In June of 1869 Elias Green Pennington Jr and his father Elias Green Pennington Sr were killed by Apaches while working on their farm about fourteen miles south of Fort Crittenden.

Elias Sr was plowing, with his rifle slung to his plow handles, while Elias Jr was repairing an irrigating ditch some distance away. Just after Elias Sr had turned his back on his land, the Apache Indians in ambush shot him down from behind.

Elias Jr might have escaped, but not knowing his father was dead, remained to fight off the Apaches. He was mortally hurt, but finally reached the ranch house where he remained until rescued by cavalry from the fort, to which the alarm had been carried meantime.

Elias Jr and his father's body, were brought to the Fort, where eight days later the young man died. Both were buried in the same cemetery near Fort Buchanan, Arizona.

Mr. Sidney R. DeLong, then quartermaster of the Fort, read the burial service over them.

Source: The Penningtons, Pioneers Of Early Arizona: A Historical Sketch (1919) by: Robert Humphrey Forbes

Historical note:
Information obtained from a local man indicates the graves in the Ft. Buchanan cemetery were opened and the remains were removed. The person doing the digging was paid $3.00 per hole if remains were not found and $5.00 for each hole that actually contained remains. It is unknown if the grave site of Green Pennington was found, and if it was found, it's unknown where his remains were taken. Historical artifacts have been found at the site, including a femur (a bone of the leg situated between the pelvis and knee, broken antique "bottle neck", and a percussion cap (used in firearms that saw use by cavalry soldiers during the Apache wars).


Additional information was provided by findagrave volunteer # 46796420, concerning birth date and birth location of Elias Jr.
See grave entry # 99774482 for additional information.