Mary Slessor (1848 - 1915)

Born 2 Dec 1848 in Gilcomston, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Died 13 Jan 1915 at age 66 in Use Ikot Oku, Calabar, Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria

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Surname	Clan	Sept of Clan	Clan Tartan	Personal Tartan
Slesser	None	None	None

Mary Slessor was a Scottish missionary who went to Nigeria spreading Christianity and promoting women's rights.

Biography

Mary Slessor

Mary Slessor is Notable.

Early Life

Mary Slessor was born in Gilcomston, close to Aberdeen Scotland she was one of seven children her father was from Buchan and was a shoemaker ,in 1859 the family moved to Dundee to look for work her father Robert Slessor was also a alcoholic, and unable to keep up shoemaking, took a job as a labourer in a mill her mother was a skilled weaver she also went to work in the mills. At the age of eleven, Mary Slessor began work in the Baxter Brothers' Mill she spent half of her day at a school provided by the mill owners, and the other half working for the company.Before long, Mary's father died of pneumonia, and both her brothers also died, leaving behind only Mary, her mother, and two sisters by age fourteen, Mary Slessor had become a skilled worker in the mills.

Mary was a Protestant missionary.

Early Missionary Work

Her mother was a devout Presbyterian Mary developed an interest in religion and, when a mission was instituted in Quarry Pend (close by the Wishart Church), she volunteered to teacher Mary Slessor was 27 when she heard that David Livingstone, the famous missionary and explorer, had died, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Mary applied to the United Presbyterian Church's Foreign Mission Board after training in Edinburgh, she set sail in the S.S. Ethiopia on 5 August 1876, and arrived at her destination in West Africa just over a month later. Mary aged 28 was first assigned to the Calabar region,she was warned that the people there believed in witchcraft and other superstitions ritual sacrifice of children twins in particular , Mary Slessor worked first in the missions in Old Town and Creek Town she lived in the missionary compound for 3 years. She wanted to go deeper into Calabar, but because of the malaria she contracted she was forced to return to Scotland and to recover she left Calabar for Dundee in 1879.

Mary returned to Africia after 16 months in Scotland but not to the same compound she was sent 3 miles further into Calabar, in Old Town. Mary sent a large portion of her salary to support her mother and sisters in Scotland because of this she took to eating the native food.The things Mary Slessor saw as a young missionary included widespread human sacrifice after the death of a village elder who believed he required servants and retainers to accompany him in the next world, as well as the lack of education or any status for women. The birth of twins was considered an evil curse. Natives feared the father of one of the infants was an evil spirit, and that the mother had been guilty of a great sin ,twin babies were often leftvbin the bush. Mary adopted every child that she found abandoned, and set out to find, protect and care for them at the Mission House ,once Mary saved a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, but the boy did not survive Mary took the girl as her daughter and called her Janie.

Three years later Mary Slessor returned to Scotland once again for health reasons she took Janie with her for the next 3 years, Mary looked after her mother and sister (who had also fallen ill), raised Janie, and spoke at churches all over Scotland sharing stories from Africa.Mary again returned to Africa she saved hundreds of twins from the jungle where they had been left either to starve to death or get eaten by wild animals. She was said to have prevented wars she helped heal the sick and stopped the practice of determining guilt by making the suspects drink poison. She went to other tribes, spreading the word of Jesus Christ wherever and whenever she could. While in Africa, she received news that her mother and sister had died she was overcome with loneliness. She wrote,”There is no one to write and tell my stories and nonsense to.” She had also found a sense of writing, ”Heaven is now nearer to me than Britain,and no one will worry about me if I go up country.” Mary Slessor was a driving force behind the establishment of the Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar, which provided practical vocational training to African

Among the Okoyong and Efik

In August 1888, Slessor traveled north to Okoyong, an area where previous male missionaries had been killed Mary lived with the Okoyong and Efik people for 15 yrs . She learned to speak Efik, the native language, and made close personal friendships wherever she went Mary lived a simple life in a traditional house with Africans.Slessor often had conflict with the authorities and gained her a reputation for eccentricity. However, her exploits were heralded in Britain as the 'white queen of Okoyong'.Her main aim was settling disputes, encouraging trade, establishing social changes and introducing Western education she often campaigned against injustices against women and sought to raise their status she also took in outcasts and worked tirelessly to protect children and in particular unwanted children, especially twins.

In 1892 Mary Slessor became vice-consul in Okoyong, presiding over the native court.

In 1905 she was named vice-president of Ikot Obong native court.

In 1913 she was awarded the Order of St John of Jerusalem. Slessor suffered failing health in her later years but remained in Africa, where she died in 1915.

Death

Mary Slessor suffered fevers from malaria for the last 4 decades of her life which she contracted in her first station she downplayed the personal costs, and never gave up to return permanently to Scotland the fevers eventually weakened Slessor to the point where she could no longer walk all day or night in the rainforest, but had to be pushed along in a hand-cart she died during a particularly severe fever, on 13 January 1915, at her remote station near Use Ikot Oku.

Her body was transported down the Cross River to Duke Town for the colonial equivalent of a state funeral. A Union Jack covered her coffin. Attendees included the Provincial Commissioner, along with other senior British Officials in full uniform. Flags at government buildings were flown at half mast. Nigeria's Governor-General, Sir Frederick Lugard, telegraphed his 'deepest regret' from Lagos and published a warm tribute in the Government Gazette

Timeline of Mary Slessor's Life

• 1848 - Born at Gilcomston, Aberdeen, Scotland, December 2.
• 1856 - Family went to Dundee.
• 1859 - Began work in a factory to help support family because her dad spent a large part of his earnings on "strong drink."
• 1876 - Appointed by United Presbyterian Church to Calabar as missionary teacher, and sailed on the steamer Ethiopia. Calabar, the scene of the life-work of Mary Slessor, is in southeastern Nigeria which is located in Western Africa.
• 1879 - Made her first visit home because of illness.
• 1880 - Returns to Calabar. In charge of the women's work at Old Town.
• 1883 - Second visit home with Janie, a young African girl.
• 1885 - Returns to Calabar, her new station is in Creek Town.
• Death of her mother, December.
• 1886 - Death of her sister, Janie, March.
• 1888 - Entered Okoyong alone.
• 1891 - Third visit home because of illness. Janie, the African girl is with her.
• 1892 - Made British government Agent (Consul) in Okoyong.
• 1898 - Fourth visit home because of illness, with four of her "children": Janie, Alice, Maggie, and Mary (African girls).
• 1902 - Pioneering in Enyong Creek.
• 1903 - Started a Mission at Itu. Reached Arochuku.
• 1904 - Settled at Itu.
• 1905 - Settled at Ikotobong.
• Appointed Vice-President of Native Court.
• 1907 - Fifth visit home because of illness, with Dan, a six-year old African boy.
• Returns to Africa and settled at Use.
• 1908 - Began a home for women and girls at Use.
• 1909 - Gave up Court work.
• 1910 - Began work at Ikpe.
• 1912 - Holiday at Grand Canary.
• 1913 - Visit to Okoyong; received Royal Medal; began work at Odoro Ikpe. At this time she was working three stations (Use, Ikpe, and Odoro Ikpe and constantly going between them).
• 1914 - Last illness, August.
• 1915 - died at Use, January 13.

Sources

See also:

• Mary Slessor Wikipedia
• Cuthbert McEvoy, Mary Slessor, 1922, The Carey Press, London
• “Mary Slessor, Heroine of Calabar” by Basil Miller, pub. 1946 Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan