There are lots of interesting stories about where I come from. My family has a very colorful list of relatives and connections, and I get emails all the time from different folks who've got the stories partially right and partially wrong. So, here, I'll dispel a few myths, and reveal some fascinating truths:

QUESTION: Is Lynda Kay related to Buddy Holly?
ANSWER: Well, no, but my mother grew up with Buddy in Lubbock, Texas and they went to Lubbock High together. That's pretty dang cool!

QUESTION: Is Lynda Kay related to Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie & Clyde fame)?
ANSWER: Yes. I love this story. My great grandfather, Papa John Rowland, was the Sheriff of Dallas County. He headed up a posse (along with Texas Rangers led by Frank Hamer and the FBI) to capture the most famous fugitives of their time known as Bonnie & Clyde. On November 22, 1933, Sheriff Papa Rowland set a trap in Dallas, Texas attempting to capture them, but the couple escaped. In the meantime, Bonnie & Clyde killed two Texas officer's who were friends of Papa's. Before dawn on May 23, 1934, Sheriff Papa Rowland, gathered his posse along with the Texas Rangers and Louisiana police officers, and concealed themselves in bushes along the highway near Sailes, Louisiana. In the early daylight, Bonnie and Clyde appeared in an automobile and when they attempted to drive away, the officers opened fire. Bonnie and Clyde were killed instantly. But what Papa Rowland didn't realize was that he had killed kin. In 1925, Papa Rowland's only daughter Audrey married a man by the name of Ralph Parker.
It was later discovered that Ralph Parker was a cousin of Bonnie Parker. Ralph & Audrey Parker are my grandparents and my full name is actually Lynda Kay Parker.

QUESTION: Is Lynda Kay related to Vanilla Ice?
ANSWER: No, but I did go to High School with him, aka, Robbie Van Winkle.

QUESTION: Is Lynda Kay related to Ricky Nelson?
ANSWER: Well sorta, by marriage. Ricky's first wife Kristin Harmon (also mother of Gunnar & Matthew) is my cousin.

QUESTION: Is Lynda Kay related to the Marlboro Man?
ANSWER: Yes. Veron White, Marlboro Man from 1978-1982 is my cousin.

QUESTION: Is Lynda Kay related to Roy Orbison?
ANSWER: No, that's my best friend Leslie's cousin--although her family is like my second family, so does that count? tee hee...

QUESTION: Is Lynda Kay related to Quanah Parker – Last of the Comanche Chiefs and his mother Cynthia Ann Parker, (a white woman who was abducted by Comanches as a child, and who died of a heartache after her uncle "rescued" her from the tribe)?
ANSWER: Yes. This is another favorite story of mine. It always makes me cry...
Cynthia Ann Parker was raised in Texas at Fort Parker—a building created by the Parker family (which included a number Texas Rangers) to protect their community against the "Natives" of the area.

In the Spring of 1836, Fort Parker was attacked by several hundred Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa Indians who captured five residents of the Fort. Among them was the striking blue-eyed, blonde haired Cynthia Ann, who was only 9 years old at the time. Within 6 years, all the captives had been returned to their white families - except Cynthia Ann.

Cynthia was given to a Comanche couple who cared for her, and raised her like their own daughter. The memories of her white life quickly faded, and every attempt to ransom her was refused by the tribal council at her request. Cynthia Ann Parker became a Comanche.

Chief Peta Nocoma, who gained fame for his many violent raids on white settlements in the territory, chose Cynthia Ann to be his wife. While it was customary for prominent Comanche warriors to take several wives, Chief Nocoma never took any wife except Cynthia Ann--a mark of extraordinary devotion and honor for her. They had 3 children: Quanah, Pecos and Topsannah (2 boys and 1 girl).

In December of 1860 while camping on the banks of the Pease River, Chief Nocoma and his Comanche tribe were attacked by Texas Rangers. Chief Nocoma was wounded but managed to escape, with only his two sons, Quanah and Pecos. It is not known whether Chief Nocoma survived his injuries, and several of the Comanches were captured—including Cynthia Ann. Texas Ranger Col. Isaac Parker was transporting the captured Comanches when he noticed that one of the prisoners had striking blue-eyes. After closer inspection, he realized that the blue-eyed woman was his long lost niece Cynthia Ann Parker. Col. Parker decided to "rescue" Cynthia Ann along with her daughter Topsannah and, soon thereafter, they were taken to his farm in Birdville, Texas. Cynthia Ann attempted to escape and return to the Comanche people on numerous occasions, but all efforts failed for she was repeatedly caught and returned to Birdville.

After living a quiet and resigned life in Birdville for several years, Cynthia Ann received word that her son Pecos had died of smallpox. And shortly thereafter her daughter Topsannah mysteriously died of an unknown illness. Her grief, loneliness, and longing for her lost family never left her and at the tender age of 43, Cynthia Ann Parker died of a broken heart.

However, her last living son Quanah Parker survived, and his name is legendary as the fierce, half-breed, Last Comanche Warrior Chief. He never lost a battle to the white man, but in his later years, Quanah began living in peace with the whites and went on to be very prosperous. He searched for his mother for most of his life and, upon discovering that she had died, Quanah had the bodies of both his mother Cynthia and sister Topsannah moved to friendly soil. When Quanah died in 1911, he was laid to rest beside his devoted mother and sister.

Cynthia Ann Parker & Quanah Parker I am proud to say are my cousins.