Variations of the Name Lochry by NELLIE C
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Variations of the Name Lochry By NELLIE C. ARMSTRONG,State Library Few names of historic interest to Indiana have appeared in so many guises as that of Colonel Archibald Lochry. Col- onel Lochry came to southeastern Indiana in 1781, bringing to the aid of George Rogers Clark a company of volunteers from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. The story of the massacre of Lochry and part of his men by Indians, August 24, 1781, has been recorded in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio histories, but whereas the accounts agree on most points, there is a curious lack of uniformity in the spelling of the COM- mander’s name. It appears in John B. Dillon, History of Indiana as Loughrey ;l Lewis Collins, Historical Sketches of Kentucky shows three spellings, Lochry, Loughrey and Lochrey ;2 James McBride, Pioneer Biography of Butler County, Ohio, uses the form Laughery in his introduction to the journal of Lieuten- ant Isaac Anderson, who was a member of the expedition, although the latter spelled his commander’s name Lochry.3 The creek separating Dearborn and Ohio counties, and the island near the scene of the massacre are known as Laughery Creek and Laughery’s Island, which probably accounts for the general acceptance of this version of the name. A general discussion of these variations in spelling is con- tained in a History of Dearborn and Ohio Counties, Indiana, published by F. E. Weakley and Company of Chicago in 1885. The writer cites a note from Lyman C. Draper, in which he “says that Lochry is the correct spelling, and that he has among the papers of Gen. Clark a letter of Lochry’s * * * and Lochry is the way he signed his name”.4 The matter has been recently investigated by the Colonel Archibald Lochry ‘Pp. 173-74. ‘Vol. I, p. 20: Vol. 11, p. 64. *VOl. I, PP. 273-87. 4P. 73. dnnstrong: The Name Loehry 71 Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which unveiled, cjn August 24, 1924, a memorial marker honoring Lochry and his men. A letter from Mrs. Walter Kerr of Aurora, Indiana, says with regard to the question: Mr. H. H. Shenk, custodian of the public records for Pennsylvania, writes that the name was spelled L-o-c-h-r-y in his commission as an officer. His will and his personal correspondence on file in the Pennsyl- vania Archives are all signed Lochry.6 It is to be hoped that the correct form, Lochry, will be adopted to designate the creek and island, as well a8 in ref- erences to Colonel Lochry himself. 0 Letter to the Indiana Historical Commisaion, Nov. 17, 1924. .