ROBBED NAKED
Researched & Written By: ©
Esther M. Ziock Carroll
Among the early settlers in this area were Rebecca Baker and Henry
Padgett, a.k.a. Henry Fry. They resided at Big River Mills in that part of the territory
which later became Washington County and then St. Francois County. In March 1797,
Henry and Rebecca went to Ste. Genevieve to get married, there being no one nearer
authorized to perform the ceremony. About a dozen friends and relatives accompanied them.
A wagon-load of provisions for a delicious wedding supper were taken along consisting of
venison, bear meat, maple sugar, wild honey, etc. The wedding party proceeded happily
until, in the vicinity of Terre Blue (approximately nine miles north of what is now
Farmington), they were stopped by a band of about sixty Indians of either the Osage or
Kickapoo tribe. The Indians robbed them of their horses, wagon, guns, and supplies. They
then stripped Mr. Fry of his clothes and ordered him to run. When he refused to do so an
Indian struck him with a ramrod on the bare hips. Everyone was then stripped naked except
for the bride's brother who had blotches on his face which the Indians thought was
small-pox. One of the bride's sisters was injured when the Indians dragged her over the
ground.
After the Indians left the wedding party proceeded on to Ste.
Genevieve with the naked men traveling in front and the naked ladies behind them. Upon
reaching the outskirts of Ste. Genevieve the wedding party stayed in the woods while the
naked bridegroom summoned help from a Frenchman. The Frenchman then collected clothing
from throughout the village for the entire wedding party who then went to the church,
found the priest and were married as though nothing had happened! And the incident
apparently was not detrimental to the groom's health as he lived to be one hundred and
fifteen years old.
SOURCES: History of Franklin, Jefferson,
Washington, Crawford & Gasconade Counties, Missouri - Goodspeed; History
of Southeast Missouri - Robt. S. Douglas; A History of Missouri - Louis
Houck
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From:
Helen Valle Crist@aol.com ~ November 20, 2002 ~ I read with interest your
article. The following may be of interest to you. Bracketed items [ ] are
mine.
Excerpted from:
National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. XI, July, 1922, No. 2, pp. 17, 18, 22
Earliest Missouri Records (Louisiana)
This book contains the marriages of non-catholics living in the District of Ste.
Genevieve. They were married by the Catholic Priest, not as a priest, by his
authority from the King. After each record he has written: "I have
married them according to the ordinance of His Majesty in regard to the marriage of his
non-catholic subjects."
Register of Marriages of Non-Catholics Living in the District of Ste. Genevieve
September 26th 1796 to 1812
1797 March 12th (Page 3)
Paget, Henry, son of William Paget and Mary Priestly, native of South
Carolina, living in this parish to Baker, Rebecca, daughter of Andrew Baker
and Margaret Vendle, native also of this parish. (This must be an error; must be
intended for "living also in this parish"). Both Protestants. Witnesses:
Andrew Baker; Abraham Baker. Maxwell, Cure [priest]
1797 April 13th (Page 4)
Alley, Thomas, widower, son of John Alley and Margaret Bossan native of
Pennsylvania to Baker, Catherine, widow, daughter of Andrew Baker and
Margaret Vendle. Witnesses: William Alley; Henry Paget; Andrew
Baker. Maxwell, Cure [priest] [Evidently the traumatic happenings of the Henry
Paget/Rebecca Baker wedding trip a month earlier did not deter Rebecca's sister from
making her own wedding trip!]
1798 March 22nd (Page 5)
Alley, William, son of John and Margaret Alley, living in this parish since
many years to Baker, Mary, daughter of Andrew and Magaret Baker, also living
in this parish. Both Protestants. Witnesses: Abraham Baker; Thomas
Alley; Joseph Mcnight (McKnight)
1801, Sept. 17th (Pages 55,56)
Baker, Abraham, son of Andrew Baker and Margaret Vendle, native of the
county of Fayette in the United States of America (very likely in Kentucky, tho not
written) of the protestant religion to Maybray, Elizabeth, daughter of
Francis Maybray and Sarah Waters, native of N. Carolina, of the Methodist religion.
Maxwell, Cure [priest] See pages 83-84: Witnesses: Andrew Baker;
Thomas Alley; Wm. Montgomery.
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Sainte Genevieve Church Records, Book C - Baptisms 1786-1820
Copied by Mrs. Ida M. Schaaf and by her Presented to the Missouri Historical Society
St. Louis, 1922, pages 44 and 62
1799 Aug 11 Paget, Abraham,
son of Henry Paget and Rebecca Baker born Oct. 26 last.
Godparents--Maxwell, the Cure and Archange Dufour
1803 Sept 11 Paget, Henry, son of Henry
Paget and Rebecca Baker, born Jan. 15. Godparents--Jean Baptiste Valle and
Caroline Villars.
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There seem to be no futher birth entries for the Paget family. Perhaps after 1803 a
minister moved into the Big River Mills area.
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