During Daniel Ketcham's early years in Kentucky, 3 men were killed on his farm by Indians and on 2 occasions his family had to seek protection in Boone's Station (Shelbyville). Then one day in the spring of 1792 Daniel was surprised by a party of 11 "Tawa" Indians. This is probably the Ottawa tribe which was then located near the French Fort Detroit, where Ketcham's captors eventually took him. They shot his horse and he wisely surrendered when overtaken after running about 50 yards. One of the Indians took Ketcham's overcoat for himself, and the party set out for the north with Ketcham in tow.

For awhile Ketcham suffered intensely from exposure and the resulting feverish pains in his joints but the Indians pushed him on with punches from gun butts and lashes from ramrods. They crossed the Ohio River near the future site of Madison, Indiana, and picked up some loads of furs the Indians had collected during the preceding winter. When The Indians realized that Ketcham had recovered somewhat from his rheumatism they loaded him with a heavy burden of their animal skins.  They camped for some weeks on the Great Miami River or Little Miami River and then proceeded on to the Indians' home village, probably not far from Fort Detroit.

There Ketcham was put to hard labor carrying firewood and pounding corn; the diet provided to Daniel was quite inadequate and he soon realized that he must either escape or perish there. He escaped from the village one night with a handful of corn and pieces of squash, but the Indians were in hot pursuit by morning. He only avoided recapture and death through the occasional assistance of isolated French settlers who were nominal allies of the Indians. At his moment of greatest despair; one of the Frenchmen led him to a river and provided him with a canoe, eventually allowing him to get to Fort Detoit.

In that settlement he hired himself out to a French priest for 2 dollars and a few items of clothing, but with his pittance somehow managed to gain passage back to Washington County, Maryland. He recuperated for a while in Washington County before returning to his family in Kentucky. It seems his wife never doubted he would come back in time for the customary stacking of the neighbors' wheat harvest.

(Taken from Hopkin's Narrative)

Reminiscences of Col. John Ketcham of Monroe County, Indiana, by his Pastor, Rev. T.M. Hopkins of Bloomington 1866, p. 7-10.
Banta, Richard E., The Filson Club History Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 3, July 1948, p. 173-179.