Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison

Author Lois Lenski explains that “in the early days of the settlement of America, children were frequently captured by Indians” (19). While some children were returned after a short time, others were not; in some cases, children stayed with Indigenous communities by their own choice. Mary Jemison was such a case, remaining with the Senecas for the rest of her life.

Near the end of her life, Mary Jemison related her experiences to an author, and her story was published in 1824. Mary was born on a ship as her parents were traveling to North America and spent the first part of her childhood in Marsh Creek Hollow, Pennsylvania. On April 5, 1758, the entire family was captured, except for two brothers who fled. The next day, Mary was separated from the rest of her family; she was taken to live with the Senecas, while her family members were killed. Mary Jemison stayed with the Senecas for her entire life and was later referred to as “the White Woman of the Genesee” (21).

Lenski’s novel presents “the conflict between Indian and white life” (22), and she has tried to paint an accurate picture of Iroquois life during the French and Indian War era. A major feature of this time was the overlapping of changes brought by Europeans and some Senecas “[clinging] to many old customs” (23).

While the “essential facts remain true to Mary’s actual experiences” (24), Lenski explains changes that she made to the narrative: Some events were moved forward or rearranged in time, some characters were changed, and some details were adapted from other captivity accounts. Lenski explains the geographical locations of Mary’s experiences and closes the foreword by describing the places she conducted her research.