____________________________
|
_Archibald King BONNER _|
| (1874 - 1929) m 1893 |
| |____________________________
|
|
|--Schley Archibald BONNER
| (1898 - 1952)
| _Chester Van Buren KETCHUM _+
| | (1839 - 1912) m 1865
|_Cora Louella KETCHUM __|
(1874 - 1935) m 1893 |
|_Susan Ann Hancock EUSTACE _
(1847 - ....) m 1865
_Edward KETCHUM _____
| (1765 - ....) m 1791
_Peter Reasor KETCHUM _|
| (1797 - 1868) m 1825 |
| |_Mary REASOR ________+
| (1774 - ....) m 1791
|
|--James R. KETCHUM
| (1822 - 1867)
| _____________________
| |
|_Ann BURRELL __________|
(1797 - ....) m 1825 |
|_____________________
[214]
James and family in Tarrant County in 1846 and in Guadalupe County, Texas at the time of the 1850 census. James was killed by Kickapoo indians, (along with his brother John Ketchum?) near Old Overland Station at the head of the Concho
River. Information from Ft. Concho Files - Lieutenant Geo. Thurston to Capt. G.G. Huntt, 12/27/1867. James and 4 others drove about 1,000 head of cattle to El Paso, Texas to sell them. On the way back, about 60 miles west of Ft. Concho, TX near
the Horsehead crossing of the Concho River they were attacked and killed by indians. When the bodies were found, the money from the cattle sale was shredded and scattered all around them, the indians not realizing that it was anything of value.
[216] JIM KETCHUM'S LAST STAND
[217] by J. Marvin Hunter
[218]
In the spring of 1867, while a company of United States soldiers of the fourth Cavalry was yet stationed at old Fort Concho, at the mouth of Kiowa Creek, on the main Concho, Jim Ketchum started a large herd of cattle for New Mexico. At that
time to government had rounded up and held as prisoners at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, seven thousand Navajo Indians. These Indians had to be fed, and in order to do this a heavy draft on the Texas ranges became necessary and Texas beef cattle
commanded higher prices when delivered in Fort Sumner. At the same time Ketchum started fall we reached the Hondo River, others set out for the same destination with herds large and small, I being one of the number. We drove our herds slowly,
and in the fall we reached the Hondo River, about where Roswell, New Mexico now stands, and finding water plentiful and range excellent, we wintered there. The next spring we drove to Fort Sumner, where sales were made at satisfactory prices
and prepared for our return to Texas. Among the outfits preparing for the return trip were those of Jim Ketchum, Sam Gholson and others, and to insure safety against Indians during the long journey it was proposed that we all travel together.
Ketchum with two of his friends was ready to start, while the others had not quite finished making preparations for the trip. Pleading urgent demands for his presence at home on the Concho River, and maintaining that he and
[219]
his men were able to cope with any opposition that the Indians' might give along the route, Ketchum and his party started two or three days in advance of us. If I remember correctly, he had no wagons, and being encumbered with only a small
amount of baggage, he depended altogether on one or more pack animals. His most valuable possession, however, was the money which he had received in payment for his cattle, amounting to several thousand dollars, and from what I afterward
learned, most or all of this money was in green-backs, or US currency. In the meantime I had bought two large wagons, known in those days as 'Santa Fe' or Murphy wagons, with three yoke of large steers to each wagon, and with this outfit my
party of five men took up the line of march for home. We had to content ourselves with the sluggish movements of our ox-teams, and hence traveled slowly, but as it happened, we kept within three or four days' travel of Ketchum's party.
Everything had gone fairly well with us until we reached the Mustang Water Hole, near the headwaters of the main Concho river, where we camped over night. The next morning as we resumed out journey, Joe Warren, a member of our party, went out
to kill a buffalo. In a very short time he cam back at great speed yelling at the top of his voice "Indians! Indians! Indians!" However when he reached our little wagon train, he admitted that he had not seen any Indians, but said that while
riding, looking out for game, he had come upon the body of a dead man, evidently murdered by Indians. Two or three of our party volunteered to return with Warren for the prupose of investigating and they soon returned about as badly shaken up
as the man who first made the discovery. They declared that the country was full of Indians, and urgently insisted that we make no halt but keep moving with full speed and get away from there as soon as possible. They had found, first, the
bodies of Jim and John Ketchum, then that of the Donnell boys and a little further on they came upon the corpse of a man named Comperra. They had not touched the bodies, but turned away and fled in order to bring the news to us. On receipt of
this intelligence, we called a halt and went into camp. One or two of Gohlson's men were sent post haste to Fort Concho, and in response to their call, Captain Renderbrook sent a detail under Lt. Thurston to the scene of the tragedy. When the
soldiers reached the place where the men had been killed they found the ground littered with fragments of United States currency bills
[220]
of various denomination. Evidently this was the money, or a part of it, that Mr. Ketchum had received in payment for his cattle, and the Indians, not knowing its value, had torn the bills to pieces and scattered the fragments to the winds.
These fragments were gathered up carefully and afterwards delivered to Mrs. Ketchum, who forwarded them to the Treasury Department at Washington for redemption, but with what success I never knew. All signs and indications showed that Ketchum
and his party had come upon a large band of Indians; that the Indians attacked them, and that in order to escape immediate assassination they had sought the shelter of a small arroya near by, where evidently the attack was concentrated and
where their bodies were found. The final stand of the white men was in a depression at the head of the arroya. Here, it seems they were protected on all sides save at one point, where a small hackberry tree stood, and this point overlooked and
commanded every foot of Ketchum's position. The Indians, apparently, soon discovered this advantage ground, and crawled up under the meagre protection afforded by this small hackberry, poured a deadly fire upon the three men in the arroya,
keeping it up until the last man had fallen. How long the fight lasted will never be known but all signs indicated that an unequal struggle was of long duration. Ketchum and his men were well supplied with ammunition; their guns were of the
best make, and the men behind them were strangers to fear. They concentrated their fire upon the hackberry tree with such accuracy that the tree was actually cut down close to the ground, and the bloodstains at and near the base of the tree
showed that quite a number of the savages were wounded or killed by the Texans' guns. Even after the last of the three men had fallen, the Indians, fearful that a spark of life yet remained, and that some palsied hand might yet send a bullet
into the heart of one of their number, gathered about the brow of the arroya overlooking the point where the bodies lay, and threw stones in such quantities that the corpses were almost covered by these stones. Hundreds of empty shells littered
the ground where the men fell and which with other telling evidence of a cool, calm, life and death struggle, warrant the assertion that it was one of the bravest and most heroic fights ever engaged in by frontiermen in the west. A short time
prior to the killing of Jim Ketchum or soon thereafter, another one of the Ketchums, a brother probably, was murdered by Indians while encamped at Salt Gap, now in McCulloch County, near Melvin. This Mr. Ketchum and two companions were turkey
hunting in the vicinity, and had evidently been discovered by a party of proling Comanchoes. Ketchum and those with him, not suspecting danger, had gone into camp for the night, and at a late hour the Indians had crawled up and fired on them,
fatally wounding Mr. Ketchum while he lay asleep on his pallet. The two men with him, both of whom had also been wounded, agreed to stay with him a offer such defense as was in their power, but he told them it would probably prove a useless
sacrifice of their own lives and urged them to leave him and save themselves, saying he had but a few hours to live. The two men made their way on foot to the Ketchum ranch near the mouth of Brady Creek, and reported the attack; a relief party
was immediately sent out. When the party reached Salt Gap they found Ketchum dead and the Indians evidently had departed immediately after shooting into the camp.
[221] Authors Note:
[222]
Jim Ketchum was survived by a daughter and three grandchildren, all residents of Portales, New Mexico. Will McDaniel, Texanna Beasley and Dallas McDaniel are the names of the surviving grandchildren and his daughter's name is
Isabelle McDaniel.--from B. Spradley
[224]
A second recounting of the death of John Van Buren Ketchum's father is printed below. The information came from Helen Ketchum, wife of John Van Buren Ketchum. Not known if she is the same as Gula Foote Ketchum, or a second wife of John Van
Buren Ketchum
[226] From the WPA American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940:
[227]
Mrs. Helen Ketchum of San Angelo, Texas, wife of the late J. Van Ketchum, tells of Jim Ketchum (Van's father) being killed by the Indians. Eugene McCrohan, (now deceased) one of the early settlers of this country, gave the details of the story
to Mrs. Ketchum. John Van Buren Ketchum was a cousin of Tom Ketchum, the noted outlaw.
[229] "In the spring of 1867, Jim Ketchum started with a large herd of cattle to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The government had seven thousand Navajo Indians imprisoned at Fort Sumner and the range country supplied the beef for the prisoners.
[231] "Other herds gradually joined that of Ketchum, two of those known being [Eugene?] McCrohan and Sam Gholson. They traveled slowly, reaching the Hondo River in New
[233]
Mexico that fall, and finding plenty of water and grass, wintered there with their herds. This camp was about where Roswell now stands. They had no Indian trouble, although there were lots of Indians. A troop of cavalry was stationed at Camp
Charlotte at the head of Kiowa Creek.
[235]
"Having sold the cattle for a satisfactory price, these men prepared to return to their homes. Ketchum and two companions traveled "light" carrying their supplies on pack horses. They left before the others were ready. Mr. McCrohan purchased
two Santa Fe or Murphey wagons, as they were known in those days, and to each of these wagons were hitched three yoke of oxen. Thus, they proceeded on their slow and tedious journey, but always kept within three or four days' travel of Mr.
Ketchum.
[237]
"One morning one of their party was sent out to kill a buffalo. In a short time he came rushing back to the wagons yelling, "Indians! Indians!" but on being questioned, admitted that he had not seen any Indians but had found the body of a man
riddled with bullets. Several men of the party went to investigate, finding the bodies of Ketchum and his two companions, a McDonald boy, and a Mr. Comperry, near what was called the Mustang Waterhole. One of the men rode rapidly to Camp
Charlotte with the news, and a detachment of cavalry
[238] was sent to the scene. The bodies of the men were buried by the soldiers, near the present day town of Tankersley. The graves are still recognizable.
[240]
"The ground and surroundings at the scene of the fight, gave evidence that the three men put up a gallant fight. They took refuge in a small arroyo where they were well protected on three sides. On the open side stood a hackberry tree and the
Indians took advantage of the protection afforded by the tree. So fierce was the gun fire that the tree was cut down. How long the battle lasted will never be known, but the ground was covered with shells. Mr. Ketchum and his companions had a
good supply of ammunition, fine guns, and there were never braver men than those behind the guns.
[242]
"After the men were killed, the Indians had thrown rocks until the bodies were almost covered. The "greenbacks" with which Mr. Ketchum had been paid for his cattle, were torn in pieces and scattered over the ground, the Indians evidently not
realizing its value. The fragments of paper money were gathered up and brought to Mrs. Ketchum who sent them to the United States Treasury for redemption."--B. SpradleyA second recounting of the death of John Van Buren Ketchum's father is
printed below. The information came from Helen Ketchum, wife of John Van Buren Ketchum. Not known if she is the same as Gula Foote Ketchum, or a second wife of John Van Buren Ketchum
[244] From the WPA American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940:
[245]
Mrs. Helen Ketchum of San Angelo, Texas, wife of the late J. Van Ketchum, tells of Jim Ketchum (Van's father) being killed by the Indians. Eugene McCrohan, (now deceased) one of the early settlers of this country, gave the details of the story
to Mrs. Ketchum. John Van Buren Ketchum was a cousin of Tom Ketchum, the noted outlaw.
[247] "In the spring of 1867, Jim Ketchum started with a large herd of cattle to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The government had seven thousand Navajo Indians imprisoned at Fort Sumner and the range country supplied the beef for the prisoners.
[249] "Other herds gradually joined that of Ketchum, two of those known being [Eugene?] McCrohan and Sam Gholson. They traveled slowly, reaching the Hondo River in New
[251]
Mexico that fall, and finding plenty of water and grass, wintered there with their herds. This camp was about where Roswell now stands. They had no Indian trouble, although there were lots of Indians. A troop of cavalry was stationed at Camp
Charlotte at the head of Kiowa Creek.
[253]
"Having sold the cattle for a satisfactory price, these men prepared to return to their homes. Ketchum and two companions traveled "light" carrying their supplies on pack horses. They left before the others were ready. Mr. McCrohan purchased
two Santa Fe or Murphey wagons, as they were known in those days, and to each of these wagons were hitched three yoke of oxen. Thus, they proceeded on their slow and tedious journey, but always kept within three or four days' travel of Mr.
Ketchum.
[255]
"One morning one of their party was sent out to kill a buffalo. In a short time he came rushing back to the wagons yelling, "Indians! Indians!" but on being questioned, admitted that he had not seen any Indians but had found the body of a man
riddled with bullets. Several men of the party went to investigate, finding the bodies of Ketchum and his two companions, a McDonald boy, and a Mr. Comperry, near what was called the Mustang Waterhole. One of the men rode rapidly to Camp
Charlotte with the news, and a detachment of cavalry
[256] was sent to the scene. The bodies of the men were buried by the soldiers, near the present day town of Tankersley. The graves are still recognizable.
[258]
"The ground and surroundings at the scene of the fight, gave evidence that the three men put up a gallant fight. They took refuge in a small arroyo where they were well protected on three sides. On the open side stood a hackberry tree and the
Indians took advantage of the protection afforded by the tree. So fierce was the gun fire that the tree was cut down. How long the battle lasted will never be known, but the ground was covered with shells. Mr. Ketchum and his companions had a
good supply of ammunition, fine guns, and there were never braver men than those behind the guns.
[260]
"After the men were killed, the Indians had thrown rocks until the bodies were almost covered. The "greenbacks" with which Mr. Ketchum had been paid for his cattle, were torn in pieces and scattered over the ground, the Indians evidently not
realizing its value. The fragments of paper money were gathered up and brought to Mrs. Ketchum who sent them to the United States Treasury for redemption."
_John KETCHUM ________________+
| (1830 - 1913) m 1855
_Frank S. KETCHUM _________|
| (1858 - 1945) m 1882 |
| |_Sara Elizabeth MCDONALD _____
| (1837 - 1925) m 1855
|
|--Thomas Franklin KETCHUM
| (1892 - 1980)
| _Nathan Young NOLAND _________
| | (1814 - ....)
|_Parthenia Sedonia NOLAND _|
(1862 - 1943) m 1882 |
|_Sarah Emiline "Sally" CURRY _
[67] SSN--440-10-4440
___________________________
|
_Albert Webster PATRICK ___|
| m 1882 |
| |___________________________
|
|
|--James Malvern PATRICK
| (1901 - ....)
| _Luther Henderson KETCHUM _+
| | (1809 - 1875) m 1862
|_Martha Elizabeth KETCHUM _|
(1865 - 1930) m 1882 |
|_Susan GILLILAND __________
(1841 - 1899) m 1862
_George Washington ROBBINS _
| (1822 - 1905) m 1842
_James Monroe ROBBINS _|
| (1863 - 1950) |
| |_Isabella KETCHUM __________+
| (1825 - 1906) m 1842
|
|--Berthania (Bertha) ROBBINS
|
| ____________________________
| |
|_Laura A. CHERRY ______|
|
|____________________________