Prominent Minister, Author, Historian, and Lecturer Dead John Wentworth Sanborn was a well-known lecturer on on Indian lore and history. Lectured in London. Conducted exhibit at Worlds Fair. Resident of this place for many years. Town historian. Preached in local church six years. Friendship N. Y., October 19,1922 John Wentworth Sanborn, AM., was born November third, 1848, at Eppiny, New Hampshire, son of Jeremiah and olive Sanborn, was directly descended from the house of Stuarts, England, his uncle, Governor Benj. Prescott was twice Governor of Massachusetts. Mr. Sanborn was a graduate of Wesleyan University and Phillips Exeter Academy. He had the degree of A. M., conferred upon him by Dartmouth College. He was principal of Kingston academy and also principal of South Newmarket (now Newfields), N. H., High School, editor of The Silver Lake Herald, and for two years had studied law, but his convictions led him to the ministry. In the fall of 1873, he entered the Western New York Conference (now called the Genesee Conference), in his twenty-fifth year, and for thirty-five years he was in active service. His pastorates were Perry, Gowanda, Batavia, Albion, Lockport, Naples, Smethport, Pa., Olean, Franklinville, and Friendship. The last pastorate he held for six years. He was a good pastor, a true friend a genial brother, an indulgent father and a devoted husband. His life was like a book –well written and complete, full of sunshine, with a tinge of shadow sometimes, which soon, like the closing of a book, the shadows fled, the sunshine found abode in his soul, his trust in the Promises were unshaken. While he was a pastor in Gowanda, N.Y., he also made missionary to the Indians on the Reservation close to Gowanda, learning the Seneca language and preaching to them the simple story of God and His great love for us all. While there he compiled a hymnal for them in the Seneca tongue, translating our psalms and hymns to be used by them. He and his wife bound the books and presented to them. The special type was made by him, he set it himself and did the press work. The Indians were so delighted with the gift that they at once made him an adopted son of the Wolf Clan—the largest Clan among the Senecas—giving him the appellation of “O-yo-ga-weh-“, meaning "Clear Sky" or" Sky Without a Cloud", thus conferring upon him their highest evidence of gratitude. He was appointed by Senator Donald McNaughton as Commissioner of Indians Affairs at the World’s Fair in Chicago, Ill., and Director in Chief of the New York State India Exhibit—the Conference giving permission by a supernumerary relation for a time. He has written many books and booklets on the North American Indian, and possessed a large and rare collection of curies. These are now in the New York State Museum at Albany, where they will be both interesting and instructive and do much good. His Greek and Latin text books have been published and used in schools and colleges, especially has the compilation on Roots and Items of the Latin Language. Many beautiful poems were penned by him—among the best known are “The Man Behind the Gun” “Hunter Spare That Bird,” “When my Ship behind The Pastor,” “The Prayer Meeting Bell,” “The Man Behind the Plow,” “Our Debt of Gratitude,” and many others. Mr. Sanborn was connected with many societies: The Odd Fellows of Batavia, N.Y., the A.O.U.W. of Batavia, N.Y., the Stratford-Shakespeare Circle of Olean, The Olean Ministerial Club, the historical Club of Friendship, N. Y., Literary Society of Scottsville, N.Y., Buffalo Historical Society, buffalo society of National Sciences, Oneida historical Society of Utica, N.Y., The British Association for the Advancement of Science, Manchester, England, The British Folklore Society of Manchester, Eng., Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science New York City, Fellow of the Paris Association for the Advancement of Research, Secretary and Treasurer of the Silver Lake Assembly, and many minor organizations. He was married to Adelaide Hiscox in 1886, of Brooklyn, N.Y., later of Clifton Springs, N.Y. Four children were born to them, Arthur, Olive, Ralph, and Harold. All arrived by Ralph, who died in the Hospital with the flu there three years ago. One daughter, Mrs. Frank Faplin of Massachusetts, by a former marriage, also survives him. Two years ago Mr. Sanborn suffered a stroke, from which he never regained his mentality or his bodily vigor, yet was able to be about and enjoy the visits from friends. Two weeks ago he had a general breaking down of the organs. He was more feeble, but he sat up and was and read his papers, and the family was encouraged. But suddenly came a shock, the second one. It passed. He was up in his chair before he died. That night he was taken suddenly, and the end came at 10’o'clock Saturday evening, October 14, 1922. His crossing the “Great Divide” was without a struggle and a feeling came over us that the race had been run—the victory won. “By ways not understood. Out of each dark vicissitude God brings us compensating good. For faith is perfected by fears And souls renew their youth with years And love looks into Heaven, thru tears.” The funeral was held at the home Tuesday afternoon, the Presiding Elder, Dr. Witham of Olean, presiding Rev. Shank of this place and Rev. Hugh Boyd of Olean also made remarks. Eight clergymen were present and also a large number of friends. He was buried in the family lot in Mt. Hope Cemetery. A great man with a great mind was Mr. Sanborn. Bounded on all sides with compelling academic tendencies he was nevertheless such a hospitable and democratic nature, as to with friends with great ease. His passing is an inestimable loss to our community. Resolution Of Sympathy Resolution of Sympathy to Mrs. J. W. Sanborn and family passed by the Congregational Church. Last night at a special business Meeting of the Congregational church, a motion was made to place on record the deepest appreciation of the life and ministry of the late Rev. J. W. Sanborn, who had so often assisted this church in pulpit and other capacities. Mention was made of his fine Christian scholarship, his lofty ideals and consecrated life and work. The deepest sympathy was expressed to the widow and other members of the family, with prayers for the Divine guidance promised under such circumstances. This was passed by a standing vote. Card Of Thanks With hearts full of love and appreciation for the sympathy and kindness of neighbors and friends and the various organizations for the beautiful flowers—and to the Minister who spoke comforting words to the bereaved family—do we acknowledge with thanks. Adelaide H. Sanborn Harold H. Sanborn Olive A. Wilkins

The Seneca Indians Legends, Customs, and Social Life Of The Seneca Indians Of Western New York By John Wentworth Sanborn, (“O-yo-ga-weh”) Gowanda, N. Y.; Horton and Demin, 1878 There are less than a hundred pages to this modest little book of an Indian fellow-citizen, but they make the reader wish for a thousand of equal interests and value. John Wentworth Sanborn, whose Indian name denotes “Clear Sky,” will be doing more than he conceives of, both for the study of ethnology and the honor of his own race, it he continues the vein started in his first effort. The knowledge of Indian legends and Indian traits of character is extremely limited, so far as the North American Indians are concerned. There are Schoolcraft and Catlin, Gallatin, and the scattered accounts of French missionaries, and possessed of unquestioned knowledge of the Indian might afford. The Seneca O-yo-ga-weh has therefore a clear field of work before him. He writes English sufficiently well; he is not inclined to overrate the mental position of his fellows, and yet pleads their cause in words full of manliness and good sense. The Indian legends, he says, “if written, would fill a hundred tomes; transmitted as they are by the aged to the youth, these legends lose nothing, but gain much; for Indians minds, like ponderous ships, though hard to start, sweep on, when moved along the river of deep thoughts.” Mr. Sanborn has his mission in modern science and the history of literature. He has only to pursue more thoroughly the path begun; he has only to select the word-of-mouth legends of his nation and reduce them to writing in as simple, unadorned English as possible, and we can promise him that his name will come to be known all over the civilized world. Europe is likely to furnish more readers interested either scientifically or from pure love of amusement in his budget of fairy tales than the United States. One legend, which O-yo-ga-weh has recorded, related to New York and the position of the superior tribes called the Five Nations, when New York was first settled. The Seneca tradition relates that the original stock was settled at and about Manhattan and Long Island many ages before the whites arrived. Under the lead of a great chief they passed up the Hudson and westward to the Mississippi, leaving the various tribes at the sites occupied by them during historic times. The continuation of the legend borders on the humorous. The great chief turns doctor, and provides for the taking off of his subjects by means of medicines. The inference is the old one that, previous to doctors, people were hearty. Probably, the legend was started to account for death among the immortal people of a fabled golden age, but the version as presented contains the favorite satire on the medical profession. In a first book a writer is sure to say too much and too little. O-yo-ga-weh attempts to describe the customs and social life of the Senecas, and so leaves too little room for the legends. Let us hope that he will devote separate books to the separate themes in future; he ought to become an authority on both subjects. Chapter four contains a bit of what is probably historic fact—the revenge taken by a Seneca who was first tortured and then adopted b a tribe of Illinois. After 15 years o apparent docility, when the Illinois consider him one of their stanchest warriors, he leads 300 of them into an ambush of Senecas. Among the most valuable pages are those descriptive of the ceremonies still in practice among the Senecas on their days of festival. Christianity has wisely spared these rites, while apparently improving their tone. At one festival they give thanks to the maple tree for its sweep sap; at another to the strawberry, at another to the blueberry, again to green corn, and again, in Autumn, to the general harvest. Deeply interesting is the notice of an Indian reformer, named Handsome Lake, who lived 80 years ago. In his commands to the people, the marriage of Indians and whites is denounced as a crime. No white man can get to heaven save one. The exception is Washington, whose Indian name means The Destroyer of Villages. He lives in a fort just outside the gate of heaven. “He was good to you,” the reformer said, “when, on the settlement of the great difficulty between the Americans and the Great Crown, you were abandoned to your enemies. The Crown told the great American that as for his allies, the Indians, he might kill them if he liked. The great American judged that this would be cruel and unjust. For this reason he has been allowed to leave earth. But he is never permitted to go into the presence of the Great Spirit. Although alone, he is perfectly happy. All faithful Indians pass by him as they go to heaven. They see him and recognize him, but pass on in silence. No word ever passes his lips.”

Plain Talk From the Pulpit A Retiring Pastor Who Says His Parsonage Was A “Rat Hole” The New York Times, September 30, 1890 Lockport, N. Y., Sept. 29—The city is talking over the sensational farewell sermon of the Rev. John Wentworth Sanborn, known as the celebrated Indian archaeologist, which he delivered last evening at his church, the First Methodist Episcopal, in this city. He openly referred to the rupture in his church and the financial straits to which he was put last Winter. He virtually charged that the parsonage was a “rat hole,” unfit for a minister to live in. He said: “I hear that your new pastor is to have a new parsonage and will have his salary raised. It will keep him from being run over with rats and save you from shame and mortification.” He referred to a dunning letter he had received from members of his church when they knew that his salary was not paid up and he was in straitened circumstances. The text was taken from Isaiah, xlviii, 18, “Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments; then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the seas.”

 

Mr. Sanborn was the Methodist Episcopal Minister in Smethport, PA during the 1890's and the author of several Seneca Indian language texts.  Mr. Sanborn was an incredibly interesting guy.  He did extensive work with translation of the Seneca Indian language and translated hymnals and other books into Seneca.

During the 1891 Chicago Columbia Exhibition (World's Fair) he was the Director of the New York State Indian Exhibition.

He is buried in Friendship at the Mount Hope Cemetery, Friendship, New York.  He was born on 3 Nov. 1848 and died 14 Oct. 1922.  We believe that he lived in Friendship for many years.
 
 

• Red Jacket. "A Long-Lost Speech of Red Jacket." Edited by John W. Sanborn. Friendship, N.W.: J. W. Sanborn, 1912
• "A psalm of David." Published: [Batavia, N.Y., J. W. Sanborn, 1884]
• "Hymnal in the Seneca Indian language, together with a few of the Psalms of David." by [Sanborn, John Wentworth], 1848-1922. Published:
• Batavia, N.Y., J. W. Sanborn, 1884.
• Hymnal in the Seneca Language also Ten Psalms of David (John Wentworth Sanborn), 1892.