Typed article written by Samuel Dickinson for Zion's Herald, a Methodist publication. Written in Louisville on March 28, 1834 and published in Zion's Herald on April 30, 1834. Dickinson writes that Reverend Jason Lee arrived in Louisville on March 22, 1834 while on his way to Oregon to become a missionary to the Flathead Indian tribe. The article sums up a missionary meeting in which Lee addressed a small crowd. Lee shared his views of the Flathead Indian tribe, and of the destruction that the white man's introduction of alcohol had caused. The article concludes by stating that Lee left for St. Louis on March 26, 1834. [Lee originally intended to do missionary work among the Flathead Indian tribe, but the area where he eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, near present-day Salem, was home to bands of the Kalapuyan people. Dickinson uses language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Typed letter by E.W. Sohon to the editors of Zion's Herald, a Methodist publication. Written in St. Louis on April 11, 1834 and published in Zion's Herald on May 21, 1834. Letter is titled, "Flat Head Mission." Sohon writes that Reverend Jason Lee and other missionaries have arrived in St. Louis on their way to Oregon to build the Flathead Indian mission. He writes of Lee addressing a meeting, and of Lee's views concerning the importance of missions and the work they undertake with native tribes. Daniel Lee, nephew of Jason Lee, and other speakers echo these beliefs. [Lee originally intended to do missionary work among the Flathead Indian tribe, but the area where he eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, near present-day Salem, was home to bands of the Kalapuyan people. Sohon uses language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Handwritten letter by Anna Maria Pittman to her brother George Washington Pittman. Written in New York on April 19, 1834. Anna gives updates on friends and family, and encourages George to find religion. At the bottom of the second page is an acrostic poem written by Anna for her brother. [After arriving in Oregon, Anna Maria Pittman married Reverend Jason Lee.]

This document contains two handwritten letters, both written to George Washington Pittman, brother of Anna Maria Pittman, on April 21, 1834 in New York. On the front is a letter to George Washington Pittman from his father, George W. Pittman, who writes him updates about the family. George Washington Pittman's address is listed as, "Fort Gibson U.S. Dragoons, Arkansas River, Arkansas Territory." Below is a note informing George that the family will be moving soon. On the back is a letter to George Washington Pittman from Mr. C. Hawley concerning the recent death of Hawley's son, Francis, in the military. Hawley asks George to keep Francis' personal items and clothing, and asks him to send Francis' obituary. At the bottom of the letter is a post script addressed to the Commanding Officer, asking that Francis Hawley's clothing be given to George.

Typed letter written by Reverend Jason Lee to the Christian Advocate and Journal. Written at the Shawnee Mission on April 29, 1834 and published in the Christian Advocate and Journal on June 13, 1834. Letter is titled, "News from Rev. Jason Lee." Lee wrote this letter shortly after his departure from Independence, Missouri as he began his journey on the Oregon Trail to become a missionary in Oregon. He writes of the difficulties he had in finding an adequate crew of men to accompany him on the Oregon Trail. Page 2 of this document was written at a later date, on May 2, 1834. It quotes Mr. Lee's observations of the native tribes in Kansas as he travels on the Oregon Trail. [Lee used language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Typed letter written by Reverend Jason Lee to the Christian Advocate and Journal. Written in the Rocky Mountains on June 25, 1834 and published in the Christian Advocate and Journal on October 3, 1834. Letter is titled, "Flat Head Mission." Lee wrote this letter as he traveled on the Oregon Trail to become a missionary in Oregon. It summarizes his journey thus far, through the months of May and June, much of it along the Platte River. Subjects include Lee's observations of local native tribes, including the Pawnee and Nez Perce. Other subjects include the landscape, weather, and buffalo. [Lee originally intended to do missionary work among the Flathead Indian tribe, but the area where he eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, near present-day Salem, was home to bands of the Kalapuyan people. Lee used language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Typed letter written by Reverend Jason Lee to the Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist E. Church. Written in the Rocky Mountains on July 1, 1834 and published in the Christian Advocate and Journal on September 26, 1834. Letter is titled, "Flat Head Mission." Lee wrote this letter as he traveled on the Oregon Trail to become a missionary in Oregon. Subjects include life on the Oregon Trail, the loss and maintenance of horses, Captain Nathaniel Wyeth, and Lee's observations of local native tribes, including the Sioux, Crow, Snake, and Blackfeet. He also states his views on the importance of missionary work and warns of the potential danger of non-missionary, colonial settlements to the local native populations. [Lee originally intended to do missionary work among the Flathead Indian tribe, but the area where he eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, near present-day Salem, was home to bands of the Kalapuyan people. Lee used language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Typed letter written by Reverend Jason Lee to the Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist E. Church. Written on the banks of the Willamette River in Oregon on February 6, 1835 and published in the Christian Advocate and Journal on October 30, 1835. Letter is titled, "Flat Head Indians." In this letter, Lee sums up the last leg of his journey on the Oregon Trail, from the Rocky Mountains to Oregon. Subjects include Soda Spring, the Lewis River, Captain Nathaniel Wyeth, and Lee's observations of Native tribes including the Nez Perce, Flathead, Snake, Cayuse, and Wallawalla peoples. He then summarizes his arrival in Vancouver, Washington, his interactions with John McLoughlin, and his subsequent move to the Willamette River, where he built a house. He writes of his observations of the local native tribes, including the Kalapuyan peoples. [Lee originally intended to do missionary work among the Flathead Indian tribe, but the area where he eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, near present-day Salem, was home to bands of the Kalapuyan people. Lee used language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Typed letter written by Reverend Jason Lee to the Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist E. Church. Written at the Mission House on the Willamette River in Oregon on March 14, 1836 and published in the Christian Advocate and Journal on September 2, 1836. Letter is titled, "Oregon Mission." Subjects include illnesses in the region, the mission's "manual labor school", Lee's support for a temperance society, and John McLoughlin's support for the mission. [Lee used language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Handwritten letter by Anna Maria Pittman to her brother George Washington Pittman. Written in New York on June 9, 1836. Anna wrote this letter as she was preparing to leave her home state of New York to travel by ship to Oregon, where she would join the Oregon Mission. She bids farewell to her brother, who she fears she will never see in person again. She writes of her strong Christian faith, her fears that her brother is not religious, and details of the upcoming voyage on the Ship Hamilton. Anna's signature has been cut out of the bottom of the document. [After arriving in Oregon, Anna Maria Pittman married Reverend Jason Lee.]

Leather-bound diary of the Reverend Jason Lee, Methodist missionary who traveled on the Oregon Trail to Oregon Country in 1834. The first entry is dated August 19, 1833 and the last entry is dated June 1, 1838. Lee first describes his overland journey on the Oregon Trail, leaving Independence, Missouri in April 1834 and arriving at Fort Vancouver, Washington in September 1834. Subjects include obstacles faced on the Oregon Trail, various people met along the journey, and the party's leader, Captain Nathaniel Wyeth. Upon arriving at Fort Vancouver, Lee writes of meeting Dr. John McLoughlin, and heeding McLoughlin's advice that he build his mission 60 miles to the south in the Willamette Valley in Oregon Country. He then writes of building a mission house for the Methodist Episcopal Church, and of his attempts at converting local Native peoples to Christianity. [Lee originally intended to do missionary work among the Flathead Indian tribe, but the area where he eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, near present-day Salem, was home to bands of the Kalapuyan people. Lee used language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Handwritten last will and testament of Jason Lee, written on February 28, 1844 in the Port of Honolulu in the Sandwich Islands, today known as the Hawaiian Islands. Much of the will focuses on his daughter, Lucy Anna Maria Lee. Jason Lee died on March 12, 1845. The back of the document was signed by W.H. Willson, Judge of Probate, on March 25, 1846.

Handwritten minutes from a special meeting of the Methodist Board of Missions, held July 1, 1844 in New York. The meeting was called to discuss the Oregon Mission. Reverend Jason Lee was present, along with members of the Oregon Committee of the Episcopal Church. The minutes describe Jason Lee addressing allegations of wrongdoing, speculation, and mismanagement at the Oregon Mission. Lee also addresses allegations against local Native tribes, and defends his decision to build the Mission House in the Willamette Valley. Other subjects include daily life in Oregon, the Hudson's Bay Company, and Lee's conversations with Dr. Joseph (sic) McLoughlin. Lee asks that the Board continue to support the mission. A typed preservation copy of this document is available in file Mss1212_B1F3_002.pdf.

Typed preservation copy of Mss1212_B1F3_001. Minutes from a special meeting of a Board of the Episcopal Church, held July 1, 1844. The meeting was called to discuss the Oregon Mission. Reverend Jason Lee is present, along with members of the Oregon Committee of the Episcopal Church. The minutes describe Jason Lee addressing allegations of wrongdoing, speculation, and mismanagement at the Oregon Mission. Lee also addresses allegations against local Native tribes, and defends his decision to build the Mission House in the Willamette Valley. Other subjects include daily life in Oregon, the Hudson's Bay Company, and Lee's conversations with Dr. Joseph (sic) McLoughlin. Lee asks that the Board continue to support the mission.

Handwritten letter from Reverend Jason Lee to the Board of the Episcopal Church. Written in New York on July 23, 1844. Lee wrote this letter to correct several mistakes he found in the minutes written about his meeting with the Board a few weeks earlier on July 1, 1844. Lee asks that this letter be read aloud to the Board at the next meeting. The letter has several rips and tears on the sides, and portions of some words are missing. The minutes for the meeting on July 1, 1844 are contained in document Mss1212_B1F3_001.

Handwritten last will and testament of Jason Lee, written on February 20, 1845 by C.B. Richardson, Notary Public. Richardson writes that Lee was sick in bed during the dictation of this will, but that he is of sound mind. Two witnesses signed the document, Eli Banys and Joseph Morrell. Written in Lee's hometown of Stanstead, Québec, where he passed away on March 12, 1845.

Handwritten letter written in 1845 to Brother Bond by Daniel Lee, nephew of Reverend Jason Lee. Daniel informs Brother Bond of the death of Jason Lee, and writes of his late uncle's life. Subjects include Jason Lee's spiritual awakening, his health and state of mind in his final days, and the illness that led to his death. A preservation copy of this document, with more modern and legible handwriting, is available in Mss1212_B1F2_004.

Handwritten probate record written by W.H. Willson, Judge of Probate, regarding the will of Jason Lee. Judge Willson authorizes Alvin F. Maller, who Lee appointed as executor of his will, to fulfill his duties as such. Written on March 25, 1846 in Salem in Champoick County, Oregon.

Handwritten article by Francis Hall for the Christian Advocate and Journal, entitled, "The Late Jason Lee." Page 5 is missing. Hall praises Lee's missionary work in Oregon and defends him from several allegations of wrongdoing. Other subjects include farming at the mission, Dr. John McLoughlin, and the Hudson's Bay Company. Several handwritten notes on back of document from D. Lee, possibly Daniel Lee, including one that reads, "A imfinished sketch from the pen of Hon. Francis Hall designed for the Christian Advocate in 1852. D Lee." Second handwritten note reads, "A sketch published in CA&J, 1845." [Lee originally intended to do missionary work among the Flathead Indian tribe, but the area where he eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, near present-day Salem, was home to bands of the Kalapuyan people. Hall uses language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Handwritten document, possibly part of a speech or sermon given at an annual conference for missionaries. Multiple pages are missing. The writer speaks of Reverend Jason Lee's journey to Oregon to do God's work. The writer welcomes his audience to the church and to the conference and urges them to follow in Reverend Lee's footsteps and continue his Christian work. [The writer uses language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]

Handwritten preservation copy of Mss1212_B1F2_003. Letter written in 1845 to Brother Bond by Daniel Lee, nephew of Reverend Jason Lee. Daniel informs Brother Bond of the death of Jason Lee, and writes of his late uncle's life. Subjects include Jason Lee's spiritual awakening, his health and state of mind in his final days, and the illness that led to his death. This preservation copy of the letter from Daniel Lee to Brother Bond is written in more modern and legible handwriting than the original.

Handwritten document containing notes about Jason Lee's life, possibly written by the author Harvey Kimball Hines as he wrote Lee's biography. The pages are numbered 5-13, indicating that the first 4 pages may be missing. The writer praises Lee's bravery and strong Christian faith in traveling to Oregon to do God's work, calling him, "the real pioneer of Civilization and Christianity on the Pacific Coast." Subjects include Lee's efforts to convert Native peoples to Christianity, Dr. John McLoughlin, and the Hudson's Bay Company. [The writer uses language common to justifying the nineteenth century missionary movement, including using disparaging and inaccurate terms and/or descriptions of Native peoples.]