Document-Based Questions - Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed. 2008

Determined to Go Home
True Survival Stories

Shawnee Native Americans attacked what is now Blacksburg, Virginia, in July 1755. They killed the men and took two women hostage. One was Mary Draper Ingles. She was pregnant and had two sons, Thomas, age 4, and George, age 2. The Native Americans tied her to a horse with her sons behind her. Then they set fire to the homes.

Mary’s husband, William, was in the fields. He saw the smoke and ran for home. But he had no weapon and watched from the trees as the armed Native Americans led his family away. Then he rushed to a neighboring settlement to form a rescue party. Most of the land west of the Allegheny Mountains was unknown by white settlers. And the Native Americans had a big lead. The search party lost their trail. After a month, the men gave up.

After three days with her captors, Mary gave birth to a baby girl. Then the group continued until they reached what is now Ohio. Thomas and George were given to other tribes and left the area. Native Americans often adopted young white children. Mary’s heart nearly broke.

The Shawnee had Mary make shirts. Later they sent her and an old Dutch woman down the Ohio River to a natural salt spring. Each day the women boiled the water to make salt. Each evening they gathered grapes and nuts. Then they returned to camp. They knew that if they ran and were caught, they would be killed. Yet the women made plans to escape. They did not think the baby could survive the 800-mile trip. So Mary would leave her behind and hope that she’d be adopted.

One night the women did not return. They decided to follow the river. Each had a blanket and a tomahawk (Native American axe). The Native Americans did not look for them because they thought that wild animals had killed them. Mary and her companion did not know this and kept looking over their shoulders. It was fall, and the nights were cold. Food was not as plentiful as in summer. The women ate nuts and grapes. When they came to a Native American cornfield, they stole every ear they could carry.

Miles of walking wore out their moccasins and left them barefoot. They lost their blankets crossing a swift stream. As cold winter winds blew, they huddled together and ate plant roots. Exhausted and starved, they trudged along the river. The old woman lost her mind and tried to kill Mary to eat her! Mary hid. Although unable to swim, she had to get to the other side of the river for safety. Luckily she found a canoe. From then on, the women saw each other on opposite banks.

In December, after 42 days of walking, Mary saw a cabin. She shouted, then fainted. A man came out and found her lying in the snow. She was naked. Her bones stuck out. Her red hair had turned white, and most of her teeth had fallen out. Mary sent the man to look for the old woman. He found her and took her to a fort. Then he went and got Mary’s husband.

No one knows what happened to Mary’s daughter. George fell ill and died soon after leaving his mother. After 13 years of searching, Mary and William found Thomas.

Schroeder, Joan Vannorsdall. Blue Ridge Country. “An Extraordinary Woman, And Equal to Any Emergency.”

www.blueridgecountry.com/ingles/ingles.htm

Determined to Go Home

1. Why did Mary Draper Ingles go on such a difficult journey?

a. She thought it was the only way to save her daughter’s life.

b. She wanted to help the old Dutch woman escape.

c. She wanted to see her sons back at the settlement.

d. She wanted to return to her husband.

2. How long did Mary Draper Ingles walk in order to reach home?

a. 5 weeks

b. 6 weeks

c. 7 weeks

d. 42 weeks

3. Mary Draper Ingles was kidnapped

a. before the American Revolution began.

b. during the American Revolution.

c. after the American Revolution ended.

d. during the 19th century.

4. Mary Draper Ingles was not the only captive of the Shawnee. True or False? Explain.

5. During her return trip, why didn’t Mary follow the same path that the Native Americans had taken in the West Virginia area?

6. If you had been Mary Draper Ingles, would you have left your daughter and walked almost 800 miles home? Why or why not?