[1] In 1804, Rufus Easton learned that his former law professor and attorney general of the District of Louisiana, Ephraim Kirby, had died.

[1] In addition to his duties as judge, Easton was asked by President Jefferson to keep an eye on the Territorial Governor, General James Wilkinson, 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.

[3] While little is known of Sibley’s early life, family records state that for a period she was sent to boarding school in Lexington, Kentucky.

Rufus Easton was a land speculator and George Sibley was interested in developing the area around Fort Osage.

He was the factor of Fort Osage, which meant he was not only a fur trader, but was an official representative of the United States government at what was then the westernmost post.

[2] Several biographers believe that Mary began her interest in teaching when she noticed that the few area children were not receiving an education.

[citation needed] George and Mary both believed that the best solution to the "Indian problem" was education and assimilation into Euro-American society.

[2] When the trading post failed, George found work as the lead commissioner which surveyed what became known as the Santa Fe Trail, in 1825.

Mary visited family members for an extended period of time between 1827 and 1828, and afterwards did not return to the farm at Osage with George.

[2] In 1829, as the Sibleys settled in St. Charles, Mary began teaching her sister, Louisa, and a few town girls from her home.

Students learned French and German, music, art, and Protestant virtues of piety and personal responsibility.

Both of the Sibleys' schools closed in 1841, however, due to economic stress in the region and problems hiring teachers who met Mary's standards.

[7] In 1853, George and Mary Sibley donated 120 acres of land to the school and Lindenwood Female College incorporated with a 15-man board of directors.

[8] This view toward religion lasted until the early years of the Second Great Awakening, after which she became an ardent Old School Presbyterian.

[7] Around the time Mary opened Lindenwood, she met Margaret Lindsey, who along with her husband were pillars of the local Presbyterian church.

On March 25, still dealing with her friend's death, Mary professed her faith at a Presbyterian meeting and was admitted to the church.

[4] Due to the preeminent role of religion in the Sibleys' lives, Mary incorporated her faith into her continued interest in educating the area youth.

By January 1834, Mary was contributing articles to the St. Louis Observer, a newspaper known for its anti-Catholic and anti-slavery stance.

[2] She writes in her diary about schooling the children of newly arrived German immigrants using a bilingual Bible to teach English.

[8] Additional attempts at education were made with the region’s slaves, but as fearful slaveowners worried about a potential rebellion from enlightened blacks, Sibley was quickly forced to stop.

She often clashed with volunteers and clergy and her grand plans for building a hospital and other projects were more than the financial backers wanted to take on.

[2] 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.

[2] Mary left from New York City by boat to Panama, crossed the isthmus, and traveled to California.