Sherman in Grayson County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild

(1837-1903)

Photographed by Gary Estep, December 22, 2025

1. Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild Marker

Inscription. Captured in Arizona at age 13 (1851) by Yavapai Indians, who massacred 6 members of family. Sold to Mojave Indians, she was treated kindly but bore mark of a slave - blue, cactus needle tattoo on chin - for rest of life. Ransomed by Army at Fort Yuma, 1856. Lived in California, then New York. There she married J.B. Fairchild in 1865. About 1872 moved to Sherman where husband founded city bank. Resided in Sherman until death in 1903. Recorded 1970

Erected 1970 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 7361.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Wars, US Indian • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1856.

Location. 33° 37.924′ N, 96° 37.159′ W. Marker is in Sherman, Texas, in Grayson County. It is at the intersection of West Lamar Street and South Woods Street on West Lamar Street. The marker is located in the northeast section of the West Hill Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1304 W Lamar St, Sherman TX 75092, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Capt. John Henry LeTellier (within shouting distance of this marker); The Rev. John Silliman Moore (within shouting distance of this marker); Mita Holsapple Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Tom Randolph (within shouting distance of this marker); Jesse P. Loving (about 300 feet away); The Reverend J.H. Reynolds (about 500 feet away); Thomas Jefferson Shannon (about 500 feet away); James Nelson Dickson (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sherman.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Mattie Davis Lucas (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Fairchild, Olive Ann Oatman (1837–1903).

The Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild Gravestone and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, September 10, 2024

2. The Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild Gravestone and Marker

Fairchild, Olive Ann Oatman (1837–1903)

Indian captive, lecturer, and early-day resident of Sherman, Texas, was born in La Harpe, Hancock County, Illinois on September 7, 1837, the second daughter of Roys (often erroneously spelled Royce, Royse, or Rois) Oatman and his wife Mary Ann (Sperry) Oatman. The Oatman family gave up their Methodist faith in about 1839 to become followers of Joseph Smith, founder of the religious group called Mormons but officially designated as the “Latter-day Saints” or “Saints of the Latter Days” (now the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Following Smith’s death at the hands of a mob in 1844, the Oatmans rejected the leadership of Brigham Young and joined a dissident group of Mormons led by a self-designated “seer and revelator” named James Colin Brewster. Brewster had received revelations that the true “gathering place” of the Mormons was to be at the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers (now located on the border between Arizona and California) in what he identified as the “Land of Bashan.”

(Submitted on September 14, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild Gravestone and Marker from the cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, September 10, 2024

3. The view of the Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild Gravestone and Marker from the cemetery

Olive Ann Oatman image. Click for full size.

Public Domain Benjamin F. Powelson - National Portrait Gallery, circa 1863

4. Olive Ann Oatman

Photographed by James Hulse, September 10, 2024

5. Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 559 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 22, 2025, by Gary Estep of Anna, Texas. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 14, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.