Knowledge (XXG)

Cyrus Kingsbury

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Kingston was preparing to start building with the Choctaws in Mississippi, he had proposed to marry her. Although he wanted to return to New England for the wedding, the church would not allow him to leave his post in Mississippi for a long enough time. Sarah and Cyrus were determined not to wait, but decided to meet in New Orleans. Sarah made the long, arduous ocean voyage unaccompanied from her parental home, while Cyrus came from Tennessee on horseback. They were married in New Orleans on Christmas Eve, 1818. After the ceremony, Cyrus and Sarah made the 200 miles (320 km) trip back to Brainerd on horseback, spending their nights camping out and cooking their food over open fires.
198:, in honor of the Mayhew family, another missionary family from Massachusetts. The Kingsburys, assisted by some other families and three unmarried women, started by building a boarding school, where they taught the Choctaws living around the mission to read, write, study the Bible and other subjects related to earning a living. The school opened on April 30, 1820, with twelve students who lived nearby. Enrollment increased soon to 18, with new students who came from elsewhere in the Choctaw Nation. A church building opened May 6, 1821, and became affiliated with the Tombigbee Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church. 210:
enough to go to school, Cyrus sent them back East to be educated. In 1824, Cyrus married Electa May. Well-suited to working as his partner as a missionary, she also saw to the raising of Cyrus' sons. Electa served with him until she died in July 1864. Work continued on the mission, and by 1831, it included a gristmill, a blacksmith shop and a farm. In that year, the Choctaws at Mayhew Mission began their arduous trek to their new homeland in Indian Territory. Cyrus Kingsbury chose to accompany them all the way.
206:. He did so, and was soon appalled at the U. S. commissioners negotiating tactics, calling the discussions, "Whiskey Negotiations." Kingsbury counseled the Choctaws to cease further negotiations until the commissioners stopped plying the Choctaws with liquor. The Choctaws did so, and the result was a more favorable outcome for the tribe. 209:
Meanwhile, Sarah Kingsbury bore two children, Cyrus and John P. Sarah contracted an unidentified illness and died at the mission five days later, on September 15, 1822. Sarah was buried in the mission cemetery, and Cyrus and the boys lived at the mission for a few more years. When the boys were old
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on January 16, 1784, was one of ten children of Parker and Dorcas (nÊe Brown) Varnum. Her father would become an elder in the Pawtucket Congregational Church. It is not clear when and how she would meet Cyrus Kingsbury, but evidently the event occurred and a strong attraction ensued. By 1818, when
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Kingsbury's first assignment as a missionary was to Brainerd Mission in Tennessee during 1818. He was then sent to Mississippi to live and work among the Choctaws. The area around what would become Doaksville was part of Arkansas Territory, until the U. S. Government changed the boundary between
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The ABCFM included both Congregational and Presbyterian missions and missionaries. Theologically, the two denominations have been very close (descended from Calvinistic doctrines). Hence, some sources identify Kingsbury as a Congregational minister while others call him a Presbyterian minister.
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Sarah's father, John Varnum, had become wealthy and left enough money to send both boys to a college in Ohio. Cyrus chose to become a doctor and majored in medicine. John P. became a businessman, who would return to Indian Territory as a merchant, and also edited a newspaper, the
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Kingsbury's influence on the Choctaw Nation could be described as spectacular. For example, the Choctaw chiefs began to solicit his advice on how to deal with officials of the Federal Government. They specifically asked him to accompany their delegation to negotiate the 1820
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As political unrest increased throughout the country, officials of the various missionary groups realized that Indian Territory could easily divide over the issue of slavery. Missionaries alerted their sponsors that the major tribes were already redefining their loyalties.
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During childhood, Cyrus had injured a foot when he stepped on a scythe. The injury never healed properly, causing him to walk with a noticeable limp for the rest of his life. Soon after he took up residence in the Choctaw Nation, the tribe gave him a Choctaw name,
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in May, 1829. The other three were Thomas Archibald, Hilary Patrick and David Wright. Mayhew missionaries served the church until 1834. David Wright became the first permanent minister after the church built a sanctuary and obtained its charter in 1844.
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Mayhew mission was abandoned when the Choctaws left, and remained vacant. The remaining townspeople moved when the Mobile and Ohio Railroad bypassed the community in 1857. Almost nothing except the cemetery and the church remains of the original
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In 1818, Kingsbury was sent to Mississippi by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and assigned to minister to the Choctaw Nation that lived there. His first activity was to establish
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One source has claimed that Cyrus Kingsbury established Pine Ridge Mission in 1818, at a site 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Doaksville, and that the mission became the Choctaw Female Seminary in 1842.
132:, where he also graduated in 1815. Choosing to become a missionary to American Indians, he was hired as the first missionary by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). 301:
A community by this name does not exist in Tennessee now. This location probably refers to the principal town of the Chickamauga band of Cherokees, which once existed near the present site of
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This mission was named for David Eliot (sometimes written as Elliott), an early Congregationalist minister, who had begun serving Indians living in Massachusetts in 1676.
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Cyrus Kingsbury's papers are in the Western History Collection at the University of Oklahoma library. A listing of the contents of the ten folders is available online.
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that he deemed a suitable site for another mission. He described the location as, "... a point where the Ash Creek flows into the Tibbee Creek.” Cyrus named the site
626: 616: 88:(November 22, 1786 – June 27, 1870) was a Christian missionary active among the American Indians in the nineteenth century. He first worked with the 148:
near Chickamauga. According to A. C. Varnum, Brainerd included not only the mission itself, but also a boarding school and an agricultural school.
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Likewise, missions, schools and churches sponsored by the ABCFM may be indicated as founded by either denomination.
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Herrick, C. L. "Mayhew, Lowndes County, Mississippi." Lowndes, Mississippi Genealogy & History Network. 2017.
203: 373:, who would become chief of the Choctaw Nation in 1866, came to Pine Ridge to live with the Kingsburys in 1840. 121: 144:
in 1815. He was first sent to Tennessee in 1817, where he began ministering to the Cherokee tribe and founded
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Cyrus Kingsbury was one of four Mayhew missionaries credited with founding the First Presbyterian Church of
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Kingsbury has been credited with building the church in the Choctaw town of Boggy Depot in 1840.
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Kingsbury was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) degree by Brown University in 1854.
571: 572:"University of Oklahoma Libraries, Western History Collections, Cyrus Kingsbury Collections." 279: 145: 125: 93: 302: 497:"Chuala Female Seminary/Pine Ridge Mission School." Asylum Projects MediaWiki. Undated. 310: 600: 548:"A Brief History of the First Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Mississippi." Undated. 370: 589:
Varnum, A. C. "Sarah B. Varnum, Missionary to the Indians." pp. 117–122. In:
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Johnson, Libba. "Lowndes County, Mississippi History and Genealogy Network."2017.
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Biographical Catalogue of the Trustees, Teachers and Students of Phillips Academy
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in 1814. He was identified as the son of Col. Cyrus Kingsbury and Annis Tayster.
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Varnum, A. C. "Sarah B. Varnum, Missionary to the Indians." pp. 117-122. In:
454:. Morning Mail Print. Lowell, Massachusetts. 1888.] Accessed March 10, 2018. 190:
In 1820, Kingsbury chose a location in the northeastern part of present-day
97: 89: 101: 108:. He was known as "the Father of the Missions" in Indian Territory. 309:. The town's inhabitants were probably expelled at the time of the 313:. Any remaining traces of the town would have been submerged when 359:
This information conflicts with other sources, especially the
512:"Remembering Mayhew." Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum. 140:
Kingsbury was ordained by the Congregational Church in
593:. Morning Mail Print. Lowell, Massachusetts. 1888.] 75: 67: 52: 40: 28: 21: 464:"Chickamauga." Tennessee Valley Authority. Undated 483:Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States 405:Mize, Richard. "Kingsbury, Cyrus (1786 - 1870)." 124:by an aunt and uncle. In 1812, he graduated from 560:Adams, Ruth Atterbury. "History of Atoka." 2010. 367:Arkansas Territory and Indian Territory in 1820. 340:, that was printed in both English and Cherokee. 278:Cyrus was listed as "Teacher of Penmanship" at 47:Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) 407:Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture 128:with a bachelor's degree. He then studied at 8: 361:Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture 35:Alstead, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, US 444: 442: 440: 438: 436: 434: 222:Other Choctaw missions in Indian Territory 18: 16:American Christian missionary and minister 591:History of Pawtucket Church & Society 452:History of Pawtucket Church & Society 400: 398: 396: 394: 392: 507: 505: 388: 271: 182:, that meant"Limping Wolf" in English. 120:on November 22, 1786. He was raised in 476: 474: 472: 426:. Andover Press. Andover, Mass. 1903. 7: 305:, just north of the present city of 254:Cyrus Kingsbury died June 27, 1870. 627:Andover Theological Seminary alumni 617:People from Alstead, New Hampshire 233:Civil War and the Choctaw Missions 14: 58:"Father of the Choctaw Missions" 136:Starting a career as missionary 1: 192:Oktibbeha County, Mississippi 632:People from Indian Territory 422:Carpenter, Charles Carroll. 130:Andover Theological Seminary 63:(Choctaw for "Limping Wolf" 648: 466:, Accessed March 11, 2018. 420:Available on Google Books. 156:Sarah B. Varnum, born in 56:"Apostle to the Choctaws" 574:Accessed March 11, 2018. 562:Accessed March 24, 2018. 550:Accessed March 26, 2018. 538:Accessed March 24, 2018. 526:Accessed March 24, 2018. 499:Accessed March 30, 2018. 487:Accessed March 24, 2018. 481:"Kingsbury, Cyrus." In: 428:Accessed March 24, 2018. 122:Worcester, Massachusetts 622:Brown University alumni 411:Accessed March 9, 2018. 165:Ministry in Mississippi 514:Accessed May 23, 2018. 307:Chattanooga, Tennessee 204:Treaty of Doak's Stand 142:Ipswich, Massachusetts 118:Alstead, New Hampshire 116:Kingsbury was born in 100:, later he served the 338:Choctaw Intelligencer 315:Chickamauga Reservoir 215:Columbus, Mississippi 158:Dracut, Massachusetts 317:was created in 1940. 71:Minister, Missionary 152:Marriage and family 96:near Chickamauga, 83: 82: 76:Years active 32:November 22, 1786 639: 575: 569: 563: 557: 551: 545: 539: 533: 527: 521: 515: 509: 500: 494: 488: 478: 467: 461: 455: 446: 429: 418: 412: 402: 376: 357: 351: 347: 341: 333: 327: 324: 318: 299: 293: 289: 283: 280:Phillips Academy 276: 146:Brainerd Mission 126:Brown University 94:Brainerd Mission 53:Other names 19: 647: 646: 642: 641: 640: 638: 637: 636: 597: 596: 584: 579: 578: 570: 566: 558: 554: 546: 542: 534: 530: 522: 518: 510: 503: 495: 491: 479: 470: 462: 458: 447: 432: 419: 415: 403: 390: 385: 380: 379: 358: 354: 348: 344: 334: 330: 325: 321: 303:Chickamauga Dam 300: 296: 290: 286: 277: 273: 268: 260: 252: 244: 235: 224: 188: 167: 154: 138: 114: 86:Cyrus Kingsbury 59: 57: 48: 45: 36: 33: 24: 23:Cyrus Kingsbury 17: 12: 11: 5: 645: 643: 635: 634: 629: 624: 619: 614: 609: 599: 598: 595: 594: 583: 582:External links 580: 577: 576: 564: 552: 540: 528: 516: 501: 489: 468: 456: 430: 413: 387: 386: 384: 381: 378: 377: 375: 374: 368: 352: 342: 328: 319: 311:Trail of Tears 294: 284: 270: 269: 267: 264: 259: 256: 251: 248: 243: 240: 234: 231: 223: 220: 187: 186:Mayhew Mission 184: 166: 163: 153: 150: 137: 134: 113: 110: 81: 80: 77: 73: 72: 69: 65: 64: 54: 50: 49: 46: 42: 38: 37: 34: 30: 26: 25: 22: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 644: 633: 630: 628: 625: 623: 620: 618: 615: 613: 610: 608: 605: 604: 602: 592: 588: 586: 585: 581: 573: 568: 565: 561: 556: 553: 549: 544: 541: 537: 532: 529: 525: 520: 517: 513: 508: 506: 502: 498: 493: 490: 486: 484: 477: 475: 473: 469: 465: 460: 457: 453: 449: 445: 443: 441: 439: 437: 435: 431: 427: 425: 417: 414: 410: 408: 401: 399: 397: 395: 393: 389: 382: 372: 369: 365: 364: 362: 356: 353: 346: 343: 339: 332: 329: 323: 320: 316: 312: 308: 304: 298: 295: 288: 285: 281: 275: 272: 265: 263: 257: 255: 249: 247: 241: 239: 232: 230: 227: 221: 219: 216: 211: 207: 205: 199: 197: 193: 185: 183: 181: 175: 173: 172:Eliot Mission 164: 162: 159: 151: 149: 147: 143: 135: 133: 131: 127: 123: 119: 111: 109: 107: 103: 99: 95: 91: 87: 78: 74: 70: 68:Occupation(s) 66: 62: 55: 51: 44:June 27, 1870 43: 39: 31: 27: 20: 590: 567: 555: 543: 531: 519: 492: 482: 459: 451: 423: 416: 406: 371:Allen Wright 360: 355: 345: 337: 331: 322: 297: 287: 274: 261: 253: 245: 236: 228: 225: 212: 208: 200: 189: 180:NachobaAnowa 179: 176: 168: 155: 139: 115: 92:and founded 85: 84: 61:NachobaAnowa 60: 612:1870 deaths 607:1786 births 106:Mississippi 601:Categories 383:References 350:community. 112:Early life 98:Tennessee 79:1817-1870 363:(EOHC). 90:Cherokee 102:Choctaw 258:Legacy 242:Honors 196:Mayhew 266:Notes 250:Death 41:Died 29:Born 104:of 603:: 504:^ 471:^ 433:^ 391:^ 409:.

Index

Cherokee
Brainerd Mission
Tennessee
Choctaw
Mississippi
Alstead, New Hampshire
Worcester, Massachusetts
Brown University
Andover Theological Seminary
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Brainerd Mission
Dracut, Massachusetts
Eliot Mission
Oktibbeha County, Mississippi
Mayhew
Treaty of Doak's Stand
Columbus, Mississippi
Phillips Academy
Chickamauga Dam
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Trail of Tears
Chickamauga Reservoir
Allen Wright





Mize, Richard. "Kingsbury, Cyrus (1786 - 1870)." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture.
Carpenter, Charles Carroll. Biographical Catalogue of the Trustees, Teachers and Students of Phillips Academy. Andover Press. Andover, Mass. 1903.

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