Rachel Plummer facts for kids

Rachel Parker Plummer (born March 22, 1819 – died March 19, 1839) was the daughter of James W. Parker. She was also a cousin of Quanah Parker, who was the last free-roaming chief of the Comanche people. When Rachel was seventeen, she was taken captive by a Native American raiding party. Her two-year-old son, James Pratt Plummer, and her cousins were also captured.

Rachel Plummer spent 21 months as a prisoner with the Comanche. Her story became very famous when she wrote a book about it. The book was called Rachael Plummer's Narrative of Twenty One Months' Servitude as a Prisoner Among the Commanchee Indians. It was published in Houston in 1838. This was the first book about someone captured by Texas Indians to be published in the Republic of Texas. It was popular not only in Texas but also in the United States and other countries. After Rachel died, her father published a new version of her book in 1844. Her book is still important today because it gives us a valuable look at Comanche culture. This was before many challenges like disease and war changed their way of life.

Early Life and Family Moves

Rachel Plummer was born in 1819 in Crawford County, Illinois. She was the second youngest child of James William Parker and Martha Duty. She had two older siblings who were still alive. In 1834, her family and other related families moved from Illinois to Texas. Her father, James Parker, and her uncle, Silas Parker, led this large family group. From that moment on, Rachel's life became quite adventurous.

Rachel spent most of her childhood in Illinois. At age 14, which was considered grown-up back then, Rachel married Luther M. Plummer. Her father described her as a "red haired beauty of rare courage and intelligence." In 1830, Rachel and Luther moved with the Parker family to Conway County, Arkansas. Her father used this area as a starting point for trips to explore Texas.

In 1832, Rachel's father suggested to Stephen F. Austin that the Parker families should be allowed to settle in Texas. He wanted to settle 50 families north of the Little Brazos River. This area was considered part of the Comancheria, which was Comanche territory. Luther Plummer and Rachel were one of these 50 families. Austin did not respond to this idea. James Parker was the first of his family to come to Texas. Because he kept trying, he was given a large piece of land on April 1, 1835. This land was north of where Groesbeck is today. Luther Plummer also received land thanks to his father-in-law's efforts with the Mexican Government.

Building Fort Parker

The Plummers joined other Parker family members in moving to Texas. This included Rachel's father James, his brothers Silas and Benjamin, and their families. Another older brother, Daniel Parker, was already in Texas but not with the main group. The Parker family, led by James, moved to their new land. They built Fort Parker at the beginning of the Navasota River. The fort was finished in March 1834, even before they officially owned the land. Rachel's grandfather, Elder John Parker, then joined them with his second wife.

Fort Parker had tall, pointed log walls that were about 12-foot (4 m) high. It covered an area of about 4 acres (16,000 m²). There were strong blockhouses on two corners. These were used as lookouts and helped defend the fort. Six cabins were built inside the walls. The fort had a large main gate facing south and a smaller back gate. This smaller gate made it easy to get to the nearby spring for water.

Most of the families in the Parker group still slept inside the fort for safety. Even though some were starting to build cabins outside, the fort offered better protection. Elder John Parker had made peace agreements with local Native American chiefs. He believed these agreements would protect the small settlement. Luther Plummer also felt his family was safe. However, Rachel's father, James Parker, was not as sure. He understood that the Comanche were not just one "tribe" as Europeans thought. Instead, they were many different groups and bands connected by their culture. His brother Silas had become a Captain in a local Ranger company. James worried this might make some Native Americans angry if they felt mistreated by the Rangers.

The Fort Parker Attack

On May 19, 1836, at sunrise, everything seemed normal. The men went out to work in the fields. Rachel Plummer was three months pregnant with her second child. She was inside the fort taking care of her first son, James Pratt, who was two years old. He was the first child born to the Parker family in Texas. This would be the last normal morning of Rachel Plummer's life. It was also the last time she would see her son for a long time. Her husband and father were working in the fields outside.

In her book, Rachel wrote that "one minute the fields (in front of the fort) were clear, and the next moment, more Indians than I dreamed possible were in front of the fort." As the Parkers discussed what to do, one of the Native Americans came close to the fort holding a white flag. No one believed the flag was real. But Benjamin Parker thought it might give the family a chance to escape. He got his father's support to try a risky plan. Benjamin went out to talk to the group, hoping to buy time for the family to get away. Most of them did escape. Only five women and children were captured.

As the other women and children left, Rachel chose to stay inside the fort. She was afraid that she and her son would not be able to keep up. After Benjamin Parker returned from his first talks and warned them they might all die, Rachel wanted to run. But Silas told her to watch the front gate while he got his musket. Rachel said she then heard loud shouts outside the fort, and suddenly, Native Americans were inside. She ran, holding her little boy's hand. Behind her, she saw Benjamin being attacked.

Rachel was then grabbed by warriors on horseback. They pulled her up behind them. She watched helplessly as another warrior took her son. Her cousins Cynthia Ann Parker and John Richard Parker were also captured. All five men who were in the fort that morning were killed. Rachel mentioned in her book:

To undertake to narrate their barbarous treatment would only add to my present distress, for it is with feelings of the deepest mortification that I think of it, much less to speak or write of it.

Even with her distress, Rachel wrote openly about the Comanche culture and their way of thinking.

Life as a Captive

Rachel Plummer's book gives us a valuable look into the Comanche culture and their way of life. This was before diseases and wars forced them onto reservations. She wrote about her feelings during captivity. She also described the daily life and customs of the Comanche people. She explained the roles of men, women, children, and temporary captives in their society. Rachel wrote that six weeks after she gave birth to a healthy son, the warriors decided she was too slow because she had to care for the baby. They took her son and harmed him. When he stopped moving, they left her to bury him. When she tried to help him, they returned and caused further harm to the infant, leading to his death.

Meanwhile, her father, James Parker, was desperately searching for her. Rachel wrote that she had never seen such wide-open spaces as the Great Plains. Her travels with the Comanche took her far north, possibly to what is now Colorado. She attended a huge gathering of all the Comanche groups and their allies, the Kiowa and Kiowa Apache. At this meeting, the tribes discussed whether to drive the Texans completely out of the Comancheria and conquer Mexico. Thousands of Native Americans were there. Rachel Plummer wrote that she had never seen so many people. Her descriptions of her travels and the wild land she saw are still some of the best accounts of the early American West.

Surprisingly, Rachel's situation among the Comanche got much better in the month before she was rescued. The women who were supposed to watch her often treated her badly. One day, Rachel had enough and started fighting back fiercely against the younger of the two women. She expected to be killed at any moment. She wrote, "at any second I expected a spear in the back." But instead, the warriors seemed entertained. They gathered and watched the fight. Rachel had been a captive for a long time, which might have made her physically weaker. However, it had also filled her with a lot of anger. This anger helped her easily defeat the younger woman.

After the fight, Rachel was surprised that no one helped the young Comanche woman. Rachel herself finally helped her back to the lodge and cared for her injuries. At that point, the tribal council stepped in. They listened to all three women. First, they told Rachel to fix the lodge, which had been damaged during the fight. Rachel was amazed that she was being treated like an equal Comanche. She spoke to the Council and said she would not fix the lodge alone. She argued that she had not started either fight. Since she was being judged as a Comanche, not a slave, she should be treated more fairly. The Council agreed. They ordered all three women to repair the lodge together.

Rachel was shocked that the council treated her as an equal. She later understood that this happened because she showed courage. This was the one quality that earned respect from the Comanche. Later, one of the Chiefs told her:

You are brave to fight. Good to fallen enemy. You are directed by the Great Spirit. Indians do not have pity on a fallen enemy. By our law, it is clear. It is contrary to our law to show foul play. She began with you, and you had a right to kill her. Your noble spirit forbad you. When Indians fight, the conqueror gives or takes the life of his or her antagonist, and they seldom spare them.

Rachel found her life much improved after these events. She was right that nothing could have earned her more respect than standing her ground and fighting. She wrote in her book, "they respected bravery more than anything, I learned. I wish I had known it sooner." She explained how this changed her: "After that, I took up for myself, and fared much the better for it."

Of course, knowing that her courage changed her status made her wonder if her child might still be alive if she had shown such bravery earlier. This thought haunted her. What she did not know then was that her captivity was about to end. Her father's determined efforts to find her were finally working. He had found Comancheros, who were traders willing to go and trade for her. Her father told them to pay any price to rescue her.

The Comanches were camped north of Santa Fe when the Comancheros approached them. Rachel wrote in her book about the pain of thinking the traders had not offered enough to buy her freedom. She did not know that they were just trying to get the best deal. Her father had told them to pay any price, no matter how high, to rescue her. She was sold to them on June 19, 1837.

Her rescue was arranged by Colonel and Mrs. William Donaho, who were helping the Parker family. Rachel was taken to them in Santa Fe after a 17-day journey. Two weeks after she arrived, the Donahos feared trouble because the local people in Santa Fe were rebelling. So, they quickly traveled about 800 miles (1,300 km) to Independence, Missouri, taking Rachel with them. Three months later, Rachel's brother-in-law, Lorenzo D. Nixon, took her back to Texas. Her father was still out searching for her. She was reunited with her husband on February 19, 1838, almost two years after the Fort Parker Massacre. She was very thin, covered with scars and sores, and in poor health.

Later Life and Passing

Rachel became pregnant again soon after she returned home. On January 4, 1839, she gave birth to her third child, a son named Luther Plummer II. She passed away in Houston shortly after, on March 19, 1839. Her baby son died two days later. Doctors said she died from problems after childbirth. However, her father, James Parker, believed she died from the harsh treatment she suffered from the Comanche. He also believed it was because of the loss of one child and not knowing what happened to her other child.

The most likely reason for her passing was a difficult journey she, her husband, her father, and others had to make during a night of freezing rain. During James Parker's search for Rachel, he had made some enemies. In an unclear event, he was accused of harming a woman and her child. The victims' family had found Parker and planned to get revenge. So, Parker secretly took his family out of the house during the night. They slept outdoors and stayed off the main roads. Rachel and her baby passed away during that difficult journey.

The night before she passed, Rachel reportedly told her father, "if only I knew what had become of my dear little James Pratt Plummer I could die in peace." She was 20 years old when she passed, and her bright red hair had turned gray. Her oldest and only living son, James Pratt Plummer, was found and rescued two years later. In late 1842, he was ransomed. In 1843, he was reunited with his grandfather.

James Parker felt that his son-in-law, Luther Plummer, had not done enough to help find his wife and grandson. He also felt Luther had not supported the family while James did what he thought was Luther's duty. James Parker felt so strongly about Luther Plummer's failures that he refused to return his grandson to him. Even though the President of Texas ruled in Luther Plummer's favor, James refused to follow the ruling. Young James Pratt Plummer never saw his father again. He grew up and lived with his mother's family. Luther Plummer knew enough about James Parker not to try and force the issue.

According to a writer named Frank X. Tolbert, Sam Houston believed that James Parker, not Luther Plummer, was the difficult person in their disagreement. Sam Houston wrote in a letter that "Reverend Parker had quite a bad reputation with most all he ever had business dealings." Sam Houston did not trust Reverend Parker's judgment and could not believe he would not return young James Pratt Plummer to his own father.