Guide to the John Poage Williamson Papers
Open for research.
John Poage Williamson was born in Lac qui Parle, Minnesota, on October 27, 1835. He completed undergraduate studies at Marietta College, Ohio, in 1857. In 1860, he earned his Master of Arts degree from Lane Theological Seminary in Ohio. He married Sarah A. Van Nice on April 27, 1866. The couple had at least one child, Mabel Ruth (born 1877-died 1885).
Licensed to preach by the Presbyterian Church in 1859, he was ordained the following year. Williamson chose to work with the Native Americans in the West. From his missionary father, he had learned how to speak Dakota as a child and was dedicated to preaching in that language. He was a missionary to the Dakota Indians from 1860 to 1898, and worked at many sites. Those sites included the Lower Sioux Agency, Minnesota, from 1860 to 1862; Fort Snelling from 1862 to 1863; Crow Creek, South Dakota, from 1863 to 1866; Santee Agency, Nebraska, from 1866 to 1869; and the Yankton Agency, South Dakota, from 1869 to 1898.
Williamson's other accomplishments include acting as the Special U.S. Agent for the Flandreau Indians form 1873 to 1878, and writing many publications. In 1871, he started a Native American publication entitled Iape Oaye. Williamson also wrote books, including Oowa Wowapi, Dakota Odowan, Dakota Hymn and Tune Book, An English-Dakota Dictionary, Dakota & English Ieska Wowapi, Dakota Mission: Past and Present, and The History of the Dakota Presbytery. He received an honorary degree from Yankton College, South Dakota, in 1890. Williamson died on October 3, 1917.
The papers consist of a bound carbon copy of a transcription of the personal memorandum written by Rev. John P. Williamson. The memorandum is not a church record, but a personal recollection of church work performed by Williamson between 1860 and 1909. The original was transcribed in 1927 by Alfred N. Coe. Location of the original is unknown.
Williamson writes about church events such as baptisms, meetings, and deaths at the churches in which he worked. Of particular interest is an account of the Outbreak of 1862 and the impact of that uprising on those Dakotas which survived.
Also Included are lists of founding members/elders and/or names listed for baptisms, marriages, or deaths for the following congregations or entities. An asterisk indicates information on baptisms, marriages, or deaths:
**Hazelwood Presbyterian Church, MN
**Yankton Agency, SD
**Hill Church ("11 miles below Yankton Agency"), SD
**Cedar Church, SD
**Heyata Church, SD
Yellow medicine (or Pejutazee) Church, SD
**Red Hills (or Paha'sa), SD
Hohey (changed in 1905 to Ash Point) Church, MT
Makaichu Church, Poplar, MT
Muddy Creek (or Upsijawakpa) Church, Blair, MT
Lake Traverse (or Mdehdakinyan) Church, SD
**Pine Ridge Mission, SD
Makisita Church, SD
Porcupine Church (Pine Ridge Reservation), SD
**White River Church, SD
**Conikicakse Church, SD
**River Bend (later FPC, Flandreau), SD (noted as made up of Santee Sioux Indians of Santee Agency, NE)
Included in this collection is a copy of Williamson's English-Dakota Dictionary entitled Dakota & English Ieska Wowapi and published in 1869.
Additional materials relating to the Dakota may be found in the Mission of the Dakota Indians Photographs, 1862-1928, undated (RG 375). Researchers should consult the card catalog for additional materials relating to and written by John Poage Williamson.
This transcribed historical narrative was donated by Leslie and Elizabeth Lewis in 1994.
Collection processed and Finding Aid prepared: September 1997
Stephanie Phillips, Archive Technician
| Box | Folder | Description | |
| 1 | 1 | Finding Aid to Record Group 409 | |
| 1 | 2 | Historical Memorandum [fragile, handle with care] | |
| 1 | 3 | Dakota-English Dictionary entitled Dakota & English Ieska Wowapi [fragile, handle with care] |