Eliza Hart Spalding (1807–1851) was an American missionary who joined an Oregon missionary party with her husband
Henry H. Spalding
Henry Harmon Spalding (1803–1874), and his wife Eliza Hart Spalding (1807–1851) were prominent Presbyterian missionaries and educators working primarily with the Nez Perce in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The Spaldings and their fellow missio ...
and settled among the Nez Perce People called the
nimiipuu in
Lapwai, Idaho
Lapwai is a city in the northwest United States, in Nez Perce County, Idaho. Its population was 1,137 at the 2010 census, and it is the seat of government of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.
Lapwai actually means "The land of the butterflies"
H ...
. She was a well-educated woman who was among the first missionaries to learn a Native American language.
She developed a written version of the language and printed Bible story lessons and hymns in the Nez Perce language. Her hymnal was the first book written in the Nez Perce language. She taught hundreds of native people by first teaching a few people a lesson or a song, and after they memorized it, they taught it to groups to people.
Early life
Eliza Hart was born in what is now the town of
Berlin, Connecticut
Berlin ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, a ...
on August 11, 1807 to Captain Levi and Martha Hart. Her father was a farmer and may have been a captain in the local militia. The oldest of six children, she had three brothers and two sisters. Her family moved to
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 232,125. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or ''Haudenos ...
in 1820 and lived on a farm near the village of
Holland Patent. She learned to make cheese, butter, candles, and soap. She was able to spin thread and weave fabric. She also learned to draw and paint as a child.
She is said to have attended Chipman Female Academy. Located in
Clinton, New York, it was about 20 miles from her family's farm. She is also said to have taught school. Deeply and nearly
mystically religious, she joined the Presbyterian Church of Holland Patent on August 20, 1826.
Marriage and children
A mutual friend connected
Henry H. Spalding
Henry Harmon Spalding (1803–1874), and his wife Eliza Hart Spalding (1807–1851) were prominent Presbyterian missionaries and educators working primarily with the Nez Perce in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The Spaldings and their fellow missio ...
, who was seeking a pious woman, with Eliza Hart. A student at Franklin Academy in
Prattsburgh, New York
Prattsburgh is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 1,985 at the 2020 census. It is situated in the northeast part of the county, north of Bath.
History
Prattsburgh was formed from the town of Pulteney in 181 ...
, Henry began corresponding with Eliza in 1830. One year later, he enrolled at
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
in Clinton, but transferred to
Western Reserve College in
Hudson, Ohio
Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, th ...
, where other students receiving aid from the
American Education Society American Society for the Education of Pious Youth for the Gospel Ministry was organized in 1815 for the purpose of aid in the education of Protestant clergymen. It was renamed American Education Society (AES) in 1820, 1911-1913 It was formed under a ...
felt more accord with the school. She married Henry in Hudson on October 13, 1833, becoming Eliza Hart Spalding.
After attended a women's seminary in New York and a year at a school in Hudson, Ohio. Spalding also studied Greek and Hebrew at
Lane Theological Seminary
Lane Seminary, sometimes called Cincinnati Lane Seminary, and later renamed Lane Theological Seminary, was a Presbyterian theological college that operated from 1829 to 1932 in Walnut Hills, Ohio, today a neighborhood in Cincinnati. Its campus ...
during Henry's two years of study there.
During Spalding's first pregnancy, her baby was delivered stillborn. She became ill after the birth which prevented the couple from taking a missionary appointment to work with the
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...
in the present state of Kansas.
They had four more children born by 1846, Eliza, born in November 1837; Henry Hart; Martha Jane; and Amelia Lorene.
Her daughter Eliza was the first white child born in Idaho.
They also brought eight Nez Perce children into their family.
In the Spring of 1838, after she had become a mother, Spalding made a commitment with fellow missionary
Narcissa Whitman
Narcissa Prentiss Whitman (March 14, 1808 – November 29, 1847) was an American missionary in the Oregon Country of what would become the state of Washington. On their way to found the Protestant Whitman Mission in 1836 with her husband, Marcus ...
to spend the hour between 9 and 10 a.m. "to seek divine assistance discharging the responsible duties of mothers and for the early conversion of our children." This practice helped her feel connected to Whitman, who lived in Washington, and maintained the cultural practices she learned as she grew up about motherhood. In September 1838, Spalding, Whitman, and the newly arrived women missionaries—
Myra Eells,
Mary Walker,
Mary Gray, and
Sarah Smith—formed the Columbia Maternal Association.
Missionary
Journey
![Whitman-Spalding 2017-09-27 1496](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Whitman-Spalding_2017-09-27_1496.jpg)
The Spaldings joined a Presbyterian missionary party bound for
Oregon Country
Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...
(a large region of the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
) in the winter of 1835.
They traveled by wagon train with fellow missionaries
Narcissa and
Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman (September 4, 1802 – November 29, 1847) was an American physician and missionary.
In 1836, Marcus Whitman led an overland party by wagon to the West. He and his wife, Narcissa, along with Reverend Henry Spalding and his wife, E ...
, who settled near the
Walla Walla River
The Walla Walla River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining the Columbia just above Wallula Gap in southeastern Washington (state), Washington in the United States. The river flows through Umatilla County, Oregon, and Walla Walla County, ...
,
and William Henry Gray for the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...
(ABCFM). They were led and protected by fur traders from the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
and the
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British co ...
. The Hudson's Bay Company forts sold supplies to the missionaries over the course of their journey. With Narcissa, the two were the first white women to cross the
Continental Divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
.
Two markers pay tribute to the women, one near
Daniel, Wyoming
Daniel is a census-designated place in Sublette County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 150 at the 2010 census.
The town lies on U.S. Route 189, in the Green River valley as the water flows out of the Gros Ventre Range to Daniel's n ...
at the site of the
Green River Rendezvous, where they were the first white female attendees from July 6 to July 18, 1836, and another along the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what ...
at
Independence Rock near
Lander, Wyoming
Lander is a city in Wyoming, United States, and the county seat of Fremont County. It is in central Wyoming, along the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River, just south of the Wind River Indian Reservation. It is a tourism center with several near ...
.
Establish mission
The Spaldings arrived at their mission site on November 29, 1936.
Initially they settled along
Lapwai Creek
Lapwai is a city in the northwest United States, in Nez Perce County, Idaho. Its population was 1,137 at the 2010 census, and it is the seat of government of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.
Lapwai actually means "The land of the butterflies"
H ...
, where they first lived in
tipi
A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan languages, Siouan, and in use in Dakot ...
s while their first house was built.
It was the first mission in Idaho.
In January 1837, Spalding began teaching and Henry began preaching to the
Nez Perce People
The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...
.
Her husband introduced irrigation farming, making the area the first agricultural settlement in Idaho.
Spalding acclimated to a lifestyle that was remote and in many ways cut off from her family in the east. At that time, the Pacific Northwest was not part of the United States and it could take eight months to a year for a letter to be conveyed between their mission and relatives in the east. It generally took two years for Spalding to have send on a letter and to have heard back from family in New York. Mail traveled either by a ship around South America or via fur traders or other caravans west of
Liberty, Missouri
Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willi ...
. The
Whitman's mission was 120 miles from the Spalding's mission, a trip of five or six days during good weather to visit their fellow missionaries. Missionary societies sent them barrels filled with books, clothing, school supplies, and other useful materials. They also received letters and packages from people who were aware of their mission, including poet
Lydia Sigourney
Lydia Huntley Sigourney (September 1, 1791 – June 10, 1865), ''née'' Lydia Howard Huntley, was an American poet, author, and publisher during the early and mid 19th century. She was commonly known as the "Sweet Singer of Hartford." She had a ...
, which helped them feel supported by people in the east.
Educator
Spalding was the first of the missionaries to learn a Native language, the Nez Perce language, which allowed her to assimilate more quickly with the Nez Perce People and translate their language to English when needed.
Until that point, it was only a spoken language. Spalding created a written version of the language and taught it to the Nez Perce people, along with English.
She printed Bible story lessons and hymns in the Nez Perce language.
Her hymnal was the first book written in the Nez Perce language.
Hundreds of people—men, women and children— showed up for school and she was unable to teach them all, so she developed a system where she taught a Bible story, Bible verse, or a song to a few Nez Perce, who memorized it and then taught it to groups of people.
Spalding and Henry developed a pictoral ladder with comments in English to help teach the stories of God and biblical figures.
She taught girls to knit, sew, and weave cloth, using the first weaving loom west of the Rocky Mountains.
They knitted socks and sewed dresses. Spalding did not attempt to force the children to assimilate European habits of hair cuts, clothing, or grooming.
She is considered an artist on the western frontier for her skills of an illustrator, storyteller, knitter, letterwriter, and publisher, as stated in the ''Frontier Women and Their Art: A Chronological Encyclopedia''.
Relationships
She asked for and accepted help from the nimiipuu, such as help with the delivery of her daughter, Eliza, in November 1837. She felt it was important to learn from the native people before asking them to change.
She sought to understand the Nez Perce,
while her husband sought for the Nez Perce to understand him and his strict rules about liquour, polygamy, and gambling. His punishments were to whip the native people or have them whip each other. While her husband could be "ridiculed and denounced", Spalding was appreciated by the Nez Perce,
who saw that she tried to soothe her husband's temper. She was also calm and clear-headed during fearful and unsettling events.
The Nez Perce women liked to shadow Spalding as she did her chores to see how a white woman cleaned, cooked, and dressed and cared for their children.
They also helped care for her children as she did household chores. One time the Nez Perce threatened to kill one of their men who insulted her, but changed their minds when Spalding asked them to spare his life.
She asked that he be allowed to repent of his sin and become a better person.
Growth of the mission
Within the first six months, Spalding adopted eight Nez Perce children into their family.
The log mission building, part living quarters and part mission school and church, was completed on December 23, 1836, with the assistance of the Nez Perce people.
In 1838, the Spaldings decided to move five miles away to a cooler spot with fewer mosquitos.
They settled amongst the nimiipuu, the
Nez Perce People
The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...
in
Lapwai
Lapwai is a city in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States, in Nez Perce County, Idaho, Nez Perce County, Idaho. Its population was 1,137 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and it is the seat of government of the Nez Pe ...
along the
Clearwater River, in what is now the state of Idaho.
The Nez Perce People helped the Spaldings build a log house that was expanded three times to provide additional space for mission and school activities. They also had a printing house
to publish Nez Perce language primers and hymn books.
They boarded children at the mission.
![Mission](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Mission.Spalding.jpg)
The mission grew to become the first white settlement in Idaho, with a blacksmith shop, two schools, student dormitories, a meeting house, two print-shops, a spinning and weaving shop, a summer kitchen, other outbuildings. It had 44 acres of cultivated land with 146 horses, pigs and cows.
Missionaries William Henry and Mary Gray periodically lived at Lapwai, traveling back and forth from
Waiilatpu in what is now the state of Washington. Annual meetings were conducted at the Whitman's or Spalding's mission, including subsequent missionaries who were stationed in Washington and Idaho.
Leave the mission
In late November 1847, the weyíiletpuu mission station was attacked by the nimiipuu people. Native friends at Lapwai, including leaders Timothy and Thunder Eyes, helped protect the Spaldings.
Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were killed in Walla Walla at the
Whitman mission
Whitman Mission National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located just west of Walla Walla, Washington, at the site of the former Whitman Mission at Waiilatpu. On November 29, 1847, Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife Narcissa ...
.
The Spaldings stayed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.T. Smith until the summer or fall of 1848. In 1848, the Spaldings moved to
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
, in what is now Oregon.
They settled on a claim near
Brownsville along the
Calapooia River
The Calapooia River is an tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon.
The Calapooia flows generally northwest from its source in the Cascade Range near Tidbits Mountain. In its upper reaches, it passes through parts of the W ...
. In 1848, Spalding was hired as the first teacher of
Tualatin Academy
Tualatin Academy was a secondary school in the U.S. state of Oregon that eventually became Pacific University. Tualatin Academy also refers to the National Register of Historic Places-listed college building constructed in 1850 to house the academ ...
.
Death
Eliza Spalding died of tuberculosis near
Brownsville, Oregon
Brownsville is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 1,694. It is the setting for the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon, in the 1986 film '' Stand by Me''.
History Establishment
Brownsville ...
on January 7, 1851.
Her tombstone, among other sentiments, was engraved with words from Henry: "Mrs. Spalding was respected and esteemed by all, and no one had greater or better influence over the Indians".
Henry returned to Lapwai in 1862 to teach. He was buried there after his death
in 1874.
Spalding's remains were moved and interred next to her husband
at the Spalding Cemetery in Lapwai, located within the
Nez Perce National Historical Park
The Nez Perce National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park comprising 38 sites located across the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, which include traditional aboriginal lands of the Nez Perce people. The sit ...
. The cemetery is also called the Lapwai Mission Cemetery and is located near the Spalding Mission.
Spalding Mission site
![Nepe spalding mission foundations 20060804105540](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Nepe_spalding_mission_foundations_20060804105540.JPG)
A tablet was installed by the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence.
A non-profit group, they promote ...
(DAR) in 1923 that commemorated the Spalding Mission,
near Watson's Store Road and 403 Road in
Spalding, Idaho
Spalding is an unincorporated community in the northwest United States, located in northern Nez Perce County, Idaho.
Description
The community is located east and upstream of Lewiston, on the Clearwater River, at the mouth of the Lapw ...
(Coordinates ).
Spalding was named for Spalding's husband Henry.
A marker was also placed at the nearby Spalding Home Site.
![Northwest Passage Scenic Byway - Tipis near Nez Perce National Historical Park in Spalding - NARA - 7720733](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Northwest_Passage_Scenic_Byway_-_Tipis_near_Nez_Perce_National_Historical_Park_in_Spalding_-_NARA_-_7720733.jpg)
The DAR lobbied the state for the mission site to become a memorial park, which was established as Spalding Memorial State Park in 1936.
A memorial grove of trees was designed by W.S. Thornber, the Idaho Bureau of Highways landscape engineer. Twenty-two species remain, including, pine, spruce, oak, and sequoia trees.
Since 1965, it is now part of the
Nez Perce National Historical Park
The Nez Perce National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park comprising 38 sites located across the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, which include traditional aboriginal lands of the Nez Perce people. The sit ...
.
The site was excavated by
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...
archaeologiests in 1974.
Notes
References
Sources
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Further reading
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External links
Eliza Hart Spalding Letters (1833–1850) Presbyterian Historical Society
Eliza Hart Spalding Diary ( February 1, 1836 to June 8, 1840) Washington State University
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, Eliza Hart
1807 births
1851 deaths
History of Walla Walla County, Washington
American Presbyterian missionaries
People from Lewiston, Idaho
Presbyterian missionaries in the United States
People from Forest Grove, Oregon
Oregon pioneers
People from Lapwai, Idaho
People from Brownsville, Oregon