Record #:

21165

Author(s):

Grant, C.L.; Davis, Gerald H.

Abstract:

This article looks at the deathbed preparations undertaken in January of 1812 by Benjamin Hawkins, principal agent to the Indians south of Ohio, as he suffered from \"a severe fit of pleurisy,\" with no expectation of recovery. One of those last actions was to legally marry his common-law wife of more than a decade, Lavinia Downs. The episode passed, however, and Hawkins' health was much improved four days later. Shortly after, a letter was written by the Moravian missionary who performed the marriage, Karsten Petersen, detailing the events that had transpired. A reprint of the letter is included.

Source:

North Carolina Historical Review (NoCar F251 .N892), Vol. 54 Issue 3, July 1977, p308-314, il, por, map, f

Subject(s):

Hawkins, Benjamin, 1754-1816