Lucy Goodale Thurston (October 29, 1795October 13, 1876) was a
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
and author. She was the wife of
Asa Thurston and was one of the first
American Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
missionaries to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. She is noted for her letters documenting her life and missionary works in the islands.
Background
Lucy Goodale was born to a prosperous family
[Grimshaw, P. (1989). Christian Brides. In ''Paths of Duty: American Missionary Wives in Nineteenth-Century Hawaii'' (pp. 14–36). Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv9zcjqt.5] on October 29, 1795, on the
Goodale Homestead in
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high ...
, in what would later become
Hudson, Massachusetts
Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, with a total population of 20,092 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Before its incorporation as a town in 1866, Hudson was a ne ...
. Her parents were Abner Goodale, a deacon and
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
veteran, and Mary Howe.
She graduated from
Bradford Academy and became a school teacher.
In 1819, she applied to a newspaper advertisement seeking volunteers to missionize in Hawaii through the invitation of
King Kamehameha II.
To be accepted, however, the applicants were required to be married beforehand. On October 12, 1819, she married Thurston, a scythe maker and minister from
Fitchburg.
He was one of the theological graduates from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
who posted the mission announcement.
Lucy and Asa were complete strangers prior to their wedding. Several days later, she accompanied her husband on a five-month voyage on board the ship ''Thaddeus.''
They reached
Kawaihae, Hawaii, on March 30, 1820.
The couple helped build churches and schools after securing permission for their ministry at
Kailua-Kona
Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is most commonly referred to simply as Kona (a name it shares with the district to which it belongs), but also as Kona To ...
from King Kamehameha and
Queen Ka'ahumanu.
The Thurstons, unlike most missionary couples, spent most of the rest of their lives in the islands.
In 1855, Lucy was diagnosed with
breast cancer
Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
. As treatment for her illness, Lucy had a
mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer choose to have ...
to remove her left breast in the same year. The procedure was conducted by
Seth Porter Ford without
anaesthetic
An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia — in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into t ...
, which had not been developed at that time.
The operation was successful and she lived for another twenty years.
She died on October 13, 1876, in
Honolulu
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
.
One of the Thurstons' grandchildren,
Lorrin Andrews Thurston, would later play an important part in
King Kalakua's decision to sign the
Bayonet Constitution, which paved the way for the abolition of the
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
and for its annexation to the United States.
Memoir
After her husband's death on March 11, 1868, Lucy started writing a memoir. She compiled her letters and other writings (completed by her daughter
Persis Goodale Taylor and Walter Freer, and published under the title of ''Life and Times of Mrs. Lucy G. Thurston'' in
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
in 1876).
It is one of the most vivid accounts of the early mission days.
The autobiography was divided into several parts. The first was devoted to the mission's early work in Hawaii. Later parts covered her journey to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, the death of her daughter Lucy in 1841, and her experience battling cancer.
The book also included accounts concerning Hawaiian chiefs.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, Lucy Goodale
1795 births
1876 deaths
People from Marlborough, Massachusetts
People from Hudson, Massachusetts
American Protestant missionaries
Female Christian missionaries
American women memoirists
19th-century American memoirists
19th-century American women writers
American emigrants to the Hawaiian Kingdom
Protestant missionaries in Hawaii
Schoolteachers from Massachusetts
19th-century American educators
19th-century American women educators