Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, part 5
Doctor Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Prentiss were married in February of 1836. That Narcissa was considered bordering on old maidenhood no longer mattered and ceased, that wonderful day, to be the case. Not only that, her childhood dream to become a missionary to the western heathens was about to come true. Whether her dream was a blessing or a curse would become a controversial historical question.
The wedding was like any other of the period except for a minor change—the bride wore black. Not only did she wear black, but she also dressed her entire family in black. Why? The reason is uncertain. Perhaps it was symbolic of lying to rest a past of singleness and unfulfilled desires. In her somber attire, Narcissa sang with the choir and congregation a hymn by the Reverend Samuel F. Smith, who was also the author of “America.”
Historian and author Bernard De Voto writes, “She was a fine singer, she had a voice which, like her bearing, troubled men’s hearts.” Translated, I take that to mean that Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was stacked and could sing like a bird.
The finale of this heavenly performance Narcissa sang alone. The solemn words of her solo stanza were: “In the deserts let me labor, On the mountains let me tell How he died—the blessed Savior— To redeem a world from hell! Let me hasten Far in heathen lands to dwell”.
And that is exactly what she did, not long after.
Shortly after their wedding Marcus and Narcissa traveled westward where they crossed the Ohio River to Cincinnati. Here, they met Henry and Eliza Spalding. And here, the fun began.
As stated previously, Henry Spalding had been born out of wedlock and was guilt-ridden by his bastardly status. He had, believed by many historians, fallen in love with the attractive Narcissa who sang like an angle and had a body that brought out the demon in men. Spalding had proposed marriage to Narcissa and had been rejected.
But now, perhaps putting the past behind him, the Reverend Henry Spalding was in Cincinnati with his wife, Eliza, who had recently miss-carried their first child. It was only after considerable discussion, with each other and God, that the decision was made to travel to the Far West in spite of the fact that Eliza was still in extremely poor health.
So now it was on to St. Louis for the four of them. Here was Henry Spalding who had just discovered that his long, lost love was the newly wedded wife of Doctor Marcus Whitman who was to hold the position of superior over Spalding. With the reverend was his wife, Eliza, so ill she could not sit astride a horse and probably could not accomplish many wifely duties as well. Rounding out the party, in more ways than one, was the bubbling, bright, healthy Narcissa who was thoroughly enjoying her honeymoon.
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