I was reading about Fort Parker on another post and remebered a story from the family cementery in the old comunity of Hopewell close to Burnett, good story. Long read but very interesting to me at least.
Mrs. C. C. Proctor died at her home about 5 miles northeast of Florence March 7, 1924, after a lingering illness, at the age of 84 yrs, 11 months and 2 days.
She was born in Spartanburg, S.C., May 9, 1839 and moved to the State of Mississippi at the tender age of 2 years. In 1848 she moved to Bastrop, Texas and in 1854 moved to Burnet County where the same year she confessed a hope and was baptized into the Missionary Baptist Church. In 1857 she moved with the family to Travis County where she was married in 1858 to G. W. Proctor. To them were born five children, two of whom died in infancy. The living are G. L. Proctor, Mrs. M. L. Hickman and W. H. Proctor.
In 1862 her husband joined the Confederate Army and left her to with her uncle, Wofford Johnson, a stockman, who was away from home a good part of the time, and as Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Proctor had been girlhood chums, it suited all around. They lived at this time in the Western community known as Hopewell.
In 1863, while Mr. Proctor was with his regiment in Louisiana, his company lost all their clothing. He advised his young wife of his condition, and immediately she went to work at the only job that produced clothes in those days, and that was to spin and weave the cloth and then make the clothes. Mrs. Proctor had just finished her husband a comfortable suit; she had done the last of the work at her father’s, several miles from where she was making her home, and had turned it over to Captain Arnett to deliver, which he did. (The men served three years without pay, and received what clothes they had from their wives, mothers and sweethearts.) After completing her labors, Mrs. Proctor mounted her horse and started for home. When in sight of home she discovered the Indians making off with her uncle and aunt, but thought it was men driving cattle.
The family attacked by the Indians consisted of Mr. And Mrs. Wofford Johnson, Mary Jane, Elvira and baby Georgianna. Those killed in this raid were Mr. And Mrs. Johnson and Mary Jane.
When Mrs. Proctor approached near the house she discovered little Elvira running toward the house. Blood was on her little bonnet and she said: “The Indians are killing Papa and Mama. Mama put me off the horse and told me to run and hide.” Mrs. Proctor set the child behind the saddle, but she was so excited that she would climb into the saddle. By the time Mrs. Proctor had mounted with the child behind her the Indians were again coming toward the house. She was riding an extra fast horse and was making good time away from the Indians when she overtook a negro girl who belonged to the family. She wanted to climb on the horse but Mrs. Proctor, knowing she would pull them all if she attempted to mount, told the negro girl to run for her life, and that she would do all she could for her. It is said that all sprinting records prior or subsequent to this time were broken by this negro girl. In their race for their lives they overtook two men who were hauling water, Messrs Peyton and Frank Williamson. There she left the negro girl and put her horse at full speed for her father’s home.
Arriving there and telling the story, her father changed saddles on the horse and went single handed in pursuit of the red men, but failed to find them. When he returned, a wagon and team was procured and a search was made for the missing. Mr. Johnson and little Mary Jane were soon picked up with the arrows through their bodies, dead. This left Mrs. Johnson and baby Georgianna, unaccounted for. By this time the neighbors for many miles around had heard of the tragedy and were gathered at the home of Mrs. Proctor's father, where the dead where resting. While the crowd was trying to decide what to do, old Uncle Minor, a negro who belonged to the murdered family became impatient and spoke up this way: “Folks, is you gwine let Missus lay out for the varments to eat? If nobody else will go, I will go find the Missus and bring her in myself.” Another search was successful insofar as the wife and mother were concerned. They found her dead with nine arrow wounds in her body and lanced in the breast.
There was no rest or sleep in the community that night. The next morning while Jimmie Gilliland was passing a fallen blackjack tree off which the leaves had not fallen, he discovered baby Georgianna leaning against the trunk of the tree, badly scared. When Jimmie called her name she held out her hands and came running to him. There was an arrow hole between the bones of her forearm. Where the arrow went no one ever knew. Also no one ever knew how little Georgianna got where she was, but it is believed that her mother threw her into the tree top in an effort to save the life of her baby.
When the family was attacked they were on their way home from a Mr. Whitehead’s where they had been making molasses. The were riding horseback and carrying the children, therefore had little chance of defense.
The bodies of the three victims of this awful raid rest in the old Hopewell Cemetery, about seven miles west of Liberty Hill. It was known in those days as the Enoch Johnson graveyard.
The Indians took their horses and saddles and Mr. Johnson’s revolver and left the neighborhood in a hurry.
Mrs. Proctor cared for the two children until their grandfather, Jessee Moore, came and took them away. He was living at the time on Little Elm in Bell County. Georgianna grew to womanhood, married and died. Elvira married a man by the name of Barber, and is living in or near Heidenheimer, Texas.
In 1867 the subject of this sketch moved with her husband and family, to Bell County where they have since resided. She and her husband, who survives her and who furnished the information for this article, have lived together for 65 years, 3 months and 7 days.
Grandchildren living in Jarrell are W. E. Proctor and Ira Proctor and their great grandchildren Pama, and Warren Proctor and Theron Proctor. Mrs. Tom Fisher and Mrs. Wilson Wheeler reside in Bartlett.
Note from submitter: [This is a] story/obit concerning the niece of Wofford Johnson, Katie Carolina Johnson-Proctor. Wofford is the one that was murdered along with his wife and daughter, Mary, by Comanches in 1863 along the Dog Branch.
Mrs. C. C. Proctor died at her home about 5 miles northeast of Florence March 7, 1924, after a lingering illness, at the age of 84 yrs, 11 months and 2 days.
She was born in Spartanburg, S.C., May 9, 1839 and moved to the State of Mississippi at the tender age of 2 years. In 1848 she moved to Bastrop, Texas and in 1854 moved to Burnet County where the same year she confessed a hope and was baptized into the Missionary Baptist Church. In 1857 she moved with the family to Travis County where she was married in 1858 to G. W. Proctor. To them were born five children, two of whom died in infancy. The living are G. L. Proctor, Mrs. M. L. Hickman and W. H. Proctor.
In 1862 her husband joined the Confederate Army and left her to with her uncle, Wofford Johnson, a stockman, who was away from home a good part of the time, and as Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Proctor had been girlhood chums, it suited all around. They lived at this time in the Western community known as Hopewell.
In 1863, while Mr. Proctor was with his regiment in Louisiana, his company lost all their clothing. He advised his young wife of his condition, and immediately she went to work at the only job that produced clothes in those days, and that was to spin and weave the cloth and then make the clothes. Mrs. Proctor had just finished her husband a comfortable suit; she had done the last of the work at her father’s, several miles from where she was making her home, and had turned it over to Captain Arnett to deliver, which he did. (The men served three years without pay, and received what clothes they had from their wives, mothers and sweethearts.) After completing her labors, Mrs. Proctor mounted her horse and started for home. When in sight of home she discovered the Indians making off with her uncle and aunt, but thought it was men driving cattle.
The family attacked by the Indians consisted of Mr. And Mrs. Wofford Johnson, Mary Jane, Elvira and baby Georgianna. Those killed in this raid were Mr. And Mrs. Johnson and Mary Jane.
When Mrs. Proctor approached near the house she discovered little Elvira running toward the house. Blood was on her little bonnet and she said: “The Indians are killing Papa and Mama. Mama put me off the horse and told me to run and hide.” Mrs. Proctor set the child behind the saddle, but she was so excited that she would climb into the saddle. By the time Mrs. Proctor had mounted with the child behind her the Indians were again coming toward the house. She was riding an extra fast horse and was making good time away from the Indians when she overtook a negro girl who belonged to the family. She wanted to climb on the horse but Mrs. Proctor, knowing she would pull them all if she attempted to mount, told the negro girl to run for her life, and that she would do all she could for her. It is said that all sprinting records prior or subsequent to this time were broken by this negro girl. In their race for their lives they overtook two men who were hauling water, Messrs Peyton and Frank Williamson. There she left the negro girl and put her horse at full speed for her father’s home.
Arriving there and telling the story, her father changed saddles on the horse and went single handed in pursuit of the red men, but failed to find them. When he returned, a wagon and team was procured and a search was made for the missing. Mr. Johnson and little Mary Jane were soon picked up with the arrows through their bodies, dead. This left Mrs. Johnson and baby Georgianna, unaccounted for. By this time the neighbors for many miles around had heard of the tragedy and were gathered at the home of Mrs. Proctor's father, where the dead where resting. While the crowd was trying to decide what to do, old Uncle Minor, a negro who belonged to the murdered family became impatient and spoke up this way: “Folks, is you gwine let Missus lay out for the varments to eat? If nobody else will go, I will go find the Missus and bring her in myself.” Another search was successful insofar as the wife and mother were concerned. They found her dead with nine arrow wounds in her body and lanced in the breast.
There was no rest or sleep in the community that night. The next morning while Jimmie Gilliland was passing a fallen blackjack tree off which the leaves had not fallen, he discovered baby Georgianna leaning against the trunk of the tree, badly scared. When Jimmie called her name she held out her hands and came running to him. There was an arrow hole between the bones of her forearm. Where the arrow went no one ever knew. Also no one ever knew how little Georgianna got where she was, but it is believed that her mother threw her into the tree top in an effort to save the life of her baby.
When the family was attacked they were on their way home from a Mr. Whitehead’s where they had been making molasses. The were riding horseback and carrying the children, therefore had little chance of defense.
The bodies of the three victims of this awful raid rest in the old Hopewell Cemetery, about seven miles west of Liberty Hill. It was known in those days as the Enoch Johnson graveyard.
The Indians took their horses and saddles and Mr. Johnson’s revolver and left the neighborhood in a hurry.
Mrs. Proctor cared for the two children until their grandfather, Jessee Moore, came and took them away. He was living at the time on Little Elm in Bell County. Georgianna grew to womanhood, married and died. Elvira married a man by the name of Barber, and is living in or near Heidenheimer, Texas.
In 1867 the subject of this sketch moved with her husband and family, to Bell County where they have since resided. She and her husband, who survives her and who furnished the information for this article, have lived together for 65 years, 3 months and 7 days.
Grandchildren living in Jarrell are W. E. Proctor and Ira Proctor and their great grandchildren Pama, and Warren Proctor and Theron Proctor. Mrs. Tom Fisher and Mrs. Wilson Wheeler reside in Bartlett.
Note from submitter: [This is a] story/obit concerning the niece of Wofford Johnson, Katie Carolina Johnson-Proctor. Wofford is the one that was murdered along with his wife and daughter, Mary, by Comanches in 1863 along the Dog Branch.
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