Betty Zane
Encyclopedia
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
on the American frontier. She was the daughter of William Andrew Zane and Nancy Ann (née Nolan) Zane, and the sister of Ebenezer Zane
Ebenezer Zane
Ebenezer Zane was an American pioneer, road builder and land speculator. Born in what is now Moorefield, West Virginia , Zane established the settlement known as Fort Henry in Wheeling, Virginia on the Ohio River...
, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Isaac Zane and Andrew Zane. Betty was a direct aunt of the author Zane Grey
Zane Grey
Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the Old West. Riders of the Purple Sage was his bestselling book. In addition to the success of his printed works, they later had second lives and continuing influence...
.
Three of the Zane brothers — Ebenezer, Silas and Jonathan — migrated from present-day Moorefield, Hardy County, [West] Virginia in 1769 and founded the first settlement at present-day Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. The rest of the Zane family later joined them at the new settlement.
According to a historical marker in Wheeling, on September 11, 1782, the Zane family was under siege in Fort Henry
Fort Henry (Virginia)
Fort Henry was an English frontier fort in 17th century colonial Virginia near the falls of the Appomattox River. Its exact location has been debated, but the most popular one is on a bluff about four blocks north of the corner of W. Washington and N...
by American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
allies of the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
. During the siege, while Betty was loading a Kentucky rifle, her father was wounded and fell from the top of the fort right in front of her. The captain of the fort said, "We have lost two men, one Mr. Zane and another gentlemen, and we need black gunpowder."
Betty Zane's father had buried a store box of black gunpowder in their cabin. Betty Zane volunteered to leave the fort to retrieve more supplies. The women protested. But because she was a woman, the enemy would let her go; and she was the only one who knew where her father buried the gunpowder. The opposing forces, seeing a young woman emerge from the fort, let her pass. In her family's cabin, Betty filled her apron or a tablecloth (accounts vary) with gunpowder and ammunition, and transported it back to the fort. The enemy again let her pass. When the enemy realized what she was doing, she was attacked by the Indians and shot at (some accounts say), but she made it safely back into the fort.
The Zane family later settled in what became Martins Ferry, Belmont County, Ohio, across the Ohio River from Wheeling, and played an important role during Ohio's formative years.
Personal life
Elizabeth "Betty" Zane was married twice and was mother to seven children.Before her first marriage, she bore a daughter, Minerva Catherine Zane, also known as Miriam, by a man the name of Van Swearingen with whom she had a relationship. Court records in Ohio County, Virginia show an order that Van Swearingen deed some property to Betty Zane, so the daughter would be provided for and not become a burden on the county.
Zane's first husband was Ephraim McLaughlin with whom she had four daughters — Mary Ann "Polly", Sarah Nancy, Rebecca and Hannah McLaughlin. After the death of her first husband, she married Jacob Clark with whom she had a son, Ebenezer Clark, and a daughter, Catherine Clark.
Zane's date of birth and date of death have been matters of debate among historians. Some place her year of birth anywhere between 1759 and 1766. They place her year of death between 1823 and 1828.
Betty was buried in what is now the Walnut Grove Pioneer Cemetery in Martins Ferry, Ohio
Martins Ferry, Ohio
During the census of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,202 households, and 1,959 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,345.1 people per square mile . There were 3,680 housing units at an average density of 1,703.6 per square mile...
. Her heroism is remembered each year during Martins Ferry's Betty Zane Pioneer Days.
Legacy
The community of Betty ZaneBetty Zane, West Virginia
Betty Zane is an unincorporated community in Ohio County, West Virginia, USA. It is located to the east of the village of Clearview.The town is named after Betty Zane, who is believed to have saved Fort Henry by fetching gunpowder and ammunition while under siege during the American Revolutionary...
near Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, was named after her.
More than one hundred years after her deed, John S. Adams wrote a poem called Elizabeth Zane that achieved some acclaim.
Betty Zane's descendant, the author Zane Grey
Zane Grey
Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the Old West. Riders of the Purple Sage was his bestselling book. In addition to the success of his printed works, they later had second lives and continuing influence...
, wrote a historical novel about her, titled Betty Zane. One of the main events in the story is the tale of Zane's fetching supplies from the family cabin. When Grey could not find a publisher for the book, he published it himself in 1903 using his wife's money. Grey later named his daughter Betty Zane after his famous ancestress.