I was looking through some Scudder papers and found a short story written by J.A. Rayner. It is undated. The title is "Dorothy Scudder, a Girl of the Wilderness." The author claims that his story is historically correct. The subject, Dorothy Scudder, is a young girl of the Miami Valley in Ohio. She is captured by the Indians and the story tells of the adventure of her subsequent rescue. It mentions Tecumseh as a member of the child's "adoptive family." Dorothy is allegedly the daughter of Matthias Scudder, 1732-1827.

I have no record of such a daughter for Matthias. I wonder if anyone else has come across this child or her husband, John McKinney (her rescuer). I checked what I could for Miami Valley and found John McKinney there, but no record of his heroism or of a wife, Dorothy Scudder. I have attached the story because I wanted to share it and if not the true record of the child, Dorothy Scudder, at least it is a wonderful insight into the history of the Miami Valley in Ohio.

Georgia Whitson