Jane Johnston Schoolcraft

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft arrived at the Sault Ste. Marie in 1822 with the General Lewis Cash Expedition. Not long after his arrival he met Jane Johnston, who would become his wife. Schoolcraft was very important to the history of the Ozarks; he has been called the "Lewis and Clark" of the Ozarks.

While Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was better than most in deciphering the Ojibwa language in a manner that translates into written text, it seems he had difficulty in keeping spellings consistent. He has since been attributed to the modern application of the terms inclusive and exclusive to describe objects instead of referring to groups of people.

After marrying Jane in 1823, Henry was extremely active in the Michigan area. He was a founding member in the Historical Society of Michigan in 1828, a member of the legislative council for the Michigan Territory from 1828 to 1832, and became the superindent for Indian Affairs in 1836 until 1841.

Thompson, Edwin A. and others; Revised by Harry G. Heiss. Henry Rowe
Schoolcraft: A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress, 1999.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/text/schoolcr.html

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, in addition to being an Indian agent, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft is also famous for his discovering the source of the Mississippi River.

Jane was invaluble to Henry Rowe Schoolcraft as it was she who provided him access to the Indian community to discover the folklore and the traditions of their culture. This is evident in Henry's writing that addresses Chippewa names and their origins, which is undeniably linked to his wife, Jane.

"Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (Bame-wa-was-ge-zhik-a-quay) (Ojibwa) and Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Reading the Roots: American Writing before Walden. Ed. Michael Branch. Athens, GA. University of Georgia,2004. 303.

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft's husband, Henry, published six volumes of Information Respecting the History, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States. This literary work describes in more detail how many different Native American tribes use the moon's variation and accompanying natural changes as a means by which naming is accomplished ("Moon Names of the Chippewa").

Henry enjoyed writing about mineralogy, geology, and ethnology but his main intrest was the American Indian. He wrote about the history, language, mythology, maxims, characteristics, and the role of the federal government toward the Indian. He would often revise and reissue his writings and issue them under different names like, Agricola, Albion, Algon, Altamont, Appelles, Brevis, Brutus, Henry R. Colcraft, A Englishman in Search of Amusement, William Hetherwold, Hiokato, Ianosh, Megesthines, Peter Pencraft, and Senex.

Thompson, Edwin A. "Manuscript Reading Room." 2 June, 2004. 30 November, 2004. .

It wasn't until 1820 that Henry Rowe Schoolcraft first encountered Native Americans in their natural setting. This was when he was working as a geologist in Lewis Cass's unsuccessful expedition to find the source of the Mississippi River.

After discovering that Native Americans had oral stories, he saw a practical value in translating them into texts to present them as literature to the reading public.

In a criticizm of Native American Literature, one author says regarding two essays, "missing in this discussion, however, is any notice of the simpler and more direct translations made by Henry's Wife, Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (Ojibwa); she and her family provided most of the material Henry published."

Schoolcraft, MI was founded in 1831, six years before Michigan became a state. It was named this because Lewis Cass, the Governer at the time, decided to commission a survey. He chose Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, Jane's husband, to accompany him because of his expertise in Mineralogy. The survey was such a success that it changed the public's view of Michigan and attracted many pioneers there. Louis Lyon, a settler and member of the Cass expidition, decided to name the town "Schoolcraft" in Henry Rowe's honor.