How did a petite redhead from the slums of Dundee become a role model for a hundred years? How did she come to wield influence in the land known to her compatriots as 'the white man's grave'? Why are there statues of her holding twins in Nigeria? How did she develop her missionary fervor combined with down-to-earth common sense? How did she overcome difficult situations throughout her life in ways that set her apart from many Victorians? Her 'eccentricities' are often cited: she climbed trees, marched barefoot and bareheaded through the forest, declined to filter her water, and shed her Victorian petticoats. On the other hand, because of her understanding of and rapport with the Africans among whom she lived, the British government appointed her their first woman magistrate anywhere in the world and later awarded her the highest honor then bestowed on a woman commoner. "Mary Slessor - Everybody's Mother" examines the era and influence of this extraordinary woman, who spent thirty-eight years serving as a Presbyterian missionary in Calabar. The work answers questions about the public Mary Slessor. It also looks at her private life. The author makes use of materials not found elsewhere, including Slessor's own writings and those of others of her era, reminiscences of her adopted Nigerian son, and assessments from contemporary sources. Slessor's audacity in remote areas of Nigeria contrasted with her timidity in public meetings in Scotland. She shunned the limelight and wondered why anyone would want to know about her. Her fame continues, especially in Nigeria and Scotland. She was certain God called her to serve in Calabar, the home she claimed as her own, where she became eka kpukpru owo - everybody's mother.

About the Author

Jeanette Hardage develops independent writing projects. Her work has appeared in Christianity Today, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Journal of Medical Biography and other publications. She is currently working on another publication with his husband, Owen Hardage, At Sea with God.

Table of Contents

Foreword; Introduction; Prologue; Part I: Preparing and Going - 1848-1879; Early Influences; Duke Town; Part II: Branching Out - 1879-1890; Old Town--Too Busy; A Long Pause--Creek Town; Marsh Fever and Other Afflictions; Opening a Territory; Part III: New Possibilities - 1890-1900; Escapades and Romance; Hopes and Disappointments; British Imperial Agents; Visitors and Empire; Part IV: Queen Mary - 1900-1909; Bairns; Long Juju; A New Man and New Work; Court and Furlough; Disagreements In and Out of Court; Part V: A Life Spent - 1909-1915; Faith Matters; Ikpe and Nkana; Rest and Honor; Part VI: A Legacy - 1915 and Later; Endings; Remembrance; Epilogue: African Mission to Liverpool; Acknowledgements; Author's Notes; Mary Slessor and Mission Chronology Highlights; Appendix; Abbreviations; Bibliography; Index; Photographs follow page.

Reviews

"This is undoubtedly the best biography of Slessor so far produced. ... It presents a woman who, without pretensions to gentility or to much education, moved the bounds, not only of what was acceptable for women, but of what was conceivable." Andrew F. Walls, Founding Director, Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, University of Edinburgh "This work fills the need for a good modern biography of a remarkable woman. It combines readability with high academic standard." Jock Stein, Editor, The Handsel Press "Hardage...recalls the life of Mary Slessor, a pioneering missionary in Nigeria at the turn of the twentieth century. Rather than debating the good or evil of the missionary system, this work is a celebration and accounting of a life devoted to service." Book News Inc, February 2011