From Fort Mims To Fort Stoddert

An article found in the Home Journal newspaper published in Winchester, Tennessee, on January 19, 1860, recounts happier days at the house of Samuel Mims, later known as the site of the Fort Mims massacre. During Christmas festivities in 1800, one young couple, accompanied with a few of their friends, slipped out. Intent on eloping, they prevailed upon the commanding officer at nearby Fort Stoddert, Captain Bartholemew Shaumberg, acquiesced to their wishes and married Elizabeth Linder and Daniel Johnson (Google books has the same information here).

Click on newspaper article to enlarge image

How many of the people listed here were neighbors who attended the Christmas party at Mims' house?

Historical map(s) are here. A map in granite, found at the Fort Mims Historical site:


Captain Shaumberg, the Commandant of Fort Stoddert who married the eloping couple in 1800, was also mentioned here. The captain also had a Detroit connection as a courier from Detroit in June of 1796 where he obtained a map of the fort and surrounding town for General Wilkinson as well as a message from the Colonel England, the British commanding officer at the garrison at Detroit, regarding their (the British) preparations to leave Detroit as soon as they receive their orders from higher powers. (See reference online here) General Wilkinson was very involved in the Aaron Burr treason (and not in a good way); Aaron Burr was captured near Fort Stoddert.

Captain Shaumberg was mentioned in the Alexander Hamilton papers here; Hamilton was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr.

The best we could determine, Fort Stoddert is part of an abandoned factory complex surrounded by a fence and not accessible. It is in the town of Mount Vernon, Alabama.