The Starting Place
The place from whence our ancestor started when making his escape, and how long he was on the way on his perilous journey is not known. It seems he must have been somewhere in northeastern Ohio, or in adjoining northwestern Pennsylvania, or possibly in the southwestern part of the state of New York, all that part being then inhabited by the Indians, and he probably was on the way from three to four weeks, as he could seldom travel fast and often could not go a direct course. The only game he secured during his flight was a wild duck, being afraid to shoot lest he be found out. Besides the wild duck, he subsisted on some crawfish, nuts, buds and such edibles as could be obtained in the woods at that time of the year, which according to the manner in which the fire was to be built the first evening, must have been perhaps in September or October, after he was with the Indians about three years, about the time the French surrendered. It may also have been in the early Spring, after the snows were gone, as the Indians often selected this season for their raids.
Taken from p. 40 of Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler, by Rev. Harvey Hostetler, D.D., 1912. This portion was prepared by William F. Hochstetler.
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