Henry H. Spalding Notebook

Henry H. Spalding Notebook, 1850-1870

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Spalding, Henry Harmon, 1803-1874
Title: Henry H. Spalding Notebook
Dates: 1850-1870 (inclusive)
18501870
Quantity: 1.0 folder
Collection Number: MS.77
Summary: Henry H. Spalding was a Presbyterian missionary who arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1836. This notebook, which he compiled during the 1850s-1860s, contains writings relating to his daily life as a missionary, farmer and Indian agent.
Repository: Pacific University, Archives
Pacific University Archives
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, OR
97116
Telephone: 5033521400
archives@pacificu.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Sponsored by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Henry H. Spalding was a Presbyterian missionary who arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1836 and was involved in work with Native Americans until his death in 1872. He is best known for his role as a missionary to the the Nez Perce at Lapwai, Idaho. A chronology of some significant events in his life follows:

1803 - Born in Steuben Co., NY
1833 - Graduates from Western Reserve College in Hudson, Ohio
1833 - Marries Eliza Hart
1835 - Graduates from Lane Theological Seminary in Walnut Hills, Ohio; ordained a minister of the Presbyterian Church
1836 - Leaves with Eliza and the Whitman Party to become missionaries in the Oregon Territory. The Spaldings establish a mission at Lapwai, near the present-day Nez Perce Reservation
1847 - Following the massacre of the Whitmans, the Spaldings leave Lapwai for the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
1848 - Spaldings set up a farm near present-day Brownsville; Henry becomes minister of the local church and county school commissioner
1850 - Appointed Indian Agent; negotiates several treaties with native tribes in Oregon during the early 1850s
1851 - Eliza dies
1853 - Marries Rachel Griffin, sister of fellow missionary John Smith Griffin
1859 - Stakes a land claim with his daughter, also named Eliza, near present-day Prescott, WA
1861 - Returns to Lapwai and is appointed teacher
1866 - Leaves Lapwai after disputes over his actions on the Nez Perce reservation; returns to Brownsville
1871 - Secures appointment as Superintendent of Instruction at Lapwai
1872 - Dismissed from appointment at Lapwai after further disputes. Goes to work with the Spokane tribe.
1874 - Dies in Lapwai
1880 - Rachel dies in Hillsboro, Oregon

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Henry Spalding's notebook, compiled during the 1850s-1860s, contains writings relating to his daily life, his readings and his activities as a missionary, a farmer and an Indian agent. The notes are written in pencil, mostly in his hand, but with a few notes written in by other people. It is bound in a form that could easily be carried while travelling, with a leather cover that could be strapped closed. Spalding probably carried the book with him during the 1850s-1860s, writing notes in it when necessary.

The notes cover many topics, including:

Household accounts, cattle and agricultural purchases
Record of purchasing a land claim near Walla Walla in the Washington Territory, 1860
Notes relating to books/articles he was reading; some might relate to manuscripts he was preparing for publication. Topics include: facts about missionaries; arguments against slavery; notes from scripture; Oregon history; notes about the Catholic Church; stories about Native Americans; notes about the Whitman massacre.
Brief notes related to the treaty signed at Port Orford in 1851
Glossary of Native American terms in the Tututni language (labelled "Port Orford"); and a short glossary of words in Nez Perce
Record of "Work on the Church at Lapwai Sept 1864," with a list of Native American names
Distances to travel from locations such as Boise
A clipping about "Romanism in the United States," laid in

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Henry H. Spalding Notebook, Pacific University Archives, Forest Grove, Oregon.

Restrictions on Use

Pacific University owns the copyright to some, but not all, of the materials housed in its archives. Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of Pacific University is retained by Pacific University and requires its permission for publication. Copyright status for other collection materials varies. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

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