Source
Source for:   Alexander Fancher,   1812 - 11 SEP 1857         Index

Name source:    S22631
Page:   87,182,183,184 & 185

Text:   Captain Alexander Fancher was born 1812 in Overton County, Tennessee and died September 11, 1857 in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He married May 12, 1836, Coles County, Illinois to Eliza Ingram. Seven children died with them in the massacre.
   
Captain Fancher was elected leader to a wagon train of emigrants traveling to California in 1857 because he had made two previous trips to California, i.e., one about 1849 and another about 1854.(The family was in San Diego when the 1850 census was taken.) The train was made up of about 142 pioneer men, women, and children. They had traveled across Utah and planned to rest a few days at the last good grazing area for cattle before entering the deserts between them and California.
   
The Fancher train stopped at Mountain Meadows, Utah and camped. Although the settlers in Utah had not been friendly and the pioneer wagon train was alert, they were expecting no trouble with the Indians who were thought to be friendly. The wagons were spread out over the area near the spring. Early the next morning, Indians and the local Militia attacked the train. The attack opened with vollies fired by the Militia. About six of the pioneers were killed and several were wounded at this time. The pioneers quickly fortified the wagons for protection.
   
The Pioneers withstood the attacks for five days and the Indians and militia became discouraged. During the siege of the train, a dispatch rider was sent to Salt Lake City with a message to the church headquarters and he retuned to the militia unit. History does not know the contents of the dispatch, who received it, or if a reply was received. When it appeared the train would withstand the attacks, Bishop John D. Lee of the local church went to the wagon train under a flag of truce.
   
After five days, it appeared to the pioneers that there was no way out. They had several wounded and it was difficult to procure water at the spring because of the hostile Indians.
Source
Source for:   Richard Fancher,   ABT 1815 - 1866         Index

Name source:    S22631
Page:   87,185

Source
Source for:   Eliza Ingram,    - 11 SEP 1857         Index

Name source:    S22631
Page:   182, 183, 184 & 185

Source
Source for:   Abner Fancher,   1841 -          Index

Name source:    S22631

Source
Source for:   James Knox Polk Fancher,   24 DEC 1843 -          Index

Name source:    S22631
Page:   181 & 182

Source
Source for:   Sumpter D. K. Fancher,   1845 -          Index

Name source:    S22631
Page:   181 & 182

Source
Source for:   George M. Dallas Fancher,   APR 1851 -          Index

Name source:    S22631

Source
Source for:   Arminta Fancher,   1855 -          Index

Name source:    S22631

Name source:    S60318

Text:   Date of Import: 17 Apr 2005

Birth source:    S60318

Text:   Date of Import: 17 Apr 2005

Change source:    S60318

Text:   Date of Import: 17 Apr 2005