Jane Smith Williamson
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Early life
Jane was born in 1803 and spent her early life in Manchester and West Union, Ohio. Her mother died when she was 11.[1]
Career
Jane began teaching as a teenager, and she openly welcomed students who were formerly enslaved. Men would come from across the Ohio River in search of recapturing their slaves, and armed guards once had to surround the school to protect Jane and her students. Jane was known for giving cakes and nuts to her students that she would keep in her apron. Her father died when she turned 40 in 1843, and she moved to what is now South St. Paul, Minnesota with her family.[2]
Activism
From childhood, Jane worked with her family within the Underground Railroad. Jane accepted formerly enslaved people into her classroom as a teacher. Jane was caught in the first organized Dakota attack of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, and fled with her family thanks to assistance from some Dakota from the mission church. After the war ended a month later, 303 Dakota men were sentenced to death. Jane ministered to the men, and gained permission to bring them pens and paper so they could write their families. Jane also wrote letters to President Abraham Lincoln for Robert Hopkins Caskedan and Peter Tapetatanka, both Dakota members who helped her and her family escape from the attack. Both men were pardoned. Jane continued to remain devoted to the Dakota people until her death on March 24, 1895.[3]
References
- ↑ Evans, Nelson Wiley; Stivers, Emmons B. A history of Adams County, Ohio from its earliest settlement to the present time : including character sketches of the prominent persons identified with the first century of the county's growth and containing numerous engravings and illustrations. West Union, OH: FamilySearch International. Search this book on
- ↑ Glewwe, Lois A. "Williamson, Jane Smith (1803-1895)". MNOPEDIA. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ↑ Barton, Winifred W. (1980). John P. Williamson: A Brother to the Sioux (Reprint of 1919 edition. ed.). Clements, MN. Search this book on
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