Eliza Hart Spalding

Eliza Hart Spalding (1807–1851) was an American missionary who joined an Oregon missionary party with her husband Henry H. Spalding and settled among the Nez Perce People called the nimiipuu in Lapwai, Idaho. She was a well-educated woman who was among the first missionaries to learn a Native American language. She developed a written version of the language and printed Bible story lessons and hymns in the Nez Perce language. Her hymnal was the first book written in the Nez Perce language. She taught hundreds of native people by first teaching a few people a lesson or a song, and after they memorized it, they taught it to groups to people. Early life Eliza Hart was born in what is now the town of Berlin, Connecticut on August 11, 1807 to Captain Levi and Martha Hart. Her father was a farmer and may have been a captain in the local militia. The oldest of six children, she had three brothers and two sisters. Her family moved to Oneida County, New York in 1820 and lived on a farm near the village of Holland Patent. She learned to make cheese, butter, candles, and soap. She was able to spin thread and weave fabric. She also learned to draw and paint as a child. She is said to have attended Chipman Female Academy. Located in Clinton, New York, it was about 20 miles from her family's farm. She is also said to have taught school. Deeply and nearly mystically religious, she joined the Presbyterian Church of Holland Patent on August 20, 1826. Marriage and children A mutual friend connected Henry H. Spalding, who was seeking a pious woman, with Eliza Hart. A student at Franklin Academy in Prattsburgh, New York, Henry began corresponding with Eliza in 1830. One year later, he enrolled at Hamilton College in Clinton, but transferred to Western Reserve College in Hudson, Ohio, where other students receiving aid from the American Education Society felt more accord with the school. She married Henry in Hudson on October 13, 1833, becoming Eliza Hart Spalding.