Frances Slocum
Encyclopedia
Frances Slocum was an adopted member of the Miami tribe
taken from her family home by the Lenape
in Pennsylvania
at the age of five and raised in what is now Indiana
. Her burial site is a Miami Indian shrine near Peoria, Miami County, Indiana
.
Frances was part of a family of early Quaker settlers of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys. Her parents, Jonathan Slocum and Ruth Tripp, settled from Portsmouth, Rhode Island
. Frances had at least two brothers, Ebeneezer and Benjamin. The Slocum family remained in the settlement while many others had fled during the Battle of Wyoming of 1778.
Frances Slocum was taken captive by a group of Lenape on November 2, 1778 when she was just five years old. It is believed that she escaped captivity that first night but was soon recaptured and was held for the night under a rock ledge along Abraham Creek in what is now part of Frances Slocum State Park
near Wyoming, Pennsylvania
(named in her honor). Frances Slocum spent the rest of her life with the Native Americans. Her brothers found her 59 years later living on an Indian Reservation
near Peru, Indiana
. Her identity was confirmed by her family by a missing finger lost to an accident with a hatchet prior to her abduction. Despite the pleadings of her brothers, Frances refused to leave her Native American family. She had been married twice and was the mother of four children. Frances, now called "Maconaquah" (meaning "Short Chubby Bear"), lived for the rest of her life in Indiana
. She died in 1847 when she was 74 years old. Her name lives on in Indiana, where the Frances Slocum State Recreational Area and Lost Sister Trail in the Mississinewa Reservoir and State Forest. Also the town of Mocanaqua, PA is named in her memory. Her final resting place is marked with a monument along the banks of the Mississinewa River
in Indiana. There is a high school named Maconaquah High School
after her in Bunker Hill, Indiana
. There is a Frances Slocum Elementary School in Marion, Indiana
. There was a Frances Slocum Elementary School in Fort Wayne, Indiana
named after her, closed about 1975. In addition, a Wabash, Indiana
bank was named after her, although the bank is now known by another name.
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
taken from her family home by the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
at the age of five and raised in what is now Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Her burial site is a Miami Indian shrine near Peoria, Miami County, Indiana
Peoria, Miami County, Indiana
Peoria is an unincorporated town in Butler Township, Miami County, Indiana. Named for the Peoria Clan, a subgroup of the Miami Indian Nation that still inhabits Miami County, Peoria has deep roots in the integration of Native Americans and Indiana settlers in the mid-19th century.Established in the...
.
Frances was part of a family of early Quaker settlers of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys. Her parents, Jonathan Slocum and Ruth Tripp, settled from Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
. Frances had at least two brothers, Ebeneezer and Benjamin. The Slocum family remained in the settlement while many others had fled during the Battle of Wyoming of 1778.
Frances Slocum was taken captive by a group of Lenape on November 2, 1778 when she was just five years old. It is believed that she escaped captivity that first night but was soon recaptured and was held for the night under a rock ledge along Abraham Creek in what is now part of Frances Slocum State Park
Frances Slocum State Park
Frances Slocum State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Frances Slocum Lake is a man-made, horseshoe-shaped lake that is a popular fishing and boating destination...
near Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Wyoming is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States five miles north of Wilkes Barre, on the Susquehanna River. Formerly, coal mining was the chief industry. In 1900, 1,909 people resided in Wyoming. There were 3,010 residents in 1910...
(named in her honor). Frances Slocum spent the rest of her life with the Native Americans. Her brothers found her 59 years later living on an Indian Reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
near Peru, Indiana
Peru, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,994 people, 5,410 households, and 3,397 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.5 people per square mile . There were 5,943 housing units at an average density of 1,287.7 per square mile...
. Her identity was confirmed by her family by a missing finger lost to an accident with a hatchet prior to her abduction. Despite the pleadings of her brothers, Frances refused to leave her Native American family. She had been married twice and was the mother of four children. Frances, now called "Maconaquah" (meaning "Short Chubby Bear"), lived for the rest of her life in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. She died in 1847 when she was 74 years old. Her name lives on in Indiana, where the Frances Slocum State Recreational Area and Lost Sister Trail in the Mississinewa Reservoir and State Forest. Also the town of Mocanaqua, PA is named in her memory. Her final resting place is marked with a monument along the banks of the Mississinewa River
Mississinewa River
The Mississinewa River is a tributary of the Wabash River in eastern Indiana and a small portion of western Ohio in the United States. It is long. Via the Wabash and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. During the War of 1812, the river was the site of the Battle of the...
in Indiana. There is a high school named Maconaquah High School
Maconaquah High School
Maconaquah High School is located at 256 E 800 South, just outside of the city limits of Bunker Hill, Indiana. The building houses grades 9–12 and functions as the primary athletic building...
after her in Bunker Hill, Indiana
Bunker Hill, Indiana
Bunker Hill is a town in Pipe Creek Township, Miami County, Indiana, United States. The population was 987 at the 2000 census.-History:Bunker Hill was platted in 1851 by James Myers, John Duckwall and Alexander Galbraith.-Geography:...
. There is a Frances Slocum Elementary School in Marion, Indiana
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
. There was a Frances Slocum Elementary School in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
named after her, closed about 1975. In addition, a Wabash, Indiana
Wabash, Indiana
Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana, United States. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wabash County....
bank was named after her, although the bank is now known by another name.