History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 223
[7], iv-vii, [2], 10-826, [2] p., [56] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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HIS1'ORi' O01' TEXAS.
Iter's diary to the conclusion of the history
of Quanali Parker, is intended to be a literal
copy from said book.
"Among the many tragedies that have
occurred in Texas the massacre at Parker's
fort holds a conspicuous place. Nothing that
lhas ever happened exhibits savage duplicity
and cruelty more plainly than tle massacre
of helpless women and children.
4 In 1883 a small colony was organized in
the State of Illinois for the purpose of forming
a settlement in Texas. After their arrival
in the country they selected for a place of
residence a beautiful region on the Navasota,
a small tributary of the Brazos. To secure
themselves against the various tribes of roving
savages was thle first thing to be attended to;
and, having clhosen a commanding eminence
adjacent to a large timbered bottom of the
Navasota, about three miles from where the
town of Springfield formerly stood, and about
two miles from the present town of Groesbeck,
they by their joint labor soon had a
fortification erected. It consisted of a stockade
of split cedar timbers planted deep iin the
ground, extending fifteen feet above the surface,
touching each otiler and confined at the
top by transverse timbers which rendered
them almost as immovable as a solid wall.
At convenient distances there were portholes,
through which, in case of an emergency,
fire-armns could be used. The entire
fort covered nearly an acre of ground. There
were also attached to the stockade two log
cabins at diagonal corners, constituting a
part of the enclosure. They were really
blockhouses, the greater portion of each
standing outside of the main stockade, the
upper story jutting out over the lower, with
openings in the floor allowing perpendicular
shooting from above. There were also portholes
out in the upper story so as to admit ofhorizontal shooting ; lhen necessa.'y. TlJienabled
thle inmates to rake from every side
of the stockade. The fort was situated near
a fine spring of water. A\,- soon as it m as coin -
)leted the little colony moved into it.
" Parker's colon) at this time consistedl ,f
some eight or nine tainilies, viz.: Elder John
Parker, the patriarch of thie colony, and his
wife; his son, Jaines W. Parker. wife, four
single children, and his daughter, Mrs. I'achlel
Plumrmer, her husband, L. M. S. Plummer,
and an infant son fifteen months old; Mrs.
Sarah Nixon, another daughter, and her husband,
L. D. Nixon; Silas M. Parker (another
son of Elder John), his wife and four children;
Benjamin F. Parker, an unmarried son of the
elder; Mrs. Nixon, Sr., mother of Mrs. James
W. Parker; Mrs. Elizabeth Kellogg, daughter
of Mrs. Nixon; Mrs. Duty; Samnuel M.
Frost, wife and two children; G. E. Dwight,
wife and two children--in all, thirty-four
persons. Besides those above mentioned, old
man Lunn, David Faulkenberry and his son
Evan, Silas Bates and Abram Anglin had
erected cabins a mile or two distant from the
fort, where they resided. These families were
truly the advance guard of civilization in that
part of our frontier, Fort Houston in Andeison
county being the nearest protection ex.
cept their own trusty rifles.
t Here the struggling colonists remained,
engaged in the avocations of a rural life, tilling
the soil, hunting buffalo, bear, deer,
turkey and smaller game, which served abundantly
to supply their larder at all times with
fresh meat, in the enjoyment of a life of Arcadian
simplicity, virtue and contentment,
until the latter part of the year 1835, when
the Indians and Mexicans forced the little
band of compatriots to abandon their.homes
and flee with many others before the invading
army from Mexico. On arriving at"2,,
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History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. (Book)
Book containing a brief overview of the state of Texas and more specific focus on six specific counties, with extensive biographical sketches about persons related to the history of those places. An alphabetical index of persons who are included follows the table of contents at the front of the book.
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Lewis Publishing Company. History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties., book, 1893; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29785/m1/228/?q=edwin%2520antony: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.