Henry Harmon Spalding Record Book
Scope and Contents
The record book contains two parts:
Part 1. Preble Wigwam of the Order of the Star Spangled Banner records, 1855. The entries for each meeting are brief, usually focusing on the names of new initiates into the order and the location of the meetings.
Part 2. Spalding's notes on a missionary trip to the Spokane Indians, 1873. The notes list baptisms of men, women and children around Spokane Falls and the Spokane River "Great Fishery." The baptised people appear to all be Spokane Indians. Spalding only noted first names, with occasional honorifics such as "Abraham Head Chief." A few native names are present in the margins, such as "Holokamka" and "Selotahin." There are also several pages of religious hymns.
The record book is accompanied by typed transcripts of the Preble Wigman records.
Dates
- Creation: 1855-1873
Creator
- Spalding, Henry Harmon (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Pacific University owns the copyright to some, but not all, of the materials housed in its archives. Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of Pacific University is retained by Pacific University and requires its permission for publication. Copyright status for other collection materials varies. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Historical Note
Henry H. Spalding was an early Presbyterian missionary in the Pacific Northwest who worked from the 1830s to the 1870s. He is best known for his work with the Nez Perce at Lapwai and for being zealously anti-Catholic. After the Whitman massacre in 1847, he moved to Oregon, where he lived in several locations including Forest Grove and Brownsville. He returned to the Nez Perce lands in 1859 and divided his years thereafter between missionary work, travel, and time back in Oregon.
In 1855, Spalding served as the president of the Preble Wigwam, which was a local chapter of the Order of the Star Spangled Banner. This was a secret society for adherents of the American Party, also called the "Know-Nothings." They were an anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant, nativist party that arose in the Northeastern United States in the early 1850s. The Preble Wigwam held its meetings at various locations in the southern part of the Willamette Valley, including at Spalding's house.
In 1873, a Protestant member of the Spokane Tribe known as "Spokane Garry" became concerned about Catholic influence in his area. Garry sent several other Spokane Indians to see Spalding in Lapwai, asking him to visit the Spokanes. Spalding, who was then 70 years old, undertook a 3-week tour of the Spokane lands, baptising more than 100 people (see Ruby & Brown, p.160).
Extent
1 folders (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Summary
Henry H. Spalding was a missionary in the Pacific Northwest who is best known for his work with the Nez Perce from the 1830s-1870s. This record book consists of two parts: the records of the Preble Wigwam of the Order of the Star Spangled Banner, 1855, for which he served as president; and notes from his missionary trip to the Spokane Indians in 1873.
Location
Housed in MS File Box 2.
Bibliography
Subject
- American Party (Organization)
- Order of the Star Spangled Banner. Preble Wigwam (Oregon) (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Henry H. Spalding Record Book
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Eva Guggemos
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Sponsored by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Repository Details
Part of the Pacific University Archives Repository