Olive Oatman

Olive Oatman
Olive Oatman, circa 1863
Born	Olive Ann Oatman 1837
Died	March 20, 1903 (aged 65) Sherman, Texas, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Resting place	West Hill Cemetery
Nationality	American
Other names	Olive Oatman Fairchild
Citizenship	United States
Alma mater	University of the Pacific
Spouse(s)	John Brant Fairchild (m. 1865–1903)
Children	1
Parent(s)	Roys Oatman Mary Ann Oatman
Relatives	Lorenzo (brother) Mary Ann (sister) Roys Oatman, Jr. (brother) Charity Ann (sister) Lucy Ann (sister) Roland (brother)

Olive Ann Oatman (1837 – March 20, 1903) was a woman from Illinois whose family was killed in 1851, when she was fourteen, in present-day Arizona by a Native American tribe, possibly the Tolkepayas (Western Yavapai); they captured and enslaved her and her sister and later sold them to the Mohave people. After several years with the Mohave, during which her sister died of hunger, she returned to American society, five years after being carried off.

In subsequent years, the tale of Oatman came to be retold with dramatic license in the press, in her own "memoir" and speeches, novels, plays, movies and poetry. The story resonated in the media of the time and long afterward, partly owing to the prominent blue tattooing of Oatman's face by the Mohave. Much of what actually occurred during her time with the Native Americans remains unknown.^:146-151

Born into the family of Roys and Mary Ann Oatman, Olive Oatman was one of seven siblings. She grew up in the Mormon religion.

In 1850, the Oatman family joined a wagon train led by James C. Brewster, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), whose attacks on, and disagreements with, the church leadership in Salt Lake City, Utah, had caused him to break with the followers of Brigham Young in Utah and lead his followers — Brewsterites — to California, which he claimed was the "intended place of gathering" for the Mormons.

The Brewsterite emigrants, numbering between 85 and 93, left Independence, Missouri on August 5, 1850. Dissension caused the group to split near Santa Fe in New Mexico Territory with Brewster following the northern route. Roys Oatman and several other families chose the southern route via Socorro and Tucson. Near Socorro, Roys Oatman assumed command of the party. They reached New Mexico Territory early in 1851 only to find the country and climate wholly unsuited to their purpose. The other wagons gradually abandoned the goal of reaching the mouth of the Colorado River.