| Hur Herald Editor's Note A number of Jesse Hughes family settled in Calhoun County. SEE: CALHOUN HUGHES FAMILY DESCENDANTS OF FRONTIERSMAN JESSE HUGHES - Joker Homestead Still Holding
By Jim Cooper, Editor
www.thetimesrecord.net
A new documentary on the life of frontier scout Jesse Hughes will be shown in Spencer this weekend.
There will be two afternoon showings of "Into the Wilderness: The Jesse Hughes Story 1762-1772" Saturday at the Robey Theatre, starting at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Admission is $5.
The documentary was filmed in various locations in West Virginia, including in Lewis County, where Hughes once made his home, and at the restored Fort Randolph in Point Pleasant.
Hughes (born c. 1750, died c. 1829) was a frontiersman, hunter and scout recorded as the first white man to visit the area now known as Roane County. Many local residents can trace their lineage through Hughes and his wife, Grace Tanner.
Retired teacher Edward Clevenger said his motivation for producing the nearly decade-long project came from a historical marker in Ravenswood that mentioned Hughes, who reportedly lived out his final days in that area. He also read extensively about the frontiersman and his exploits, which have often been exaggerated.
One account said to be from a descendant reported Hughes was "savage as a wolf," especially when it came to killing Indians. Clevenger, though, noted that Hughes snuck out of a fort under siege to search for food for those inside and has been recorded as giving land away to a young couple in need.
According to Clevenger, Hughes would also travel from his home in the Weston area to the Ohio River and back to seek Indian camps and warn of possible attacks. Clevenger, who made multiple trips from Florida to oversee filming and financed the approximately $50,000 in production costs himself, said nearly 200 re-enactors and related personnel had been involved
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