Eells, Cushing, 1810-1893

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Reverend Cushing Eells, pioneer missionary and teacher, came west in 1838 with the American Fur Company and served in Spokane. After the Whitman Massacre (1847), he moved to Salem, Oregon where he taught in Oregon until 1860. He eventually returned to Walla Walla to promote the Whitman Seminary.

From the description of Letters, 1843-1859. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 31370814

Reverend Cushing Eells (1810-1893), crossed the Plains in 1838 with Elkanah Walker and their wives, to join Whitman and Spalding in the Oregon Mission. After the massacre he settled in Forest Grove and in 1860 moved to Walla Walla, where he founded Whitman Seminary.

From the description of Letter: to his son, Myron Eells /by Cushing Eells, 1888 Jul 16. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702127610

Reverend Cushing Eells, pioneer missionary and teacher, was born on February 16, 1810 in Blandford, Massachusetts. In 1838, following his ordination, Eells traveled overland to Walla Walla with his new bride, Myra Fairbanks. The Eellses served at the Spokane Mission until the Whitman Massacre in 1847, when they moved to Salem. From 1848 to 1860, Cushing held a number of teaching positions, including stints at Oregon Institute (Salem), Tualatin Academy (Forest Grove), and Washington Select School (Hillsboro). In 1860, Cushing and Myra Eells returned to Walla Walla to promote the Whitman Seminary and Cushing served as one of its trustees. His last years were spent ministering at the Spokane Mission. Cushing Eells died on February 26, 1893. Cushing and Myra Eells had two sons, Myron and Edwin.

From the description of Papers, 1838-1883. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 32315766

Cushing Eells was born at Blandford, Massachusetts, on February 16, 1810. He was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Warner) Eells. Cushing Eells graduated from Williams College in 1834. He later entered East Windsor Theological Institute in Connecticut and graduated in 1837. Rev. Cushing Eells was licensed to preach December 14, 1836, and was ordained a year late as a Congregational Missionary to the Zulus in Africa, but the planned voyage there was affected by a war between the Zulu tribes, so the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions instead sent him to the Oregon Territory.

Eells married Myra Fairbanks (daughter of Deacon Joshua and Mrs. Sally H. Fairbanks) on March 5, 1838, in Massachusetts. The Eells headed west the very next day to be missionaries to the Indians of old Oregon. Accompanying them were Elkanah and Mary (Richardson) Walker, William H. and Mary A. (Dix) Gray, and Rev. Asa B. and Sarah Gilbert (White) Smith. Two years prior, Marcus and Narcissa (Prentiss) Whitman and Henry and Eliza (Hart) Spalding, along with several others, had made the same journey. The Eells, Walkers, and Smiths arrived at the Cayuse winter lodge site of Waiilatpu along the Walla Walla River, which became the Whitman Mission, on August 29, 1838. Soon after, each family established their own mission, with Cushing and Myra Eells settling among the Spokane Indians at Tshimakain with the Walkers. A fire destroyed this first mission at Tshimakain, yet the Eells stayed in the area.

The deaths of the Whitmans and others at Waiilaptu in 1847 and the ensuing Northwest Indian Wars signified the end of the missionary efforts of the ABCFM by 1850. The Eells and Walkers were moved from Tshimakain under military escort to Oregon, and the Eells settled in Forest Grove for the next 14 years. In that time Cushing Eells taught at various schools in the Tualatin Plains, including the Oregon Institute, now Willamette University. He also instituted the Tualatin Academy, now Pacific University, in 1849. In 1859, the “upper country” that had been closed during the Indian Wars was re-opened, and Cushing soon headed to the Walla Walla Valley.

There Eells decided to build a school in memory of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. The first classes were held in December 1859, at Waiilatpu. The actual seminary was constructed later in the nearby town of Walla Walla. During the summer of 1866, the first building of the Whitman Seminary was erected on a site purchased by Dr. Dorsey Syng Baker. The seminary opened the same year on September 14. For the first two years, Eells was the principal, though Rev. P.B. Chamberlain was first intended for the position. Eells simultaneously served as superintendent of schools for Walla Walla County. For several years, he traveled the Washington Territory, founding Congregational churches and schools and raising money for the seminary. The Washington Territorial Legislature, which had granted a charter to Whitman Seminary on December 20, 1859, issued a new charter on November 28, 1883, and changed it to Whitman College. Until an endowment allowed the college to be financially secure and survive, Eells made efforts to keep it alive, giving it 10,000 dollars during his life. He also willed a great portion of his property to Whitman College. Despite the financial and enrollment problems in the beginning, Eells’ Whitman memorial – a small, provincial seminary – transformed itself over the years into a reputable secular college.

Until his last days, Eells continued to do missionary work and was actively involved with Whitman College. He died in Tacoma, February 16, 1893, at age 83, after having served 55 of his years as a missionary.

From the guide to the Cushing Eells Collection, 1821-1979, 1838-1894, (Whitman College and Northwest Archives)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Brewer, Henry Bridgman, 1813-1886. Letter: to I. M. Merrick /by Henry Bridgeman Brewer, 1847 Mar 11. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Eells, Cushing, 1810-1893. Letters, 1843-1859. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn Eells, Ida M. Mother Eells : a story of the life of Myra Fairbanks Eells / by Ida Myra Eells, 1947 Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State
creatorOf Cushing Eells Collection, 1821-1979, 1838-1894 Whitman College and Northwest Archives
referencedIn Walker, Elkanah, 1805-1877. Oregon Mission Papers, 1837-1872. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Edwin Eells papers Washington State Historical Society
referencedIn American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions records, 1821-1871 Oregon Historical Society Research Library
creatorOf Eells, Cushing, 1810-1893. Papers, 1866-1874. Eastern Washington University, JFK Library
referencedIn Marshall, William I. (William Isaac), 1840-1906. William Isaac Marshall papers, [ca. 1900-1905]. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Whitman, Marcus, 1802-1847. Whitman family papers, 1838-1847. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Eells, Cushing, 1810-1893. Papers of Cushing and Myra Fairbanks Eells, 1838-1938. Washington State University, Holland and Terrell Libraries
referencedIn Eells family. Collection of Eells family papers. Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State
creatorOf Eells, Cushing, 1810-1893. Letter: to his son, Myron Eells /by Cushing Eells, 1888 Jul 16. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Records, 1821-1871. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn Eells, Edwin, 1841-1917. Edwin Eells letter, 1910. Spokane Public Library, Downtown Branch
referencedIn Walker, Cyrus Hamlin, 1838-1921. Glimpses of Old Oregon /by Cyrus H. Walker, 1909 Oct 26. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Eells, Cushing, 1810-1893. Papers, 1838-1883. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn Walker, Elkanah, 1805-1877. Elkanah Walker papers, 1828-1885. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
creatorOf Cushing and Myra Fairbanks Eells Papers, 1838-1938 Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions corporateBody
associatedWith Brewer, Henry Bridgman, 1813-1886. person
associatedWith Congregational Church corporateBody
associatedWith Drury, Clifford Merrill, 1897-1984, person
associatedWith Eells Academy corporateBody
associatedWith Eells, Edwin, 1841-1917. person
associatedWith Eells family. family
associatedWith Eells, Ida M. person
correspondedWith Eells, Myra Fairbanks, 1805-1878 person
correspondedWith Eells, Myron, 1843-1907 person
associatedWith Marshall, William I. (William Isaac), 1840-1906. person
associatedWith Spokane Indians corporateBody
associatedWith Walker, Cyrus Hamlin, 1838-1921. person
correspondedWith Walker, Elkanah, 1805-1877. person
associatedWith Whitman College corporateBody
associatedWith Whitman, Marcus, 1802-1847. person
associatedWith Whitman Seminary corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Tshimakain Mission
Northwest, Pacific
Washington Territory
Blandford, Massachusetts
Oregon Territory
Northwest, Pacific
Washington (State)
Oregon Territory
Waiilatpu Mission
Northwest, Pacific
Washington (State)
Walla Walla (Wash)
Forest Grove, Oregon
Subject
Authors
Congregational churches
Colleges
Diaries
Frontier and pioneer life
Indians of North America
Indians of North America
Indians of North America
Missionaries
Missionaries
Missionaries
Native Americans
Overland Journeys to the Northwestern United States
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Pacific Coast Indians, Wars with, 1847-1865
Pacific Northwest History
Pioneers
Pioneers
Spokane Indians
Washington (State)
Whitman Massacre, 1847
Women missionaries
Women missionaries
Occupation
Missionaries
Activity

Person

Birth 1810

Death 1893

Information

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