Jacob

Marie McIntire was widowed in 1831 at the age of forty-one. She was left with a 985-acre farm and four daughters. From the 1830 census it stated that all residents of the property were white, or Caucasian. Residing along with the family at their place of residence was a man named Edwin. No relation was listed and no records exist which relate that he was a blood relative of the McIntire's. It is presumed that Edwin was a hired hand who resided on the property. The McIntire daughters were all in their teens or early twenties when their father passed away.

The 1840 census, listed all of the previous residents, except for Marie's deceased husband; but also included the addition of a son, Jacob. In the record, Jacob was listed as a seven year old boy, in the column for race it simply said, "Indian". In this era, I was told that there was a Native American population that served more or less as migrant workers for many of the farmers. They would move from farm to farm, helping local farmers harvest their crops; and the farmers would pay them in food and minimal wages for their services. I believe that Jacob was the child of one of these Native American families who was either abandoned or simply taken in by the McIntires sometime in the 1830's. Why the boy was listed as a son, and had the same last name, is still a mystery. I have never discovered any formal birth certificate or adoption record for Jacob.

In the 1860 census, Jacob was accurately listed as 27 years old, but was the only listed occupant of the McIntire farm other than Marie and the hired hand, Edwin. Although I was only able to trace one of the McIntire daughters through a marriage certificate; it is presumed that all of the daughters married and moved off of the farm. Edwin died in June of 1861, Marie died three years later. In Marie's will, dated 1859, she left the property to her four daughters, to be divided equally amongst them. There was no mention of her then, twenty-four year old adopted son Jacob, anywhere in the 1859 document.

In 1864, months after his mother's passing, Jacob was arrested at the town cemetery. Records revealed that an Indian man had started a fire immediately adjacent to the graves of several members of the McIntire family, including his mother. It was revealed that the man was performing some form of Native American ritual. Several townspeople confronted Jacob, extinguished the fire and held him until authorities arrived. The newspaper article reflected that he was to be held for some amount of time for disturbing the peace, but no record of a trial was found.

The next record of Jacob "Hank" McIntire was in the 1870 census. His occupation was a farm hand, his residence was a farm adjacent to his previous residence. Also listed at the residence was a listing for his daughter "Naomi", age six, race "Indian". No records of being a child of a previous marriage, adoption, or name change existed for Naomi. Where this child came from is still a mystery.

County court records from 1878, show that Jacob McIntire was arrested and sentenced to ten months in the county jail. His charge was the prostitution of his then fourteen year old daughter, Naomi. In the 1880 census, Jacob's residence was at another neighboring farm. Also residing with him was his sixteen year old daughter. But this time the "Indian" girl's name was listed as "Naomi Waters McIntire". In the summer of 1880, "after a lengthy disappearance", Jacob reported his daughter as "missing". The local records stated that Jacob had presumed the girl had run away of her own accord, and therefore did not report her missing for several months. Six months later, Jacob was found dead behind the home he was raised in as a child. Presumed drunk, he had been "overcome by the elements", and frozen to death. Likely at the request of his sisters, Jacob was buried at an undisclosed location, and not in the town cemetery with the other McIntire plots. No records regarding a Naomi or Naomi Waters McIntire, beyond 1880 exist.

My family now owns and runs a business in the old McIntire home. Our personal residence is located on property that was once part of the original farm. We were informed by a psychic, that an Indian girl named "Running Waters" is buried on the property near our home. It is presumed that she is Naomi and that she died at the hands of Jacob. Through many experiences that I have related in previous stories of my family members, employees, and a paranormal investigative team; it has been deciphered that Jacob is the source of many negative experiences we have encountered at both locations.

Once it was determined who was the source of our problems, the paranormal group started making plans to revisit our properties and attempt to encourage Jacob to move on. Through encouragement from the team leader, my wife and I decided and authorized that if Jacob refused to move on, the group would exorcise him from the property. It had become apparent from his increasing aggression, especially towards women on our property; that he was unhappy about our occupation of the property and the presence of our primarily female staff. Feelings which likely stemmed from harbored resentment for having been denied a stake in the family property at the time of his mother's death.

As the time for his forced departure neared, Jacob did all he could to intimidate those he felt could change the course of our planned action. Our twelve year old daughter walked into the pantry of our business one morning. As she described it, she walked into the room to see a black, sparkling mass in the shape of a man standing directly in front of her. It seemed to extend its hand, and then faded away. Our daughter ran to my wife, who was also there at the time and reported what she had seen. My wife experienced on numerous occasions when she would be speaking to clients in the front office, that the stereo would turn on and off by itself; alarming both her and the customers present.

The paranormal team was also targeted by him. One female member who was very intuitive, but had never seen an apparition in her whole life was made known of his presence one evening on her way home from work. She had received a phone call from the team's leader before she left work that evening, informing her of what our intentions were for Jacob. When she left work and was driving home well after dark, she came around a curve in the road and the black outline of a man stood in the road directly in front of the car. Without the opportunity to even touch the brakes, she drove right through the figure. She said that there was no noise or physical thump of having hit anything. She was very excited about what she had just experienced, and was able to sense that the apparition was generally disappointed by her reaction. He had meant to scare her.

The team leader was experiencing dreams involving a man she was sure was Jacob. Tough as she was, his attempts at menacing her mentally were to no avail. Much like the woman who had seen him in her car, he seemed disappointed by her lack of fear and reaction. Knowing that she was responsible for the actions we were about to take, he intensified his focus on her. It became apparent to her, that not only was he laying claim to our property, the property that he had been denied in life; but he was also inhibiting other spirits who had been drawn to the property, from crossing over or leaving of their own freewill. He was controlling and manipulating them for his own selfish purposes, those of which she did not divulge. She reported to me one morning that the previous night she had a dream in which she was slapped repeatedly in the face. In the dream, she was struck three times, and on the third slap she woke up. She got out of bed to get a drink and reflect on her dream when she realized that her face hurt as if she had really been slapped. She went to the bathroom to look at herself, and although she could not see a handprint on her face, she had fresh blood in one of her nostrils and her cheek was sore.

Having declared my contempt and repulsion for the effects he had on my family previously, Jacob made one last attempt to get me to sway. My wife and I went out to dinner with another couple one weekend. They were roughly our age, the woman was moderately attractive and friendly, but I truly never had any unclean thoughts about the woman in her presence or otherwise. One evening the following week as I was driving home from work, I kept glimpsing something in my rearview mirror. Several times, I looked in the backseat, because what I was seeing seemed to be in the car. The air felt electric, statically charged, the hair on my arms and back of my neck were standing on end. Confirming for the tenth time that I was alone in the car; suddenly this woman mentioned earlier popped into my head... Nothing perverse or sexual entered my mind. But suddenly I had the thought that if we cancelled the exorcism and let Jacob stay; she could be mine..."What?" Realizing what was occurring, I started laughing out loud! "Is that the best you've got? Is that the best you can do?" I shouted. "You are so weak!" I laughed, "You are so done!" His reduction of this woman to a mere possession, further proving his contempt for the female gender; I cursed him and everything he had done to our family for the remainder of my ride home.

The team arrived at our home the night of the intended exorcism. Some protection prayers and discussion took place. We blessed the home and moved on to our place of business. A couple who were members of the team, the woman being the one who had previously been shoved against the refrigerator in our home in a previous encounter, were notably absent. When we arrived at our business, the team leader received a text from the girl not to do the exorcism. The leader called her and it was apparent Jacob had gotten to her, as well. She stated that he was afraid. He was afraid of being judged. She sensed that if we did the exorcism, things would get worse for our family. She stated that she had convinced her husband that we should not make him leave; and when they arrived they stated this as well and said they would not participate in the exorcism. The team leader felt that they were entitled to their feelings and she would never force them to participate, but that it was their clients' wishes that he leave. It was apparent to all that he would not be leaving on his own; his attachment to the property was too strong.

The exorcism of this spirit from our property was less than expected for me. We prayed protective prayers and we held a white light ceremony, during which, Jacob's presence was not felt. Several spirits that the team members felt had been held by him at the property, were released. When no more spirits seemed to be present, the team leader addressed Jacob directly. She told him he had to step into the light and that he should not be afraid. She sensed from him that he was reluctant; and regardless of her multiple attempts to coerce him and the threats of the pending exorcism he would not go on his own. She promised him that God would forgive all of his transgressions if he asked for forgiveness. He still refused to go. It was at this point that we began the exorcism of this spirit. (Since this process can be used to expel spirits that are non-menacing and mean no harm to the living, the details will be withheld from this story.) Although I do not have the capabilities of some of those present that evening, it was conveyed to me, that at the time of his crossing, Jacob approached the light with an object in his hand. From what the team leader and her sister could tell, it was a photograph of himself as a little boy. An elderly Native American man was waiting for Jacob when he crossed over, and they went into the light together.

When this process was complete, the team informed me of something that I was unaware of. They felt that because this spirit had such a hold on this property, the only way to prevent his return and the potential for future problems was to honor him. "You have got to be f---ing kidding me", I said. "After everything he has done to me, my wife, my children, I'm supposed to pay homage to this creep?" Understanding my feelings, the group explained their intent. From his life as nothing more than a laborer for his family, cut from his mother's will, left to fend for himself... He was never honored in his life. As a result of his own actions, his sisters' choices to not allow him a formal burial with the rest of his family, he had also been dishonored in death. They felt that by honoring him ceremoniously, it would provide him with the dignity and respect that we all should receive at our time of crossing over.

I did not want to do it. I stated how opposed I was to doing it. The team leader pulled me aside and asked me what I wanted most out of this process. I told her I wanted to make sure my family was protected. She told me that Jacob was gone and that he would never have the grip on the property he once had; but it did not mean that he could not target us individually or as a family in the future; especially now that I had stated how opposed I was to this plan. She said that her intent was to have a small makeshift funeral, provide him with something that was for him alone, and to lock his human spirit in a realm from which he would not return, so that he could not torment us again. I reluctantly agreed. We discussed the details of the ceremony and the team began to prepare.

The team produced a small wooden box they had brought for the ceremony. In the box we placed a small scrap of wood that I removed from a faltering piece of clapboard that was hanging on our building, one of our business cards, and a handful of grass we pulled from the cemetery, near the McIntire plots. The items mentioned were to represent the property as it was when Jacob was alive, the property as it is now under our ownership, and Jacob's family. On top of the box we laid a wooden cross. We moved to a wooded area on the property to conduct the funeral. As we began the ceremony, it became apparent to everyone that we were not alone. The wooded area we were in seemed to come alive. Sticks were snapping and leaves were being shuffled and the murmuring of human voices could be heard, although it was impossible to make out any words. We offered Jacob's lost and tormented soul up to the heavens and asked that forgiveness be granted for the evils he had done in life and after death. When the ceremony was complete, we burnt the box and the cross. When the wood and the contents of the box were completely reduced to ashes, we extinguished the fire with water. We shoveled the ashes into a cloth bag that had been doused with holy water and placed it in a small garbage bag.

When the ceremony was being described to me, I was asked if there were any bodies of water in the area that we could gain access to. When I told the group there was a small pond in the woods on the property, they were glad to hear of it. They felt that the remains of the ceremony represented Jacob's presence in his life and his death. They felt that the ceremony honored him and paid him respect, which would reduce his desire to reattach himself to the property, but that by immersing the remains of a malevolent spirit in water and leaving them there, it would seal it from the property, as long as the remains stayed under water. I cannot say that I did, or to this day, believe in all of that; but when people show up at your request, charge you no money for any of their time or services, and genuinely aspire to help in every way they can, you tend to go along with their requests.

We took the bag to the pond following the ceremony. We said a few words and I threw it in the water. Unfortunately, air was trapped in the garbage bag, and it did not sink as it was intended. I threw a couple of rocks at it to try to sink it, but it did not work. As I was attempting this, the presence in the woods around us seemed to grow agitated, and the sound of larger branches breaking and the same murmuring could be heard across the small pond from where our group stood. The team leader felt that it was time for us to leave. She thought that whatever was in those woods was going to take care of our problem. She said that she felt that there were many forces present and that all of them wanted Jacob to be gone. She warned me that I should not be too surprised if the spirits somehow let me know when their job was finished; and that if we did not receive some sign during the night, to return to the pond in the morning and make sure the bag was sunk.

We returned to the building, the team packed up their gear, we said our goodbyes, and they left. I returned home to find that the protection prayers and blessing we had performed at our home had not been entirely effective. My wife told me that the power went out shortly after the group had left, and had come on just minutes before I returned home. She put our kids in our bed with her so that they would not be afraid. At one point, our three year old son sat up and asked why there was a man in my closet. My wife did not see or hear anyone in the closet, but as the kids fell asleep and she lay awake listening to the house, she heard voices of what she thought were two women talking. She could not make out the words, but it went on for several minutes. When we related this to the team the next day, they felt that what my wife heard was the voices of spirits from our business; that were protecting her and the children until Jacob was forced to leave.

After listening to what had occurred at our home, I related to my wife what had taken place at the business; from the white light ceremony to the funeral. I neglected to tell her about my task in the morning of making sure the bag with the funeral remains had sunk. She asked a lot of questions and I assured her that the group was confident that Jacob would never impose himself the way he had in the past. She started talking about something she had to do the next morning and I felt myself starting to zone out a little bit. I was sitting in a club chair, and my wife was sitting on a couch directly across the room from me with one of her legs on the coffee table between us. There was a ringing in my ears and my attention was drawn to the arm of the sofa to my wife's left. I could see something on the sofa, I could see what it was even though it blended well with the dark green material of the furniture. I could see it, I could recognize it, but my mind would not allow me to believe it. My wife saw my attention was focused elsewhere and began to turn her head to follow my gaze. "Don't move", I whispered. Her eyes got big, "What is it?" she asked, still not seeing what had captured my attention. I rose up out of my chair and took a step in her direction, but it was too late. The frog propelled itself through the air and landed with a splat on my wife's outstretched leg. She screamed. She launched herself from the sofa in one motion, still not knowing what had landed on her, sending the intruder tumbling to the floor. I walked over and picked it up. It was not a tree frog, it was a bullfrog. It was wet and it had a leaf stuck to its underside. It left a muddy smear where it had landed on my wife's leg. I walked to the front door and walked down the front steps and turned it loose on the grass.

Even though I knew I did not have to, I checked the pond the next morning. The bag was sunk.