Atlas Obscura - Latest • Feb. 12, 2026, 9:15 p.m.
Maconaquah had a decision to make. She could continue the life she had known for over 58 years, or return to civilization with her siblings.
Born in Rhode Island in 1773 as Frances Slocum, she was captured by Delaware Indians in November 1778 from her home in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She was taken west by the Delaware into what would later become the states of Ohio and Indiana.
She married a Delaware Indian who mistreated her, and after leaving him, she returned to her parents. While living with them, she encountered a Miami Indian man named Shepocanah, who had been wounded in battle.