Cynthia Parker’s Siblings

The parents of the Parker family were Silas Mercer Parker, Sr. and Lucinda Duty Parker. Silas (1804 – 1836) was born in Bedford County, Tennessee. Lucinda (1808 – 1852) was born in Elbert County, Georgia. Lucinda and Silas were married around 1824 and had five children, including Cynthia Ann.

Their oldest child appears to have been born in Illinois and was named James Wallace Parker (1824 – 1833). There is very little mention of him other than listing his name and the years that he lived. Some notes comment that he appears to have died of some unknown cause as the family traveled to Texas or shortly before they left Illinois. His burial place is unknown.

Cynthia Ann was the second child born to the couple, in 1827. She was taken captive by the Comanche when she was about nine years old on May 19, 1836. Cynthia Ann lived with the Comanche for twenty-four years, was recaptured in 1860 and died in early 1871. Cynthia Ann was initially buried in Texas but her remains were later relocated to the cemetery on the grounds of Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The next child of the couple was John Ross Parker, also referred to as John Richard Parker, born in 1930. Like Cynthia, John was taken by the Comanche on May 19, 1836 when Fort Parker was attacked. John would have been about six years old when he was taken captive. An uncle, likely James William Parker (1801 – 1874), is believed to have searched for him without success for a number of years. Though they were not held together, John grew to maturity with the Comanche, as did his sister Cynthia Ann. John declined to return to Texas and his family when he was later identified. John is believed to have served with a Mexican company in support of the Confederacy during the Civil War. He is also thought to have married a Mexican woman, became a stockman and lived in Mexico until his death in 1915. There is no obvious indication that John was ever reunited with his sister Cynthia Ann. John is said to be buried in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The next oldest child was Silas Mercer Parker, Jr. born in 1835. Silas, his sister Orlena and their mother Lucinda survived the Comanche attack on Fort Parker and were neither killed nor captured. He and his sister Orlena were living in the home of Adrian and Phebe Anglin in Anderson County, Texas in the 1850 federal census. The Anglins were either have been relatives or close friends, since they also had a number of the Duty family children living with them. Silas married Ann Elizabeth O’Quin in 1854. The couple had a number of children. Silas was working as a farmer in Van Zandt County in 1860. He served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. In the 1870 census, he was listed as a lumber merchant, living near Palestine. The last census taken while he was living was in 1880 and his profession was once again listed as farming. Silas and his wife were the family members who took in Cynthia Ann and her daughter Topsana (Prairie Flower) at some point after his sister was recaptured by Sul Ross and his soldiers/militiamen in 1860. Cynthia’s two children other than Quanah died in 1862 and 1863. After Silas’ death in 1891, he was interred in Anderson County, Texas.

Orlena was only a few months old on the day of the Comanche raid. She was living with the Anglins in 1850. In 1853, she married James Rufus O’Quin, a brother of Ann Elizabeth O’Quin who married her brother Silas the following year. By 1860, J. R. and Orlena were living in Edom in Van Zandt County where J. R. was working as a farmer. The 1870 federal census shows them living in Anderson County. It also lists Cynthia Ann as a member of their household along with six of the children of J. R. and Orlena. The last census Orlena is listed in was the 1880 report. She, J. R. and three of their children were living in Anderson County. She is believed to have died in 1887 at about fifty-one years of age.

Lucinda Duty Parker, wife of Silas Mercer Parker, Sr., survived the attack on Fort Parker in which her husband was killed. She later was briefly married to a man named Robert Usry with whom she had one child, Benjamin Milam Usry, born in 1838. She and Robert Usry were divorced not long afterward. Lucinda was also married to a W. W. Roberts. Her date of death is variously shown as 1847 or 1852. The earlier date might be consistent with the fact that in the 1850 census her two surviving children, Silas and Orlena, were living with another family. Benjamin Milam Usry is a half-brother then of Cynthia Ann. He appears to have lived most of his life in and around Limestone County near Fort Parker. He died in 1902 and is buried in Limestone County.

A person named Thomas Arthur William Parker (1822 – 1870) is sometimes shown in genealogy records as the oldest child of Silas and Lucinda. Thomas was born in Virginia and died in Arkansas. It is not likely that he was a child of Silas and Lucinda Parker. He would have still been a young boy when the family set out on their journey to Texas. Had he been a child of Silas and Lucinda, there would have been no reason for him not to have come to Texas with them. Our tentative conclusion is that this Thomas Arthur William Parker was not a child of Silas and Lucinda Parker though he was likely a member of their extended family. The Parker family group is quite large. It should be noted that there are many common surnames in the Parker family (White, Duty, etc.). This can lead to confusion when sorting through genealogy records.

So, it appears that after the day that she was captured by the Comanche and recaptured in 1860, the only immediate family members she was later reunited with with were her younger siblings, Silas and Orlena.

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In 1875, Colonel Ranald Mackenzie posted this notice out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The notice is somewhat confusing on its face since the children of Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker are considered to be Quanah, Pecan (Pecos) and Topsannah (Prairie Flower). Quanah was the oldest and was not captured in 1860. Over the next fifteen years, he grew to manhood and became a warrior leader of the Quahade band of the Comanche. The notice appeared in the Galveston Daily News issue of May 29, 1875. Quanah did not surrender to the United States Army until the following month. This note says that Cynthia Ann left in the custody of the Indians two boys, one of whom was called Citra and the other, presumably Pecos, who had died. Since Quanah was still at large on May 10, the date of the notice, the question arises as to who was this Citra. At present, it is unknown, but if we later are able to identify him, we will post the information here.

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Cynthia Ann was not reunited in life with her oldest son Quanah Parker. However, some years after his surrender in 1875, he was able to locate her grave in Texas and have her remains removed to the cemetery at Fort Sill.

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