A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison [Paperback]

James E. Seaver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0072932848 | ISBN-13: 978-0806127170

Mary Jemison was one of the most famous white captives who, after being captured by Indians, chose to stay and live among her captors. In the midst of the Seven Years War(1758), at about age fifteen, Jemison was taken from her western Pennsylvania home by a Shawnee and French raiding party. Her family was killed, but Mary was traded to two Seneca sisters who adopted her to replace a slain brother. She lived to survive two Indian husbands, the births of eight children, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the canal era in upstate New York. In 1833 she died at about age ninety.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- A story of extraordinary courage and human survival as told by the subject herself, originally published in 1824. Jemison recounts how she was captured as a teenager by Shawnee Indians, who mutilated and killed her family. She was then sold to two Seneca sisters, with whom she remained willingly, married twice, and produced many children. This version of the affecting account is edited by feminist scholar and teacher June Namias.
- Mike Printz, Topeka West High School, KS
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

James E. Seaver, a 19th-century author, is best known for writing “A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison.” --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (March 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072932848
• ISBN-13: 978-0806127170
• ASIN: 0806127171
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #899,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Firsthand account of Captive who became tribal Matriarch, May 29, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison ... (Iroquois & Their Neighbors) (Paperback)

They say if you visit New York State you will find her
descendants; many native-americans have her last name.

Taken captive; her parents killed - Mary becomes part of
a native-american family. She married a Delaware (Lenape)
warrior, with whom she was very content and has many
children. This is a dramatic, true story, told in her own
words. She is in her 80's, and reminisces about her unusual
life.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Indian Captivity Narrative, March 27, 2003

By 

Matthew S. Schweitzer "zohoe" (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison (Paperback)

This book is an incredible account of the life and times of Mary Jemison, a white woman taken captive during the French and Indian War and adopted into the Seneca tribe of the Iroquois in western New York. This tale covers her more than 70 years living among them through many of the most vital years of the long history of the Iroquois Confederacy.

In November 1823, when she was in her 80s, Mary Jemison, at the urging of many of the friendly local inhabitants, gave her amazing life story to James Seaver to publish for posterity. Though his truthfulness in some details of that account has often been called into question, this book is one of the most important and complete of any of the Indian captivity narratives to come out of the period between the French and Indian War and the War of 1812, which most historians mark as the end of the period of influence of the Eastern Woodland tribes. This account gives unequalled insight into the Seneca Indians and their ways including religion, food, hunting, warfare, culture, etc.

Mary had many opportunities to leave the Indians and return to white civilization but chose not to do so and thus was witness to some of the most amazing events in the history of her adopted people. Her tale is important to not only historians and ethnologists, but to the general public itself as it is a truly amazing story of triumph and tragedy for a proud people struggling to survive in the face of overwhelming odds as a young United States continued to expand, forever extinguishing their way of life.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History, December 5, 1999

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison (Paperback)

The narrative is fascinating reading, both in terms of the history revealed in the words of Mary Jemison and in terms of James Seaver who gives us his own version of her story. The effect is a layering of historical periods. With the help of the editing, you can peer through and see not only the period of Mary Jemison's captivity, but also the prejudices of the following time. An interesting example of the simultaneous respect and loathing with which the early settlers viewed the native inhabitants. I first read the narrative in high school, and would recommend it for young and old readers alike.