James Harrod
Encyclopedia
James Harrod was a pioneer, soldier, and hunter who helped explore and settle the area west of the Allegheny Mountains
. Little is known about Harrod's early life, including the exact date of his birth. He was possibly underage when he served in the French and Indian War
, and later participated in Lord Dunmore's War. He also rose to the rank of colonel
in the local militia.
A contemporary of better known explorers like Daniel Boone
, George Rogers Clark
, Benjamin Logan
, and Simon Kenton
, Harrod led many expeditions into the regions that now form Kentucky and Illinois
. He and a band of almost forty men founded the first permanent settlement in Kentucky
on June 16, 1774. The settlement was named Harrod's Town (present-day Harrodsburg, Kentucky
) in his honor.
In 1792, Harrod disappeared while on a hunting trip in the wilderness. While it is possible that he was killed by Indians or became ill and died of natural causes, some have suggested that he took a "wilderness divorce" from his wife, while his family maintained that he was murdered by one of his companions while secretly searching for the fabled silver mine of Jonathan Swift
.
, one of twelve children born to John and Sarah Moore Harrod. His actual year of birth is disputed. When he volunteered as one of "Captain Cochran
's Recruits" in June 1760, he listed his age at sixteen, but historian James C. Klotter notes that his listed height of 5 feet, 2 inches differed greatly from his adult height of over six feet and may suggest that he lied about his age in order to serve. Various sources list his birth year anywhere from 1742 to 1746, and the latter is most often considered correct.
He grew up a frontiersman, and became particularly adept at hunting, trapping, and fishing. His skill with a rifle was particularly noteworthy. His brother Sam and his father's first wife were both killed by Indians. In 1754, near the outset of the French and Indian War, Harrod's father died. In 1755, Harrod's mother took the family and fled their home in Great Cove, Pennsylvania
just before Lenape
chief Shingas
attacked the settlement. The family relocated to Fort Littleton
, where Harrod served as a ranger and a guard. James Harrod and his brother William served under John Forbes
during the French and Indian War.
Despite his early experiences with the Indians, Harrod never developed a hatred of them. In fact, he developed a reputation of generosity, often using his hunting skills to provide food for those less skilled than himself. Early sources record that Harrod was illiterate, but Klotter points out that he is known to have kept written records and possessed books in his house.
In 1763, Harrod joined Henry Bouquet
in his relief of Fort Pitt
during Pontiac's Rebellion
. Later, he ventured into the area now known as Illinois. While there, he lived among French
traders and learned to speak their language
. He also spent some time with the Indians in the area, and learned to speak their languages as well. From there he traveled into the areas that form present-day Kentucky and Tennessee
. It was during these later expeditions that he first met Daniel Boone.
to lead an expedition to survey the bounds of land promised by the British crown to soldiers who served in the French and Indian War. Leaving from Fort Redstone, Harrod and 37 men traveled down the Monongahela
and Ohio River
s to the mouth of the Kentucky River
, eventually crossing Salt River
into what is today Mercer County, Kentucky
. On June 16, 1774, the men established the first pioneer settlement in Kentucky, Harrod's Town. The men divided the land amongst them; Harrod chose an area about six miles (10 km) from the settlement proper, which he named Boiling Springs.
Just as Harrod's men had completed the settlement's first structures, Dunmore dispatched Daniel Boone
to call them back from the frontier and into military service against the Indians in Lord Dunmore's War. Harrod enlisted in the militia
, but arrived too late to participate in the war's only major battle – the Battle of Point Pleasant
. His men arrived at the battle site at midnight on October 10, the day the fighting ended.
On March 8, 1775, Harrod led a group of settlers back to Harrodstown to stay. Within months, the town grew, and the original fortifications became inadequate. New structures were built on top of Old Fort Hill, which today is the site of Old Fort Harrod State Park
. The settlers at Harrodstown joined other pioneers in the area at Boonesborough
to formulate the first regulations to govern the area.
In 1778, Harrod married Ann Coburn McDonald at Logan's Station, a settlement established by fellow explorer Benjamin Logan. McDonald had come to Harrodstown in 1776; her first husband was killed by Indians later that year. Her father was also killed and scalped by Indians. The couple had one daughter, Margaret, who was born in September 1785. McDonald also had a son from her previous marriage, James, who was captured by Indians in November 1787 and burned at the stake
.
Harrod successfully opposed Richard Henderson
's colonization schemes for the area. Well respected in the settlement, he held several positions of political leadership. When Virginia
created Kentucky County on December 31, 1776, Harrodstown was designated the county seat
. In 1777, Harrod became a justice in Kentucky County, and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates
in 1779. Throughout the 1780s, he served as a trustee for the settlement that bore his name. In 1784, he attended the first of a series of meetings in Danville
that eventually led to Kentucky's petition for statehood.
Harrod's political service was frequently interrupted by military necessity. In 1776 and 1777, he led two expeditions eastward to secure provisions for the fledgling forts of Kentucky. Harrod again served in the militia, and defended the settlement of Harrodstown from Indian attacks throughout the summer of 1777. Beginning as a captain, he attained the rank of colonel
by 1779.
before his pioneer days, and that he simply returned to his first family. A third tradition holds that two pioneers from Kentucky who were being held captive by Indians near Detroit, Michigan
saw a man enter the Indian camp. They claimed to recognize him, and addressed him as "Colonel Harrod." Upon returning to Kentucky, the pair indicated that Harrod had intended to return to his family, but had not said when. Ann Harrod offered the men one thousand dollars to take her to Harrod's location, but the men declined, stating that the trip was too dangerous.
In an interview with a historian half a century after Harrod's disappearance, a man named Henry Wilson claimed that Harrod had told him that he felt like his wife Ann had become too intimate with some of the other men in the town. Another man corroborated that Ann was not always a loving wife. Wilson claimed that Harrod told him "You will not see me here again," and that years later, someone had claimed to have seen Harrod in the Northern United States.
Some historians doubt Wilson's account, since other things that he told the historian proved false. Also, in the will he made out just prior to his disappearance, he left everything to his "beloved wife" and daughter. Other settlers declared that Harrod "almost worshiped" his wife. Interestingly, Ann was granted an annulment
of her third marriage in April 1804 on the grounds that her previous husband was still living. It is not clear whether Ann had contact with Harrod following his disappearance or if she was simply seeking a means of escaping an undesirable marriage.
mine that a man named Jonathan Swift had claimed to have discovered years before. Ann Harrod claimed that she had warned her husband that she feared that Bridges was planning to murder him because of a dispute over some property that the two had some years earlier. Although Harrod had said he was not afraid, he made out the will. He also allowed a fellow explorer and friend, Michael Stoner, to accompany him on the trip.
According to Stoner's account, the group had camped on the Three Forks of the Kentucky River
, near an area where Harrod had found an abundance of beaver
. One morning, Stoner was making breakfast while Harrod and Bridges checked their traps. Suddenly, Bridges rushed back to the camp, claiming that he heard a shot from Harrod's vicinity. When Harrod did not return, Bridges offered to look for him. He soon returned and claimed that he had seen fresh signs of Indian activity in the woods, and was sure Harrod must have been killed. Stoner wanted to look for Harrod, but Bridges insisted that it was too dangerous. Eventually, Stoner acquiesced. Soon after the expedition, Bridges went to Lexington
where he sold some furs and some silver buttons engraved with the letter "H" at a local shop. The shopkeeper sent the buttons to Ann Harrod, who said they belonged to her husband.
Later, while searching the area where Harrod was last seen, some of Harrod's friends found some bones in a cave. The bones were still tightly wrapped in sedge grass, which appeared to have been used to help transport the body to its present location. Some of the friends claimed that the bones were wearing Harrod's shirt, and that the buttons were missing. Others claimed there was no shirt at all. Regardless, when the men returned, Bridges had fled the area. Harrod's family claimed that Bridges' flight proved that Harrod's friends had found Harrod's body in the cave and feared that he would be implicated in his death. However, when Ann applied for Harrod's pension, she swore he had died in a hunting accident and that his clothes had been found in a nearby river.
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. Little is known about Harrod's early life, including the exact date of his birth. He was possibly underage when he served in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, and later participated in Lord Dunmore's War. He also rose to the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the local militia.
A contemporary of better known explorers like Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
, George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
, Benjamin Logan
Benjamin Logan
Benjamin Logan was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Shelby County, Kentucky. As colonel of the Kentucky County militia of Virginia during the American Revolutionary War, he was second-in-command of militia in Kentucky. Logan was a leader in Kentucky's efforts to become a state...
, and Simon Kenton
Simon Kenton
Simon Kenton was a famous United States frontiersman and friend of Daniel Boone, Simon Girty, Spencer Records and Isaac Shelby.-Family and early life:Simon Kenton was alive even before Ohio was a state...
, Harrod led many expeditions into the regions that now form Kentucky and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He and a band of almost forty men founded the first permanent settlement in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
on June 16, 1774. The settlement was named Harrod's Town (present-day Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Harrodsburg is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,014 at the 2000 census. It is the oldest city in Kentucky.-History:...
) in his honor.
In 1792, Harrod disappeared while on a hunting trip in the wilderness. While it is possible that he was killed by Indians or became ill and died of natural causes, some have suggested that he took a "wilderness divorce" from his wife, while his family maintained that he was murdered by one of his companions while secretly searching for the fabled silver mine of Jonathan Swift
Swift's silver mine
Swift's silver mine is a silver mine fabled to have been discovered in 1760 by an Englishman named Jonathan Swift somewhere between Pennsylvania and North Carolina. It is most commonly rumored to be located in eastern Kentucky or Tennessee.-Legend:...
.
Early life
James Harrod was born in Bedford County, PennsylvaniaBedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, one of twelve children born to John and Sarah Moore Harrod. His actual year of birth is disputed. When he volunteered as one of "Captain Cochran
John Cochran (military physician)
John Cochran was the 4th Surgeon General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.-Biography:Cochran was born in Sadsbury, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. He served as physician under Lieutenant-Colonel John Bradstreet during his march on Fort Frontenac in 1758...
's Recruits" in June 1760, he listed his age at sixteen, but historian James C. Klotter notes that his listed height of 5 feet, 2 inches differed greatly from his adult height of over six feet and may suggest that he lied about his age in order to serve. Various sources list his birth year anywhere from 1742 to 1746, and the latter is most often considered correct.
He grew up a frontiersman, and became particularly adept at hunting, trapping, and fishing. His skill with a rifle was particularly noteworthy. His brother Sam and his father's first wife were both killed by Indians. In 1754, near the outset of the French and Indian War, Harrod's father died. In 1755, Harrod's mother took the family and fled their home in Great Cove, Pennsylvania
McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania
McConnellsburg is a borough in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fulton County....
just before Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
chief Shingas
Shingas
Shingas , was a leader of the Delaware people in the Ohio Country and a noted American Indian warrior on the western frontier during the French and Indian War. Dubbed "Shingas the Terrible" by Anglo-Americans during the war, Shingas led devastating raids against white settlements...
attacked the settlement. The family relocated to Fort Littleton
Burnt Cabins, Pennsylvania
Burnt Cabins is an unincorporated community in Dublin Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States, at the foot of Tuscarora Mountain. It contains U.S. Route 522 and I-76 ....
, where Harrod served as a ranger and a guard. James Harrod and his brother William served under John Forbes
John Forbes (General)
John Forbes was a British general in the French and Indian War. He is best known for leading the Forbes Expedition that captured the French outpost at Fort Duquesne and for naming the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after British Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder.-Early life:Forbes was...
during the French and Indian War.
Despite his early experiences with the Indians, Harrod never developed a hatred of them. In fact, he developed a reputation of generosity, often using his hunting skills to provide food for those less skilled than himself. Early sources record that Harrod was illiterate, but Klotter points out that he is known to have kept written records and possessed books in his house.
In 1763, Harrod joined Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet was a prominent British Army officer in the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. Bouquet is best known for his victory over Native Americans at the Battle of Bushy Run, lifting the siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's War.-Early life:Bouquet was born into a moderately wealthy...
in his relief of Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
during Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
. Later, he ventured into the area now known as Illinois. While there, he lived among French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
traders and learned to speak their language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. He also spent some time with the Indians in the area, and learned to speak their languages as well. From there he traveled into the areas that form present-day Kentucky and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It was during these later expeditions that he first met Daniel Boone.
Exploration of Kentucky
In 1774, Harrod was ordered by Lord DunmoreJohn Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore
John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore was a British peer and colonial governor. He was the son of William Murray, 3rd Earl of Dunmore, and his wife Catherine . He is best remembered as the last royal governor of the Colony of Virginia.John was the eldest son of William and Catherine Murray, and nephew...
to lead an expedition to survey the bounds of land promised by the British crown to soldiers who served in the French and Indian War. Leaving from Fort Redstone, Harrod and 37 men traveled down the Monongahela
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
and Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
s to the mouth of the Kentucky River
Kentucky River
The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The river and its tributaries drain much of the central region of the state, with its upper course passing through the coal-mining regions of the Cumberland Mountains, and its lower course passing through the...
, eventually crossing Salt River
Salt River (Kentucky)
The Salt River is a river in Kentucky that drains . It begins near Danville, Kentucky, rising from the north slope of Persimmon Knob south of KY 300 between Alum Springs and Wilsonville, and ends at the Ohio River near West Point...
into what is today Mercer County, Kentucky
Mercer County, Kentucky
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 20,817. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county is named for General Hugh Mercer...
. On June 16, 1774, the men established the first pioneer settlement in Kentucky, Harrod's Town. The men divided the land amongst them; Harrod chose an area about six miles (10 km) from the settlement proper, which he named Boiling Springs.
Just as Harrod's men had completed the settlement's first structures, Dunmore dispatched Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
to call them back from the frontier and into military service against the Indians in Lord Dunmore's War. Harrod enlisted in the militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, but arrived too late to participate in the war's only major battle – the Battle of Point Pleasant
Battle of Point Pleasant
The Battle of Point Pleasant, known as the Battle of Kanawha in some older accounts, was the only major battle of Dunmore's War. It was fought on October 10, 1774, primarily between Virginia militia and American Indians from the Shawnee and Mingo tribes...
. His men arrived at the battle site at midnight on October 10, the day the fighting ended.
On March 8, 1775, Harrod led a group of settlers back to Harrodstown to stay. Within months, the town grew, and the original fortifications became inadequate. New structures were built on top of Old Fort Hill, which today is the site of Old Fort Harrod State Park
Old Fort Harrod State Park
Fort Harrod is a park located in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. It was named after James Harrod, who led an early party of settlers into Kentucky. The park encompasses , and features a reconstruction of Fort Harrod, the first permanent settlement in the state of Kentucky.-Attractions:The reconstructed...
. The settlers at Harrodstown joined other pioneers in the area at Boonesborough
Boonesborough, Kentucky
Boonesborough is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It lies in the central part of the state along the Kentucky River. Boonesborough is part of the Richmond–Berea Micropolitan Statistical Area....
to formulate the first regulations to govern the area.
In 1778, Harrod married Ann Coburn McDonald at Logan's Station, a settlement established by fellow explorer Benjamin Logan. McDonald had come to Harrodstown in 1776; her first husband was killed by Indians later that year. Her father was also killed and scalped by Indians. The couple had one daughter, Margaret, who was born in September 1785. McDonald also had a son from her previous marriage, James, who was captured by Indians in November 1787 and burned at the stake
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
.
Harrod successfully opposed Richard Henderson
Richard Henderson (American pioneer)
Richard Henderson was an American pioneer and merchant who attempted to create a colony called Transylvania just as the American Revolutionary War was starting.-Early life:Henderson was born in Hanover County, Virginia...
's colonization schemes for the area. Well respected in the settlement, he held several positions of political leadership. When Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
created Kentucky County on December 31, 1776, Harrodstown was designated the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
. In 1777, Harrod became a justice in Kentucky County, and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
in 1779. Throughout the 1780s, he served as a trustee for the settlement that bore his name. In 1784, he attended the first of a series of meetings in Danville
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
that eventually led to Kentucky's petition for statehood.
Harrod's political service was frequently interrupted by military necessity. In 1776 and 1777, he led two expeditions eastward to secure provisions for the fledgling forts of Kentucky. Harrod again served in the militia, and defended the settlement of Harrodstown from Indian attacks throughout the summer of 1777. Beginning as a captain, he attained the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
by 1779.
Disappearance
As the settlement of Harrodstown grew, James Harrod became a wealthy farmer, owning more than 20,000 acres (80 km²) across Kentucky. He also became increasingly socially detached and wont to make long, solitary excursions into the wilderness. In February 1792, he and two other men entered the wilderness of Kentucky to hunt for beaver. Harrod never returned from the expedition.Abandonment theory
Many theories have been proposed as to the fate of James Harrod. That he was killed by Indians or fell ill and died in the wilderness are among the common explanations. Several other theories hinge on the idea that Harrod abandoned his family and went to another part of the country. A legal deposition from Harrod's sister claims that Harrod came to live with her following his disappearance in Kentucky. Another tradition holds that Harrod had been married in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
before his pioneer days, and that he simply returned to his first family. A third tradition holds that two pioneers from Kentucky who were being held captive by Indians near Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
saw a man enter the Indian camp. They claimed to recognize him, and addressed him as "Colonel Harrod." Upon returning to Kentucky, the pair indicated that Harrod had intended to return to his family, but had not said when. Ann Harrod offered the men one thousand dollars to take her to Harrod's location, but the men declined, stating that the trip was too dangerous.
In an interview with a historian half a century after Harrod's disappearance, a man named Henry Wilson claimed that Harrod had told him that he felt like his wife Ann had become too intimate with some of the other men in the town. Another man corroborated that Ann was not always a loving wife. Wilson claimed that Harrod told him "You will not see me here again," and that years later, someone had claimed to have seen Harrod in the Northern United States.
Some historians doubt Wilson's account, since other things that he told the historian proved false. Also, in the will he made out just prior to his disappearance, he left everything to his "beloved wife" and daughter. Other settlers declared that Harrod "almost worshiped" his wife. Interestingly, Ann was granted an annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
of her third marriage in April 1804 on the grounds that her previous husband was still living. It is not clear whether Ann had contact with Harrod following his disappearance or if she was simply seeking a means of escaping an undesirable marriage.
Murder theory
Harrod's wife, daughter, and son-in-law believed that Harrod had been killed by one of his fellow hunters, a man named Bridges. The family claimed that Harrod and his companions had not been hunting beaver, but were instead searching for a silverSilver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mine that a man named Jonathan Swift had claimed to have discovered years before. Ann Harrod claimed that she had warned her husband that she feared that Bridges was planning to murder him because of a dispute over some property that the two had some years earlier. Although Harrod had said he was not afraid, he made out the will. He also allowed a fellow explorer and friend, Michael Stoner, to accompany him on the trip.
According to Stoner's account, the group had camped on the Three Forks of the Kentucky River
Kentucky River
The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The river and its tributaries drain much of the central region of the state, with its upper course passing through the coal-mining regions of the Cumberland Mountains, and its lower course passing through the...
, near an area where Harrod had found an abundance of beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
. One morning, Stoner was making breakfast while Harrod and Bridges checked their traps. Suddenly, Bridges rushed back to the camp, claiming that he heard a shot from Harrod's vicinity. When Harrod did not return, Bridges offered to look for him. He soon returned and claimed that he had seen fresh signs of Indian activity in the woods, and was sure Harrod must have been killed. Stoner wanted to look for Harrod, but Bridges insisted that it was too dangerous. Eventually, Stoner acquiesced. Soon after the expedition, Bridges went to Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
where he sold some furs and some silver buttons engraved with the letter "H" at a local shop. The shopkeeper sent the buttons to Ann Harrod, who said they belonged to her husband.
Later, while searching the area where Harrod was last seen, some of Harrod's friends found some bones in a cave. The bones were still tightly wrapped in sedge grass, which appeared to have been used to help transport the body to its present location. Some of the friends claimed that the bones were wearing Harrod's shirt, and that the buttons were missing. Others claimed there was no shirt at all. Regardless, when the men returned, Bridges had fled the area. Harrod's family claimed that Bridges' flight proved that Harrod's friends had found Harrod's body in the cave and feared that he would be implicated in his death. However, when Ann applied for Harrod's pension, she swore he had died in a hunting accident and that his clothes had been found in a nearby river.