Marcus and Narcissa Whitman Papers, 1823-1961

Marcus Whitman was born on September 4, 1802 in Rushville, New York. His father's early death necessitated his living with relatives from 1810 to 1820. During this time he was educated and received religious instruction. He received his medical degree in 1824 and practiced medicine for several years in Canada, was ordained for the ministry in 1834, and married in early 1836.

Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was born March 14, 1808 in Prattsburgh, New York. She attended Franklin Academy and Collegiate Institute and later a female seminary in Troy, New York that specialized in the training of teachers. Following the completion of her studies she taught in several places.

The Whitmans arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1836 and settled near Fort Walla Walla, where Whitman cultivated land and practiced medicine and Mrs. Whitman started an Indian school. In 1842, he travelled to the east to argue against the closing of the Oregon Missions. On his return, he led the first major emigrant wagon train to Oregon, the forerunner of the American settlement. On November 29, 1847, Whitman, his wife, and twelve others were killed by a group of Cayuse, who blamed the Whitmans for the severe measles epidemic in the area.