ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES. 



465 



Simer-well (R.) — Continued. 



omie8. In February of tlie following year a 

 treaty was made by the goveinment with the 

 delegations of the Indians living in Michigan 

 and on the Missouri river, in which it was stip- 

 ulated that a country on the Osage river, with- 

 in the Indian territory, should be conveyed to 

 them. "This measure," Mr. McCoy remarks, 

 " wo rightly iudged, would place that tribe in 

 a suitable place, where Mr. Simcrwell might 

 make a permanent location among them, and 

 render himself more useful than he had been 

 for a few years previously." Many difficulties, 

 however, were met with in the attempt to carry 

 out this plan. About one thousand Putawato- 

 mies, including women and children, had been 

 encamped near Fort Leavenworth for nearly a 

 year. At length, in the latter part of July, 

 1837, they became divided. Many were taken 

 to a place up the Missouri river, against the 

 advice and wishes of the missionaries ; while 

 the others who remained were brought together 

 and assigned to a reservation in the new terri- 

 tory, near the present town of Osawatotnie, 

 Kansas. 



It was among the latter that Mr. and Mrs. 

 Simerwell settled in December, 1837. "This 

 was an event," Mr. McCoy writes, " to which 

 we had long looked with deep solicitude. "We 

 considered this station to be a continuation of 

 the Carey mission, transplanted from Michigan 

 to this place." The greater part of the Puta- 

 watomies were still in their original homes in 

 Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. Efforts were 

 made to induce them to emigrate also, but with- 

 out much success. Mr. Simerwell was located 

 among those who were considered perma- 

 nently settled within the Indian territory. 

 The missionaries were very desirous that as 

 many as possible of this tribe, among whom 

 they had commenced their labors nearly twen- 

 ty years before, should be bi ought within reach 

 of the institution continued for their benefit. 



"In January, 1838," as Mr. McCoy relates, 

 " Mr. Simerwells prospects among the Puta- 

 watomies appeared to be brightening, and 

 many, chiefly adults, appeared willing to learn 

 to read in their own language; but he was 

 alone, and having the affairs of his family to 

 attend— and this, too, under the disadvantages 

 consequent on a now settlement — he was al- 

 lowed too little time to bestow on missionary 

 labours. He had an opportunity of hiring a 

 half-Indian, to aid him in teaching upon the 

 new system, but he was without the means.' 

 In this emergency Mr. McCoy advanced him 

 funds to enable him to hire the man a month or 

 two, in which time the case could be made 

 known to the board and an answer obtained 

 but the board did not authorize his employ 

 ment, and so that matter ended. 



The reservation of the Putawatomies ad- 

 joined that of the "Weas and Piankashas. An 

 account of their condition, and of the mission 

 among them, at the close of the year 1839, is 

 given by Mr. McCoy in the following words : 

 ALG 30 



Simervrell (R.) — Continued. 



"Only about .650 have yet emigrated to 

 this place. They have but recently arrived, 

 and have not had time to make themselves as 

 comfortable as the Ottawas, and others of their 

 neighbours. . . . Assistance to a considera- 

 ble extent, in the common improvements of 

 civilization and education, has been secured to 

 them by treaty, from the Government of the 

 United States. The Methodists have a mission 

 among them, on a small scale, and the Catho- 

 lics have a mission in which two priests are 

 employed. 



"The Baptist station, transplanted from 

 Michigan, is going into operation here, under 

 auspicious circumstances. A small schooi in 

 English is taught a portion of the time, and 

 some instruction is imparted in the Indian lan- 

 guage. The missionaries from the nearest sta- 

 tions assist Mr, Simerwell, and attention to re- 

 ligious instruction is very encouraging. A 

 temperance society has been formed, the In- 

 dian members of which have increased to about 

 sixty, a few of whom are Ottawas. Permanent 

 and comfortable mission buildings are now go- 

 ing up, under the superintendence of Mr. Ly- 

 kins. Missionary associates are very much 

 needed by Mr. and Mrs. Simerwell in their ar- 

 duous labours. They have suffered considera- 

 bly by sickness." 



About the year 1840 a Baptist church was es- 

 tablished among the Putawatomies under Mr. 

 Simerwell's care. The record book of this 

 church, from March 29, 1840, to January 12, 

 1844, is now preserved in the library of the 

 Kansas Historical Society at Topeka. In 1848 

 a log mission building was erected in what 

 is now Shawnee county, and Mr. Simerwell 

 opened a school there. He was also engaged 

 during this period in teaching and preaching 

 occasiona ly among the neighboring Miami In- 

 dians. A few years later, in 1854, the Puta- 

 watomie mission was interrupted, and event- 

 ually discontinued, on account of the civil war 

 in the state. After that date Mr. Simerwell 

 was employed by the Baptist missionary society 

 as a colporteur and in other missionary work. 

 He died at his residence on Six-mile Creek, 

 Shawnee county, Kansas, December 11, 1868. 



His papers, manuscripts and books were pre- 

 sented to the Kansas Historical Society. Of 

 these, a partial vocabulary in manuscript of 

 the Patawatomie language, and a hymn in the 

 same, were given by Mr. Baxter in 1878. In 

 1879, Mrs Sarah Baxter and Mrs. Elizabeth. 

 Carter, of Auburn, Shawnee county, presented 

 the following: "547 letters, reports and other 

 papers, being copies of letters written by, or of 

 letters written to Mr. Simerwell, of dates ex- 

 tending from the year 1822 to the year 1866 ; 5 

 manuscripts embracing discourses, translations 

 and fragments of Indian grammar; rules for 

 reguration of Carey Indian Mission family, 

 1822; parchment certificate of naturalizati(n of 

 Robert Simerwell, Philadelphia, 1824; 7 books 

 of journals, being Mr. Simerwell's diary from 



