FRANCES SLOCUM
Name: Frances Slocum
Frances Slocum (Maconaquah, "The Little Bear") was an adopted member of the
Miami tribe taken from her family home by the Lenape in Pennsylvania at the age
of four and raised in what is now Indiana.
Frances Slocum was taken captive by a group of Lenape on November 2, 1778 when
she was just five years old. Her family had been among the first whites to
settle in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. 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. Despite the pleadings
of her brothers, Frances refused to leave her family. She had been married twice
and was the mother of four children. Frances, now called "Maconaquah" (meaning "Young
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 are 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. 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.
Name: Frances Slocum
Frances Slocum (Maconaquah, "The Little Bear") was an adopted member of the
Miami tribe taken from her family home by the Lenape in Pennsylvania at the age
of four and raised in what is now Indiana.
Frances Slocum was taken captive by a group of Lenape on November 2, 1778 when
she was just five years old. Her family had been among the first whites to
settle in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. 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. Despite the pleadings
of her brothers, Frances refused to leave her family. She had been married twice
and was the mother of four children. Frances, now called "Maconaquah" (meaning "Young
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 are 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. 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.