Cyrus Byington Letter
This collection consists of a single letter written by Cyrus Byington, a Christian missionary, on December 20, 1821 from the Choctaw Nation. In the letter, Byington expresses his thanks for the donation of clothes to the Choctaw children, who are in need of clothing for the winter.
Dates
- 1821
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
This collection consists of a single letter written by Cyrus Byington, a Christian missionary, on December 20, 1821 from the Choctaw Nation. In the letter, Byington expresses his thanks for the donation of clothes to the Choctaw children, who are in need of clothing for the winter.
Biographical/Historical Note
Cyrus Byington was born in Massachusetts on March 11, 1793. He was educated and initially trained as a lawyer, but became a Christian missionary. He joined the Choctaw Nation of Mississippi in the spring of 1821. Byington learned the Choctaw language; he developed the first Choctaw alphabet and later collaborated with others to complete a grammar, dictionary, definer, and speller for the language.
In 1835, the Choctaw mission was forced to move, and Byington followed them to Oklahoma. He remained there throughout the Civil War. After the war, he returned to Ohio to live with his married daughter. While in Ohio he completed the translation of the first five books of the Christian Bible into Choctaw. Byington died on December 31, 1868.
Arrangement
This collection is in one folder.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository