[2] Her family moved to Oneida County, New York in 1820 and lived on a farm near the village of Holland Patent.

[3] A mutual friend connected Henry H. Spalding, who was seeking a pious woman, with Eliza Hart.

She became ill after the birth which prevented the couple from taking a missionary appointment to work with the Osage Nation in the present state of Kansas.

[6][a] The Spaldings joined a Presbyterian missionary party bound for Oregon Country (a large region of the Pacific Northwest) in the winter of 1835.

At that time, the Pacific Northwest was not part of the United States and it could take eight months to a year for a letter to be conveyed between their mission and relatives in the east.

Mail traveled either by a ship around South America or via fur traders or other caravans west of Liberty, Missouri.

Spalding created a written version of the language and taught it to the Nez Perce people, along with English.

[5][17] Spalding and Henry developed a pictorial ladder with comments in English to help teach the stories of God and biblical figures.

[17] Spalding did not attempt to force the children to assimilate European habits of hair cuts, clothing, or grooming.

[22] Once, when she had been sick for a long time and we all feared that she would never recover, the Indians were most solicitous, and never a day passed that they did not ask about her condition.

He broke his stolid reserve at one time, and in his broken Indian manner said to her: 'Oh, that I might be taken in your place and you could be spared to teach my people!

'The Nez Perce women liked to shadow Spalding as she did her chores to see how a white woman cleaned, cooked, and dressed and cared for their children.

[22] One time the Nez Perce threatened to kill one of their men who insulted her, but changed their minds when Spalding asked them to spare his life.

[22] Eliza's greatest contribution to the Oregon Mission, to the Nez Perce people, and to her own society, was her unceasing efforts to break down the barriers between the races and to bring two unlike people closer together.Within the first six months, Spalding adopted eight Nez Perce children into their family.

[8] They settled amongst the nimiipuu, the Nez Perce People in Lapwai along the Clearwater River, in what is now the state of Idaho.

[1] The Nez Perce People helped the Spaldings build a log house that was expanded three times to provide additional space for mission and school activities.

They also had a printing house[8] to publish Nez Perce language primers and hymn books.

[5] Missionaries William Henry and Mary Gray periodically lived at Lapwai, traveling back and forth from Waiilatpu in what is now the state of Washington.

Annual meetings were conducted at the Whitman's or Spalding's mission, including subsequent missionaries who were stationed in Washington and Idaho.

Native friends at Lapwai, including leaders Timothy and Thunder Eyes, helped protect the Spaldings.

[1][4] Her tombstone, among other sentiments, was engraved with words from Henry: "Mrs. Spalding was respected and esteemed by all, and no one had greater or better influence over the Indians".