James Pennington
History of Arizona, Vol II, Thomas E. Farish, 1915, pg 199

James Pennington, familiarly known as "Old Pennington" 
was one of the pioneers of Arizona.  The Pennington 
family consisted of James Pennington, his wife and 
five children, three daughters and two sons.  They 
moved from Tennessee into Texas and from thence pushed 
westward through New Mexico into Arizona and settled 
upon the Sonoita near Fort Buchanan in the year 1857 
or 1858.  During the time of the abandonment of the 
country by the Americans "he occupied," says Ross Browne, 
"a small cabin three miles above the Calabassas, surrounded 
by roving bands of hostile Indians.  He stubbornly refused 
to leave the country; said he had as much right to it as 
the infernal Indians and would live there in spite of all 
the devils out of the lower regions.  His cattle were 
stolen, his corrals burned down, his fields devastated; 
yet he stood it out to the last.  At times when hard 
pressed for food, he would go out in the hills for deer, 
which he packed in on his back at the risk of his life." 
 Frequently in his absence his daughters stood guard with 
guns in their hands, to keep off the Indians who besieged 
the premises.  

About this time, Miss Lucera S. Pennington was married to 
a Mr. Paige and was living with her husband in a canyon 
where she was captured by a roving band of Indians, together 
with a little girl about ten years of age, said to be a 
Mexican and who it is said afterwards became the wife of 
the late Charles A. Shibell of Tucson.  Mrs. Paige, not 
being able to keep up with the Indians on their trip over 
the mountains, one of them ran a lance through her and 
threw her over a bluff upon a pile of rocks and supposed 
he had killed her, as was his intention, but after several 
days and nights of suffering, she succeeded in getting to 
where she was recognized, cared for and saved.  Her first 
husband was afterwards killed by Indians.  She lived for 
several years in the vicinity of Camp Crittenden which was 
established later near Fort Buchanan and her father teamed 
and ranched some on the Sonoita.  In 1869 Old James 
Pennington and his son Green were ambushed and killed 
by the Apaches and both were buried at Crittenden.  
Another son named James was killed later by the Apaches.  
The remainder of the Pennington family moved to Tucson in 
1870 and it is said returned to Texas, all except Mrs. 
Paige who met William F. Scott at Tucson and married him.  
She raised a family of two daughters and one son and 
died in Tucson March 31, 1913 and was there buried.

Old Man Pennington, the head of the family was described 
as a man of excellent sense, but rather eccentric; large 
and tall with a fine face and athletic frame, he presented 
a good specimen of the American frontiersman.  One of the 
principle streets in Tucson is named for him. 

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