Hello Again, so glad you dropped by.
We're going to pick up where we left off....continuing with the Killough Family as told by Uncle Billy...
It might be well to get the families clearly in mind. Isaac Killough, Sr., his family; his sons, Allen, Samuel (my great great grandfather and Uncle Billy's Dad), Nathaniel, and Isaac Jr., their families: George W. Wood and Owen C. Williams; and two or three other relatives of these families.
Samuel Killough my father, lived on the Northeast side of the creek. When mother (Narcissa) heard him firing, she took me up and started to see who was killed. She was joined by Aunt Jane, Isaac Killough's (Junior) wife, and her brother, William, he was taking me to carry, for mother was very weakly, (stationary weight being 94 pounds.) They did not go but a few steps when thy saw the Indians coming. Handing me to mother, Uncle William said, "Here's the baby, I must go." The Indians swept by the women and shot Uncle William down a few yards from them. They found father in a small branch beyond the main creek, where he fell. The balance they failed to find. except grandfather, Isaac Killough Sr., he was lying in his yard and grandmother was all alone.
In this massacre there were 18 killed and taken off. Wood, a brother in law of the Killoughs, his wife, five children, a Miss Williams, a sister to the young William, spoken of, A Miss Killough, sister to father, were all taken off and were never heard of again. The girl was about 17 years old. William and Miss Killough were to have been married soon.
After trying to get grandfather in the house and failing (he was very large) they covered him with quilts, laying rails on the sides to hold them down. They turned their steps to the East. Returning to father, they found everything torn up and strewn over the yard. After some time taken up in consultation, (there being 3 women) Mrs. Urcey Killough, Jr., Narcissa Killough, wife of Samuel Killough (my mother), the Indians sent for them while they were at the house to go to Sam BEngs, their Chief, about two miles North. The first two mentioned were in favor of going. Narcissa Killough told them they could go, but she would die first. so one of the three Indians sent for them (Dog Shoot by name) told them if he had a gun he would kill them. (The male portion being dead, the Indians did not bring their guns.)
Narcissa sent them for their guns, and while they were gone, she took the baby boy (myself) up and started on their long journey of 40 miles, without anything to eat, among savages and wild beasts. They hid in the grass, bear where Larissa now stands until night came. They could hear the Indians yelling and see the smoke from the house, which on returning, and not finding the women, they set on fire.
Let's stop for today....my next post will be about Narcissa and her one year old baby (Uncle Billy), and their dangerous journey on foot to Lacy's Fort.
Until next time,
Your Friend,
Mary
~But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Uncle Billy's Story
So glad you're hear, let's get started ! !
"I was born in Montersille, Talledega County, Alabama, Septemebr 26, 1837. Father moved to Texas the same year and stopped where Larissa now is on, December 24, 1837. This point was some 40 miles from any white settlement. Lacy's Fort being the nearest. (Lacy's Fort was just outside Alto, Texas). My family built houses, cleared land and made a crop. Everything went well until the fall of 1838, when the Indians began to give trouble.
At length the Killough's together with the families of George W. Wood and O. C. Williams (these are relatives) left, but after making a treaty with the redskins returned to gather their crops and get their stock.
"They had finished all except about two hauls in Uncle Nathaniel Killough's corn. At noon, October 5, 1838, they came home from the fields, and at 1 o'clock started back to work. As they would not be out long, they decided to leave their guns at home, instead of following their ususal custom of taking them and stacking them in the field. On the way, the larger portion had to cross a creek. In passing through the swamp, they were attacked from ambush by the Indians and all killed except Nathaniel Killough, his wife and child.
When the firing began Nathaniel Killough was watering his horse. He rode to his house to get his wife and child but the Indians crowded them so closely that they had to take to the cane on foot. Making his way to a friendly Indian, Nathaniel secured another horse and with his family escaped to Lacy's Fort. The baby girl was about one year old, later became Mrs. C. W. Matthews of Garden Valley.
 |
| Lacy's Fort Alto, Texas Built before 1835 as a home and trading post by Martin Lacy, Indian Agent for the Mexican Government, used as a place of refuge after the Massacre of the Killough Family, 10/5/1838 Erected by the State of Texas 1936 |
That's all for today, please come back again...I will be posting the rest of Uncle Billy's story, find out how he escaped and what happened to Nathaniel...Very interesting.
Enjoyed having you, see you again soon. :o)
Your Friend
Mary
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Killough Massacre
Hello, please come into my blog, hope you have a good visit ! Today we're going to start on an adventure that will take a few days to complete. The Killough Massacre ! !
The Killough Massacre is a very sad part of Texas History. These people weren't just any group of people, they were my many times great grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles and aunts. I studied this event in depth in 1998 and became very attached to these family members I never knew. As I studied their story each one of them became alive in my heart and I connected with every one of them, especially Uncle Billy, my great grandfather. You will learn more about Uncle Billy as the story unfolds. The story is long so I'll be sharing with several blogs until we cover it all.
There are many sources available apart of what I know from my Dad. It's documented in detail in several publications and a brief article is in the Handbook of Texas. You're about to learn about the last Indian Massacre in the State of Texas and it was my family. Sam Houston sent Gen. Thomas J. Rusk in pursuit of the rebels that committed this astrocity and you will learn how and where they were caught and the repurcussions of that event.
An acount of the story was published in the Houston Chronicle on Sunday, May 3, 1931 and in the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegragh on Sunday, July 15, 1962. I am going to use the latter publication because that article is based on the story as told by Uncle Billy.
Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph
Tyler, Texas, Sunday Moring, July 15, 1962
Pioneer Family Suffered Tragedy on Autumn Day
Old Larissa, 1838
Rivaling in drama this oft told "Parker Family" story is a full account of the "Killough Massacre" of 1838, in which 18 persons from 3 families were either killed or taken prisoner and $19,000 worth of property destroyed by savage Indians near the now decadent and sleepy old village of "Larissa," about 10 miles from Jacksonville.
For years there have been traces of the tragedy in the form of the quaint little "Killough cemetary," where General Rusk buried six or seven of the victims of the massacre near the scene of the fatality and in mentions given the affair in Texas history.
Perhaps the first vivid description of this East Texas catastrophe was brought to light a few years ago by a book entitled "Larissa" edited by Fred Hugo Ford, New Orleans, and the late J. L. Brown of Jacksonville.
It was in 1837 that a small colony composed of the Killough family settled along Killough Creek.
(Killough Creek is still there).
Cherokee Indians still infested the section, and the imperfect state of the government provided small protectio for these pioneers. Not until 10 years later did the first inhabitants move into nearby Larissa and before that time the massacre was already history.
Eighty years after the calamity, the late William B. Killough (Uncle Billy), "Child of the Massacre" stood on the spot where his father's home had been and told the actual events of the raid and his own miraculous escape from death. He explained that he was only one year old at the time of the massacre. The account which he gave the authors of "Larissa" is contained in the book and runs as follows......
It's time to stop for today, please check back in a day or two for Uncle Billy's Story. I have lots of pictures that I will be posting along the way, I think you will find it very interesting.
Don't forget that good cup of coffee today ! !
Your Friend
Mary
The Killough Massacre is a very sad part of Texas History. These people weren't just any group of people, they were my many times great grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles and aunts. I studied this event in depth in 1998 and became very attached to these family members I never knew. As I studied their story each one of them became alive in my heart and I connected with every one of them, especially Uncle Billy, my great grandfather. You will learn more about Uncle Billy as the story unfolds. The story is long so I'll be sharing with several blogs until we cover it all.
There are many sources available apart of what I know from my Dad. It's documented in detail in several publications and a brief article is in the Handbook of Texas. You're about to learn about the last Indian Massacre in the State of Texas and it was my family. Sam Houston sent Gen. Thomas J. Rusk in pursuit of the rebels that committed this astrocity and you will learn how and where they were caught and the repurcussions of that event.
An acount of the story was published in the Houston Chronicle on Sunday, May 3, 1931 and in the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegragh on Sunday, July 15, 1962. I am going to use the latter publication because that article is based on the story as told by Uncle Billy.
Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph
Tyler, Texas, Sunday Moring, July 15, 1962
Pioneer Family Suffered Tragedy on Autumn Day
Old Larissa, 1838
Rivaling in drama this oft told "Parker Family" story is a full account of the "Killough Massacre" of 1838, in which 18 persons from 3 families were either killed or taken prisoner and $19,000 worth of property destroyed by savage Indians near the now decadent and sleepy old village of "Larissa," about 10 miles from Jacksonville.
For years there have been traces of the tragedy in the form of the quaint little "Killough cemetary," where General Rusk buried six or seven of the victims of the massacre near the scene of the fatality and in mentions given the affair in Texas history.
Perhaps the first vivid description of this East Texas catastrophe was brought to light a few years ago by a book entitled "Larissa" edited by Fred Hugo Ford, New Orleans, and the late J. L. Brown of Jacksonville.
It was in 1837 that a small colony composed of the Killough family settled along Killough Creek.
(Killough Creek is still there).
Cherokee Indians still infested the section, and the imperfect state of the government provided small protectio for these pioneers. Not until 10 years later did the first inhabitants move into nearby Larissa and before that time the massacre was already history.
Eighty years after the calamity, the late William B. Killough (Uncle Billy), "Child of the Massacre" stood on the spot where his father's home had been and told the actual events of the raid and his own miraculous escape from death. He explained that he was only one year old at the time of the massacre. The account which he gave the authors of "Larissa" is contained in the book and runs as follows......
It's time to stop for today, please check back in a day or two for Uncle Billy's Story. I have lots of pictures that I will be posting along the way, I think you will find it very interesting.
Don't forget that good cup of coffee today ! !
Your Friend
Mary
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