August 18, 2025 • 8 mins
In 1755, twelve-year-old Mary Jemison was captured by Native Americans, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey that would define her life. This compelling narrative recounts the tragic murder of her father and family, her profound struggles, and the complexities of her marriages to two Native men. Mary’s account reveals the harsh realities she faced, the brutalities of the French and Revolutionary Wars, and the historical truths that have long remained untold. Join us as we explore her extraordinary story, as narrated by James Seaver.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Appendix Part three of a Narrative of the Life of
Missus Mary Jemison. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. A Narrative of
the Life of Missus Mary Jemison by James E. Sever Appendix,
(00:21):
Part three anecdotes. Hoy Katu used to say that when
he was a young man, there lived in the same
tribe with him an old Indian warrior who was a
great counselor by the name of Buckan g Hillish. Bucan
g Hillish, having with great fatigue, attended the council when
it was deliberating upon war, declared that none but the
(00:41):
ignorant made war, but that the wise men and the
warriors had to do the fighting. This speech exasperated his
countrymen to such a degree that he was apprehended and
tried for being a witch on the account of his
having lived to so advanced an age, and because he
could not show some reason why he had not died
before he was sentenced to be tomahawked by a boy
(01:03):
on the spot, which was accordingly done. In the last
war eighteen fourteen, an Indian who had been on fatigue,
called at a commissary's and begged some bread. He was
sent for a pail of water before he received it,
and while he was absent, an officer told the commissary
to put a piece of money into the bread and
(01:23):
observe the event. He did so. The Indian took the
bread and went off. But on the next day, having
ate his bread and found the money, he came to
the commissary and gave him the same as the officer
had anticipated. Little Beard, a celebrated Indian chief, having arrived
to a very advanced age, died at his town on
(01:44):
the Genesee River about the first of June eighteen o six,
and was buried after the manner of burying chiefs. In
his lifetime, he had been quite arbitrary, and had made
some enemies whom he hated, probably and was not loved
by them. The grave, however, deprives envy of its malignity
and revenge of its keenness. Little Beard had been dead
(02:07):
but a few days when the great eclipse of the
sun took place on the sixteenth of June, which excited
in the Indians a great degree of astonishment, for as
they were ignorant of astronomy, they were totally unqualified to
account for so extraordinary a phenomenon. The crisis was alarming,
and something effectual must be done without delay, to remove,
(02:28):
if possible, the cause of such coldness and darkness, which
it was expected would increase. They accordingly ran together in
the three towns near the Genesee River, and after a
short consultation, agreed that little Beard, on the account of
some old grudge which he yet cherished towards them, had
placed himself between them and the sun, in order that
(02:48):
their corn might not grow, and so reduced them to
a state of starvation. Having thus found the cause, the
next thing was to remove it, which could only be
done the use of powder and ball. Upon this every
gun and rifle was loaded, and a firing commenced that
continued without cessation till the old fellow left his seat,
and the obscurity was entirely removed, to the great joy
(03:12):
of the ingenious and fortunate Indians. In the month of
February eighteen twenty four, Cornplanter, a learned pagan chief at Tonawanta,
died of common sickness. He had received a liberal education
and was held in high estimation in his town and
tribe by both parties. But the Pagans more particularly, mourned
(03:33):
his loss deeply and seemed entirely unreconciled. They imputed his
death to witchcraft and charged an Indian by the name
of Prompit with the crime. Mister Prompitt is a Christian
Indian of the Tuscarora nation who has lived at Tonawanta
a number of years, where he has built a saw
mill himself, which he owns, and is considered a decent,
(03:55):
respectable man. About two weeks after the death of Cornplanter,
mister Prompit happened in company where the author was present,
and immediately begun to converse upon that subject. He said
that the old fashioned Indians called him a witch, believed
that he had killed Cornplanter, and had said that they
would kill him. But said he, all good people know
(04:16):
that I am not a witch and that I am
clear of the charge. Likely enough they will kill me.
But if they do, my hands are clean, my conscience
is clear, and I shall go up to God. I
will not run nor hide from them, and they may
kill me if they choose to. I am innocent. When
Jesus Christ's enemies said he wanted to kill him. He
(04:36):
did not run away from them, but let them kill him.
And why should I run away from my enemies? How
the affair will terminate? We are unable to decide description
of Genesee River and its banks from Mount Morris to
the upper falls. From Mount Morris, the banks of the
Genesee are from two to four hundred feet in height,
(04:58):
with narrow flats on one side of the river or
the other till you arrive at the track called Guardeaux
or cross Hills. Here you come to Missus Jemison's flats,
which are two miles and a quarter long and from
eighty to one hundred and twenty yards wide, lying mostly
on the west side of the river. Near the upper
end of these flats is the Great Slide. Directly above this,
(05:21):
the banks, still retaining their before mentioned height, approach so
near each other as to admit but thirty acres of
flat on one side of the river only, and above
this the perpendicular rock comes down to the water. From Guardeaux,
you ascend the river five miles to the lower falls,
which are ninety three feet perpendicular. These falls are twenty
(05:43):
rods wide and have the greatest channel on the east side.
From Wolf Creek to these falls, the banks are covered
with elegant white and Norway pine. Above the lower falls,
the banks for about two miles are of perpendicular rock
and retain their height of between the two and four
hundred feet. Having traveled this distance, you reach the middle falls,
(06:05):
which are an uninterrupted sheet of water fifteen rods wide
and one hundred and ten feet in perpendicular height. This
natural curiosity is not exceeded by anything of the kind
in the Western country, except the Cataract at Niagara. From
the middle falls, the banks gradually rise till you ascend
the river half a mile when you come to the
(06:26):
upper falls, which are somewhat rolling sixty six feet in
the shape of a harrow. Above this, the banks are
of moderate height. The timber from the lower to the
upper falls is principally pine. Just above the middle falls,
a saw mill was erected this season eighteen twenty three
by Messrs Zeba Herd and Alval Palmer hunting anecdote. In
(06:49):
November eighteen twenty two, Captain Stephen Rolfe and mister Alva
Palmer drove a deer into Genesee River a short distance
above the middle Falls, where the banks were so steep
and the current so impetuous that it could not regain
the shore, and consequently was precipitated over the falls one
hundred and ten feet into the gulf below. The hunters
(07:11):
ran along the bank below the falls to watch the
fate of the animal, expecting it would be dashed in pieces.
But to their great astonishment, it came up alive, and
by swimming across a small eddy, reached the bank almost
under the falls, and as it stood in that situation,
Captain Ralph, who was at the top of the bank,
shot it. This being done, the next thing to be
(07:32):
considered was how to get their prize. The rock, being
perpendicular upwards of one hundred feet, would not admit of
their climbing down to it, and there was no way,
apparently for them to get at it short of going
down the river two miles to the lower falls, and
then by creeping between the water and the precipice they
might possibly reach their game. This process would be too
(07:54):
tedious at length, mister Palmer proposed to Captain Ralph and
mister Heman Irwin, who had joined them that if they
would make a windlass and fasten it to a couple
of saplings that stood near, and then procure some ropes,
he would be let down and get the deer. The
apparatus was prepared, the rope was tied round Palmer's body,
(08:15):
and he was let down. On arriving at the bottom,
he unloosed himself, fastened the rope round the deer, which
they drew up, and then threw down the rope in
which he fastened himself, and was drawn up without having
sustained any injury. From the top to the bottom of
the rock where he was let down was exactly one
hundred and twenty feet finesse end of Appendix Part three,
(08:41):
end of a narrative of the life of missus Mary
Jemison by James E. Seaver
Appendix Part three of a Narrative of the Life of
Missus Mary Jemison. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. A Narrative of
the Life of Missus Mary Jemison by James E. Sever Appendix,
(00:21):
Part three anecdotes. Hoy Katu used to say that when
he was a young man, there lived in the same
tribe with him an old Indian warrior who was a
great counselor by the name of Buckan g Hillish. Bucan
g Hillish, having with great fatigue, attended the council when
it was deliberating upon war, declared that none but the
(00:41):
ignorant made war, but that the wise men and the
warriors had to do the fighting. This speech exasperated his
countrymen to such a degree that he was apprehended and
tried for being a witch on the account of his
having lived to so advanced an age, and because he
could not show some reason why he had not died
before he was sentenced to be tomahawked by a boy
(01:03):
on the spot, which was accordingly done. In the last
war eighteen fourteen, an Indian who had been on fatigue,
called at a commissary's and begged some bread. He was
sent for a pail of water before he received it,
and while he was absent, an officer told the commissary
to put a piece of money into the bread and
(01:23):
observe the event. He did so. The Indian took the
bread and went off. But on the next day, having
ate his bread and found the money, he came to
the commissary and gave him the same as the officer
had anticipated. Little Beard, a celebrated Indian chief, having arrived
to a very advanced age, died at his town on
(01:44):
the Genesee River about the first of June eighteen o six,
and was buried after the manner of burying chiefs. In
his lifetime, he had been quite arbitrary, and had made
some enemies whom he hated, probably and was not loved
by them. The grave, however, deprives envy of its malignity
and revenge of its keenness. Little Beard had been dead
(02:07):
but a few days when the great eclipse of the
sun took place on the sixteenth of June, which excited
in the Indians a great degree of astonishment, for as
they were ignorant of astronomy, they were totally unqualified to
account for so extraordinary a phenomenon. The crisis was alarming,
and something effectual must be done without delay, to remove,
(02:28):
if possible, the cause of such coldness and darkness, which
it was expected would increase. They accordingly ran together in
the three towns near the Genesee River, and after a
short consultation, agreed that little Beard, on the account of
some old grudge which he yet cherished towards them, had
placed himself between them and the sun, in order that
(02:48):
their corn might not grow, and so reduced them to
a state of starvation. Having thus found the cause, the
next thing was to remove it, which could only be
done the use of powder and ball. Upon this every
gun and rifle was loaded, and a firing commenced that
continued without cessation till the old fellow left his seat,
and the obscurity was entirely removed, to the great joy
(03:12):
of the ingenious and fortunate Indians. In the month of
February eighteen twenty four, Cornplanter, a learned pagan chief at Tonawanta,
died of common sickness. He had received a liberal education
and was held in high estimation in his town and
tribe by both parties. But the Pagans more particularly, mourned
(03:33):
his loss deeply and seemed entirely unreconciled. They imputed his
death to witchcraft and charged an Indian by the name
of Prompit with the crime. Mister Prompitt is a Christian
Indian of the Tuscarora nation who has lived at Tonawanta
a number of years, where he has built a saw
mill himself, which he owns, and is considered a decent,
(03:55):
respectable man. About two weeks after the death of Cornplanter,
mister Prompit happened in company where the author was present,
and immediately begun to converse upon that subject. He said
that the old fashioned Indians called him a witch, believed
that he had killed Cornplanter, and had said that they
would kill him. But said he, all good people know
(04:16):
that I am not a witch and that I am
clear of the charge. Likely enough they will kill me.
But if they do, my hands are clean, my conscience
is clear, and I shall go up to God. I
will not run nor hide from them, and they may
kill me if they choose to. I am innocent. When
Jesus Christ's enemies said he wanted to kill him. He
(04:36):
did not run away from them, but let them kill him.
And why should I run away from my enemies? How
the affair will terminate? We are unable to decide description
of Genesee River and its banks from Mount Morris to
the upper falls. From Mount Morris, the banks of the
Genesee are from two to four hundred feet in height,
(04:58):
with narrow flats on one side of the river or
the other till you arrive at the track called Guardeaux
or cross Hills. Here you come to Missus Jemison's flats,
which are two miles and a quarter long and from
eighty to one hundred and twenty yards wide, lying mostly
on the west side of the river. Near the upper
end of these flats is the Great Slide. Directly above this,
(05:21):
the banks, still retaining their before mentioned height, approach so
near each other as to admit but thirty acres of
flat on one side of the river only, and above
this the perpendicular rock comes down to the water. From Guardeaux,
you ascend the river five miles to the lower falls,
which are ninety three feet perpendicular. These falls are twenty
(05:43):
rods wide and have the greatest channel on the east side.
From Wolf Creek to these falls, the banks are covered
with elegant white and Norway pine. Above the lower falls,
the banks for about two miles are of perpendicular rock
and retain their height of between the two and four
hundred feet. Having traveled this distance, you reach the middle falls,
(06:05):
which are an uninterrupted sheet of water fifteen rods wide
and one hundred and ten feet in perpendicular height. This
natural curiosity is not exceeded by anything of the kind
in the Western country, except the Cataract at Niagara. From
the middle falls, the banks gradually rise till you ascend
the river half a mile when you come to the
(06:26):
upper falls, which are somewhat rolling sixty six feet in
the shape of a harrow. Above this, the banks are
of moderate height. The timber from the lower to the
upper falls is principally pine. Just above the middle falls,
a saw mill was erected this season eighteen twenty three
by Messrs Zeba Herd and Alval Palmer hunting anecdote. In
(06:49):
November eighteen twenty two, Captain Stephen Rolfe and mister Alva
Palmer drove a deer into Genesee River a short distance
above the middle Falls, where the banks were so steep
and the current so impetuous that it could not regain
the shore, and consequently was precipitated over the falls one
hundred and ten feet into the gulf below. The hunters
(07:11):
ran along the bank below the falls to watch the
fate of the animal, expecting it would be dashed in pieces.
But to their great astonishment, it came up alive, and
by swimming across a small eddy, reached the bank almost
under the falls, and as it stood in that situation,
Captain Ralph, who was at the top of the bank,
shot it. This being done, the next thing to be
(07:32):
considered was how to get their prize. The rock, being
perpendicular upwards of one hundred feet, would not admit of
their climbing down to it, and there was no way,
apparently for them to get at it short of going
down the river two miles to the lower falls, and
then by creeping between the water and the precipice they
might possibly reach their game. This process would be too
(07:54):
tedious at length, mister Palmer proposed to Captain Ralph and
mister Heman Irwin, who had joined them that if they
would make a windlass and fasten it to a couple
of saplings that stood near, and then procure some ropes,
he would be let down and get the deer. The
apparatus was prepared, the rope was tied round Palmer's body,
(08:15):
and he was let down. On arriving at the bottom,
he unloosed himself, fastened the rope round the deer, which
they drew up, and then threw down the rope in
which he fastened himself, and was drawn up without having
sustained any injury. From the top to the bottom of
the rock where he was let down was exactly one
hundred and twenty feet finesse end of Appendix Part three,
(08:41):
end of a narrative of the life of missus Mary
Jemison by James E. Seaver
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