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Part of the American
History & Genealogy Project |
Rebecca J. Gilleland Fisher ~ Texas
Mrs. Fisher gives the following facts
regarding her life and harrowing experiences as a daughter of
pioneer parents:
"I was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, August 31, 1831, and came to Texas with my
parents, Johnstone and Mary Gilleland, and two little brothers,
about 1836 or 1837. My father was one of the bravest, most
conscientious and active soldiers of the Republic of Texas, and
had come home for a few days to look after his family when a
cruel death awaited him.
"The day my parents were murdered was one of those days which
youth and old age so much enjoy. It was in strange contrast to
the tragedy at its close. We were only a few rods from the
house. Suddenly the war whoop of the Comanche burst upon our
ears, sending terror to all hearts. My father, in trying to
reach the house for weapons, was shot down, and near him my
mother, clinging to her children and praying God to spare them,
was also murdered. As she pressed us to her heart we were
baptized in her precious blood. We were torn from her dying
embrace and hurried off into captivity, the chiefs wife dragging
me to her horse and clinging to me with a tenacious grip. She
was at first savage and vicious looking, but from some cause her
wicked nature soon relaxed, and folding me in her arms, she
gently smoothed back my hair, indicating that she was very proud
of her suffering victim. A white man with all the cruel
instincts of the savage was with them. Several times they
threatened to cut off our hands and feet if we did not stop
crying. Then the woman, in savage tones and gestures, would
scold, and they would cease their cruel threats. We were
captured just as the sun was setting and were rescued the next
morning.
"During the few hours we were their prisoners, the Indians never
stopped. Slowly and stealthily they pushed their way through the
settlement to avoid detection, and just as they halted for the
first time the soldiers suddenly came upon them, and firing
commenced. As the battle raged, the Indians were forced to take
flight. Thereupon they pierced my little brother through the
body, and, striking me with some sharp instrument on the side of
the head, they left us for dead, but we soon recovered
sufficiently to find ourselves alone in that dark, dense forest,
wounded and covered with blood.
"Having been taught to ask God for all things, we prayed to our
Heavenly Father to take care of us and direct us out of that
lonely place. I lifted my wounded brother, so faint and weak,
and we soon came to the edge of a large prairie, when as far
away as our swimming eyes could see we discovered a company of
horsemen. Supposing them to be Indians, frightened beyond
expression, and trembling under my heavy burden, I rushed back
with him into the woods and hid behind some thick brush. But
those brave men, on the alert, dashing from place to place, at
last discovered us. Soon we heard the clatter of horses' hoofs
and the voices of our rescuers calling us by name, assuring us
they were our friends who had come to take care of us. Lifting
the almost unconscious little sufferer, I carried him out to
them as best I could. With all the tenderness of women, their
eyes suffused with tears, those good men raised us to their
saddles and hurried off to camp, where we received every
attention and kindness that man could bestow.
"I was seven years of age when my parents were murdered. Over
seventy years have passed since then, and yet my heart grows
faint as that awful time passes in review. It is indelibly
stamped upon memory's pages and photographed so deeply upon my
heart that time with all its changes can never erase it."
In 1848 Rebecca J. Gilleland married Rev. Orceneth Fisher, D.D.,
a prominent and distinguished minister of the Methodist Church.
For over sixty years they served the church in Texas and
California, organizing it in Oregon. Dr. Fisher died in Austin,
Texas, some years ago. Mrs. Fisher has been president of many
church associations, was Acting President of the Daughters of
the Republic of Texas for twelve years, and is even yet in the
evening of a long and honored life, surrounded by children,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the distinguished member
or guest of many patriotic clubs and societies.
Women of
America
Source: The Part Taken by Women in
American History, By Mrs. John A. Logan, Published by The Perry-Nalle
Publishing Company, Wilmington, Delaware, 1912.
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