I often think how true it is, the question, "Bring a child up in the way it should go and when it is old it will not depart from it." I know of no case of the influence of early environment stronger than the life of Cyntha Ann Parker. She was captured in the early days of Texas at Fort Parker, near where Weatherford is situated. She and her brother being small, both were carried away by the Comanche Indians. The girl grew up among the Comanches, married a Comanche, and was the mother of three children, two boys and one girl. The girl was an infant in her arms when she was recaptured by Capt. Ross, who afterwards was General Ross of the Confederate Army, and also governor of Texas.

After her capture she lived with a brother until her death, for several years, during the war between the states, in the lower part of Van Zandt county. In 1874 I taught school near where her brother lived and secured this information from old citizens who for years had lived near her. She was an expert in the dressing of deer hides. I have seen gloves made from hides she dressed. Deer were plentiful in those days. Often, while living at the place mentioned, she would steal away from the house by a skirt of timber, where she would dig a whole in the ground and build a fire in same. As the smoke would ascend she would look toward Heaven, then mumble a few words , and throw her arms and hands out in different directions. This doubtless was a form of Comanche worship she had been taught when young. she removed from Van Zandt county to Anderson county about the close of the war between the states.

One of her sons was Quanah Parker, the Comanche Chief, who several times visited the Dallas Fair, and who died several years ago. Her other brother years ago visited Fort Worth, put up a hotel, where he blew out the gas in his room before retiring and was found dead as the result of his thoughtless act.

After the death of Quanah Parker, the Congress of the United States made an appropriation to have the remains of Cyntha Ann Parker removed and placed besides that of her son, Quanah. Several years ago, two men came to me, one stating that he was a son-in-law of Quanah Parker, who desired to learn what I knew of Cyntha Ann Parker. I told them about where she moved to in Anderson county, and learned afterward that they found an old citizen who attended her funeral and who pointed out her grave. Her remains were then removed and interred beside her son, Quanah Parker.

Cyntha Ann Parker was religiously inclined, and was encouraged by her own people in attending church, had the scriptures read to her, but was never reclaimed from the Comanche worship taught her in early childhood, which suggests the phrase, "As the twig is bent the tree inclines."
A. W. Meredith
Wills Point, Texas, Jan. 26, 1924

OPHGR website created and maintained by Patsy Vinson, webmaster.

Webmaster Note: This is a free site. All information contained herein is copyrighted by the webmaster/owner of Organization for the Preservation of Historical and Genealogical Records known as "OPHGR" . The information and images shown on this site are Not public domain and should not be taken without the owner's permission in writing. See Disclaimer page.

This page was last updated on 20 October 2007.

The fantastic graphics that I am using on this page were generously provided free of charge for non-commercial sites. Please do not copy the graphics from this site as the "terms of use" requires me to be careful not to furnish images to others. Also, I do not "mix and match" images from more than one source. At the bottom of each page, you will find a link to the individual site for that page. Please advise if you find a page or two that I have overlooked. I will make every effort to correct it and please accept my apologies for any oversights.