Find A Grave contributor Scott Black 47594179
Clara was the daughter of William and Harriet Bosley Harrington, proprietors of Perrysburg's Baird House Hotel. She was their third child of seven children. Dark haired, petite, and quite pretty, Clara married Richard Blinn 12 August 1865 in Sandusky County, Ohio. The young couple, their toddler son, Willie, and several other Blinn family members moved to Colorado, traveling first by train and then by mule and wagon. When they arrived at their destination, they tried their hand at ranching and then ran a stage coach station. When neither venture worked, they decided to relocate to Kansas to be nearer to Clara's parents. An eight-wagon train was organized, guarded by ten men including Clara's husband Richard, and with Clara and Willie traveling in the supply wagon, they set out for Fort Dodge, Kansas. Tragedy struck when a party of nearly seventy-five Indians attacked, wounding one man, and capturing Clara and three-year-old Willie. During her captivity, Clara smuggled a note to Richard begging him to save them. She was fearful of being sold into slavery in Mexico, and Willie was starving. In spite of the best efforts to save them, their bodies were found in an abandoned Indian camp near the Washita River.
From Old History Buff: "Clara and her son Willie were killed in what would become Oklahoma, at the battle of Washita. They were prisioners of the Indians at the time, having been captured earlier in eastern Colorado. Their bodies were recovered by Custer and the 7th Cavalry. The two were first buried at Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory."
From Tom Todd: "Only Richard is actually buried in this (Fort Meigs)grave. Clara and Willie were both originally buried in the cemetery at Fort Arbuckle, Oklahoma on Christmas Day, 1868. General Philip H. Sheridan removed the hem of Clara's dress and a lock of Willie's hair. He gave those items to Richard. After the army abandoned Fort Arbuckle in 1870, the army reinterred all the bodies in the cemetery at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The tombstone in Perrysburg serves as an epitaph for mother and son."
There is a booklet written by John Lambertson. Franklin County Historical Society, Ottawa, Kansas.
Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University has the Richard Blinn Diary Transcript.
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Mrs. Blinn and her son Willie were captives of the Kiowa when Custer attacked the Cheyenne village of Black Kettle. Several weeks later the Army returned to try and locate the bodies of Major Elliott and his troop. They did and went on to the Kiowa camp 2 miles down stream. The Village was abandoned and the bodies of Mrs. Blinn and her child were discovered. Their bodies were taken to Ft. Arbuckle for burial along with Maj. Elliott.
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This is a Cenotaph. View burial and family links at ACTUAL BURIAL HERE.
View another Cenotaph HERE.
Clara was the daughter of William and Harriet Bosley Harrington, proprietors of Perrysburg's Baird House Hotel. She was their third child of seven children. Dark haired, petite, and quite pretty, Clara married Richard Blinn 12 August 1865 in Sandusky County, Ohio. The young couple, their toddler son, Willie, and several other Blinn family members moved to Colorado, traveling first by train and then by mule and wagon. When they arrived at their destination, they tried their hand at ranching and then ran a stage coach station. When neither venture worked, they decided to relocate to Kansas to be nearer to Clara's parents. An eight-wagon train was organized, guarded by ten men including Clara's husband Richard, and with Clara and Willie traveling in the supply wagon, they set out for Fort Dodge, Kansas. Tragedy struck when a party of nearly seventy-five Indians attacked, wounding one man, and capturing Clara and three-year-old Willie. During her captivity, Clara smuggled a note to Richard begging him to save them. She was fearful of being sold into slavery in Mexico, and Willie was starving. In spite of the best efforts to save them, their bodies were found in an abandoned Indian camp near the Washita River.
From Old History Buff: "Clara and her son Willie were killed in what would become Oklahoma, at the battle of Washita. They were prisioners of the Indians at the time, having been captured earlier in eastern Colorado. Their bodies were recovered by Custer and the 7th Cavalry. The two were first buried at Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory."
From Tom Todd: "Only Richard is actually buried in this (Fort Meigs)grave. Clara and Willie were both originally buried in the cemetery at Fort Arbuckle, Oklahoma on Christmas Day, 1868. General Philip H. Sheridan removed the hem of Clara's dress and a lock of Willie's hair. He gave those items to Richard. After the army abandoned Fort Arbuckle in 1870, the army reinterred all the bodies in the cemetery at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The tombstone in Perrysburg serves as an epitaph for mother and son."
There is a booklet written by John Lambertson. Franklin County Historical Society, Ottawa, Kansas.
Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University has the Richard Blinn Diary Transcript.
-------------------------
Mrs. Blinn and her son Willie were captives of the Kiowa when Custer attacked the Cheyenne village of Black Kettle. Several weeks later the Army returned to try and locate the bodies of Major Elliott and his troop. They did and went on to the Kiowa camp 2 miles down stream. The Village was abandoned and the bodies of Mrs. Blinn and her child were discovered. Their bodies were taken to Ft. Arbuckle for burial along with Maj. Elliott.
~
This is a Cenotaph. View burial and family links at ACTUAL BURIAL HERE.
View another Cenotaph HERE.
Find A Grave contributor Scott Black 47594179
Clara was the daughter of William and Harriet Bosley Harrington, proprietors of Perrysburg's Baird House Hotel. She was their third child of seven children. Dark haired, petite, and quite pretty, Clara married Richard Blinn 12 August 1865 in Sandusky County, Ohio. The young couple, their toddler son, Willie, and several other Blinn family members moved to Colorado, traveling first by train and then by mule and wagon. When they arrived at their destination, they tried their hand at ranching and then ran a stage coach station. When neither venture worked, they decided to relocate to Kansas to be nearer to Clara's parents. An eight-wagon train was organized, guarded by ten men including Clara's husband Richard, and with Clara and Willie traveling in the supply wagon, they set out for Fort Dodge, Kansas. Tragedy struck when a party of nearly seventy-five Indians attacked, wounding one man, and capturing Clara and three-year-old Willie. During her captivity, Clara smuggled a note to Richard begging him to save them. She was fearful of being sold into slavery in Mexico, and Willie was starving. In spite of the best efforts to save them, their bodies were found in an abandoned Indian camp near the Washita River.
From Old History Buff: "Clara and her son Willie were killed in what would become Oklahoma, at the battle of Washita. They were prisioners of the Indians at the time, having been captured earlier in eastern Colorado. Their bodies were recovered by Custer and the 7th Cavalry. The two were first buried at Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory."
From Tom Todd: "Only Richard is actually buried in this (Fort Meigs)grave. Clara and Willie were both originally buried in the cemetery at Fort Arbuckle, Oklahoma on Christmas Day, 1868. General Philip H. Sheridan removed the hem of Clara's dress and a lock of Willie's hair. He gave those items to Richard. After the army abandoned Fort Arbuckle in 1870, the army reinterred all the bodies in the cemetery at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The tombstone in Perrysburg serves as an epitaph for mother and son."
There is a booklet written by John Lambertson. Franklin County Historical Society, Ottawa, Kansas.
Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University has the Richard Blinn Diary Transcript.
-------------------------
Mrs. Blinn and her son Willie were captives of the Kiowa when Custer attacked the Cheyenne village of Black Kettle. Several weeks later the Army returned to try and locate the bodies of Major Elliott and his troop. They did and went on to the Kiowa camp 2 miles down stream. The Village was abandoned and the bodies of Mrs. Blinn and her child were discovered. Their bodies were taken to Ft. Arbuckle for burial along with Maj. Elliott.
~
This is a Cenotaph. View burial and family links at ACTUAL BURIAL HERE.
View another Cenotaph HERE.
Clara was the daughter of William and Harriet Bosley Harrington, proprietors of Perrysburg's Baird House Hotel. She was their third child of seven children. Dark haired, petite, and quite pretty, Clara married Richard Blinn 12 August 1865 in Sandusky County, Ohio. The young couple, their toddler son, Willie, and several other Blinn family members moved to Colorado, traveling first by train and then by mule and wagon. When they arrived at their destination, they tried their hand at ranching and then ran a stage coach station. When neither venture worked, they decided to relocate to Kansas to be nearer to Clara's parents. An eight-wagon train was organized, guarded by ten men including Clara's husband Richard, and with Clara and Willie traveling in the supply wagon, they set out for Fort Dodge, Kansas. Tragedy struck when a party of nearly seventy-five Indians attacked, wounding one man, and capturing Clara and three-year-old Willie. During her captivity, Clara smuggled a note to Richard begging him to save them. She was fearful of being sold into slavery in Mexico, and Willie was starving. In spite of the best efforts to save them, their bodies were found in an abandoned Indian camp near the Washita River.
From Old History Buff: "Clara and her son Willie were killed in what would become Oklahoma, at the battle of Washita. They were prisioners of the Indians at the time, having been captured earlier in eastern Colorado. Their bodies were recovered by Custer and the 7th Cavalry. The two were first buried at Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory."
From Tom Todd: "Only Richard is actually buried in this (Fort Meigs)grave. Clara and Willie were both originally buried in the cemetery at Fort Arbuckle, Oklahoma on Christmas Day, 1868. General Philip H. Sheridan removed the hem of Clara's dress and a lock of Willie's hair. He gave those items to Richard. After the army abandoned Fort Arbuckle in 1870, the army reinterred all the bodies in the cemetery at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The tombstone in Perrysburg serves as an epitaph for mother and son."
There is a booklet written by John Lambertson. Franklin County Historical Society, Ottawa, Kansas.
Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University has the Richard Blinn Diary Transcript.
-------------------------
Mrs. Blinn and her son Willie were captives of the Kiowa when Custer attacked the Cheyenne village of Black Kettle. Several weeks later the Army returned to try and locate the bodies of Major Elliott and his troop. They did and went on to the Kiowa camp 2 miles down stream. The Village was abandoned and the bodies of Mrs. Blinn and her child were discovered. Their bodies were taken to Ft. Arbuckle for burial along with Maj. Elliott.
~
This is a Cenotaph. View burial and family links at ACTUAL BURIAL HERE.
View another Cenotaph HERE.
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See more Blinn or Harrington memorials in:
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- Oklahoma Blinn or Harrington
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- Find a Grave Blinn or Harrington
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