Mary Rowlandson
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Mary Rowlandson,
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
White, later Mary Talcott (c. 1637January 5, 1711), was a colonial American woman who was captured by Native Americans in 1676 during
King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...
and held for 11 weeks before being ransomed. In 1682, six years after her ordeal, ''The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson'' was published. This text is considered a formative American work in the
literary genre A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided in ...
of
captivity narrative Captivity narratives are usually stories of people captured by enemies whom they consider uncivilized, or whose beliefs and customs they oppose. The best-known captivity narratives in North America are those concerning Europeans and Americans ta ...
s. It went through four printings in 1682 and garnered readership both in the New England colonies and in England, leading some to consider it the first American " bestseller".


Biography

Mary White was born 1637 in
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
, England. The family left England sometime before 1650, settled at Salem in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
, and moved in 1653 to Lancaster, on the Massachusetts frontier. There she married Reverend Joseph Rowlandson, the son of Thomas Rowlandson of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1656. Four children were born to the couple between 1658 and 1669, with their first daughter dying young. At sunrise on February 10, 1676,Although Rowlandson writes that her captivity began on February 10, 1675, she was following the Julian calendar. As Neal Salisbury points out, the date according to the Georgian calendar this would now be February 1676 (see
Old Style and New Style dates Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...
). Neal Salisburgy (ed) ''The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Together with the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed'' (Boston: Bedford Books, 1997), 63. Rowlandson, Mary. ''Narrative of the captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson''.
during
King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...
, Lancaster came under attack by Narragansett,
Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 17 ...
, and
Nashaway The Nashaway (or Nashua or Weshacum) were a tribe of Algonquian Indians inhabiting the upstream portions of the Nashua River valley in what is now the northern half of Worcester County, Massachusetts, mainly in the vicinity of Sterling, Lancaster ...
/Nipmuc Indians led by
Monoco Monoco (died 1676) was a 17th-century Nashaway sachem (chief), known among the New England Puritans as One-eyed John. After decades of peaceful coexistence, tensions arose between settlers and natives. The Nashaway attacked the neighboring Engli ...
. Rowlandson and her three children, Joseph, Mary, and Sarah, were among those taken in the raid. Rowlandson's 6-year-old daughter, Sarah, succumbed to her wounds after a week of captivity. For more than 11 weeks, Rowlandson and her remaining children were forced to accompany the Indians as they travelled through the wilderness to carry out other raids and to elude the English militia.Part of the territory is now within
Mount Grace State Forest Mount Grace State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features located in the town of Warwick. The state forest centers around Mount Grace, which at is the third highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River afte ...
.
The conditions of their captivity are recounted in visceral detail in Rowlandson's captivity narrative. On May 2, 1676 (New Style calendar), Rowlandson was ransomed for £20, raised by the women of Boston in a public subscription and paid by
John Hoar John Hoar (1622 – April 2, 1704) was a militia leader & Indian liaison in colonial Massachusetts during King Philip's War. He is best known for securing the release of Mary Rowlandson from Indian captivity at Redemption Rock. The event was de ...
of
Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
at
Redemption Rock Redemption Rock is a colonial-era historic site in Princeton, Massachusetts. In 1676, during King Philip's War, the release of Mary Rowlandson (the wife of a Puritan minister) from her Native American captors was negotiated atop a granite ledge ...
in
Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
, Massachusetts. In 1677, Reverend Rowlandson moved his family to
Wethersfield, Connecticut Wethersfield is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut. It is located immediately south of Hartford along the Connecticut River. Its population was 27,298 at the time of the 2020 census. Many records from colonial times spell the name ...
, where he was installed as pastor in April of that year. He died in Wethersfield in November 1678. Church officials granted Mary a pension of £30 per year. Mary Rowlandson and her children subsequently moved to
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, where she is thought to have written her captivity narrative, although her original manuscript has not survived. It was published in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
, in 1682, and in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
the same year. At one time scholars believed that Rowlandson had died before her narrative was published, but it was later discovered that she had lived for many more years. On August 6, 1679, she married Captain Samuel Talcott and took his surname. She died on January 5, 1711, aged approximately 73, outliving her spouse by more than 18 years.


''The Sovereignty and Goodness of God''

Mary Rowlandson's autobiographical account of her kidnapping and ransom is considered a classic of the American
captivity narrative Captivity narratives are usually stories of people captured by enemies whom they consider uncivilized, or whose beliefs and customs they oppose. The best-known captivity narratives in North America are those concerning Europeans and Americans ta ...
genre. In it, she records how she witnessed the murder of her family and friends. Upon her capture, she traveled with her youngest child Sarah. Only six years old, Sarah died en route, near what is now the town of Hardwick, Mass. Mary and her two other surviving children were kept separately and sold as property, until she was finally reunited with her husband after their ransom was paid. Although she feared and reviled the Indians, Rowlandson explains that "not one of them ever offered the least abuse of unchastity to me in words or action", meaning that the natives never sexually molested or violated her. Her Puritan faith helped her make sense of her trial. Rowlandson was unsure how far the colonists should travel into the wilderness away from Puritan settlements. Puritan colonists were curious about the experience of one who had lived among native people as a captive and then returned to colonial society. Many literate English people were familiar with the captivity narratives written by English and European traders and explorers during the 17th century, who were taken captive at sea off the coast of North Africa and in the Mediterranean and sometimes sold into slavery in the Middle East. ''A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson'' is among the most frequently cited examples of a captivity narrative and is often viewed as an archetypal model. Because of Rowlandson's encounter with her Indian captors, her narrative is also interesting for its treatment of intercultural contact. Finally, in its use of autobiography, Biblical typology, and similarity to the "
Jeremiad A jeremiad is a long literary work, usually in prose, but sometimes in verse, in which the author bitterly laments the state of society and its morals in a serious tone of sustained invective, and always contains a prophecy of society's imminen ...
", ''A Narrative of the Captivity'' offers valuable insight into the mind and lifestyle of a Puritan citizen.


Biblical content and ministerial influences

Scholars such as Gary Ebersole and Kathryn Derounian-Stodola have noted the similarities between Rowlandson's narrative and the Puritan jeremiad, and have considered the editorial influence that
Increase Mather Increase Mather (; June 21, 1639 Old Style – August 23, 1723 Old Style) was a New England Puritan clergyman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and president of Harvard College for twenty years (1681–1701). He was influential in the administ ...
might have had on the text. In fact, many scholars identify Mather as the anonymous writer of "The Preface to the Reader", which was originally published with the narrative. In recent scholarship, Billy J. Stratton has further elaborated on this line of thought, claiming that Mather may have had a much more extensive involvement in the book's production than has been previously believed. pp. 112-119. Others argue that this perception is revisionist thinking based on today's perception of the Puritan past. Throughout the narrative of Rowlandson's captivity, the central influence of Puritan philosophy is displayed through the use of Biblical quotations that function to reinforce her descriptions of a world of stark dichotomies: punishment and retribution, darkness and light, and good and evil. The prevalent use of scripture throughout the narrative often functioned as a source of strength and solace for Rowlandson. The lessons and meaning conveyed also acted to demonstrate her Puritan faith and belief that God's grace and providence shape the events of the world. For example, when Rowlandson did not know where her children were (or even whether they were alive), she stated, "And my poor girl, I knew not where she was, not whether she was sick, or well, or alive, or dead. I repaired under these thoughts to my Bible (my great comfort in that time) and that scripture came to my hand, 'Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain thee' (Psalm 55.22)."


See also

*
Captivity narrative Captivity narratives are usually stories of people captured by enemies whom they consider uncivilized, or whose beliefs and customs they oppose. The best-known captivity narratives in North America are those concerning Europeans and Americans ta ...
*
Monoco Monoco (died 1676) was a 17th-century Nashaway sachem (chief), known among the New England Puritans as One-eyed John. After decades of peaceful coexistence, tensions arose between settlers and natives. The Nashaway attacked the neighboring Engli ...
, Nashaway sachem *
John Williams (New England minister) John Williams (10 December 1664 – 12 June 1729) was a New England Puritan minister who was the noted pastor of Deerfield from 1688 to his death. He and most of his family were taken captive in the Raid on Deerfield in 1704 during Queen Anne's Wa ...
, who wrote a captivity narrative after being captured in the 1704
Raid on Deerfield The 1704 Raid on Deerfield (also known as the Deerfield Massacre) occurred during Queen Anne's War on February 29 when French and Native American forces under the command of Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville attacked the English frontier settle ...


References

;Notes ;Footnotes ;Works cited * * * * * * * ;Bibliography * * * * *


External links

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Mary White Rowlandson
Women's History, About.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowlandson, Mary 1630s births 1710 deaths 17th-century American writers 17th-century American women writers Captives of Native Americans Colonial American women in warfare Writers of captivity narratives Women in 17th-century warfare People from Somerset Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony