13 Facts About Narcissa Whitman

Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was an American missionary in the Oregon Country of what would become the state of Washington.

Narcissa Whitman Prentiss was born in Prattsburgh, New York, on March 14,1808.

Narcissa Whitman was the third of nine children of Judge Stephen and Clarissa Prentiss, was the oldest of the five girls, followed by Clarissa, Mary Ann, Jane, and Harriet, and had four brothers.

In 1819, Narcissa Whitman had a religious awakening and converted to the Congregational Church.

Narcissa Whitman was educated at the Franklin Academy in Prattsburgh, and for a time, taught primary school in there.

Narcissa Whitman decided that her true calling was to become a missionary, and was accepted for missionary service in March 1835.

Narcissa Whitman and Spalding were the first white women to cross the Rocky Mountains and live in the area.

Narcissa Whitman was something of a novel addition to the community for the local Native Americans, the Cayuse.

The Narcissa Whitman Mission began to take shape in 1837, eventually growing into a major stopping point along the Oregon Trail.

At the mission, Narcissa Whitman gave Bible classes to the native population, as well as teaching them Western domestic chores that were unknown to the Native Americans.

On March 14,1837, on her twenty ninth birthday, Narcissa Whitman gave birth to the first white American born in Oregon Country.

Narcissa Whitman named her Alice Clarissa after her grandmothers, and she would be their only natural child.

However, other children came to the mission, including the Sager orphans, to whom Narcissa Whitman became a second mother.