MARY SITTS (1772 - 1859) Canadian Pioneer
Mary Sitts was born to German immigrant settlers in 1772, in the state of New York. When the American War of Independence began in 1775, her family joined the Rebels. In 1780, while most men were at war, Mississauga Indians attacked. Eight-year-old Mary watched as the natives killed her baby sister. Mary was taken captive.
At the Mississauga village in the Niagara Region, Mary was adopted by a chief and his wife, who were childless. Mary's adopted mother was a medicine woman. She taught Mary the art of natural healing.
The Mississauga Indians were migratory hunters. The village was moved frequently. Mary spent time in the Niagara Region, but the majority of her eight years of captivity were spent in the Grand River Valley. Since there were no European settlers in the region, Mary was the first woman to live in what is now Brant County.
In 1784, Butler's Rangers offered gifts to the Mississauga tribes in exchange for land rights in the Grand River Valley and to the west. The land was purchased for the settlement of the Six Nations tribes under the leadership of Joseph Brant. The Mississauga tribes moved to Grand River lands where present day Elora and Fergus stand.
In 1787, Mary and her adopted family was trading at Richard Beasley's store in present day Hamilton, Ontario. She was noticed by Henry Nelles, who made a deal with the chief. Mary would live with the Nelles, south of what is now Brantford, Ontario. The Mississaugas could visit her whenever they chose.
Henry Nelles and his son, William, had been commissioned by the Governor to distribute supplies to the Indian Allies. He lived on a farm that had been granted to him by Joseph Brant for his loyalty during the Revolution. This is where Mary lived with the Nelles family.
Mary and William Nelles were married in an Indian ceremony a few years later. They had two children.
In 1795, Mary's marriage to William was set aside. In an Anglican Church ceremony, she married George Cunningham, the carpenter who had been building her new home. The two children from the first marriage remained with her. She mothered four children with Cunningham. From 1797 to 1800, they lived in Brant's village at the site where the Mohawk Chapel now stands. They then settled in the lower Grand River Valley.
Mary's knowledge of natural healing and her active participation in the Baptist Church made her popular in the community. She was often called upon to tend the sick and injured. At times the local doctor consulted with her about his patients.
In 1804, George Cunningham was killed at a barn raising. This left Mary a single mother with six children to care for. She continued to run the farm. In 1807, she married British immigrant John Johnson. They had one son.
Mary learned that her father and mother had survived the massacre by the Mississauga when she was a child. Though they had since died, she was reunited with her brother, Jacob, and other family members. She traveled twice to New York State to visit. She was in her seventies when she made the second trip.
Mary died September 8, 1859, at the age of 87. She was buried in the churchyard of Boston Baptist Church, about 20 miles south of Brantford, Ontario.
Mary had been the first white person in Brant County. Four years later white settlers began to pour into the area. Mary saw many things in her life - revolution, captivity, hardship, reunion, rebillion and prosperity. When she died, she left over one hundred descendents. Some still live in Brant County. Mary had the distinction of being a true Canadian pioneer.
Author's Note:
If you would like to read another account of the capture of Mary Sitt's, please follow the link below. http://www.fortklock.com/simmsfamilys.htm
This page also tells of another girl, Caty Bettinger who was also captured by Indians and brought to Canada. Though both women were eventually identified by their fathers, they chose to remain in the Native villages.
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