Other editions of book A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison

Mary Jemison was one of the most famous white captives who, after being captured by Indians, chose to stay and live among her captors. In the midst of the Seven Years War(1758), at about age fifteen, Jemison was taken from her western Pennsylvania home by a Shawnee and French raiding party. Her family was killed, but Mary was traded to two Seneca sisters who adopted her to replace a slain brother. She lived to survive two Indian husbands, the births of eight children, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the canal era in upstate New York. In 1833 she died at about age ninety.

A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, Who was taken by the Indians, in the year 1755, when only about twelve years of age, and has continued to reside amongst them to the present time. CONTAINING An Account of the Murder of her Father and his Family; her sufferings; her marriage to two Indians; her troubles with her Children; barbarities of the Indians in the French and Revolutionary Wars; the life of her last Husband, &c.; and many Historical Facts never before published. Carefully taken from her own words, Nov. 29th, 1823. TO WHICH IS ADDED, An APPENDIX, containing an account of the tragedy at the Devil's Hole, in 1783, and of Sullivan's Expedition; the Traditions, Manners, Customs, &c. of the Indians, as believed and practised at the present day, and since Mrs. Jemison's captivity; together with some Anecdotes, and other entertaining matter. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

“A Narrative Of The Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison Who was taken by the Indians in the year 1755,” when only about twelve years of age, and has continued to reside amongst them to the present time. Containing An Account of the Murder of her Father and his Family; her sufferings; her marriage to two Indians; her troubles with her Children; barbarities of the Indians in the French and Revolutionary Wars; the life of her last Husband, etc.; and many Historical Facts never before published. Carefully taken from her own words, November 29th, 1823. In this book, Seaver tells the story of Jemison’s captivity, her life, her marriage to a Seneca Indian, then after his death, her marriage to another Seneca man; then the birth of her 8 or 9 children, and the hard life she had as a Seneca woman--though once accepted into the tribe she was treated like any other woman of the tribe. Mary Jemison became known, probably in her own lifetime, as "The White Woman of the Genessee." Her kindness and charity to all people were well known throughout her life, despite the cruelties she had seen or experienced from both the settlers and the Seneca tribe. She ended her life owning land and a small house, and living near her daughters and grandchildren. At 80 years old she was still doing all the major work of a typical Seneca woman. At the end of the book, Seaver explains some of the Seneca myths, their creation myth, the mid-winter ritual, a type of winter solstice. In the mid-winter ritual two pure white dogs take on all the "sins" of the tribe during the past year. They are painted, decorated, then sacrifed and burned. Seaver also describes the war dance and the peace dance, describes funerals, their concept of the God-like "great spirit" called Nau-wan-e-u, and his brother who is a satan type of figure. One legend is that far back in time all the tribes spoke the same language...several interesting points about their customs and religion are described.

As one of the earliest literary forms of colonial America, the Indian captivity narrative is important not only in the history of American letters but also as an indispensable source concerning the colonization of the “frontier,” the peoples who dwelt on either side of it, and the often limited understanding they had of one another. A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison is one of the best of this literary genre. In 1758, fifteen-year-old Mary Jemison and her family were captured near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by a Shawnee and French raiding party. Shortly thereafter, her family was killed; she was turned over to a Seneca family, adopted by them, and four years later taken to their western New York homeland―where, by choice, she spent the rest of her life as an Iroquois wife, mother, and landed proprietor. In time she gained respect as a negotiator and was known in New York and adjacent states as the “white woman of the Genesee.” James E. Seaver’s account of her life, written in the first person, taking on her voice as narrator, tells not only of her own adventures and misfortunes but also of the lives, customs, and attitudes of the Indians with whom she identified. When Seaver (about whom very little is known) interviewed Jemison in 1823, she was eighty years old. She did not read or write English, but she spoke it fluently. The book, published in 1824 and reprinted more than thirty times both in the United States and abroad, lives on; for readers continue to wonder at the strength and complexity of this remarkable woman’s life.

A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, Who was taken by the Indians, in the year 1755, when only about twelve years of age, and has continued to reside amongst them to the present time. CONTAINING An Account of the Murder of her Father and his Family; her sufferings; her marriage to two Indians; her troubles with her Children; barbarities of the Indians in the French and Revolutionary Wars; the life of her last Husband, &c.; and many Historical Facts never before published.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

That to biographical writings we are indebted for the greatest and best field in which to study mankind, or human nature, is a fact duly appreciated by a well-informed community. In them we can trace the effects of mental operations to their proper sources; and by comparing our own composition with that of those who have excelled in virtue, or with that of those who have been sunk in the lowest depths of folly and vice, we are enabled to select a plan of life that will at least afford self-satisfaction, and guide us through the world in paths of morality

That to biographical writings we are indebted for the greatest and best field in which to study mankind, or human nature, is a fact duly appreciated by a well-informed community. In them we can trace the effects of mental operations to their proper sources; and by comparing our own composition with that of those who have excelled in virtue, or with that of those who have been sunk in the lowest depths of folly and vice, we are enabled to select a plan of life that will at least afford self-satisfaction, and guide us through the world in paths of morality