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Notable people · Missionary · Ethnographer

John Heckewelder

Moravian missionary born in Bedford, England, who assisted David Zeisberger in Ohio from 1771, served as postmaster and justice of the peace (1797-1800), and wrote on the Lenape (Delaware).

John Heckewelder
Henry Howe, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Born
1743-03-12
Died
1823-01-21
Known as
Missionary, Ethnographer
Organizations
Moravian Church

Life story

John Heckewelder was born in 1743 in Bedford, England, and emigrated with his family to Pennsylvania in 1754. He apprenticed as a cooper before turning to missionary work.

In 1762 he first visited Ohio with the colonial agent Christian Frederick Post, and from 1771 he worked as an evangelist among Native peoples in the Ohio country, assisting David Zeisberger.

He served as an interpreter and an official: he went with Rufus Putnam to treaty talks at Vincennes in 1792, and took part in another treaty mission in 1793. From 1797 to 1800 he lived in Ohio as postmaster and justice of the peace.

He settled at Gnadenhutten in 1801, then retired to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1810. His books on the Lenape (Delaware) include a history of their manners and customs in 1818. He was elected to the American Antiquarian Society in 1822 and died in 1823.

Timeline

  • 1743-03-12: Born (Bedford, England) source
  • 1754: Emigrates to Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania) source
  • 1762: First visit to Ohio with Christian F. Post (Tuscarawas valley, OH) source
  • 1771: Begins work as a missionary in Ohio (Tuscarawas valley, OH) source
  • 1792: Goes with Rufus Putnam to treaty talks (Vincennes, IN) source
  • 1797: Lives in Ohio as postmaster and justice of the peace (Tuscarawas County, OH) source
  • 1801: Settles at Gnadenhutten (Gnadenhutten, OH) source
  • 1810: Retires to Bethlehem (Bethlehem, PA) source
  • 1823-01-21: Dies (Bethlehem, PA) source

What John is known for

  • Ethnographer of the Lenape
  • Helped establish Gnadenhutten
  • Elected American Antiquarian Society 1822
  • Account of the History, Manners, and Customs of the Indian Nations (1818)
  • Narrative of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Delaware and Mohegan Indians (1820)
  • Names which the Lenni Lenape or Delaware Indians gave to Rivers, Streams, and Localities (1822)

Honors and things named for them

  • Member, American Antiquarian Society (1822)
  • Member, American Philosophical Society

Places in Ohio to see

Ohio places

Where John Heckewelder was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.

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