Mary Jane Harbison (March 18, 1770 – December 9, 1837) was a young

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

woman living in the decades immediately following the Revolutionary War. She was captured by Native Americans in May 1792. Massy escaped after six days and gave a deposition, ''Capture and Escape of Mercy Harbison, 1792'', which is an example of the American literary genre of captivity narratives.

Early years

Mary Jane "Massy" White was born on March 18, 1770, in

Amwell, New Jersey East Amwell Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 4,013, reflecting a decline of 442 (−9. ...

, the daughter of Edward White, a soldier during the Revolutionary War, and Rebecca Pelton, a descendant of

Richard More (Mayflower passenger) Richard More (1614 1694/1696) was born in Corvedale, Shropshire, England, and was baptised at St James parish church in Shipton, Shropshire, on 13 November 1614. Richard and his three siblings were at the centre of a mystery in early-17th-centur ...

Career

She married John Harbison in 1787 in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He was born in

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, Ireland, the son of Matthew Harbison Jr. and Margaret "Peg" Carson. In November 1791, she lived in western

on the Allegheny River above Pittsburgh with three small children. Her husband accompanied General

Arthur St. Clair Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During ...

to defeat at the Battle of the Wabash, otherwise known as St. Clair's Defeat and St. Clair's Shame. After the Native American victory, tribes on the frontier increased their attacks on European-American settlements. Harbison's husband was scouting in late May 1792 when the Harbison home was attacked. Harbison and her three children were captured. The natives killed and scalped her three-year-old child. Her five-year-old son was killed shortly after. She managed to escape after several days, evading re-capture for six days with minimal access to food. Carrying her infant, she navigated barefoot back to Fort Pitt. The deposition of her experiences was given before the magistrates in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. She and John later separated. John died in 1822 when he was lost at sea; and she died in 1837.

References

External links

* *
Massey Harbison's account of her captivity in her own words
online courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Harbison, Mercy 1770 births 1837 deaths 18th-century American writers 18th-century American women writers Colonial American and Indian wars Captives of Native Americans American women non-fiction writers People from Pennsylvania Writers of captivity narratives

Early years

Career

References

Further reading

External links