Copyright, 1890,
By Ellen H. Walworth.
PETER PAUL & BRO.,
PRINTERS AND BINDERS,
BUFFALO, N. Y.
To my Uncle,
THE REV. CLARENCE A. WALWORTH,
RECTOR OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH,
ALBANY, N. Y.,
THIS VOLUME IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY
DEDICATED.
PREFACE.
The life and surroundings of "The Lily of the Mohawks," as an undeveloped theme in literature, was first suggested to me by my uncle, the Rev. Clarence A. Walworth. My interest and enthusiasm were at once aroused. The thought of a mere Indian girl reared in the forest among barbarians, yet winning for herself such titles as "The Lily of the Mohawks" and "The Genevieve of New France," recurred to my mind again and again, until it led me to a fixed determination to explore so tempting a field of romance and archæology. The fact that it lay amongst the hills and valleys of my native State, and was little known except to solitary scholars and laborious historians, incited me still more to the task. I became ambitious to gather from the records of two centuries ago every detail relating in any way to my Indian heroine. While engaged in this work unexpected opportunities opened to gather exact information about her, and more especially concerning the localities connected with her early childhood, and her conversion and baptism in the Mohawk Valley.
If this book, embodying the result of my researches, should fail to interest the reader, it will not be for any lack of enthusiasm on my part, or of kind encouragement and competent assistance from others.