The
MURDER of ADAM DRUM
The following
story of the murder of Johan Adam Drum (9 December 1707 - 22 June 1757) did not
occur in Monroe County. Upon immigration to America in August of 1737, Adam
Drum and his wife of four and half years settled on land about 20 miles west of
the present location of Allentown, Pennsylvania. This was the approximate site
where he was killed.
Adam's nephew,
Johann Philipp Drum (3 Mar 1721 - 14 Nov 1788), son of Adam's older brother, Johann Simon
Drum (8 Sep 1689 - ?), also immigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania.
Two generations later, this branch of the Drum family in the person of Jacob
Drum (1770 - 3 Oct 1842) moved to Graysville, Monroe County, Ohio.
Adam Drum of
this story, therefore, was the great-granduncle of the first known resident of
the Monroe County Drum family, Jacob Drum (1770 - 3 Oct 1842). At least two
Monroe County lines spawned from the 1808 migration of Jacob Drum (1770 - 3 Oct
1842) to Monroe County. One branch was that William Drum
(1824 - ?) who was the subject of an article in the Hardesy/Caldwell Atlas*.
Another branch leads to Monroe County's own, Dr.
Shirley A. Harmon, whose tireless work contributes so extensively to the
Monroe County, Ohio genealogy effort.
* The source
of the article about of Phillip Drum (1799 - ?) and his son, William Drum (1824
- ?) is a book titled the "Combined History and Atlas of Monroe County,
Ohio." The material for the "Combined History and Atlas of
Monroe County, Ohio." was taken from two nineteenth century books: (1)
"History of Monroe County Ohio," a product of the H.H. Hardesty
& Co., publishers, Chicago and Toledo, 1882 and (2) "Caldwell's
Atlas of Monroe County, Ohio," a product of Atlas Publishing Company,
Mount Vernon, Ohio, 1898.
.
The story of the
JOHAN ADAM DRUMM FAMILY as written by Lewis W. Donar and edited by Brendan D.
Strasser first appeared in the newsletter of the Albany Township Historical
Society, Spring 1998.
.
.
THE JOHAN ADAM DRUMM FAMILY
Johan Adam
Drumm, son of Johan Christian and Anna Elisabeth (Doll) Drumm, was born and raised
in Ulmet, Germany, a town in the Palatinate, known as the Pfalz. His exact
birth date is unknown, but his christening took place on 9 December 1705 in
Ulmet. On 22 January 1733 he was married to Gertraud (Maria Gertrude) Bier,
daughter of Peter and Ann Catharine Bier of Ulmet. John Adam and Gertraud
became the parents of a son, Johan Christian, born in Ulmet and christened on
17 April 1735, and of whom nothing more is known. He does not appear on ship
immigration records and in 1775 documents concerning ownership of the deceased
Adam's Albany Township land. George Drumm, Christian's brother, is listed as
Adam's sole living heir.
At age 31, Johan
Adam Drumm and his wife, Gertraud, arrived in the New World aboard the ship
"Samuel", on 29 August 1737. (Johan Christian Doll and Johan Peter
Doll were also on board, but any relationship to the mother of Johan Adam has
not yet been established.) On the following day, 30 August, Adam appeared at
the courthouse in Philadelphia, Pa., to sign the necessary qualification
papers, one being the swearing of allegiance to the King of England, George II,
and the other a pledge to abide by the laws of the province of Pennsylvania.
Being able to write, he signed both by his own hand.
Adam established
himself as a land owner in Albany Township, Berks County, Pa., by warrant dated
20 January 1736 for a tract containing 205 acres. In the year 1738, a son,
George, was born; his exact birth date is unknown. On 4 November, 1741, it is
noted on a draft of a tract of land drawn in favor of Andreas Hagenbuch that
Adam Drum was already, in possession of the neighboring tract. The Drumm tract
adjoined the Hagenbuch tract on the northwest, between it and the tree line of
the Blue Mountain.
Keeping this in
mind, we turn now to another tract of land eight-tenths of a mile farther to
the West. This tract is identified on a draft of "The great road of
Catawissey to Philadelphia" drawn in February 1752, along which is noted
the course and distance of a short stretch of this road, East, 43 perches
[about 710 feet], "Along the land of Adam Trum." Evidence exists that
at some time between 1741 and 1752, Adam sold his initial tract to Frantz and
Martin Bailey and took residence on his second purchase. At a much later time,
the first purchase was in the possession of Mr. Clifford Lutz, the second the
farm of Mr. Oskar Dietrich. It must be assumed that the Drumm family was living
on this second plantation when the following events occurred.
It was evidently
a hot Wednesday afternoon with thunderstorms threatening. At that time of day
the family quite probably was gathered for the evening meal when suddenly two
things took place almost simultaneously. A thunderstorm of major proportion
broke over the countryside, and the Drumm family was brutally attacked by
Indians. The date was 22 June 1757.
In a letter
written on 25 June 1757 to David Schulrz of Hanover Township, Berks County,
Pa., James Reed of Reading, Pa., gives the following account of this attack:
"Last night
Jacob Levan came to see me, and showed me a letter of the 22d inst. From
Lieutenant Engle by which he advised Mr. Levan of the murder of one Adam Trump
(an alternate spelling of "Drumm) in Allemangel, by Indians that evening,
and that they had taken Trump's wife and his son, a lad of nineteen years old,
prisoners; but the woman escaped, though, upon her flying, she was closely
pursued by one of the Indians (of which there were seven), that he threw his
tomahawk at her, and cut her badly ill the neck, but 'tis hoped not
dangerously. This murder happened in as great a thunderstorm as has happened
for twenty years past: which extended itself over a great part of this and
Northampton Counties--for I found much mischief done, as I came from Easton,
Northampton County, to this place, the length of fifty two miles, the day
before yesterday, and which I hear has broken down the dams of seven forges,
and six gristmills, on Maxatany creek, chiefly in this county; the rest in
Philadelphia County. I almost forgot to mention (but am so hurried just now, 'tis
no wonder) that the Indians, after scalping Adam Trump, left a knife, and a
halpert, or spear, fixed to a pole in his body."
Adam Trump was
dead, his wife was badly wounded and his son, George, was a captive of the
Indians who having stolen, a quantity of liquor out of the house, moved
westward and arrived at a hill (today known as Hawk Mountain). The consumption
of liquor was having its effect on the Indians, for they began to make much
noise and dance around in the road. As they ascended the hill, things were in
such a state that at an opportune time, George made his escape by running down
the other side of the hill. [This writer is familiar with this stretch of road
in its unimproved state and can appreciate the effort made by George in
descending this water-soaked ground road in the dark of night; having descended
the mountain, he immediately had the Schuylkill river to cross and then a great
deal of travel in a very hilly countryside to get to his destination at Fort
Lebanon.]
Captain Jacob
Morgan, the commander of Fort Lebanon, which was located several miles west
from where George Drumm made his escape, wrote in his daily journal for 24 June
1757:
"Yesterday
morning about 8 of the clock, the son of one Adam Drumm, (whom the Indians had
killed the night before in Allemingle [sic] and took his son captive) found an
opportunity to make his escape and came to this Fort. He informed me that the
Indians (8 in number) had got a quantity of liquor out of his father's house
and came to a hill about 7 miles from this Fort, where they got to dancing, and
made themselves drunk he took the opportunity and escaped to the Fort. An
Indian followed him near a mile and a half whom our men tracked; so as soon as
the young man came I sent out a party to the place where the man left them, but
when they came there they only found an old pair of mogasins and a deer skin
whom they had left, but the Indians were fled; they tract't them as far as they
could but night coming, were obligated to return home. I have this day sent out
a party to intercept them in the way to the gap of the second mountain. (where
Schuylkill [this should read: Swatara Creek] comes through) being the place
which I found they often retreat back; the men will range about 2 days."
George returned
to his home and continued operation of the plantation; however, nothing further
has been learned about his mother. On 16 October 1757, we find that George
Trumm and Elisabeth Hem, single, witness the baptism of Elisabeth Scherff,
daughter of Christoph and Christina Scherff, four years before the erection in
1760-61 of the first New Bethel (or Corner) Church in Albany Township.
Sometime in late
1759, George married Maria Catharina Strasser, daughter of Johann Nicolaus and
Maria Catharine Strasser of Albany Township; also in 1759, we find George on
the Albany Township tax list.
On the 17 July
1760, George Trumm and Maria Catharina witnessed the baptism of Maria Catharina
Schwenck, daughter of Hans Nicolaus and Maria Barbara Schwenck. Also in 1760,
during the construction of the New Bethel Church, George contributed 1 pound in
cash money, 13 days of hand labor, and 3 days of hauling with a team of horses.
George and Catharina's first child was born on 22 August 1760 and was baptized
5 weeks later on 18 September 1760, with the name of Johann Henrich. Elisabeth
Strasser was one of the sponsors, though as Elisabeth was the name of both
Catharine's mother and one of her sisters, which one served as sponsor is
unknown.
Other children
were Anna Maria, born 13 July 1763; Maria Catharina, born 19 March 1766; Eva
Barbara, born 26 September 1767; Johan George, born 6 April 1773 Johannes, born
11 June 1778; and Charles born 1780.
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