Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, part 3

Narcissa Prentiss continues to uphold her desire to bring Christianity and salvation to the Indians in that nearly unknown land in the Far West. No doubt, she prays for the divine opportunity to descend on her and for the perfect and devout mate that will make it all possible.

While Narcissa is hoping and praying Henry Spalding is struggling through four years of education to make his similar desires come true. All seems possible for Henry, even to the advantage, over that of Miss Prentiss, of having nearly acquired a mate when he became engaged to Levina Linsley. But, even for the devout, life seems to have a way of putting a hitch in the get-along of mere mans’ meager plans.

Miss Linsley is afflicted with tuberculosis. Because of her ailment she breaks her engagement to Henry Spalding. She fears she would not be able to survive the rigorous life of a missionarie’s wife.

An article in the Prattsburg News, dated August 17, 1893, says that Miss Levina, as the affianced bride of Mr. Spalding, went into a rapid decline. And that her disease was such that it was evident she would never be able to enter a foreign field.

Miss Linsley’s rapid decline lasted until December 21, 1838 at which time, according to church records, she died at the age of 40. Quite a long decline—10 years.

One historian has Spalding engaged to Miss Linsley at the exact same time another historian has him engaged to Narcissa Prentiss. A bedbug in the batting, here, might have an interesting tale to tell, but that is an aspect of the shy Spalding’s life we’ll never know for certain.

Now, both Mr. Spalding and Miss Prentiss are without marital prospects. If life was simple, as it is not, and if it had storybook endings, which it doesn’t, they would have found the solution to each other’s situation. But they didn’t.

The powers above had other historical hands to deal before these two young person’s problems were solved—or begun. At this time, about one hundred and forty miles east of Prattsburg, at a place called Holland Patent, lived Captain and Mrs. Levi Hart and their six children. The eldest of these offspring, having been born on August 11, 1807 at Kensington, was called Eliza. This daughter was taught all the usual arts necessary to run a farming household at this period of time. Eliza had also received an education at a young women’s seminary at Clinton, New York. For a time Eliza taught school and when Hamilton College added a female department she attended.

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