Son of Isaac and Mary Killough
Husband of Ursula - married 1801, Georgia
Father of the following children:
•Jane Killough Wood
•Mary Killough Williams
•Elizabeth Killough
•Allen Killough
•Isaac Allen Killough
•Martha Patsy Killough Byars
•Nathaniel Killough
•Samuel Killough
****************************************
The Life Summary of Isaac
When Isaac Killough was born in 1772, in South Carolina, United States, his father, Isaac Killough, was 32 and his mother, Mary, was 31. He married Mrs. Ursula or Ursey Killough in 1801, in Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 4 daughters. He died on 5 October 1838, in Texas, United States, at the age of 66, and was buried in Cherokee County, Texas, United States.
****************************************
Isaac was the head of several households. In addition to his own family, the group included those of his own sons, Isaac Jr., Samuel, Allen and Nathaniel, as well as the families of his daughters, Jane, the wife of George Wood, and Polly, wife of Owen Williams. Also in the convoy to Texas would be two other Williams boys, Elbert and Kias ("Barakias"). Elizabeth, the seventeen-year-old daughter of Isaac, Sr., was engaged to Kias. They were to marry in Texas.
The group gathered after selling their Alabama land and in 1837 started the six hundred mile trip to Texas. The family had been given land grants in Erath, Commanche, Ford, Hill and Ellis Counties, all of which were still plagued with Indians. After reaching Texas the clan elected to stop in Nacogdoches in the fall of 1837. They located a few miles south of the Neches-Saline, some six miles north of modern Jacksonville and used gold to buy land. The Cherokees of the area had been hospitable during the Texas Revolution and the Killoughs made friends with them. The Kickapoo tribe had a village six miles away, across the Neches River. The Kickapoo, while not overtly hostile, nursed a hatred of white men dating from the War of 1812.
The Killoughs took possession of their new home on December 24, 1837. They set about erecting houses and clearing the land. With the coming of spring, crops were planted and by the middle of summer there were prospects for an unusually good crop. It seemed that all the dreams of the Killoughs were to come true. In August of 1838 the peaceful, pastoral existence was shattered by a mutinous band of Mexican rebels who, with a few renegade Cherokees, were terrorizing the farms west of Nacogdoches. The Killoughs sensed trouble and moved to Nacogdoches.
The Mexicans, former rulers of Texas, were bitter about the loss of power and position. They could not accept the rule of the Anglo, their former servant. Prominent among the Mexicans of Nacogdoches was an intelligent fellow called Vincente Cordova. He was deeply involved in a plot to restore Texas to Mexico. Cordova hoped to incite the East Texas Indians to a rebellion against the whites while simultaneously Mexico would invade from the Rio Grande.
On August 4, 1838, the trouble started. Increased Indian activity was noticed. Friendly Indians were now cool to the white man. A series of skirmishes betrayed the tension. The Texans learned that the Biloxi, Ione, Caddo and Kickapoo tribes were allied in this effort.
President Sam Houston, an old friend of the Indian, arrived in Nacogdoches and issued a proclamation requiring the Mexicans to return to their homes. The Mexicans protested, swearing that they would not molest the Texans. General Houston directed the Texans to withhold action and to honor the Cherokee boundaries.
The Mexicans banded together and set up camp at Chief Bowles' Cherokee village. General Rusk with an army of Texans was in pursuit and the Mexicans hoped for assistance. Some Texas scouts slipped through the Mexican lines and visited the Chief, who promised to remain neutral. The next day Bowles warned the Mexicans that Rusk was near and Cordova fled with his renegade army. When Rusk arrived at the Indian village the rebels had escaped. The Texas army chased them across the Neches-Saline but could not catch them. The soldiers returned home after deciding that the enemy was gone. They were mistaken. Cordova and the Mexicans were in hiding on Caddo Creek, two or three miles north of the Kickapoo village. When next they appeared it would be to attack the Killough family.
The Killoughs assumed that Cordova had fled the territory and that the threat to their homes was over. The planned to return to their farms and save what they could of the harvest and livestock before returning to Nacogdoches. There is some evidence that the Killoughs made an agreement with the Indians that would have permitted them to stay on their land until the "first white frost."
En route to their property the Killoughs met a friendly Indian who warned them of the danger still existing. The Killoughs did not feel the warning was serious or trustworthy and proceeded to their homes. On arrival they found that the fences had been burned and the crops had suffered. There were signs of Indians; however the family felt that it was the Cherokees or other friendly tribes.
Life seemed to return to normal. Except for the fact that the men went armed to gather the harvest, the days passed without event. After a time it seemed that all was well and it was unnecessary to continue with precautions. No hostile Indians had been observed and the nights were tranquil. The Killoughs had a false sense of security, setting the stage for the approaching tragedy.
On the afternoon of October 5, 1838, most of the group started for the cornfield to finish the harvest. As they would be only a short time, they made the mistake of leaving their guns behind. While passing through a swamp, just before reaching the creek, they were suddenly attacked. All present were killed or taken into captivity.
The noise of the shooting alerted the other members of the family; the renegades rapidly spread among the survivors. Nathaniel Killough, who lived on that side of the creek, was watering his horses when he heard the shouts and hurriedly mounted and raced to his home.
He found his wife and baby girl unharmed and rushed them on foot into the cane and waited for the Indians to spend their fury. Later they made their way to the home of a friendly Indian who gave them a horse which they used to reach Lacy's fort and safety.
Isaac, Sr., was killed in his yard. His murderers refused to kill his wife Urcey although she asked them to do so. In broken English, they cursed her and ordered her into the house.
Samuel Killough lived on the northeast side of the creek. When Narcissa, his wife, heard the shooting, she took her year-old son William into her arms and went to see what had happened. Barakias Williams and Jane Killough, wife of Isaac, Jr., joined Narcissa. Together they had gone a short distance with Barakias carrying the baby when Indians approached. As it was apparent that the raiders were after only the men, Barakias handed the baby to his mother and attempted to escape but was killed as he entered the woods.
George Wood secreted his family and started back to his house for food but was discovered and killed. The Indians found his family and they were never heard from again.
Owen Williams and his wife Polly lived on the edge of the settlement. Owen, suffering from rheumatism, was at home with three of the children when the attack began. Polly, with her daughter Elizabeth, was on the way to visit the home of Isaac Sr. when they met Allen Killough's family fleeing the attack. While Elizabeth fled with the others, Polly returned home and found that Elbert had rounded up some horses. After the massacre Elizabeth was never found. Polly, Owen, Elbert and the three children escaped under heavy fire from the Indians and Mexicans.
Eighteen were dead; eight had escaped. It was the largest Indian atrocity in the history of east Texas. At the scene only four Killoughs were alive--Narcissa, her son William, Urcey and Jane Killough. The women attempted to move the body of Isaac, Sr., from the yard into the house. Because of the weight of his body the women were unable to move him and had to cover him with quilts weighted with fence rails.
The helpless women planned their escape. While they were conferring, an Indian known as Dog Shoot approached with two of his fellows. The Indians were not armed; they asked the women to follow them to the chief, Samuel Benge, who was two miles north. Narcissus refused. One Indian became angry, stating that if he had a weapon he would shoot them. Narcissus defiantly advised him to get his gun if that was his intent. After the Indians left, the women hid in the grass at the site of the future Larissa College. They remained until after dark, watching smoke from burning homes and listening to the shouts of the savages.
The bold plan of the women was to strike out for Lacy's Fort, forty miles to the south, over land infested by wild animals and Indians. They remained hidden by day and moved by dark, followed always by a small mongrel dog. There was thus the danger that the barking of the dog or the cries of the baby would betray the brave women. The Indians came close during the journey but the women were never discovered.
After two days and three nights without food the women elected to walk during the daytime. They had gone only a short distance when they were accosted by an armed Indian who ordered them to a nearby hut. As they approached the hut the women could see beyond some two hundred armed savages with war paint, busy killing beef. The women were then attended by a Negro woman who evaded all questions.
The Killough women were fed and an interpreter arrived. He explained that the painted Indians were from a village a mile and a half away. If the women had not been intercepted they would have walked into sudden death. The next morning the refugees were given horses and made their way to Lacy's Fort.
News of the massacre spread like wildfire, creating a sensation. General Thomas J. Rusk issued an urgent call for volunteers to meet at Lacy's Fort to organize a march to the marauders' stronghold. The excitement was so great that in a few days an army of several hundred was ready to go. To keep his movements secret, Rusk left Lacy's Fort at night and moved west across the Neches River heading for Fort Houston. On the way he was joined by reinforcements who had themselves been attacked.
After Rusk arrived at Fort Houston, word came that the enemy was encamped at a Kickapoo village to the northeast. On October 14, 1838, Rusk marched his men out of the fort and by sunset the army had reached the Indian village. Spies had noted his presence and the enemy was warned. The next morning, misty with occasional rain, the rebels opened an attack on the camp of the Texans. Rusk rallied the men, ordered a devastating charge and the rebels fled.
The motley crew of rebels included Caddos, Coushatta, Negroes, Mexicans and possibly some Keechi. There were a few Cherokee renegades and this tribe was blamed for the tragedy at the time. Cordova and his followers left for Mexico. Four years later Cordova was killed at the battle of Salado when he returned to Texas with an invasion force.
After the battle of Kickapoo Nathaniel Killough led General Rusk to the scene of the massacre. They gathered the few bodies that could be found and buried them under a large old oak tree.
Several months after the massacre all of the Indians were removed from East Texas. A few Killoughs returned to their land. Eighty years after the massacre, on October 5, 1918, William B. Killough, the "Child of the Massacre," passed away and was buried at Larissa, only a mile from the scene of the attack.
The Killoughs felt the massacre was instigated by a man named Hawkins whom they had known in Alabama. Indeed, a white man, painted and disguised as an Indian, had been among the raiders. Hawkins returned to Alabama before the Killoughs and was found to be giving out details of the massacre. His part, if any, in the crime is a mystery.
http://kalloch.org/frame_custom4.htm∼
Husband of Ursula - married 1801, Georgia
Father of the following children:
•Jane Killough Wood
•Mary Killough Williams
•Elizabeth Killough
•Allen Killough
•Isaac Allen Killough
•Martha Patsy Killough Byars
•Nathaniel Killough
•Samuel Killough
****************************************
The Life Summary of Isaac
When Isaac Killough was born in 1772, in South Carolina, United States, his father, Isaac Killough, was 32 and his mother, Mary, was 31. He married Mrs. Ursula or Ursey Killough in 1801, in Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 4 daughters. He died on 5 October 1838, in Texas, United States, at the age of 66, and was buried in Cherokee County, Texas, United States.
****************************************
Isaac was the head of several households. In addition to his own family, the group included those of his own sons, Isaac Jr., Samuel, Allen and Nathaniel, as well as the families of his daughters, Jane, the wife of George Wood, and Polly, wife of Owen Williams. Also in the convoy to Texas would be two other Williams boys, Elbert and Kias ("Barakias"). Elizabeth, the seventeen-year-old daughter of Isaac, Sr., was engaged to Kias. They were to marry in Texas.
The group gathered after selling their Alabama land and in 1837 started the six hundred mile trip to Texas. The family had been given land grants in Erath, Commanche, Ford, Hill and Ellis Counties, all of which were still plagued with Indians. After reaching Texas the clan elected to stop in Nacogdoches in the fall of 1837. They located a few miles south of the Neches-Saline, some six miles north of modern Jacksonville and used gold to buy land. The Cherokees of the area had been hospitable during the Texas Revolution and the Killoughs made friends with them. The Kickapoo tribe had a village six miles away, across the Neches River. The Kickapoo, while not overtly hostile, nursed a hatred of white men dating from the War of 1812.
The Killoughs took possession of their new home on December 24, 1837. They set about erecting houses and clearing the land. With the coming of spring, crops were planted and by the middle of summer there were prospects for an unusually good crop. It seemed that all the dreams of the Killoughs were to come true. In August of 1838 the peaceful, pastoral existence was shattered by a mutinous band of Mexican rebels who, with a few renegade Cherokees, were terrorizing the farms west of Nacogdoches. The Killoughs sensed trouble and moved to Nacogdoches.
The Mexicans, former rulers of Texas, were bitter about the loss of power and position. They could not accept the rule of the Anglo, their former servant. Prominent among the Mexicans of Nacogdoches was an intelligent fellow called Vincente Cordova. He was deeply involved in a plot to restore Texas to Mexico. Cordova hoped to incite the East Texas Indians to a rebellion against the whites while simultaneously Mexico would invade from the Rio Grande.
On August 4, 1838, the trouble started. Increased Indian activity was noticed. Friendly Indians were now cool to the white man. A series of skirmishes betrayed the tension. The Texans learned that the Biloxi, Ione, Caddo and Kickapoo tribes were allied in this effort.
President Sam Houston, an old friend of the Indian, arrived in Nacogdoches and issued a proclamation requiring the Mexicans to return to their homes. The Mexicans protested, swearing that they would not molest the Texans. General Houston directed the Texans to withhold action and to honor the Cherokee boundaries.
The Mexicans banded together and set up camp at Chief Bowles' Cherokee village. General Rusk with an army of Texans was in pursuit and the Mexicans hoped for assistance. Some Texas scouts slipped through the Mexican lines and visited the Chief, who promised to remain neutral. The next day Bowles warned the Mexicans that Rusk was near and Cordova fled with his renegade army. When Rusk arrived at the Indian village the rebels had escaped. The Texas army chased them across the Neches-Saline but could not catch them. The soldiers returned home after deciding that the enemy was gone. They were mistaken. Cordova and the Mexicans were in hiding on Caddo Creek, two or three miles north of the Kickapoo village. When next they appeared it would be to attack the Killough family.
The Killoughs assumed that Cordova had fled the territory and that the threat to their homes was over. The planned to return to their farms and save what they could of the harvest and livestock before returning to Nacogdoches. There is some evidence that the Killoughs made an agreement with the Indians that would have permitted them to stay on their land until the "first white frost."
En route to their property the Killoughs met a friendly Indian who warned them of the danger still existing. The Killoughs did not feel the warning was serious or trustworthy and proceeded to their homes. On arrival they found that the fences had been burned and the crops had suffered. There were signs of Indians; however the family felt that it was the Cherokees or other friendly tribes.
Life seemed to return to normal. Except for the fact that the men went armed to gather the harvest, the days passed without event. After a time it seemed that all was well and it was unnecessary to continue with precautions. No hostile Indians had been observed and the nights were tranquil. The Killoughs had a false sense of security, setting the stage for the approaching tragedy.
On the afternoon of October 5, 1838, most of the group started for the cornfield to finish the harvest. As they would be only a short time, they made the mistake of leaving their guns behind. While passing through a swamp, just before reaching the creek, they were suddenly attacked. All present were killed or taken into captivity.
The noise of the shooting alerted the other members of the family; the renegades rapidly spread among the survivors. Nathaniel Killough, who lived on that side of the creek, was watering his horses when he heard the shouts and hurriedly mounted and raced to his home.
He found his wife and baby girl unharmed and rushed them on foot into the cane and waited for the Indians to spend their fury. Later they made their way to the home of a friendly Indian who gave them a horse which they used to reach Lacy's fort and safety.
Isaac, Sr., was killed in his yard. His murderers refused to kill his wife Urcey although she asked them to do so. In broken English, they cursed her and ordered her into the house.
Samuel Killough lived on the northeast side of the creek. When Narcissa, his wife, heard the shooting, she took her year-old son William into her arms and went to see what had happened. Barakias Williams and Jane Killough, wife of Isaac, Jr., joined Narcissa. Together they had gone a short distance with Barakias carrying the baby when Indians approached. As it was apparent that the raiders were after only the men, Barakias handed the baby to his mother and attempted to escape but was killed as he entered the woods.
George Wood secreted his family and started back to his house for food but was discovered and killed. The Indians found his family and they were never heard from again.
Owen Williams and his wife Polly lived on the edge of the settlement. Owen, suffering from rheumatism, was at home with three of the children when the attack began. Polly, with her daughter Elizabeth, was on the way to visit the home of Isaac Sr. when they met Allen Killough's family fleeing the attack. While Elizabeth fled with the others, Polly returned home and found that Elbert had rounded up some horses. After the massacre Elizabeth was never found. Polly, Owen, Elbert and the three children escaped under heavy fire from the Indians and Mexicans.
Eighteen were dead; eight had escaped. It was the largest Indian atrocity in the history of east Texas. At the scene only four Killoughs were alive--Narcissa, her son William, Urcey and Jane Killough. The women attempted to move the body of Isaac, Sr., from the yard into the house. Because of the weight of his body the women were unable to move him and had to cover him with quilts weighted with fence rails.
The helpless women planned their escape. While they were conferring, an Indian known as Dog Shoot approached with two of his fellows. The Indians were not armed; they asked the women to follow them to the chief, Samuel Benge, who was two miles north. Narcissus refused. One Indian became angry, stating that if he had a weapon he would shoot them. Narcissus defiantly advised him to get his gun if that was his intent. After the Indians left, the women hid in the grass at the site of the future Larissa College. They remained until after dark, watching smoke from burning homes and listening to the shouts of the savages.
The bold plan of the women was to strike out for Lacy's Fort, forty miles to the south, over land infested by wild animals and Indians. They remained hidden by day and moved by dark, followed always by a small mongrel dog. There was thus the danger that the barking of the dog or the cries of the baby would betray the brave women. The Indians came close during the journey but the women were never discovered.
After two days and three nights without food the women elected to walk during the daytime. They had gone only a short distance when they were accosted by an armed Indian who ordered them to a nearby hut. As they approached the hut the women could see beyond some two hundred armed savages with war paint, busy killing beef. The women were then attended by a Negro woman who evaded all questions.
The Killough women were fed and an interpreter arrived. He explained that the painted Indians were from a village a mile and a half away. If the women had not been intercepted they would have walked into sudden death. The next morning the refugees were given horses and made their way to Lacy's Fort.
News of the massacre spread like wildfire, creating a sensation. General Thomas J. Rusk issued an urgent call for volunteers to meet at Lacy's Fort to organize a march to the marauders' stronghold. The excitement was so great that in a few days an army of several hundred was ready to go. To keep his movements secret, Rusk left Lacy's Fort at night and moved west across the Neches River heading for Fort Houston. On the way he was joined by reinforcements who had themselves been attacked.
After Rusk arrived at Fort Houston, word came that the enemy was encamped at a Kickapoo village to the northeast. On October 14, 1838, Rusk marched his men out of the fort and by sunset the army had reached the Indian village. Spies had noted his presence and the enemy was warned. The next morning, misty with occasional rain, the rebels opened an attack on the camp of the Texans. Rusk rallied the men, ordered a devastating charge and the rebels fled.
The motley crew of rebels included Caddos, Coushatta, Negroes, Mexicans and possibly some Keechi. There were a few Cherokee renegades and this tribe was blamed for the tragedy at the time. Cordova and his followers left for Mexico. Four years later Cordova was killed at the battle of Salado when he returned to Texas with an invasion force.
After the battle of Kickapoo Nathaniel Killough led General Rusk to the scene of the massacre. They gathered the few bodies that could be found and buried them under a large old oak tree.
Several months after the massacre all of the Indians were removed from East Texas. A few Killoughs returned to their land. Eighty years after the massacre, on October 5, 1918, William B. Killough, the "Child of the Massacre," passed away and was buried at Larissa, only a mile from the scene of the attack.
The Killoughs felt the massacre was instigated by a man named Hawkins whom they had known in Alabama. Indeed, a white man, painted and disguised as an Indian, had been among the raiders. Hawkins returned to Alabama before the Killoughs and was found to be giving out details of the massacre. His part, if any, in the crime is a mystery.
http://kalloch.org/frame_custom4.htm∼
Son of Isaac and Mary Killough
Husband of Ursula - married 1801, Georgia
Father of the following children:
•Jane Killough Wood
•Mary Killough Williams
•Elizabeth Killough
•Allen Killough
•Isaac Allen Killough
•Martha Patsy Killough Byars
•Nathaniel Killough
•Samuel Killough
****************************************
The Life Summary of Isaac
When Isaac Killough was born in 1772, in South Carolina, United States, his father, Isaac Killough, was 32 and his mother, Mary, was 31. He married Mrs. Ursula or Ursey Killough in 1801, in Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 4 daughters. He died on 5 October 1838, in Texas, United States, at the age of 66, and was buried in Cherokee County, Texas, United States.
****************************************
Isaac was the head of several households. In addition to his own family, the group included those of his own sons, Isaac Jr., Samuel, Allen and Nathaniel, as well as the families of his daughters, Jane, the wife of George Wood, and Polly, wife of Owen Williams. Also in the convoy to Texas would be two other Williams boys, Elbert and Kias ("Barakias"). Elizabeth, the seventeen-year-old daughter of Isaac, Sr., was engaged to Kias. They were to marry in Texas.
The group gathered after selling their Alabama land and in 1837 started the six hundred mile trip to Texas. The family had been given land grants in Erath, Commanche, Ford, Hill and Ellis Counties, all of which were still plagued with Indians. After reaching Texas the clan elected to stop in Nacogdoches in the fall of 1837. They located a few miles south of the Neches-Saline, some six miles north of modern Jacksonville and used gold to buy land. The Cherokees of the area had been hospitable during the Texas Revolution and the Killoughs made friends with them. The Kickapoo tribe had a village six miles away, across the Neches River. The Kickapoo, while not overtly hostile, nursed a hatred of white men dating from the War of 1812.
The Killoughs took possession of their new home on December 24, 1837. They set about erecting houses and clearing the land. With the coming of spring, crops were planted and by the middle of summer there were prospects for an unusually good crop. It seemed that all the dreams of the Killoughs were to come true. In August of 1838 the peaceful, pastoral existence was shattered by a mutinous band of Mexican rebels who, with a few renegade Cherokees, were terrorizing the farms west of Nacogdoches. The Killoughs sensed trouble and moved to Nacogdoches.
The Mexicans, former rulers of Texas, were bitter about the loss of power and position. They could not accept the rule of the Anglo, their former servant. Prominent among the Mexicans of Nacogdoches was an intelligent fellow called Vincente Cordova. He was deeply involved in a plot to restore Texas to Mexico. Cordova hoped to incite the East Texas Indians to a rebellion against the whites while simultaneously Mexico would invade from the Rio Grande.
On August 4, 1838, the trouble started. Increased Indian activity was noticed. Friendly Indians were now cool to the white man. A series of skirmishes betrayed the tension. The Texans learned that the Biloxi, Ione, Caddo and Kickapoo tribes were allied in this effort.
President Sam Houston, an old friend of the Indian, arrived in Nacogdoches and issued a proclamation requiring the Mexicans to return to their homes. The Mexicans protested, swearing that they would not molest the Texans. General Houston directed the Texans to withhold action and to honor the Cherokee boundaries.
The Mexicans banded together and set up camp at Chief Bowles' Cherokee village. General Rusk with an army of Texans was in pursuit and the Mexicans hoped for assistance. Some Texas scouts slipped through the Mexican lines and visited the Chief, who promised to remain neutral. The next day Bowles warned the Mexicans that Rusk was near and Cordova fled with his renegade army. When Rusk arrived at the Indian village the rebels had escaped. The Texas army chased them across the Neches-Saline but could not catch them. The soldiers returned home after deciding that the enemy was gone. They were mistaken. Cordova and the Mexicans were in hiding on Caddo Creek, two or three miles north of the Kickapoo village. When next they appeared it would be to attack the Killough family.
The Killoughs assumed that Cordova had fled the territory and that the threat to their homes was over. The planned to return to their farms and save what they could of the harvest and livestock before returning to Nacogdoches. There is some evidence that the Killoughs made an agreement with the Indians that would have permitted them to stay on their land until the "first white frost."
En route to their property the Killoughs met a friendly Indian who warned them of the danger still existing. The Killoughs did not feel the warning was serious or trustworthy and proceeded to their homes. On arrival they found that the fences had been burned and the crops had suffered. There were signs of Indians; however the family felt that it was the Cherokees or other friendly tribes.
Life seemed to return to normal. Except for the fact that the men went armed to gather the harvest, the days passed without event. After a time it seemed that all was well and it was unnecessary to continue with precautions. No hostile Indians had been observed and the nights were tranquil. The Killoughs had a false sense of security, setting the stage for the approaching tragedy.
On the afternoon of October 5, 1838, most of the group started for the cornfield to finish the harvest. As they would be only a short time, they made the mistake of leaving their guns behind. While passing through a swamp, just before reaching the creek, they were suddenly attacked. All present were killed or taken into captivity.
The noise of the shooting alerted the other members of the family; the renegades rapidly spread among the survivors. Nathaniel Killough, who lived on that side of the creek, was watering his horses when he heard the shouts and hurriedly mounted and raced to his home.
He found his wife and baby girl unharmed and rushed them on foot into the cane and waited for the Indians to spend their fury. Later they made their way to the home of a friendly Indian who gave them a horse which they used to reach Lacy's fort and safety.
Isaac, Sr., was killed in his yard. His murderers refused to kill his wife Urcey although she asked them to do so. In broken English, they cursed her and ordered her into the house.
Samuel Killough lived on the northeast side of the creek. When Narcissa, his wife, heard the shooting, she took her year-old son William into her arms and went to see what had happened. Barakias Williams and Jane Killough, wife of Isaac, Jr., joined Narcissa. Together they had gone a short distance with Barakias carrying the baby when Indians approached. As it was apparent that the raiders were after only the men, Barakias handed the baby to his mother and attempted to escape but was killed as he entered the woods.
George Wood secreted his family and started back to his house for food but was discovered and killed. The Indians found his family and they were never heard from again.
Owen Williams and his wife Polly lived on the edge of the settlement. Owen, suffering from rheumatism, was at home with three of the children when the attack began. Polly, with her daughter Elizabeth, was on the way to visit the home of Isaac Sr. when they met Allen Killough's family fleeing the attack. While Elizabeth fled with the others, Polly returned home and found that Elbert had rounded up some horses. After the massacre Elizabeth was never found. Polly, Owen, Elbert and the three children escaped under heavy fire from the Indians and Mexicans.
Eighteen were dead; eight had escaped. It was the largest Indian atrocity in the history of east Texas. At the scene only four Killoughs were alive--Narcissa, her son William, Urcey and Jane Killough. The women attempted to move the body of Isaac, Sr., from the yard into the house. Because of the weight of his body the women were unable to move him and had to cover him with quilts weighted with fence rails.
The helpless women planned their escape. While they were conferring, an Indian known as Dog Shoot approached with two of his fellows. The Indians were not armed; they asked the women to follow them to the chief, Samuel Benge, who was two miles north. Narcissus refused. One Indian became angry, stating that if he had a weapon he would shoot them. Narcissus defiantly advised him to get his gun if that was his intent. After the Indians left, the women hid in the grass at the site of the future Larissa College. They remained until after dark, watching smoke from burning homes and listening to the shouts of the savages.
The bold plan of the women was to strike out for Lacy's Fort, forty miles to the south, over land infested by wild animals and Indians. They remained hidden by day and moved by dark, followed always by a small mongrel dog. There was thus the danger that the barking of the dog or the cries of the baby would betray the brave women. The Indians came close during the journey but the women were never discovered.
After two days and three nights without food the women elected to walk during the daytime. They had gone only a short distance when they were accosted by an armed Indian who ordered them to a nearby hut. As they approached the hut the women could see beyond some two hundred armed savages with war paint, busy killing beef. The women were then attended by a Negro woman who evaded all questions.
The Killough women were fed and an interpreter arrived. He explained that the painted Indians were from a village a mile and a half away. If the women had not been intercepted they would have walked into sudden death. The next morning the refugees were given horses and made their way to Lacy's Fort.
News of the massacre spread like wildfire, creating a sensation. General Thomas J. Rusk issued an urgent call for volunteers to meet at Lacy's Fort to organize a march to the marauders' stronghold. The excitement was so great that in a few days an army of several hundred was ready to go. To keep his movements secret, Rusk left Lacy's Fort at night and moved west across the Neches River heading for Fort Houston. On the way he was joined by reinforcements who had themselves been attacked.
After Rusk arrived at Fort Houston, word came that the enemy was encamped at a Kickapoo village to the northeast. On October 14, 1838, Rusk marched his men out of the fort and by sunset the army had reached the Indian village. Spies had noted his presence and the enemy was warned. The next morning, misty with occasional rain, the rebels opened an attack on the camp of the Texans. Rusk rallied the men, ordered a devastating charge and the rebels fled.
The motley crew of rebels included Caddos, Coushatta, Negroes, Mexicans and possibly some Keechi. There were a few Cherokee renegades and this tribe was blamed for the tragedy at the time. Cordova and his followers left for Mexico. Four years later Cordova was killed at the battle of Salado when he returned to Texas with an invasion force.
After the battle of Kickapoo Nathaniel Killough led General Rusk to the scene of the massacre. They gathered the few bodies that could be found and buried them under a large old oak tree.
Several months after the massacre all of the Indians were removed from East Texas. A few Killoughs returned to their land. Eighty years after the massacre, on October 5, 1918, William B. Killough, the "Child of the Massacre," passed away and was buried at Larissa, only a mile from the scene of the attack.
The Killoughs felt the massacre was instigated by a man named Hawkins whom they had known in Alabama. Indeed, a white man, painted and disguised as an Indian, had been among the raiders. Hawkins returned to Alabama before the Killoughs and was found to be giving out details of the massacre. His part, if any, in the crime is a mystery.
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Husband of Ursula - married 1801, Georgia
Father of the following children:
•Jane Killough Wood
•Mary Killough Williams
•Elizabeth Killough
•Allen Killough
•Isaac Allen Killough
•Martha Patsy Killough Byars
•Nathaniel Killough
•Samuel Killough
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The Life Summary of Isaac
When Isaac Killough was born in 1772, in South Carolina, United States, his father, Isaac Killough, was 32 and his mother, Mary, was 31. He married Mrs. Ursula or Ursey Killough in 1801, in Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 4 daughters. He died on 5 October 1838, in Texas, United States, at the age of 66, and was buried in Cherokee County, Texas, United States.
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Isaac was the head of several households. In addition to his own family, the group included those of his own sons, Isaac Jr., Samuel, Allen and Nathaniel, as well as the families of his daughters, Jane, the wife of George Wood, and Polly, wife of Owen Williams. Also in the convoy to Texas would be two other Williams boys, Elbert and Kias ("Barakias"). Elizabeth, the seventeen-year-old daughter of Isaac, Sr., was engaged to Kias. They were to marry in Texas.
The group gathered after selling their Alabama land and in 1837 started the six hundred mile trip to Texas. The family had been given land grants in Erath, Commanche, Ford, Hill and Ellis Counties, all of which were still plagued with Indians. After reaching Texas the clan elected to stop in Nacogdoches in the fall of 1837. They located a few miles south of the Neches-Saline, some six miles north of modern Jacksonville and used gold to buy land. The Cherokees of the area had been hospitable during the Texas Revolution and the Killoughs made friends with them. The Kickapoo tribe had a village six miles away, across the Neches River. The Kickapoo, while not overtly hostile, nursed a hatred of white men dating from the War of 1812.
The Killoughs took possession of their new home on December 24, 1837. They set about erecting houses and clearing the land. With the coming of spring, crops were planted and by the middle of summer there were prospects for an unusually good crop. It seemed that all the dreams of the Killoughs were to come true. In August of 1838 the peaceful, pastoral existence was shattered by a mutinous band of Mexican rebels who, with a few renegade Cherokees, were terrorizing the farms west of Nacogdoches. The Killoughs sensed trouble and moved to Nacogdoches.
The Mexicans, former rulers of Texas, were bitter about the loss of power and position. They could not accept the rule of the Anglo, their former servant. Prominent among the Mexicans of Nacogdoches was an intelligent fellow called Vincente Cordova. He was deeply involved in a plot to restore Texas to Mexico. Cordova hoped to incite the East Texas Indians to a rebellion against the whites while simultaneously Mexico would invade from the Rio Grande.
On August 4, 1838, the trouble started. Increased Indian activity was noticed. Friendly Indians were now cool to the white man. A series of skirmishes betrayed the tension. The Texans learned that the Biloxi, Ione, Caddo and Kickapoo tribes were allied in this effort.
President Sam Houston, an old friend of the Indian, arrived in Nacogdoches and issued a proclamation requiring the Mexicans to return to their homes. The Mexicans protested, swearing that they would not molest the Texans. General Houston directed the Texans to withhold action and to honor the Cherokee boundaries.
The Mexicans banded together and set up camp at Chief Bowles' Cherokee village. General Rusk with an army of Texans was in pursuit and the Mexicans hoped for assistance. Some Texas scouts slipped through the Mexican lines and visited the Chief, who promised to remain neutral. The next day Bowles warned the Mexicans that Rusk was near and Cordova fled with his renegade army. When Rusk arrived at the Indian village the rebels had escaped. The Texas army chased them across the Neches-Saline but could not catch them. The soldiers returned home after deciding that the enemy was gone. They were mistaken. Cordova and the Mexicans were in hiding on Caddo Creek, two or three miles north of the Kickapoo village. When next they appeared it would be to attack the Killough family.
The Killoughs assumed that Cordova had fled the territory and that the threat to their homes was over. The planned to return to their farms and save what they could of the harvest and livestock before returning to Nacogdoches. There is some evidence that the Killoughs made an agreement with the Indians that would have permitted them to stay on their land until the "first white frost."
En route to their property the Killoughs met a friendly Indian who warned them of the danger still existing. The Killoughs did not feel the warning was serious or trustworthy and proceeded to their homes. On arrival they found that the fences had been burned and the crops had suffered. There were signs of Indians; however the family felt that it was the Cherokees or other friendly tribes.
Life seemed to return to normal. Except for the fact that the men went armed to gather the harvest, the days passed without event. After a time it seemed that all was well and it was unnecessary to continue with precautions. No hostile Indians had been observed and the nights were tranquil. The Killoughs had a false sense of security, setting the stage for the approaching tragedy.
On the afternoon of October 5, 1838, most of the group started for the cornfield to finish the harvest. As they would be only a short time, they made the mistake of leaving their guns behind. While passing through a swamp, just before reaching the creek, they were suddenly attacked. All present were killed or taken into captivity.
The noise of the shooting alerted the other members of the family; the renegades rapidly spread among the survivors. Nathaniel Killough, who lived on that side of the creek, was watering his horses when he heard the shouts and hurriedly mounted and raced to his home.
He found his wife and baby girl unharmed and rushed them on foot into the cane and waited for the Indians to spend their fury. Later they made their way to the home of a friendly Indian who gave them a horse which they used to reach Lacy's fort and safety.
Isaac, Sr., was killed in his yard. His murderers refused to kill his wife Urcey although she asked them to do so. In broken English, they cursed her and ordered her into the house.
Samuel Killough lived on the northeast side of the creek. When Narcissa, his wife, heard the shooting, she took her year-old son William into her arms and went to see what had happened. Barakias Williams and Jane Killough, wife of Isaac, Jr., joined Narcissa. Together they had gone a short distance with Barakias carrying the baby when Indians approached. As it was apparent that the raiders were after only the men, Barakias handed the baby to his mother and attempted to escape but was killed as he entered the woods.
George Wood secreted his family and started back to his house for food but was discovered and killed. The Indians found his family and they were never heard from again.
Owen Williams and his wife Polly lived on the edge of the settlement. Owen, suffering from rheumatism, was at home with three of the children when the attack began. Polly, with her daughter Elizabeth, was on the way to visit the home of Isaac Sr. when they met Allen Killough's family fleeing the attack. While Elizabeth fled with the others, Polly returned home and found that Elbert had rounded up some horses. After the massacre Elizabeth was never found. Polly, Owen, Elbert and the three children escaped under heavy fire from the Indians and Mexicans.
Eighteen were dead; eight had escaped. It was the largest Indian atrocity in the history of east Texas. At the scene only four Killoughs were alive--Narcissa, her son William, Urcey and Jane Killough. The women attempted to move the body of Isaac, Sr., from the yard into the house. Because of the weight of his body the women were unable to move him and had to cover him with quilts weighted with fence rails.
The helpless women planned their escape. While they were conferring, an Indian known as Dog Shoot approached with two of his fellows. The Indians were not armed; they asked the women to follow them to the chief, Samuel Benge, who was two miles north. Narcissus refused. One Indian became angry, stating that if he had a weapon he would shoot them. Narcissus defiantly advised him to get his gun if that was his intent. After the Indians left, the women hid in the grass at the site of the future Larissa College. They remained until after dark, watching smoke from burning homes and listening to the shouts of the savages.
The bold plan of the women was to strike out for Lacy's Fort, forty miles to the south, over land infested by wild animals and Indians. They remained hidden by day and moved by dark, followed always by a small mongrel dog. There was thus the danger that the barking of the dog or the cries of the baby would betray the brave women. The Indians came close during the journey but the women were never discovered.
After two days and three nights without food the women elected to walk during the daytime. They had gone only a short distance when they were accosted by an armed Indian who ordered them to a nearby hut. As they approached the hut the women could see beyond some two hundred armed savages with war paint, busy killing beef. The women were then attended by a Negro woman who evaded all questions.
The Killough women were fed and an interpreter arrived. He explained that the painted Indians were from a village a mile and a half away. If the women had not been intercepted they would have walked into sudden death. The next morning the refugees were given horses and made their way to Lacy's Fort.
News of the massacre spread like wildfire, creating a sensation. General Thomas J. Rusk issued an urgent call for volunteers to meet at Lacy's Fort to organize a march to the marauders' stronghold. The excitement was so great that in a few days an army of several hundred was ready to go. To keep his movements secret, Rusk left Lacy's Fort at night and moved west across the Neches River heading for Fort Houston. On the way he was joined by reinforcements who had themselves been attacked.
After Rusk arrived at Fort Houston, word came that the enemy was encamped at a Kickapoo village to the northeast. On October 14, 1838, Rusk marched his men out of the fort and by sunset the army had reached the Indian village. Spies had noted his presence and the enemy was warned. The next morning, misty with occasional rain, the rebels opened an attack on the camp of the Texans. Rusk rallied the men, ordered a devastating charge and the rebels fled.
The motley crew of rebels included Caddos, Coushatta, Negroes, Mexicans and possibly some Keechi. There were a few Cherokee renegades and this tribe was blamed for the tragedy at the time. Cordova and his followers left for Mexico. Four years later Cordova was killed at the battle of Salado when he returned to Texas with an invasion force.
After the battle of Kickapoo Nathaniel Killough led General Rusk to the scene of the massacre. They gathered the few bodies that could be found and buried them under a large old oak tree.
Several months after the massacre all of the Indians were removed from East Texas. A few Killoughs returned to their land. Eighty years after the massacre, on October 5, 1918, William B. Killough, the "Child of the Massacre," passed away and was buried at Larissa, only a mile from the scene of the attack.
The Killoughs felt the massacre was instigated by a man named Hawkins whom they had known in Alabama. Indeed, a white man, painted and disguised as an Indian, had been among the raiders. Hawkins returned to Alabama before the Killoughs and was found to be giving out details of the massacre. His part, if any, in the crime is a mystery.
http://kalloch.org/frame_custom4.htm∼
