General Notes

The Saga Of Jenny Wiley A True Saga of Heroic Survival and Escape f rom
the Indians
About Jenny (Sellards) Wiley (1760-1831)
Jean "Jenny" Sell ards was born in Pennsylvania in about 1760, the
daughter of Hezekiah Sellard s and (unknown) Brevard. The family migrated
to Walkers Creek, Tazwell County , Virginia (now Bland County, Virginia)
where Jenny met and married Irish imm igrantThomas Wiley, in 1778.  The
couple erected a log cabin, where their fir st four children were born.
(It is considered by most reputable researches th at names given to the
Wiley children killed at Walkers Creek, and in captivit y,are given by
tradition only, and not by documented fact.)
Late one fall afternoon, probably in 1789, a group of renegade Indians
stormed the Wiley ca binwhile Thomas was on a hunting expedition. Jenny,
expecting their fifth ch ild, watched as her young brother and all but
her youngest child were brutall ymurdered. Jenny and the surviving child
were taken captive by the Indians. Shortly after the capture, that child
was also murdered, as was the child Jenny was expecting, shortly after
its birth.
After many months in captivity, Jenny managed to escape and make
her way to safety at Harmons Blockhouse in Fl oyd (now Johnson) County,
Kentucky. She returned to Walkers Creek where shew as reunited with
Thomas, and began a new family. Eventually, the Wiley family crossed the
Big Sandy once more, and settled permanently in current Johnson County,
Kentucky, near Paintsville and the blockhouse that had been her salva
tion after her escape. Five children were born to Jenny and Thomas after
he r escape. Over the years, thousands of their descendants have been
enumerated.  Jenny's story is one of sheer faith, courage, determination,
stamina,and tenacity that has captured the hearts and minds of everyone
who has heard he r story.  Jean (Jenny Wiley) Sellards was a daughter of
Hezekiah Sellards. She was born about 1760, probably in Pennsylvania.
Hezekiah had brought his fam ily to the wilderness area of Virginia with
a group of settlers which he led across the mountains. Jenny was about 19
years old when she met and married T homas Wiley. The were married at
Walkers Station in 1779. They settledin the Walker's Creek area and here
Thomas built their two room log cabin home wher e four children were born
to them . Jenny's sister Elizabeth had married John Borders and they
lived on the adjacent Farm.  All afternoon John Borders ha d heard the
intermittent hooting of owls as he worked his farm acrossthe hil l from
where the Wiley homestead was
located. This would have seemed strange to hear the owl hoots in mid day,
except for the fact that he knewthat there were wandering bands of
Indians in the area and this was their favorite way of communicating with
each other when they were attempting to keeptheir pres ence unknown. He
was more than a little worried because he knew that his brot her-in-law
Thomas Wiley had left before dawn with a load of driedherbs to at tempt
to sell at the nearest settlement. (The herbs probably included Ginseng
and "Sweet" Anise and such, {my  ssumption} for they still grow wild in
th e hills through out the area.) John Borders was married to Jenny's
sister Eliz abeth. As the day grew late and the sky darkened with rain
clouds, he decided to make the trek across the hill to warn his wife's
sister,and to invite he r to bring her family and come spend the night
at his and Elizabeth's home.  As he knocked at the door and entered he
saw Jenny sittingat her loom, weaving some cloth for the family's
clothes. He told her of hisfears and she pro mised him she would do as
he suggested just as soon as shefinished her weaving.  When she had
finished her work and as she was gathering some things to take with them
across the hill, the door burst open and a horde of howling In dians
rushed into the room wi