August 15, 2008-Jesse Brown's Nephew-John German

When researching our family and related families, we have learned so much about their search for a better life. They moved, many times a hardship, with their families, pets and all their possessions in search of land and a new life. There are many stories to tell about our ancestors migration.

Jesse Wilson Brown (1826) was one of 13 children born to James Brown (1776-1850) and Nancy Brookshire (1780-1870) of Wilkes County, North Carolina. Jesse was the 12th child out of 13 children. Jesse migrated from Wilkes County, North Carolina to Scottsboro, Alabama and finally to Fannin County, Texas where he raised his children. Among his children was Thomas Calvin Brown, the first of the Brown's to move to Oklahoma. Jesse's move to Texas was a successful one and he is survived by many descendents who have prospered.

Jesse's sister, Rebecca Brown ( 1804-1851 ) was the 2nd child, making a 22 year difference in their ages. Rebecca Brown married Thomas Didamus German (1808-1876) and they migrated to Fannin County, Georgia. They had 8 children and their son, John (1830-1874) was the oldest. John is the nephew of Jesse Brown. Jesse was just four years older than his newphew John. Jesse and John were migrating from the Carolinas and Georgia about the same time. However, John's story is a very sad one.

John German married Lydia Cox (1832-1874) and they had 7 children: Rebecca, Stephen, Catherine, Joanna, Sophia, Julia, and Addie. John German bought some property in Fannin County, Georgia from his father, Thomas, and worked very hard to make a comfortable home for his family. They had an orchard, vegetable garden, livestock and chickens. He built the original home which was one large room downstairs and one upstairs. He gradually added on a kitchen, a spring house and a few other rooms.The location of their home was in the mountains of southeastern Georgia. They really weren't too far from their original home in Wilkes County, North Carolina. According to various documented records, they really loved where they lived.

When the Civil War broke out, John German enlisted. He was ultimately captured and became a prisoner of war. His health had failed. All the while, his wife and children worked very hard to keep their homestead in the best condition they could. They suffered through theft and pillaging from Union soldiers. Soldiers stole their livestock and destroyed their property. When the war ended in 1865, John German returned home where he found his family home nearly destroyed. Because of his failing health, he probably didn't think he could put in all the effort it would take to rebuild it.

Someone he knew had told him about Colorado where the air was clear, land was available and people were finding gold. John and his family spent five years preparing for their journey to Colorado and a new life. In April 1870, John and his family started on their journey. They traveled up through Tennessee, across to Arkansas and Missouri. They stopped in one location for several years so they could raise some crops and earn some money. They also stopped for a while in Stone County, Missouri where his Uncle Rufus Brown lived. Rufus was the brother of John's mother, Rebecca. Rufus had migrated to Missouri about 15 years earlier. By 1870, John's uncle, Jesse Brown had arrived safely in Fannin County, Texas with his family.

After leaving Stone County, Missouri, they continued west across the plains of Kansas. They were really focused on reaching their destination which was close to the Kansas/Colorado boarder. On September 10, 1874 they were nearing a point where they could follow the railroad line toward their destination or take another route where they would find more available water. They were heading toward the Smokey Hill River and their goal was to reach Ft. Wallace by the next day. John and his family had heard about Cheyenne Indian raids throughout their journey and they were very cautious. John and his son Stephen would walk ahead or along side their wagon with guns in hand being cautiously alert.

On September 11, 1874 they started their journey in the early morning with John and Stephen walking ahead of the wagon. They saw a herd of antelope approaching and John hoped he would be able to get one for the family's journey. While in the midst of the antelope passing buy, they suddenly heard the whoops and shouts of Indians. Before they could take any action, the Indians attacked the family. John German was immediately hit in the head with a tomahawk and killed. His son Stephen was shot and killed. As John's wife Lydia jumped off the wagon to go help John, she too was killed. Daughter, Rebecca also tried to help by attempting to stab one of the attackers. She was killed also. The Indians took what they wanted from the wagon which included food and some of the oxen. They burned the wagon, its contents and family members.

They took the five remaining children, all girls, with them. They stopped nearby the massacre site at a stream to look at their captives. When they realized that daughter, Joanna had long blonde hair, they killed her and scalped her. The four daughters who remained captives were the two youngest, Julia and Addie and the older two, Catherine and Sophia.


Word got out about the massacre of the German family and military troops from Ft. Wallace began searching for them. The troops were under the command of Gen. Nelson A. Miles and Lt. Frank Baldwin. They began a massive search for the Indians and their captives, the daughters of John German. The Indians knew the troops were searching for them and so they began moving to avoid them, by going into Texas and Oklahoma. Because the two youngest daughters were small, they could not ride horses and couldn't walk fast, so the Indians abandoned them.

Julia and Addie German wandered the plains of Kansas for six weeks. They had no food, water, clothing and no one to care for them. They ate fruits, nuts, grasses. They hid at night, a different place each night, so they wouldn't be found by wolves or other prowlers. The two older daughters, Catherine and Sophia, were kept captive by the Cheyenne for 6 months. They suffered torture, physical and sexual abuse, and hunger, all which would be impossible to accurately describe. For a period of time, Catherine and Sophia were separated from each other. Ultimately, all four girls were rescued and brought back safely. Their story of survival is an amazing one.

Their rescue was the result of an intense military operation, active negotiation with the Indians and the heartfelt efforts of those involved. It just isn't possible to describe all of the circumstances surrounding their capitivity and rescue in this blog. Lt. Frank Baldwin was awarded the Medal of Honor for his roll in the rescue of the children of John German.

You can go online and search for John German or Lt. Frank Baldwin and find excellent descriptions and timelines of this sad event. There are two books and many stories written about the massacre of John German. One book is "Girl Captives of the Cherokee" by Grace E. Meredith available at online bookstores. Ms. Meredith's book has photographs of all four girls. Another, "The Moccasin Speaks" by Mrs. Feldman is out of print, but still available.

John German's mother, Rebecca died in 1851, well before he had his journey. His father, Thomas, was still living in Fannin County, Georgia when the attacks occurred. Upon hearing of the death of his son and family, Thomas German began correspondence with Gen. Nelson Miles regarding the rescue and safety of his granddaughters. The father of Lydia Cox German was also in contact with Gen. Miles. Copies of their letters are contained in Ms. Meredith's book.
Catherine, the oldest daughter, decided on behalf of the others, that they would not return to the South. Instead, they stayed in Kansas and were placed in foster homes. I suppose she may have been influenced by the fact that her father was seeking a better life for them in making the migration to the west which cost the life of John, his wife and four of his children.