 Denison Press Wednesday, December 24, 1958 DEATHS Henry David Barker Funeral services for Henry David Barker, 76, of 1501 W. Woodward, were held at Johnson-Moore Chapel, Tuesday, December 23, 1958, with Dr. Bob N. Ramsay officiating. Interment was in Fairview Cemetery. Mr. Parker died at Madonna Sunday, December 21, at 5:45 a.m., a few hours after being stricken at his home. He was born in Parker County, Texas, the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Barker. His mother's parents were captured by Indians and all murdered except two girls, one of whom became Barker's mother, who was reared by the Comanches. The sister married an Indian Chief..... "The
above obituary alludes to a famous incident in Texas history, which
gained even wider fame after it was loosely dramatized in John Ford's
classic western, The Searchers, starring John Wayne. It was named
the greatest American Western by the American Film Institute in 2008.
A year earlier the American Film Institute ranked it 12th on its
list of 100 greatest American movies.  Lottie Durgin, left, & her sister, Millie Durgin, right Lucas, Donnie A. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 22, 1989. Albany, Texas. The Portal to Texas History. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth393393/. Accessed February 24, 2015. The "Historical Background" section near the middle of Wikipedia's mentions Henry David Barker's aunt, Millie Durgin, by name. Barker's mother was Millie's sister, Charlotte "Lottie" Durgan (also spelled Durgin or Durkin). The two sisters were among captives taken in the Elm Creek raid of 1864. The raiders included both Comanches and Kiowas, but the girls were taken captive by the Kiowas. Although the obituary in The Denison Press says Barker's mother was "reared by the Comanches," she was actually released by the Kiowas after a ransom was paid. Her sister Millie remained with the tribe, because the Kiowas kept her hidden. One version of Millie's story says she died young. Another says she lived to be an old woman. You can read both versions, and see photos of both Lottie and Millie, here: http://rebelcherokee.labdiva.com/milliedurgin.html Lottie married David Barker; they operated the Barker Creamery in Denison, Texas for several years.  Henry David Barker's parents both died young. His father died in New Mexico in 1880 at age 37. Lottie Durgan Barker died in Texas, three years earlier than her husband. She was in her late 20s at the time. Henry David Barker would have been only four or five years old when she died. He was only seven or eight when his father died three years later." Lucas, Donnie A. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 22, 1989. Albany, Texas. The Portal to Texas History. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth393393/. Accessed February 24, 2015.   Kiowa Research Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |