James William Parker | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 4, 1797 |
| Died | 1864 |
| Resting place | Pilgrim Cemetery, Elkhart, Anderson County, Texas |
| Known for |
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| Spouse | 1st Martha Duty 2nd Lavina E. Chaffin |
| Children | Rachel Parker |
| Parent | John Parker Sarah White |
| Relatives | Daniel Parker, Cynthia Ann Parker, John Richard Parker, Peta Nocona, Quanah Parker |
James W. Parker (July 4, 1797 – 1864) was the uncle of Cynthia Ann Parker and the great uncle of Quanah Parker, principal chief of the Comanche. A man of English American descent, he was a member of the large Parker frontier family that settled in east Texas in the 1830s.[1]
Parker was present in 1836 during the raid of Fort Parker by Comanches and allied tribes near present-day Groesbeck, Texas. During that raid, his daughter, Rachel Plummer, his grandson, James Plummer, his niece Cynthia Ann Parker, and his nephew John Richard Parker were kidnapped by a Native American raiding party. Parker made the search for his family a lifetime obsession. For nine years he roamed the Comancheria searching for his lost relatives.[2]
Many historians and Hollywood observers believe that Parker was the inspiration for John Wayne's character Ethan Edwards in the John Ford movie, The Searchers.[3]