早期的生活:

玛丽·西布里出生在罗马, 1月24日，纽约, 1800, the daughter of 鲁弗斯•伊斯顿 and Alby Smith Easton. She was the first of eleven children for the Easton family. In 1804, Sibley’s father was appointed territorial judge of the 路易iana Territory by President Thomas Jefferson, making it necessary for the family to follow in his stead to St. 路易. 除了她父亲作为法官的职责之外, President Jefferson asked Easton to keep an eye on the Territorial Governor, 詹姆斯·威尔金森将军, because he was suspected of collaborating with Vice President Aaron Burr to cause the western part of the United States to secede and form a separate country.

西布里的早年生活鲜为人知, family records state that for a period she was sent to boarding school in Shelbyville, 肯塔基州.

According to Sibley’s diaries, sometime prior to 1815 she had returned to her family in St. 路易斯，路易斯安那领地. It was during this time that she would frequent dances with her friend. The details of this period have mostly been lost to history, but it is assumed that it was at one of these dances that Mary met her husband 乔治·查普林·西布里. 他们于1815年8月19日结婚. Due to George's duties as the factor (trade superintendant to the Indians), the Sibleys quickly returned to 堡奥色治 near present day Kansas City, 密苏里州.

堡奥色治:

一次是在奥塞奇堡, George kept busy trading goods with the Indians and negotiating treaties for the United States. Records during this time period scarcely mention Mary; however, several biographers believe that she began her interest in teaching when she noticed that the few area children were not receiving an education. Mary remained with George at 堡奥色治 until the United States closed it in 1822. 1822年到1825年间, 乔治是该地区的邮政局长, along with trying unsuccessfully to start up a privately owned trading post. 当贸易站失败时, 乔治找到了一份首席专员的工作, which surveyed what became known as the Santa Fe Trail. This kept George away from Mary for much of the time between 1825 and 1827. Not much is known about Mary during this period.

搬到密苏里州的圣查尔斯:

圣达菲小道工程结束的时候, 西布里一家决定搬到圣查尔斯, 1828年的密苏里. Early in 密苏里州’s statehood (which in 1821 established its first capitol in Saint Charles), 玛丽的父亲, 鲁弗斯•伊斯顿, 是州第二任司法部长吗. After the capitol moved to Jefferson City, the Eastons remained behind in Saint Charles. 乔治在圣查尔斯拥有土地, which he had purchased in 1814 when he temporarily moved east during the War of 1812. Because of the numerous Linden trees on this property, the Sibleys named the property Linden Wood. 而乔治则清理土地耕种, the couple lived in town until a home was built on the property in 1829.

马利亚的属灵觉醒:

According to Sibley’s diaries, she grew up in a home where religion was inconsequential. This view toward religion lasted until the early years of the Second Great Awakening, after which she became an ardent Old School Presbyterian. Through Mary’s influence, George was converted a few years afterward. Due to the preeminent role of religion in the Sibleys lives, Mary incorporated her faith into her continued interest in educating the area youth. She writes in her diary about schooling the children of newly arrived German immigrants using a bilingual Bible to teach English. Additional attempts at education were made with the region’s slaves, but as fearful slave-owners worried about a potential rebellion from enlightened blacks, 西布里很快被迫停下来. 最终, the Sibleys faith was the focal point of the women’s college they opened and named after their property, Lindenwood College (today known as 澳门威尼斯人平台官网).

菩提树的发展:

In 1828, 西布里一家在圣查尔斯定居, 玛丽在镇上开办了一所小型学校, 首先教她的妹妹, 路易莎, 还有几个镇上的姑娘. By 1831, 在林登林中建了一座小木屋, specifically to house twenty boarding students from further away, 也创造了额外的教室空间. According to Mary, the school started in 1832 with seven or eight students. As finances became tight for the college in 1843, Mary traveled to the east to raise money. She succeeded in raising approximately $4,000, enough to keep the school in operation. When the Sibleys were older and looking to retire, in 1856, they deeded the college to the Presbyterian Church.

玛丽的晚年:

After her husband George died in 1863, Mary sold her house and moved to St. 路易. Between 1866 and 1869, Mary joined an organization created by a prominent St. 路易斯的慈善家詹姆斯. Yeatman. 该组织, 叫伯大尼之家, was restricted to women who served the needy by providing food and medical care while promoting their Christian beliefs. 1869年，伯大尼家族关门, 玛丽搬回了圣查尔斯, living in a house near the edge of the Lindenwood campus. 在她生命的尽头, Mary became involved in the Second Adventist movement, which originally felt that Christ would return in 1844, but turned into an organized denomination when they were disappointed. In 1873, Mary received a letter from a Japanese man named Isaac K. Yokoyama who requested that she send educators to Japan who could also spread Christianity. At the age of 73, Mary took it upon herself to serve as a missionary/educator. Mary left from New York City by boat down to Panama, 穿过地峡, 然后去了加州, but before she left the United States she realized that the journey would be too hard on someone her age and returned to Saint Charles.

On June 20, 1878, Mary Sibley passed away at the age of 78. She is buried with her family in a cemetery located at 澳门威尼斯人平台官网.