Item Detail
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Kingsley, Mary Henrietta
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1862-1900
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MSS SC 673
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a letter written by Mary Henrietta Kingsley
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Mary Henrietta Kingsley was born on 13 October 1862 in London, England, to George Henry and Mary Bailey Kingsley. As an adult, she spent time working with people in West Africa who were stricken with typhoid and other diseases. As she spent time there, she heard of native uprisings at Brass, cannibalism, and other local customs that frightened her and made her wonder if she would remain safe and healthy. Mary died on 3 June 1900.
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This collection contains a seven page, handwritten letter written on 12 March 1895 and addressed to Rose from Mary Henrietta Kingsley. The letter contains a stamp in the left hand corner with the address, H.B.M. Consulate, Old Calabar, West Africa, though Mary seems to be writing from her location on the rivers. The handwriting in the original letter is very difficult to read, but a three page transcript of the letter is included. It is obvious that even the transcriber had difficulty in recording each word and phrase because of the handwriting. The letter is also very fragmented as Mary addresses many different subjects. Most of the letter chronicles Mary's adventures as she works with the people of West Africa. She describes West Africa as having heat, sweltering moisture, bats, insects, and a heavy rank earth smell but at the same time she seems to feel it an adventure to be there. Her work does prove to be exciting as she nurses men and women with typhoid. One man, in a delirious state of mind, screams about having devils in the room until Mary concedes to take a broom and sweep the devils out of his sight. Although this calms the man down, she discovers a poisonous snake about four feet long under the bed and she has to drive it out with the broom. At first, Mary has help from a woman she refers to as Lady Mac, but this woman leaves Mary and joins her husband where he is trying to settle some native uprising at Brass. This leaves Mary alone to nurse the people with typhoid and other diseases. She writes that her goal is to do as much as she can and then travel up the river towards little known towns were she can learn more about the natives. She relates stories about the savagery and cannibalism of the people in neighboring villages. The Brass uprising, in which men kill and eat seventy prisoners, is one example she gives. She also tells of a black man named Robert who is educated at a Christian College and deemed civilized until he returns to his native land, where he is seen naked with human hands tied onto his wrists and human feet tied onto his ankles, doing a dance to the devil. In another town, she finds that there is a local custom to put all the bodies of those who die without paying debts at the town gates until a relative can pay the debt or decomposition takes over. It stinks so terribly that she is left to conclude that bankruptcy is common. Nurse
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1843-