RUTH JUHL:

Robert Hopkins was born May 23, 1816 in Brown County, Ohio, the son of John and Polly (Gilliland) Hopkins. In 1848 he was ordained a minister, and was stationed at a mission at Traverse des Sioux, Minnesota Territory. Hopkins was married to Agnes Carson (Johnson) (1825-1915), and the couple had several children together. Hopkins drowned in the Minnesota River near Traverse des Sioux in July 1851, and is interred at Green Lawn Cemetery at Traverse, Nicollet County, Minnesota. A few years later Agnes married Gideon Pond, who was by then a widower.

Gideon Hollister Pond was born at New Preston, Connecticut, on June 30, 1810. He came to what is now Minnesota in 1834 as a Presbyterian missionary to the Dakota Indians. He operated the Oak Grove Indian Mission at Oak Grove (Bloomington, Minnesota) from 1843-1852. He was married in 1835 to Sarah Pouge (1805-1853) and then in 1855 to Agnes (1825-1915). Pond died January 20, 1878 and is interred at Bloomington Cemetery, Bloomington. Pond had several children with each of his two wives.

The Goodermont Family are descendants of George and Dorothy Hopkins of Bloomington.

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The collection includes correspondence between Hopkins and Gideon Pond, as well as letters received from associates, including Seth Eastman, Alexander Huggins, Stephen Riggs, G. Loomis, Thomas Williamson, Lorenzo Lawrence, and Samuel Pond. Several census-type lists record names of native peoples in various bands in Southeastern Minnesota in 1846. Three receipts, one sermon, and an abstract of title to two lots in Saint Paul round out the collection.

One letter (item 19) mentions what is likely Riggs’ Dakota-English dictionary. Another letter (11) discusses the establishment of what is likely Dakota tawaxitku kin, or The Dakota friend, a bilingual newspaper. In letters 12 and 13 Hopkins alludes to suffering from depression. Letters 8 and 16 refer to other unspecified hardships and emotional turmoil. A letter (2) dated 1850 from the Minnesota Historical Society to Gideon Pond informs him that he has been elected a member of the Society, and discusses the foundations of the institution's publishing program.

The eight census-type lists (items 20-27) provide the names of members and the sizes several Native American bands in what is now the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area and Southeastern Minnesota. At least five letters (items 1, 5, 6, 10, and 15) also mention the names of specific Dakota people.

The papers describe missionary work, discuss personal and family issues, and provide insight into Dakota naming practices, as well as an understanding of the individuals and communities who were living in the southeastern part of early Minnesota. The letters also illustrate the strained relationships among the Dakota people and the missionaries in the years leading up to treaties in 1851 and 1858.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions:

This collection may only be used at the Special Use Table.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Ruth Juhl and Family Collection of Missionary Documents. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 17,922

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, April 2023

Digitized by: Minnesota Historical Society, July 2023.

Digitization was made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.

Catalog ID number: 9989835840204294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Dakota Indians--Minnesota.

Dakota Indians--Missions--Minnesota.

Dakota War, Minnesota, 1862.

Indians of North America--Minnesota.

Mdewakanton Indians.

Missionaries--Minnesota.

Presbyterians--Missions--Minnesota.

Persons:

Eastman, Seth, 1808-1875, author.

Hopkins, Robert, 1816-1851, author.

Huggins, Alexander G., 1802-1866, author.

Lawrence, Lorenzo, approximately 1820-1897 or 1898, author.

McGrorty, William B. (William Bernard), 1825-1865, author.

Pond, Gideon H. (Gideon Hollister), 1810-1878, author.

Pond, Samuel W. (Samuel William), 1808-1891, author

Riggs, Stephen Return, 1812-1883, author.

Williamson, Thomas S. (Thomas Smith), 1800-1879, author.

Black Dog.

Good Road.

Little Crow, -1863.

Red Wing.

Shakopee, Chief, 1811-1865.

Wabasha, approximately 1812-1876.

Wacouta.

Organizations:

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 5th (1861-1865).

Places:

Bde Maka Ska (Minn.)--Indians.

Minnesota Territory--History.

Minnesota History--1858-1898.

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