The papers of Mary Easton Sibley.

Papers in this section are transcripts. Scans of the originals will be uploaded (whenever possible) at a future date. Transcripts were created by Lindenwood University undergraduate students.

While the folks that transcribed these papers had every intention of being accurate, oftentimes there ARE errors. If you intend on citing a particular letter, it is recommended that you look at the original first before quoting from them!

History

While Mary Easton moved to St. Louis in 1804, little factual information is known about her early years. Mary married George Champlin Sibley in 1815. Soon after, she moved with her husband to the frontier of the United States, at Fort Osage (near modern day Kansas City, Missouri).

While it can't be proven, it is believed that Mary developed her interest in teaching, while stationed at Fort Osage. This interest blossomed once the Sibleys moved to St. Charles, Missouri in 1828. It was here that Mary Easton Sibley became the driving force behind the creation of Lindenwood Female College (now Lindenwood University). In 1856, the Sibleys deeded the school over to the St. Louis Presbytery.

After the United States Civil War, Mary participated (1866-1869) in a Christian charitable organization called the Sisters/House of Bethany that tried to help war widows and the destitute, in the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

Warning

Certain language choices and themes found within uploaded files are indicative of other times and views. We realize that some material here could be harmful and/or triggering to encounter. The items are shared not without care, but out of a desire to engage with any potential value the material has as a historical item that helps us understand past contexts, assists us in the study of changes and progress over time, and a hope that by learning from our history we gain insight into attitudes that may still have impact today.

Our current values and work for standardizing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Lindenwood University can be found on the webpage of our Center for Diversity and Inclusion.