Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora IndiansJohnson, Elias
History
Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians
Johnson, Elias
Iroquois Indians; Tuscarora Indians
In the year of 1850 there was another school house built by the natives
under the proposition of Miss Mary J. F. Thayer. I have here a brief
history of her labors among the Tuscaroras, from her own writings, which
is very interesting, to wit:
MISS M. J. F. THAYER'S LABORS AS A MISSIONARY TEACHER.
At the invitation of Rev. G. Rockwood (then the ordained missionary at
Tuscarora) Miss M. J. F. Thayer commenced her labors among the Tuscaroras
as teacher on April 30, 1849, in the old school-house opposite Mr.
Rockwood's house, receiving from the American Board one dollar and fifty
cents per week, besides her board. There were but few scholars, and these
were very irregular in their attendance. Miss T. visited the parents and
tried to get them interested. She finally came to the conclusion that
time and money were thrown away on that little _day_ school, and
drew up a paper, which was read to the Tuscaroras at their New Year's
feast, January 1, 1850, in which she detailed her plans and wishes,
asking their aid in executing them. Their response was cordial and
hearty. They resolved to build a new school-house; the site was selected
on a corner near Isaac Miller's, and the people, as one man, went to work
with great alacrity, under the leadership of one of their chiefs, Wm. Mt.
Pleasant, and had, before the next New Year's, a snug house, 18 x 24
feet, well finished, furnished with two stoves, and a large pile of wood
prepared. Miss Thayer commenced teaching at the new station (which she
was pleased to call Mt. Hope) Jan. 14, 1851, having forty scholars the
first day. On Saturday, Jan. 12, before school began, a church meeting
was held at the new station. There were thirty persons present, and they
voted to hold prayer meetings there every Wednesday evening.
Feb. 20 Miss T. wrote--"Fifty is the average attendance at school.
Scholars happy and bright and very eager to learn Nearly every one has
bought a new spelling book. The prayer meetings are well attended;
Sabbath evenings there are fifty present, Wednesdays, thirty. They
conduct these meetings without their pastor, usually. Christians are
being revived; there is an increasing spirit of prayer: the women have
begun to pray; we had a precious meeting last Sabbath evening."
In March there was a great deal of sickness (typhoid fever), of which
several died. The school was interrupted for a few days.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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