Cynthia Ann Parker
Cynthia Ann Parker ( * 1827 in Crawford City, Illinois; † ibid, 1870) was the eldest daughter of the settlers Silas Mercer and Lucy Parker. She was kidnapped in 1836 as a nine- year-old during the Fort Parker massacre of Comanches and later adopted by an Indian family. At seventeen years old, she married a Comanche chief. To their children is one of Quanah Parker, as long Comanchenhäuptling later fought against European settlers.
Cynthia Ann Parker was taken up in 1860 by Texas Rangers and returned against their will to their European family. She tried several times in vain to return to her Indian family and died in 1870.
Abduction
On May 19, 1836, the nine -year-old Cynthia Ann, her younger brother, John, kidnapped her five -year-old cousin Rachel Plummer and their little son James Pratt Plummer and her aunt Elizabeth Kellogg during a raid by the Comanche Indians. Overall, in the attack, five men were killed and two women and three children abducted.
Life among the Indians
Cynthia Ann and her brother John were adopted by various Native American families and how their own children reared - in contrast to her cousin Rachel, who was enslaved and abused. Rachel Plummer was ransomed captive by her family after two years, and moved back in with her husband. She wrote the book Rachel Plummer's Narrative of Twenty One Months Servitude as a Prisoner Among the Commanchee (Rachel Plummer's history of 21 months servitude as a prisoner among the Comanches ). She died on 4 January 1839.
Cynthia Ann initially kept her own name. " Cynthia " sounded in the ears of the Comanche as the Indian word " Tsini - tia " ( "Stay a while "), which suited the situation of the girl with the Indians. However, name changes were common among the Comanches when changed the life of a human being. So Cynthia Parker received a new name, the " Naduah " (also Narua Nadua or written ) will be played. In Lucia St. Clair Robson's biographical novel " Ride the Wind " it is with "She keeps hot with us " ( " She feels at home with us " ) translated.
As a seventeen year old, she married the chief Nocona (also written Peta Nokona, "wanderer " ), with whom she was taking a blood band. The fact that Nocona unlike most other men of his tribe had no concubines, speaks for a love match. From this marriage the sons Quanah ( "fragrance" ) went, pecan ( " Pecan ") and the daughter Topsannah ( "flower" ) out.
Return to the Parker family
Cynthia Ann's uncle James W. Parker had made it his life's work to find his niece and nephew.
In December 1860 - after nearly 25 years with the Comanches - was Cynthia Ann of Texas Rangers captured under the direction of Lawrence Sullivan " Sul " Ross, separated from her husband and her sons, and brought back together with her little daughter against her will to the Parker family. Their requests to let them return to the Comanches remained unheard; several escape attempts failed. What are they but nothing mitbekam: 2 years after their return to the White killed her son Pecos. Another 2 years later her husband died, Chief Nocona.
After the death of her daughter Cynthia Ann Parker lost her remaining courage and refused henceforth the food. She died, according to grave stone in 1870.
Lucia St. Clair Robson portrays Cynthia Ann Parker's life in the aforementioned novel. The author describes in detail the daily life and the closeness to nature of the Comanches, without, however, to draw a glorified image of the Indians - as well as the occasional cruelty of the Comanche is not glossed over.