The Killough massacre is believed to have been both the largest and last Native American attack on white settlers in
East Texas
East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region consi ...
. The
massacre
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
took place on October 5, 1838, near
Larissa, Texas
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Larissa is a rural community and abandoned townsite in northwestern Cherokee County, Texas, Cherokee County, Texas, United States. Larissa lies west of US Highway 69, off Farm Road 855 and approximately halfway between Jacksonville and Bulla ...
, in the northwestern part of
Cherokee County Cherokee County is the name of eight counties in the United States:
* Cherokee County, Alabama
* Cherokee County, Georgia
* Cherokee County, Iowa
* Cherokee County, Kansas
* Cherokee County, North Carolina
* Cherokee County, Oklahoma
* Cherokee Co ...
. There were eighteen victims, including Isaac Killough, Sr., and his extended family (viz. the families of four sons and two daughters). They had immigrated to the
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...
from
Talladega County, Alabama
Talladega County (pronounced Talla-dig-a) is a County (United States), county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama."ACES Winston County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpa ...
, in 1837.
Context
Apparently unaware that the land made available to them was hotly disputed by the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
Indians who lived in the area, Isaac Killough and his homesteaders began clearing land for crops and building homes. Only a year earlier, however, the area surrounding their settlement had been set aside for the Cherokee under a treaty negotiated and signed by
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...
and John Forbes. When the Republic of Texas Senate refused to ratify the treaty and then, in December 1838, formally nullified it, the Cherokee, who already thought they had conceded enough, became extremely agitated.
The influx of Anglo settlers into lands thought to have been theirs increased Cherokee resentment, and as there was also residual bitterness among some Hispanics still loyal to Mexico, the atmosphere in the region became tense in early 1838. By the summer of that year, there were rumblings of coming insurrection from either or both of those factions, and evidence existed for collusion between them.
Fearing this growing unrest, Killough with his relatives and friends fled to
Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...
for refuge. On condition they would leave the area after doing so, the Cherokee leaders agreed to their safe passage if they would return simply to harvest their crops. They did so. But on October 5, 1838, a band of Cherokee who had not been party to the agreement attacked the settlement. Most of the Killough group—a total of eighteen—were killed or abducted as they worked their fields. Those who survived fled for a time to Lacy's Fort on the
San Antonio Road, just west of present-day
Alto, Texas
Alto is a town in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. With a population of 1,027 at the 2020 U.S. census, Alto is the closest municipality to the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, an archaeological site dating back to 800 CE, featuring a preh ...
.
According to Dallas newspaperman Charles Kilpatrick, several of the men walked into an ambush and the Native Americans then:
"''...shot down Isaac, Jr., Allen, Samuel and George Wood, then swept uphill into the little settlement. Isaac, Sr., fell in his front yard and Barakias Williams was killed in front of the screaming women. Eight settlers, including seven women and children, were seized by warriors and carried into the forest. They were never seen or heard of again...Nathaniel Killough and his wife (and 11-month-old baby girl, Eliza Jane) escaped into a canebrake and Mrs. Samuel Killough, Mrs. Isaac Killough, Sr., Mrs. Isaac Killough, Jr., and the baby William also managed to elude the redskins. Three weary days later the little party staggered into Fort Lacy at Alto, 40 miles south, where they found safety.''"
A stone obelisk commemorating the event was erected by the
Work Progress Administration in the 1930s, and a historical marker was dedicated in 1965.
See also
*
List of massacres in the United States
This is a partial list of massacres in the United States; death tolls may be approximate.
:*For single-perpetrator events and shooting sprees, see List of rampage killers in the United States, Mass shootings in the United States, :Spree shooti ...
*
Cherokee War of 1839
References
External links
Killough Massacre Burial Site CemeteryKillough Reunion AssociationRemembering the Killough Massacre ''Tyler Morning Telegraph'', Kenneth Dean – writer, June 21, 2010.
{{Authority control
1838 in the Republic of Texas
Massacres in 1838
Massacres by Native Americans
Texas–Indian Wars
October 1838 events