Simon Kenton’s story may be a way for youth and children’s
pastors to start a discussion with their students about the consequences of
running away from or failing to take responsibility for any bad things they may have
done.
Simon Kenton arrived in Kentucky before most Americans.
Using an axe to mark trees with his initials, he claimed thousands of acres of
this western frontier of Virginia for himself. He would make lots of money on
the sale of land in what would become Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri. He was a big man,
seemingly fearless. He could shoot his rifle while running. He faced Shawnees
in battle. Tecumseh considered him a worthy enemy. He protected new settlers
and settlements and became a general in the United States Army during the War
of 1812. His renown continues to this day. The Ohio River bridge at Maysville,
Kentucky and Kentucky’s Highway 68 are both named for him. Multiple historical
markers attest to his bravery and to his significance to the early history of
Kentucky. He is the subject of books[1].
He is a famous Kentuckian, indeed.
Simon Kenton may never have come to Kentucky, however, if he
had not had a fight with another man over a girl. He knocked the other guy down
and thought he had killed him. Even though he was still a teenager, he knew
that if he was caught, he would go to jail. Perhaps he would be hung as a
murderer. So, without telling anyone what he was doing, he ran west. He met a
man who lived in the wilderness who took him in and treated him well. His name
was Mr. Butler. He did not tell Mr. Butler why he was alone in the wilderness
but, eventually, Simon Kenton decided that Mr. Butler’s house was too close to the
scene of the crime so he stole a gun and ran further west. He decided to change
his name to prevent anyone from associating him with the murder. He told
everyone that his name was Simon Butler.
Decades later, after Simon Kenton a.k.a. Butler had married,
had children and helped many frontier families find and settle on their new
land, he met one of his brothers. His family thought he had been killed because
he disappeared so suddenly and completely. His brother told him that no one was
after him because the man he had fought had not died. He had just been knocked
unconscious. There had been no reason for Simon Kenton to run away or change
his name or to live in fear that he would be caught, taken to jail or hung.
Simon Kenton’s fear and impulsiveness had been stronger than the truth. Simon
resumed his right name. He continued to live and work in the frontier areas of
Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri. The truth broke the power of his fear and
shame.
Simon Kenton was still troubled by the fact that he had
killed lots of Shawnees. He worried that God would not ever forgive him. Just
like when he ran away thinking he had killed another person, when he finally
heard the truth, he found a new freedom. This happened in 1808 when he took his
wife to a camp meeting revival. He listened to what the preacher said and asked
that man to walk with him in the woods so they could talk in private. He
confessed all that he had done wrong to the preacher. He asked the preacher if
he thought that God could ever forgive him. The preacher told Simon Kenton the
Christian message that Jesus Christ had died on the cross to take away all of
Simon’s sins. Simon believed this message. When he returned to the camp, he ran
around shouting to everyone that he had been saved. This is how Simon Kenton
became a famous Kentucky Christian.
Perhaps the students in your youth group or children’s
church will be able to relate to Simon Kenton’s pattern of running away from
taking responsibility for what they have done. They may be willing to discuss
what alternatives choices he could have made. Perhaps some of them are struggling
because they may feel that what they have done is so bad that they can never be
forgiven. Simon Kenton’s story may help them to rethink that conclusion.
The book, Big Bully – the Story of Simon Kenton[2]
by Lesley Barker may be of interest to your students. It is a high-interest easy-reader
chapter book of 32 pages written at a second to fourth grade reading level. It
is available here as a paperback or a kindle e-book.
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