Captain Kidd
The novel’s protagonist, Captain Kidd is an elderly and unsentimental man who makes his living as an itinerant news-reader in backcountry Texas. Born in rural Georgia, Captain Kidd fought as a teenager in the War…
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Johanna
Johanna is a young girl who is born into a German American family but is captured at a young age by the Kiowa Native American tribe. She spends four years living among the Kiowa, forgetting…
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Britt Johnson
An African American freight driver who brings Johanna to Captain Kidd at the beginning of the novel. Britt is famous in North Texas for singlehandedly retrieving his own wife and son from captivity among the…
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Maria Luisa
Captain Kidd’s wife, now deceased. Maria Luisa comes from a venerable Spanish family, the Betancourt y Reales, who were among the first to settle in Spanish Mexico. Her lineage is a reminder of the…
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Simon Boudlin
An itinerant fiddler whom Captain Kidd knows from his travels across Texas. Captain Kidd appreciates Simon’s introspective, thoughtful personality and asks him for help looking after Johanna. At the end of the novel, the…
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Almay
A sinister figure who dogs Captain Kidd at his readings, Almay turns out to be a criminal running a child prostitution ring. After Captain Kidd refuses to sell Johanna to him, Almay tries to seize…
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Mrs. Gannet
The kindly owner of a livery stable in the small town of Dallas, who helps Captain Kidd acclimate Johanna to Anglo-American society. Unlike most adults, she doesn’t treat Johanna with judgment or scorn. Her attitude…
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John Calley
A young man Captain Kidd and Johanna meet outside Durand. He’s part of a marauding cowboy game making mischief in the absence of any real government after the Civil War. He and his brothers make…
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Wilhelm
Johanna’s uncle, a German immigrant, whom Captain Kidd and Johanna meet after a long journey through Texas. Although he seems traumatized and outraged by the deaths of Johanna’s parents, he’s also cold and unwelcoming…
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Anna
Johanna’s aunt, a German immigrant, whom Captain Kidd and Johanna meet after a long journey through Texas. Quiet and deferential towards her husband, Wilhelm, Johanna is harsh in her few words to Johanna…
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Elizabeth
Captain Kidd’s older daughter, a determined and formidable woman. Captain Kidd entrusts Elizabeth with the thorny task of figuring out how to legally reclaim the land in San Antonio her mother, Maria Luisa…
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Young Woman
A young resident of Durand who chastises Johanna for bathing naked in the river. Even though Captain Kidd explains that Johanna has just returned from captivity and has no understanding of Anglo-American norms, the woman…
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Davis
A Texas senator put in power by the federal government after the end of the Civil War. Some Texans support Davis fiercely, while others side with his bitter rival, Hamilton. However, Captain Kidd views…
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Hamilton
A Texas senator put in power by the federal government after the end of the Civil War. Some Texans support Hamilton fiercely, while others side with his bitter rival, Davis. However, Captain Kidd views…
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Minor Characters
Doris Dillon
Simon Boudlin’s fiancée, a young Irish immigrant. Doris helps Simon watch over Johanna during one of Captain Kidd’s readings, but the young girl runs off when they fall asleep. Eventually, Doris and Simon have six children and work as a troop of traveling musicians.
Adolph
Anna and Wilhelm’s neighbor. A kindhearted man, he warns Captain Kidd that Anna and Wilhelm will work Johanna too hard and are unlikely to take good care of her.
Olympia
Captain Kidd’s younger daughter. Unlike Elizabeth, she’s indecisive and unable to care for herself; the Captain calls her a “bore.” In this sense, she’s a foil to Johanna, who is notable for her stoicism and capability.
Mason
Olympia’s husband, who was killed in the Civil War.
Emory
Elizabeth’s husband, who lost an arm in the Civil War. When he and Elizabeth finally move to San Antonio, he starts a printing press, taking up the same profession as Captain Kidd.
Mill Owner
A surly and impolite man who charges Captain Kidd an exorbitant sum to park his wagon in the mill yard.
Elderly Woman
An elderly woman who warns Captain Kidd and Johanna of “Indian raids” as they travel through the dangerous hill country.
