Mary Ann Oatman (1843 – ) was the sister of Olive Oatman. She is notable for surviving an attack on her familythe "Oatman Massacre"by south-western Native Americans who, according to historian Brian McGinty, were likely Tolkepaya, of the Yavapai, in what is now Arizona. Mary Ann and her sister Olive were both abducted. Following their abduction, the sisters were traded to the Mohave tribe. The date of her death is uncertain. According to Olive Oatman, Mary Ann died of starvation as a result of a severe drought.
Early life and the journey from La Harpe to Bashan
Mary Ann Oatman was the fourth of seven children born to Roys and Mary Ann Oatman, for whom she was named. She was born in 1843 in La Harpe, Illinois. Unlike Smith's teachings, Brewster's sect forbade the practice of polygamy. Further, Brewster also claimed his visions allowed him to know "directions to the Mormons' true 'gathering place'." The Saints "would build their 'Zion' at the confluence of the Gila and Colorado rivers, at a place Esdras referred to as the "Land of Bashan".
The Oatman Massacre
By 1851, the Oatmans' circumstances had become dire. As the family continued to make their way towards Bashan, they faced multiple run-ins with local Native nations and dwindling supplies, and were now alone because they had decided to separate from the group who had joined them in leaving Brewster.
On March 18, 1851, a group of Native Americans approached the family near Maricopa wells. Apache is a non-specific name that Olive used to describe the Yavapai. After a short bargaining interaction between Roys and the "Apache", the Native American party decided they were unable to come to a proper trade agreement with Roys. They clubbed to death nearly the entire family. The only survivors of the Oatman Family Massacre were Mary Ann, her sister Olive, and her brother Lorenzo, who had been injured and left for dead. He is known to have survived after finding a nearby settlement and receiving medical treatment. Braatz and Brian McGinty further argue that the attackers were most likely members of the Yavapai tribe, not the Apache.
McGinty suggests the attackers were of the Tolkepaya, a band of the Yavapai tribe. McGinty argues that this band of the Yavapai most accurately fit the description of the attackers given the location of the attack, Olive's description of their village, testimony by a Dr. LeConte, an individual the family passed on the trail, and interviews from members of the Mohave tribe taken by anthropologist A.L Kroeber in the early 20th century. According to English professor Margot Mifflin, "The Oatman massacre was evidently inspired by the Yavapais' typical late winter hardship, exacerbated by the previous year's bone-cracking drought."
During their time with the Mohave, according to Olive, the girls were given a plot of their own land and seeds to plant. Mohaves who were later interviewed about the girls shared that the sisters were also paid to sing hymns.
See also
- Mary Jemison
- Herman Lehmann
- Olive Oatman
- Frances Slocum