Mary French Sheldon

May French Sheldon was born May 10, 1847 in Beaver, Pennsylvania.  Her Mother, a medical doctor, was her role model.  She married Eli Lemon Sheldon, an American banker living in London, in 1876. In 1890 a friend returned to England after years exploring in Africa.  She was fascinated by his tales and decided to mount an expedition to Africa herself.

Everyone except her husband was vehemently opposed to her plan. When she reached Mombasa, the British authorities refused to help her so she went directly to the sultan of Zanzibar to appeal for aid.  He outfitted her with 103 porters and a letter of introduction.  Her goal was to meet the sultans of every African tribe.

During the mid-nineteenth century, Britain and Germany were planning to colonize the Mombasa region of East Africa.  Their intention was to set up plantations and populate them with white settlers. In order to do this they had to force the natives to give up their lands and this was done by harsh military action.  Her goal was to demonstrate that if treated with respect and kindness the tribes would accept whites.  In all, she visited thirty five tribes most of whom welcomed her warmly.

On her return trip she was severely injured when the porters carrying her across the pole bridge slipped and dropped her twenty feet into the river below.  She was rushed to the ship and recovered on her journey back to England where she wrote a book about her experiences.

She continued travelling and lecturing well into her eighties until her death in London in 1936.