Guide to the John Poage Williamson Personal Memorandum Transcription

The collection consists solely of a bound, typewritten transcription of a personal memorandum originally written and compiled by Reverend John P. Williamson. The memorandum is not a church record but rather a personal recollection/account of church work and missionary activities performed by Williamson and others between 1860 and 1909, chiefly in/with Indigenous congregations in the Dakota Mission. In creating/compiling the memorandum, Williamson sometimes consulted and transcribed original church records (chiefly session minutes) and other historical documents. The original personal memorandum was transcribed in 1927 by Alfred N. Coe. The location of the original memorandum is unknown. The first page of the memorandum transcription has “Property of John B. Williamson” written on it (this is most likely John Bertram Williamson, the son of John Poage Williamson).

The memorandum documents the founding of Indigenous churches, often listing names of founding members/elders and recording baptisms, marriages, deaths, meetings, and other events at the churches in which John P. Williamson worked and/or helped establish. There is also a historical narrative of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 (leaves 9-11) taken from Stephen R. Riggs's autobiography “Mary and I”.

Please note: Dakota language names and words in the memorandum are rendered phonetically in the missionaries’ spelling conventions of the period.

The memorandum is arranged by the following sections:

Introduction:

Leaves I-III: Introduction to the memorandum transcription written by Alfred N. Coe in Greenwood, South Dakota on May 7, 1927. Coe summarizes the missionary activities of John P. Williamson. The introduction also includes information about the following Indigenous churches and their members: "Lower Sioux Agency, (Canshayapi) church at Lower Sioux (Redwood) Agency, [Minnesota; also referred to as the Zoar Church] ... Fort Snelling, (Indian) church ... Fort Thompson, (Conkicase) church at Crow Creek Agency, [South Dakota] ... Pilgrim, (Ohnihde) church [Niobrara, Nebraska; formed by the union of Fort Thompson church and the church of Davenport prisoners] ... Yankton Agency, (Ihanktonwon Owakpamni) church [Yankton Agency, South Dakota] ... Flandreau First, (Wakpaipakshan) church [formerly River Bend church, Flandreau, South Dakota] ... Scouts, (Tonweya) church ..."

Lower Sioux Agency, Minnesota:

Leaf 7: Section includes four entries (November 1860-August 1862) possibly transcribed from a memorandum. Two entries pertain to John P. Williamson, specifically his appointment as a missionary by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) on November 4, 1860 and his ordination by the Dakota Presbytery in April 1861. Another entry describes Thomas S. Williamson visiting the Lower Sioux Agency and organizing a church there on March 10, 1861.

Additionally, there is a historical remark (dated circa 1926; possibly written by Alfred N. Coe) that describes the creation of the ABCFM’s Dakota Mission and its early Presbyterian missionaries.

Hazelwood Presbyterian Church, Minnesota:

Leaf 8: Section includes an August 1862 membership roll of Hazelwood Presbyterian Church (“copied from Hazelwood Record by J.P. Williamson”), which lists thirty-one Indigenous members and seven white members, including Presbyterian missionaries Stephen and Mary Riggs. The roll was recorded during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

The section also includes a membership roll of the Yellow Medicine Church recorded in 1862, listing Indigenous and white members. Additionally, the membership roll identifies churches where members were transferred to and when (transfers are dated from 1863-1864), with some members transferred to "Church of Indian Prisoners". John B. Renville is listed as an elder (ordained in 1865), and Thomas S. Williamson is listed as missionary under the ABCFM.

Historical Narrative:

Leaves 9-11: Section describes the missionary activities of John P. Williamson "from the time his Mission Station was burned with fire at Lower Sioux Agency near Redwood Falls, Minnesota during the Outbreak of 1862 to the time he located at the Yankton Agency in March 1869." The introductory paragraph states that most of the narrative "is copied from the pages of 'Mary and I, or Forty Years with the Sioux'" by Stephen R. Riggs. Major sections of the narrative include "The Outbreak of 1862", "Fort Snelling and Mankato", and "From Crow Creek, Niobrara, Bazille Creek, Santee, Neb."

Yankton Agency / Yankton Agency Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 12-18 (Yankton Agency): Section begins with a quotation dated March 19, 1869, by John P. Williamson describing his arrival at the Yankton Agency and previous missionary activities among the Yankton people. Succeeding entries (April 1870-March 1873) document baptisms, marriages, examinations of prospective members, elections of elders, membership rolls, transfers of members from other congregations, collections amounts, meetings (including meetings of the session), and other events in the life of the Indigenous church. The ages of infants and children are occasionally recorded. Indigenous names are frequently accompanied by Christian names assigned or recorded at baptism or admission. Dates of interest include the official founding of the Indigenous Church at the Yankton Agency (March 19, 1871) and the election of its first elders (March 25, 1871).

Leaves 19-75 (Yankton Agency Church): Section begins with an entry documenting the installation of the church’s first Indigenous pastor Henry Tawanapin. Succeeding entries (March 1873-November 1912) document baptisms, marriages, deaths, examinations, admissions, elections and installations of church officers, membership changes, transfers, disciplinary proceedings, applications for divorce, communion, monetary contributions, and other church activities. This section also lists subjects for weeks of prayer, apparently written in the Dakota language using phonetic spelling conventions employed by missionaries of the period.

Entries of particular interest include a November 18, 1877 account of the death of Nancy Jane Williamson, a teacher at the church and sister of John P. Williamson; a December 29, 1877 entry that lists the congregants transferred from the Yankton Agency Church to establish Hill Church; an October 18, 1879 entry regarding the installation of pastor Henry Tawa Selwyn by Rev. Alfred L. Riggs; a July 28, 1888 entry regarding the death of Padaniapapi or Struck-by-the-Ree (“Head Chief of the Yankton Sioux Indians”); and an entry concerning the death of Jane S. Williamson (“Aunt Jane”), another of John P. Williamson’s relations, in 1895.

Hill Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 76-87: Section includes excerpts from Hill Church session minutes describing the Indigenous church’s founding and organization in late 1877 by a committee of the Presbytery of Dakota at Ft. Sully (the church is also referred to as Pahata and described as located “11 miles below Yankton Agency”). The section begins with “Preliminary Remarks” which describe the events and context leading to the church’s founding. Initial financial contributions (amounts and contributors) are listed. Excerpts dated January 1878 to October 1903 include names of the eighteen founding members, baptisms, marriages, deaths, elections, installations, meetings, and other events in the life of the church.

Cedar Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 88-92: Section includes an account of the Indigenous congregation’s founding on October 8, 1887, by a committee of the Presbytery of Dakota. The original meeting place of the church is noted as a log schoolhouse about two miles from White Swan in South Dakota.

Entries list sacramental and administrative events in the life of the church from 1887 through 1910, such as infant and adult baptisms, communicant admissions by profession of faith and by letter from neighboring congregations, marriages, and the election and reelection of church officers (elders and deacons). Rev. Henry Selwyn is recorded as officiating at nearly every sacrament (baptism, marriage, communion). Entries consistently pair individuals’ given names with their Dakota language personal names. The parents of baptized infants are included.

Heyata Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 93-95: Section includes an account of the Indigenous church’s organization on May 18, 1893. The congregation originated from religious services held in an area of Choteau Creek by a newly settled group of families, some of whom were members of the Yankton Agency Church and Hill Church. Early meetings were generally held at the house of Wizi and in 1892 a Young Men’s Christian Association was organized. After an application for the church was received by the Presbytery of Dakota in the spring of 1893, a commission organized by the presbytery visited the community and helped to organize the Heyata Presbyterian Church on May 18, 1893. Excerpts from the session minutes for the congregation include a list of the names of the twenty-six founding members, as well as baptisms, marriages, deaths, elections, installations, and other events in the life of the church that took place between May 1893 and July 11, 1911.

Yellow Medicine (Yellowmedicine) or Pejutazee Church, Minnesota:

Leaf 96: Section includes an account of the Indigenous church's organization on July 14, 1896, by a committee of the Presbytery of Dakota. The congregation was made up of families from the Sisseton Agency, returning to their homelands thirty years after their displacement during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The excerpt includes a list of the church's fourteen founding members and notes the election of the first two elders.

Red Hills (or Paha'sa) Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 97-98: Section includes excerpts from Red Hills Church session minutes describing the Indigenous church’s founding in 1891 after members of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe began traveling fifteen miles to attend White River Church. The church was organized in October 1891 by the Dakota Presbytery with thirty-one recorded members, including Moses Heh'akahoeya and Demas Cetanhowaste who were ordained and installed as elders. The church is also referred to as Paha’sa. Session minute excerpts are dated from October 1891 to May 1908 and include names of members, baptisms, marriages, deaths, elections, installations, meetings, and other events in the life of the church.

Hohey Church, Wolf Point, Montana:

Leaf 99: Section includes an account of the Indigenous congregation's founding on November 13, 1896, at Wolf Point (memorandum also states that the name was changed to Ash Point Church in 1905 in the section’s heading). The account describes events and context leading up to the founding, including Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) activities at Poplar, Montana (Fort Peck Agency) and at Wolf Point, Montana among the Assiniboine people, and a Presbytery of Dakota meeting (September 12, 1896) where a petition was submitted to establish the Hohey Church. The founding members of the church (seven individuals) are also listed.

Makaichu Church, near Poplar, Montana:

Leaf 100: Section includes an account of the Indigenous congregation's founding on July 26, 1902, by a committee of the Presbytery of Dakota. The church was located "about 7 miles below the Poplar Indian Agency" and took its name from Makaichu, the Indigenous name for the site.

 The origins of the church trace back to the Poplar Creek Mission station, which operated from 1880 to 1883 before being abandoned and later revived in 1891. A list of charter members and the church's first Indigenous elders and deacons are provided.

Muddy Creek (or Upsijawakpa) Church, Blair, Montana (near Muddy Creek):

Leaf 101: Section includes an account from the Upsijawakpa Church session minutes describing the Indigenous church's founding and organization on November 30, 1906, at Upai jawakpa (Upaijawakpa) on Poplar Indian Reservation. The church is described as located at “Blair, Montana, near Muddy Creek" in the memorandum. A committee consisting of Rev. John P. Williamson, Rev. E. J. Lindsey, and Elder Basil Bearfighter was appointed by the Presbytery of Dakota to organize the church.

The excerpt dated November 30, 1906, includes the names of the church's founding members and the election of George Boyd and Frank Small as elders.

Lake Traverse (or Mdehdakinyan) Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 102-103: Section includes an account of the Lake Traverse area as trading point and the site of early Protestant mission activity. It documents the May 16, 1895, organization of the Indigenous church by the Presbytery of Dakota. The presbytery's organizing committee included Rev. Louis Mazawakinyanna, who had worked as a missionary in the Lake Traverse since 1892, under the direction of the presbytery and the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions (BHM). The section also includes a list of the church's fifteen founding members and documents the election of the first two elders and a deacon.

Pine Ridge Mission, South Dakota:

Leaves 104-105: Section includes a brief history of the Pine Ridge Mission, which was organized by the Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) in 1886 to convert the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Rev. Charles G. Sterling was appointed to the mission station. While there was no official church at Pine Ridge, the memorandum lists the names of Indigenous individuals baptized by Rev. Sterling and Rev. John P. Williamson. Section also includes information about financial contributions, mission property, marriages, meetings, and other events in the mission from 1886 to 1892.

Makizita Church, South Dakota:

Leaf 106: Section includes an account (possibly taken from session minutes) of the Indigenous congregation's founding on October 13-14, 1900, with the location described as "along White River some ten miles below the mouth of White Clay Creek and some 30 miles from Pine Ridge Agency." The account describes the events and context leading up to the founding (including the Presbytery of Dakota's establishment of a committee to travel to the settlement) and lists the membership roll of original/founding members (thirteen individuals).

Porcupine Church (Pine Ridge Reservation), South Dakota:

Leaf 107: Section describes the organization of Porcupine Church on October 30, 1894, by a committee appointed by the Presbytery of Dakota. It traces the origin of the Indigenous congregation to mission work conducted under the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) beginning in 1886 and lists the names of early missionaries who worked in the region. The section also includes the names of committee members and charter church members, as well as the church officers elected and installed.

White River Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 108-110: Section includes excerpts from the White River Church session minutes describing the Indigenous church's founding and organization on June 26, 1887. The church is described as located "among the Lower Brule Indians at the mouth of White River; 6 miles below Lower Brule Agency (the old Agency).” The memorandum refers to a previous Episcopalian mission and church at the Agency, when it was located on the "west bank of the Missouri, a half a mile below where Oacoma now stands."

Excerpts dated June 1887 to October 1906 include a list of names of the twenty-six founding members, as well as baptisms, marriages, deaths, elections, installations, meetings, and other events in the life of the church during this period. Rev. John P. Williamson was appointed as pastor for the church in August 1900.

Conkicakse Church, South Dakota:

Leaf 111: Section includes an account of the Indigenous church’s organization on September 27, 1899, on the Crow Creek Reservation, by a committee of the Presbytery of Dakota. The section lists the congregation's seventeen founding members, nine of whom transferred by letter from the Crow Creek Church, and documents the election of two elders and a deacon. The passage also records one infant baptism (1899) and documents the congregation’s 1901 call to Rev. A. Coe [Alfred N. Coe, 1867-1932].

River Bend Church, South Dakota:

Leaves 112-118: Section documents the history of River Bend Church from its founding on March 3, 1869, through the early 1900s. The section's heading also records the church's name as "Flandreau 1st [First]".

The church was organized by John P. Williamson and Artemas Ehnamani near a settlement of Santee Dakota families who gave up government rations and annuities in exchange for homesteads in Moody County, Dakota Territory (in present day South Dakota). The church was named after the bend in the River Sioux. A majority of its founding members were received from Pilgrim Church, with a smaller number received from an Episcopal congregation and on profession of faith.

The congregation was first supplied by Reverend Williamson Owancamaza Rogers, an Indigenous Presbyterian minister, with oversight by John P. Williamson until 1876. The church was visited periodically by missionaries and members of the Presbytery of Dakota to administer the Lord’s Supper, including Titus Icaduze and John P. Williamson. The Dakota minister John Eastman was eventually installed pastor of the congregation, serving for about thirty years before moving to Goodwill Presbyterian Church on the Sisseton reservation in 1906.

Entries document new members received from Pilgrim and Episcopal churches, converts received on profession of faith, baptisms of infants and adults, marriages, and the election of elders and trustees. Notable events recorded include members publicly reprimanded for intoxication and the death of a young supply pastor Joseph Wicah’camaza.

In 1871, a meeting house was built because of cash donations. Trustees were appointed to oversee the construction. After 1876, the church's name was changed from River Bend Church to the First Presbyterian Church of Flandreau after the nearby town of Flandreau, South Dakota. A passage on leaf 118 titled "Remarks" notes that "The Red River Church ... was made up of Santee Sioux Indians of Santee Agency, Nebraska ..."

The overwhelming majority of the names listed are Dakota language personal names rendered phonetically in the missionaries’ spelling conventions of the period. The Dakota name of the church is recorded as Wakpaipakshan.