Description
Mary Jemison was born aboard the ship William and Mary, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while en route to America. Her Scotch-Irish family settled on the frontier in central Pennsylvania. In 1758, during the French and Indian War, her family was captured by a raiding party of French soldiers and Shawnee warriors. Her parents and siblings were killed and scalped. Mary, a teenager, was purchased by the Seneca and then adopted by the band. They gave her the name Dehgewanus meaning Two Falling Voices. She learned the Seneca ways and married a Delaware (Lenape) man named Sheninjee. After the birth of their son, Thomas, named after her father, they decided to move 700 miles to Sheninjee’s homeland on the Genesee River, where he felt they would be safe.
In 1824, Mary Jemison dictated her story to an American minister creating the book, Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison. She is also acknowledged with two statues honoring her, one near Gettysburg, PA, and another in Genesee, NY.
This Mary Jemison mug is part of our Native American biographical series. Indigenous Americans in the United States are descendants of Pre-Columbian Era people who populated these lands. Prior to 1492, there were many different nations, bands, and tribes. After contact with the Europeans who began to explore and colonize the Americas, the populations of these groups dramatically declined. During the 19th century as explorers, settlers and the military moved into the West conflicts became frequent. We would like to honor the notable men and women, from the past and the present, who deserve acknowledgment and recognition for their roles in Native American history.
The biographical History Mugs were created to teach and inspire individuals to learn about our diverse and interesting history. The biographies were researched and written by history enthusiast, Robert Compton. He colorized most of the historic photos and images used on the mugs, which were originally black and white or sepia tone. The images and biographies are imprinted on mugs at his studio in rural Vermont.
- Mugs are food and microwave safe.
- To preserve photographic quality we recommend hand washing.
- Mugs are usually shipped within 3-5 days.
