Mary White Rowlandson

Born Mary White around 1637 in England, she later moved to colonial New England and married minister Joseph Rowlandson. During King Philip’s War in 1676, she was captured in the attack on Lancaster, Massachusetts, and spent weeks in captivity before being ransomed.

That experience became the basis for The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, first published in 1682 and often known today as The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. The book became one of the best-known works of early American literature, blending personal testimony, Puritan faith, and a vivid account of war, loss, and survival.

Rowlandson later lived in Massachusetts and Connecticut and died in 1711. Her narrative remains important not only as a personal story, but also as a window into colonial religion, conflict, and the beginnings of American autobiography.