SELA GOODRICH WRIGHT:

Sela Wright was born in Oberlin, Ohio (July 21, 1816), the son of John and Betsy (Goodrich) Wright, and was educated at Medina Academy and Oberlin College (1841). He joined the newly organized Western Evangelical Missionary Society which later merged with the Union Missionary Society of New York and became the American Missionary Association. He was ordained as a Congregational clergyman at the Red Lake Mission, Minnesota (1843) and served there as a missionary to the Ojibwe Indian band until 1862. During the 1862-1867 period, he worked for the American Missionary Association in the southern states. From 1867 until 1891, Wright served at the Leech Lake Ojibwe Mission. He married Emeline Farnsworth on June 8, 1846, and died in Oberlin, Ohio on July 9, 1906. More biographical information is located in the collection.

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The reminiscences begin with the recruitment (1843) of Oberlin students Frederick Ayer, Alonzo Barnard, D. B. Spencer, and Sela Wright, who were sent to the Red Lake Mission, and Dr. William Lewis and P. O. Johnson who were sent to the Leech Lake Mission.

Wright and the others arrived at Red Lake on October 7, 1843. There is information on the arduous journey from St. Paul to Red Lake; descriptions of the villages of St. Anthony and St. Paul; and descriptions of the missionaries teaching agricultural practices to the Indians. In the summer of 1846, Wright returned to Oberlin to find a wife (Emeline Farnsworth). His account reveals (pages 4-5) the rather businesslike courtship between the couple and the urgency to return to Red Lake before winter. The prospective bride's name was not mentioned. Then follows a description of the 35-day trip from Oberlin to Red Lake, arriving there on October 15, 1846.

There are fairly detailed descriptions of house construction; the food supply including fish, corn, and maple sugar; and making corn bread. By 1845, more homes had been erected and the gardens planted earlier were producing, with the aid of the Indians. Descriptions of learning the Ojibwe language; the cautious approach taken to the religious conversion of the Indians; and the mediation of disputes between Dakota and Ojibwe Indians are also given.

After the closing of the mission in 1859 Wright records more information on the lives of some of the missionaries including D. B. Spencer, O. A. Coe, J. S. Fisher, E. W. Carver, Francis Spees, and Dr. William Lewis.

Pages 34-42 contain information on two Indian converts, Kay-zhe-ash and Gab-bah-mah-tak-gate (Hannah). The latter was sent to Oberlin and died there.

Pages 26-32 describe the successful peacemaking agreement between the Dakota and Ojibwe in 1872. Wright facilitated the agreement by writing letters between the chiefs of the two tribes and drafting the articles of agreement.

Pages 52-53 contain brief biographical information on Wright. Accompanying the reminiscences are photocopies of Wright's obituaries from The Congregational Year-Book (1907), and from Minnesota Biographies (1907); accessions note from the Minnesota History Bulletin (May 1920); and an extract from a portion of the reminiscences published in Grace Lee Nute's article, "Red River Valley History," Minnesota History Bulletin (Nov. 1924).

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Sela Goodrich Wright Reminiscences. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 1878B.

Processing Information:

Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, January 1988.

Catalog ID number: 990017358490104294

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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:

Congregational churches -- Missions -- Minnesota.

Congregational churches -- Minnesota -- Clergy.

Congregationalists -- Minnesota.

Dakota Indians -- Minnesota -- Missions.

Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota.

Ojibwa Indians -- Minnesota -- Agriculture.

Ojibwa Indians -- Minnesota -- Missions.

Missionaries -- Minnesota -- Appointment, call and election.

Protestant theological seminaries -- Ohio -- Oberlin.

Protestantism.

Religion.

Universities and colleges -- Ohio -- Oberlin.

Women missionaries -- Minnesota.

Places:

Leech Lake (Minn.).

Minnesota -- Description and travel.

Minnesota -- History to 1858.

Ohio -- Description and travel.

Red Lake (Minn.).

Persons:

Barnard, Alonzo, 1817-1905.

Organizations:

American Missionary Association.

Oberlin College.

Western Evangelical Missionary Society.

Types of Documents:

Reminiscences.

Occupations:

Missionaries -- Minnesota.

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