The Historic Friendship of the Oneida Tribe with Nashotah House

Nashotah House’s legacy of historic relationships reaches across the U.S. and abroad. Among them are the Oneida tribe, who, since the mid-1830s, have enjoyed a rich tradition in both Wisconsin and with Nashotah House. The Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, the first missionary bishop to the Episcopal Church in the United States (1835-1870),was known to the Oneida as Ha-re-ro-wa-gon or “He who has the Power over all the Words.” Also among the friends of the Oneida was the third Bishop of New York and founder of General Theological Seminary, John Henry Hobart (1816-1830), after whom the Oneida named their first church, Hobart Church.  

The Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart, after whom the Oneida named their first church.

In 1843, six months after founding Nashotah House, two young Episcopal deacons, the Rev. James Lloyd Breck and the Rev. William Adams, made the four-day trip on foot from Nashotah to the Oneida community near Green Bay to be ordained to the priesthood in the nearest consecrated Episcopal church, the recently-consecrated Hobart Church (1839) -- later named the Church of Holy Apostles.

The Rev. Cornelius Hill or Onangwatgo (“Big Medicine”), was a lifelong Episcopalian and ordained a priest at age 69. Active in Oneida life and culture, he ministered to his people until shortly before his death.

Mr. Breck and Mr. Adams returned to Nashotah with three young men from the Oneida tribe  who enrolled as students at Nashotah House. One pupil, Cornelius Hill (1834-1907), eventually became their last chief and their first priest. Hill’s Oneida name was Onan-gwat-go, or “Great Medicine,” and he served his tribe as interpreter and organist prior to his ordination. Afterward, Hill served as an advocate for his tribe. Writing on their behalf, he explained, “the civilization at which I and the greater part of my people aim is one of truth and honor; one that will raise us to a higher state of existence here on earth and fit us for a blessed one in the next world.” Mr. Hill died in 1907 and was buried in the Holy Apostles’ churchyard.

The Rev. James Lloyd Breck (right) with Enmegahbowh (Rev. John Johnson) (left) and Isaac Manitowab (center), 1865.

Fire, flood, smallpox, and the overall perils of frontier living continued for people in the newly-formed Wisconsin, which was granted statehood in 1848. However, civil law, churches, boarding schools, and an overall understanding and unity among the people continued, as did the resiliency of the Oneida. In 1870, they gave one day each week to quarrying their own stone to replace the original church’s log structure. Women crafted and sold dolls; children gathered and sold berries, all to raise funds to build their new church. For the next 14 years, they were able to save $200 per year (approximately $3,600 in today’s currency). Another gift, the church’s blueprints for what would become Holy Apostles, were donated by the Rev. Charles Babcock from Ithaca, New York.

The Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart Brown, first Bishop of Fond du Lac, and great friend to the Oneida.

In 1884, the money saved by the Oneida tribe was lost in a financial crash. Through their efforts, they had raised over $6,000 (approximately $109,000 in today’s currency). The Rev. Edward Goodnough, pastor of the church, and the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart Brown, first Bishop of Fond du Lac (1875-1888), issued an appeal to raise $8,500 (approximately $207,000 in today’s currency) on their behalf. Fr. Goodnough, known by his Oneida name Ka-yen-retta, or “Bright Blue Sky,” was a Nashotah House graduate sent to the parish by Bishop Kemper and served as their priest from 1853-1890; through his steadfast efforts, the third church was built. 

Hobart Church, the second church the Oneida built, was consecrated by Bishop Kemper, 1839. Hobart Church was the first Episcopal church in the Northwest Territory and where the Nashotah House founders were ordained. Photo courtesy Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac.

Fr. Goodnough’s wife, Ellen, who arrived with her husband in Wisconsin at age 18, was also instrumental in helping the Oneida rebuild. She helped to form the Women’s Guild, where she brought the elder Oneida women together to teach them how to make their own clothes and to bake. Mrs. Goodnough’s detailed diary tells us much of what is known of the tribe’s relationship among each other and with the church.

Holy Apostles Church, consecrated 1887, is the Oneida’s third church where the faithful continue to worship. This stone church was built by the Oneida through great effort from Rev. E.A. Goodnough, a graduate of Nashotah House. Photo courtesy Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac.

Parish life thrived among the Oneida in Green Bay and the surrounding area until 1920, when the church was struck by lightning. Though only the original quarried stone survived, all was not lost. Within two years, the church had been rebuilt, consecrated, and people continue to gather in worship today.

Portions of this article were reprinted with permission from The New York State Historical Association, Winter/Spring 2013; Our Anniversary Book: The Oneida Mission, 1822-1942; The Goodnoughs from the Nashotah House Archives; and The Oneida Indians in the Age of Allotment, 1860-1920, edited by Laurence M. Hauptman and L. Gordon McLester, III.