Martha Sherman - Willow Park, TX - Graves Mentioning a Cause of Death on Waymarking.com

Mrs. Sherman's grave is marked by a small, modern, red granite headstone, with this inscription:

Martha Sherman
Killed by Indians in 1860
Buried Here Because
A Church Was Nearby
- Wife of Ezra Sherman -

During the pioneer days in Texas, settlers were often unkind to the natives they encountered, and sometimes, the natives were unkind to the settlers. "A Fate Worse Than Death: Indian Captivities in the West", by Gregory and Susan Michno, notes the absolutely brutal end that Mrs. Sherman met at the hands of a band of Comanche raiders, whose leader was none other than Peta Nocona. Interestingly, accounts note that one of the raiders had red hair, suggesting that he was a white renegade, which is certainly possible, given that Nocona's wife was Cynthia Ann Parker. This attack was but one of a series on area settlers in late 1860.

Mrs. Sherman and her husband, Ezra, lived with their family (including children from Mrs. Sherman's first marriage) near Mineral Wells, in Palo Pinto County. Of course, accounts are going to vary, but essentially, the Shermans had sat down to eat on November 28, 1860 when our band of Comanches came through their door, appearing to be friendly, indicating that they were hungry. One of the children sneaked out the back door and hid, and one of the Comanche said "Vamoose, no hurt, vamoose," indicating that the family should leave. They did so, but when they were about a half mile down the road, the raiders caught up to them, took Mrs. Sherman into the brush, and brutalized her. They complemented their work by poking an arrow under her shoulder blade, trampling her with their horses, and then scalping her and leaving her for dead. They then returned to the Sherman house and ransacked it before departing.

Mr. Sherman had gone to a neighbor in the meantime, obtained a gun, and hurried home with the children. Mrs. Sherman managed to crawl through the cold November weather and return to the house, where she delivered a stillborn child before dying four days after the attack. The child is buried with her in an unmarked grave.

Type of Death Listed: Murder Website (if available): [Web Link] Cause of death inscription on headstone: Not listed

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