A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison

by James Seaver

A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison by James Seaver is one of the best Indian captivity narratives ever written. In April 1758, the Jemison settlement, about eight miles west of Gettysburg, PA, was attacked by a raiding party of French and Shawnee Indians. 15 year old Mary and one young boy were taken captive, the rest suffered cruel deaths. Mary was soon turned over to two Seneca sisters who eventually led her to her western New York State homeland along the Genesee River. She remained voluntarily with the Seneca until her death at age 91, after rising to a position of great prominence among the tribe. In 1823, at age 80, Mary related her memoirs to James E. Seaver, who published them the following year.

This remarkable woman's story became the inspiration for Robert Griffing's painting and later print of The Taking of Mary Jemison and The Adoption of Mary Jemison.

167 pages, paperback $17.95.