Taken Beyond the Ohio: The Indian Captivity of Marie LeRoy and Barbara Leininger

Twelve-year-old Marie LeRoy has been trying to be a good mistress to her farming family—now dwelling on the Pennsylvania frontier. But nothing prepares her for the brutal attack on her home and other farms along Penn’s Creek in October 1755. Taken prisoner, she and her friend, Barbara Leininger, live among the Delaware Indians for 3 1/2 years. In this personal and candid retelling of a true experience, Marie describes a hard, sometimes violent life mixed with brief moments of plenty, generosity and friendship. Moved to central Ohio—far from any rescue—she must find the courage to join Barbara and two other prisoners in an escape that can only mean death if recaptured. This version follows the girls’ original narrative, but fills in many details of a challenging, sometimes brutal ordeal from which both girls still emerged strong and whole. It is a story of friendship, courage and resourcefulness driven by a constant need to regain family and home.This is a true survival story that should interest both girls or boys, eleven years and older, but it should also appeal to teachers searching for fiction to use in history curricula. The 275 page story includes end notes and an extensive bibliography.