, incuding James's brother the Reverend Moses Renfro (at the time of the expedition) Was killed in a great massacre. Title: Renfro, Moses REverend Born 2 Jan 1728 Author: Book "The Renfro Family" by Donald O. Manshardt Page 21 Book "The Renfro Family" by Donald O. Manshardt Page 21 Abbrev: Book "The Renfro Family" by Donald O. Manshardt Page 21~Book "The Renfro Family" by Donald O. Manshardt Page 21~ Abbrev: Renfro, Moses REverend Born 2 Jan 1728 Text: Taken from Book"The Renfro Family" by Donald O. Manshardt" Page 21 About Moses Renfro NSCAR 154335 Patriot Moses Renfrew RootsWeb: TNMAURY-L Founding Families in Nashville, 1779-80 archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/.../TNMAURY/.../1081911613https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/RENFRO Putnam, A. W. History of Middle Tennessee. A. W. Putnam (1859), p. 75. Jump up ^ Ramsey, J.G.M. The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century. John Russell (1853), pp. 448-49. Jump up ^ Putnam (1859), pp. 162-64.
Tracy Jepson | January 23, 2017 |. "The History of Renfroe Station on the Red River, 1780 – Part 2." Clarksville, TN Online. The voice of Clarksville, 23 Jan. 2017. Web. 19 June 2017.
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