John Storm by W. D. Ritter

was born in Virginia and remained there until he was fifteen years of age, when the Revolution began. This places the date of his birth, of which we have no record, in the year 1760, the war having commenced in 1775. At the outbreak Mr. Storm; tender as was his age, enlisted in the "Continental" Calvary under the command of Colonel Billy Washington, as he was familiarly called. The colonel was, I think, a cousin to the commander-in-chief. In this capacity, Mr. Storm served faithfully and very efficiently through the entire dark and bloody struggle, growing and hardening up into a most splendid manhood in the constant handling of the saber, and he became in that dreadful eight years a very great expert in its use. He must have fought in many battles, because Washington’s cavalry was in the battles of Guilford Court House, Cowpens, Eutaw Srpings and many others. In the final maneuver which drove the British under General Stewart to Monk’s Center, then to Charleston, and finally out of the state, that ubiquitous cavalry had a very active part. This ended the war in the South. The sudden, tremendous rush, the cland of steel, "the shout and groan and sabe stroke, had all become familiar occurrences to Mr. Storm.

Some considerable time after the close of the war he was married to a Miss PARSON, very probably of South Carolina, for her people afterwards lived in the state of Alabama. To this union were born JOSEPH, long called "JOE" STORM, who was for years a citizen of Bloomfield, in decade of the thirties. He was several times representative of Greene county, and a militia captain; LEAH, PETER, MATTIE, ANNIE, from whom are obtained all these facts, who yet lives in Harrodsburg, Monroe county, Indiana; WASHINGTON and SUSANNA.

In the year 1813, Mr. Storm moved to what is now Jackson county, Indian Territory. He there on one occasion, with his neighbors, had to "fort up" for protection from the Indians, and against the advice of his friends Mr. Storm would go out and plow his corn. He was blamed for rashness and called "Indian bait". At one time, while thus engaged, he heard a sudden rush of footsteps behind him. "I am Indiana bait’ at last", thought he. "Ah, If that good blade were in my hand; one lightning flash of steel, and that uplifted savage arm would be severed, the tomahawk it held flying to one side, and ere it could touch the earth another quick gleam and my saber would bury deep in a painted skull", but he was totally unarmed. "I am outnumbered, too, and all is against me, but must I run? My children are hidden under the flax in the stable loft, and must they burned? Not till I am dead". So with a war whoop he turned, his only weapon (his fist) drawn to make what show of defense he could. What wonder if in the tone of that "whoop" there was a touch of despair, for now he was alone and verging toward sixty years old? The struggle would be short, his entire family added to the dreary list of Indian massacres. That voice that rang exultant at Cowpens did its best, and the aged hero strung his nerves for the last battle. It was all surprise – it was only his two big dogs in a dash of play. But laughingly to the end of life he said that was the biggest and best scare he ever had.

From Jackson county he moved to what is now Greene county and "entered" the northeast quarter of section 36, in township 7 north, range 3 west, containing 160 acres. This we learn by courtesy of Mr. Smith, county recorder. He received his "patent" for this land from the United States October 26, 1816. On this land, one mile and a half northeast of Hobbieville, just east of Indian Creek, he spent the rest of his days. Even down to old age he did not forget his loved "sword play". He would have a friend to take a stick and himself another while he tried to "Feel the stern joy that warriors feel At Meeting foeman worthy of their steel. Mr. Storm and his entire family were uncommonly athletic. He was a converted Christian and member of the Baptist church; by occupation a farmer. He lived until 1835. On his own farm, since called the "Pink East" farm and later still divided into other hands, rests his honored dust till the resurrection.

To understand his character one has but to look back through the ages at the race from which he sprung. That race is the "Cavalier". The words cavalry, chivalry, cavalier, and chivalier mean very nearly the same thing. These words express the character of Mr. Storm – open, above board, hospitable, brave, frank, and manly.

The New England states were settled by the "roundhead" from Virginia and the South by the cavalier, It was but natural for him to go forth to war in the cavalry. Through the past we may look at the class of mankind as far as to Leodidas with his three hundred long-haired men at Thermopylae. Each class – "round-head" and "cavalier" – had its excellence and defects. One great defect of the cavalier is laziness. He will fight, but won’t work. In many instances Mr. Storm entirely escaped this defect; for he was by no means a lazy man, the "excellencies" – all of them – he had.

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Biographical Memoirs of Greene County, Ind. With Reminiscences of Pioneer Days, Illustrated (1908, B. F. Bowen & Co. Indianapolis, Indiana) Vol. 1 Pg.99-103