Birth and Early Years
Rachel Plummer was born in 1818 in Crawford County, Illinois1, the second youngest living child of James W. Parker (1797-1864) and Martha (Duty) Parker. She had two living siblings, and three siblings who had died at an early age. Her family and allied families, led by her father James and uncle Silas, moved from Illinois to Texas along with other sons of Elder John Parker (1758-1836) and Sally (White) Parker, as part of the large Parker family. From that moment on, her life became anything but ordinary.
Rachel Parker spent most of her youth in Illinois. At age 14, considered a grown woman in that era, described by her father in his later book as a "red haired beauty of rare courage and intelligence." Rachel married Luther M. Plummer, and moved with the Parker family in 1830 to Conway County, Arkansas, which her father used as a staging ground for exploratory trips to Texas. In 1832 her father proposed to Stephen F. Austin that the Parkers be permitted to settle 50 families north of the Little Brazos River, in what was considered part of the Comancheria. One of the 50 families was that of Luther Plummer and his wife Rachel. Austin did not reply to this proposal. James Parker was the first of the Parkers to come to Texas, and his persistence led to his being given a league of land north of the site of present Groesbeck on April 1, 1835. Luther Plummer was also awarded a league of land by his father-in-law's stubborn entreaties to the Mexican Government.
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