Betsey Stockton
Encyclopedia
Betsey Stockton sometimes spelled Betsy Stockton, was an African American
educator and missionary.
, about the year 1798.
While a child, her owner Robert Stockton gave her to his daughter upon her marriage to Reverend Ashbel Green
, president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
). She was temporarily sent to Green's nephew, the Reverend Nathaniel Todd, but returned to Green's household in 1816. In 1817 she was admitted as a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Princeton, and formally manumitted
at that time. She remained as a paid domestic servant with the family, learned from reading in their library and home schooling by Dr. Green, and expressed a desire to go as a missionary to Africa. She also did some teaching at this time.
She learned of plans by Charles S. Stewart, a student at Princeton Theological Seminary
and friend of the Green family, to go to Hawaii
(then known as the Sandwich Islands) as a missionary. She expressed a desire to go with them. Dr. Green and her Sabbath school
teacher wrote letters of recommendation to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
. She was commissioned by the Board as a missionary, and became the first single American woman sent overseas as a missionary. Her contract with the Board and with the Stewarts said that she went "neither as an equal nor as a servant, but as a humble Christian friend" to the Stewarts, and provided that she was not to be more occupied with domestic duties than the other missionaries.
The team set sail from New Haven, Connecticut
on November 22, 1822 for a five month voyage. The Stewarts and Stockton settled at Lāhainā on Maui
. She was the teacher of the first mission school opened to the common (non-chiefly) people of Hawaii. She also trained native Hawaiian teachers who took over from her upon her departure until the arrival of another missionary. She returned to the U.S. in 1825 due to Mrs. Stewart's poor health. A version of her Hawaiian diary was published in the Christian Advocate by Dr. Green in 1824 and 1825.
She stayed with the Stewart household until at least 1830. She taught briefly at an infant school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, established a school for Indians
at Grape Island, Canada
, and then returned to Princeton in 1835 and taught in its school for blacks until her death on October 24, 1865. In 1840, she helped found Princeton's First Presbyterian Church of Color which in 1848 was renamed the Witherspoon Street Church. She was buried in Cooperstown, New York
alongside the Stewart family.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
educator and missionary.
Life
She was born into slavery in the Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, about the year 1798.
While a child, her owner Robert Stockton gave her to his daughter upon her marriage to Reverend Ashbel Green
Ashbel Green
Ashbel Green, D.D. was an American Presbyterian minister and academic.Born in Hanover Township, New Jersey, Green served as a sergeant of the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War, and went on to study with Dr. John Witherspoon and graduate as valedictorian from Princeton...
, president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
). She was temporarily sent to Green's nephew, the Reverend Nathaniel Todd, but returned to Green's household in 1816. In 1817 she was admitted as a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Princeton, and formally manumitted
Manumission
Manumission is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves. In the United States before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished most slavery, this often happened upon the death of the owner, under conditions in his will.-Motivations:The...
at that time. She remained as a paid domestic servant with the family, learned from reading in their library and home schooling by Dr. Green, and expressed a desire to go as a missionary to Africa. She also did some teaching at this time.
She learned of plans by Charles S. Stewart, a student at Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
and friend of the Green family, to go to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
(then known as the Sandwich Islands) as a missionary. She expressed a desire to go with them. Dr. Green and her Sabbath school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teacher wrote letters of recommendation to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
. She was commissioned by the Board as a missionary, and became the first single American woman sent overseas as a missionary. Her contract with the Board and with the Stewarts said that she went "neither as an equal nor as a servant, but as a humble Christian friend" to the Stewarts, and provided that she was not to be more occupied with domestic duties than the other missionaries.
The team set sail from New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
on November 22, 1822 for a five month voyage. The Stewarts and Stockton settled at Lāhainā on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. She was the teacher of the first mission school opened to the common (non-chiefly) people of Hawaii. She also trained native Hawaiian teachers who took over from her upon her departure until the arrival of another missionary. She returned to the U.S. in 1825 due to Mrs. Stewart's poor health. A version of her Hawaiian diary was published in the Christian Advocate by Dr. Green in 1824 and 1825.
She stayed with the Stewart household until at least 1830. She taught briefly at an infant school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, established a school for Indians
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
at Grape Island, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and then returned to Princeton in 1835 and taught in its school for blacks until her death on October 24, 1865. In 1840, she helped found Princeton's First Presbyterian Church of Color which in 1848 was renamed the Witherspoon Street Church. She was buried in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
alongside the Stewart family.