Leatherlips, Wyandot Chief -1747-1810

[stephensli]

Leatherlips, the Wyandot chief, was killed in 1810 near Dublin, OH. The city of Dublin is also celebrating its 200 year anniversary. There will be an outdoor drama presented in June telling the story of Leatherlips. As a teacher, I want children to know who this Native American was. I have written two booklets about him. If you are interested in sharing them with some children you know, let me know. Enjoy the pictures, better yet come to Dublin to see the Leatherlips Monument for yourself!

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[stephensli]

This is the monument to Leatherlips near Dublin, Oh.

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[stephensli]

This is a grave marker for Leatherlips that is located near the Leatherlips monument.

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[stephensli]

Here is a side view of the Leatherlips Monument.

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[stephensli]

This picture of the Leatherlips Monument gives you some idea of its scale. You can climb up inside the monument and look over the Scioto Park and see the Scioto River.

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[brianhart]

Hi,
I just finished reading "Tom Lyons - the Indian Who Died 13 Times" by Robert A. Carter
It's a book about "Old Leatherlips" and it doesn't even mention the monument or the gravestone in Dublin.
Mr. Carter was able to find 12 different documents detailing the death of Tom Lyons a.k.a. "Old Leatherlips".
He was killed by:
1. White men from Lexington, Ohio.
2. Jacob Ammon and a relative.
3. Joe Haynes.
4. A white man named Russell.
5. One of the Hardenbrooks.
6. A sixteen year old boy.
7. Jacob Mizer.
8. A man named Olinger.
9. Elias Hochstetler.
10. Someone near Berlin.
11. Samuel Spurgeon.
12. Two white hunters from Delaware.
13. He died of old age at the Haniwalt Mill 5 miles south of Lexington.
Only one thing's for sure, Old Leatherlips made a deep impression on a lot of people!
Cheers,
Brian

[Hal Sherman]

Hi Brian,

I always understood that Tom Lyons was a Delaware Chief and married a Wyandot women, and Leatherlips was a Wyandot Chief. two different people. It may be something that needs to be checked out. Glad to see your post and looking forward to more in the future.

[brianhart]

Hi Hal,
Well ok, if Old Leatherlips and Tom Lyons are indeed two different people, that makes a certain amount of sense!
I don't have the book to hand, I've loaned it out. Once I get it back, I'll post the quotes and footnotes.
It sure seems like there are a lot of "Ohio Historians" that have published a lot of divergernt histories down through the ages. It makes me wonder if we will ever know the truth about certain periods of Ohio "history".
Regards,
Brian

[brianhart]

Hi Guys,
After re-reading the book, I can only find one mention by the author of "Leather Lips". It is on page 4, and reads as follows:
"Down along the Mohican River in southern Ashland County, legend has it that the locals used the unkindest handle of all - "Leather Lips."
He then goes on to say, "This nickname could have been attached to him long after he died by famed turn of the century Bellville story teller, Cy Gatton." It sounds like Mr. Carter doubted that Tom Lyons was referred to by his contemporaries as "Leather Lips."
There are two other references in the book that I thought may have been made by the publisher and not the author. (Except the publisher IS the author, this just gets curiouser and curiouser...)
One is on the back cover of the book:
"Historian & Author Robert Carter takes you to the Ohio wilderness of 1812 to hear many tales of the demise of Old Leatherlips."
The other reference is the caption of an illustration on page 52:
"Tales were told of Old Leatherlips calculated to make boys behave rather than wake in the dark to find this face at the foot of their beds."
Nowhere in the text of the book does Mr. Carter claim that Tom Lyons and Old Leatherlips were one and the same person. But neither does he draw a distinction between the two. I still wonder if the caption and the back cover text were (erroneously?) added by someone other than Mr. Carter?
One more thing. In the Introduction Mr. Carter states, "Although he had participated in battles and taken scalps, he was not known as a great warrior. He was not a chief. Historians - white men all - have stumbled badly in attempting to record the life and times of this one Delaware Indian."
Overall it's a great book about Tom Lyons and Ohio history, even if it is somewhat misleading in reference to "Leather Lips."
Does anyone know of a good book about "Old Leatherlips?" I'm anxious to read more about him.
Cheers,
Brian

[Hal Sherman]

Brian, Jim Thompson, who's family owned the land where Leatherlips was killed and preserved the grave site, use to sell a book at the Village Book Shoppe in Linnwood, Ohio. It's the old converted Church on Route 161 that had the story on Leatherlips.
You have to ask the clerk about it because they don't have them on hand.

[brianhart]

Hi Hal,
Thanks for your reply. I haven't made it down to Linwood yet, but I hope to soon! But just a quick Google search on Old Leatherlips, yielded enough information to satisfy me that Tom Lyons and Old Leatherlips are NOT the same person. It's unfortunate that the book on Tom Lyons contains inferences that they are one and the same. I'm convinced they are not.
Regards,
Brian

[Hal Sherman]

Brian, a good book you may want to obtain my Mary Eileen Schuler Levison is "Ohio was Their Home", it covers the Ohio Indians and here is where you can get it.

Richland County Genealogical Society
c/o The Ohio Genealogical Society
611 State Route 97 West
Bellville, OH 44813-8813


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