Today, I want to share the story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. Both Marcus and Narcissa were born in New York State in the early 1800s. Marcus studied to be a doctor, and Narcissa helped out at home with her many siblings.
At age 11, Narcissa has a conversion experience and at some point later in her life, she wanted to be a missionary. Marcus also wanted to be a missionary, as well. Narcissa wanted to be a missionary, but the missions board did not allow single women to be sent off as Missionaries. It was at this time that Marcus and Narcissa met, and both had the same vision to be missionaries, so, two weeks later, they were married.
They ended up at Waiilatpu in Oregon, starting their new life together as missionaries. Those who were living there were the Cayuse Indians, and they were the ones whom the Whitmans served, at least during that time.
Narcissa had a baby girl, but the life of this little girl was short, for she drowned in the Walla Walla River at the age of 2. After this, Narcissa stayed more to herself and continued to write letters to her family back home.
The Whitmans took in the children of a family who lost their parents. At this time, many white people were coming also to live in this area. Unfortunately, the white people brought diseases with them, such as the measles. The Whitmans seemed to be resistant to the measles, so they helped the Indians who were suffering and dying. But the Cayuse Indians were suspicious of them because they were not getting sick. They may have assumed that the Whitmans were really trying to kill them, and as a result, the Whitmans were killed by the Cayuse. Both Marcus and Narcissa's lives ended in 1847 at the hands of the Indians they were trying to help.
Sources:
http://www.nps.gov/whmi/historyculture/narcissa-biography.htm
http://www.whitman.edu/alumni/be-connected/whitman-traditions/marcus-and-narcissa-whitman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Whitman
