When Carol Stevens was eight years old, she was told a story about an Indian captive that has followed her throughout her life.

Stevens, now a professor in the English department, grew up in up-state New York where the story of Mary Jemison is popular.

Jemison was born in 1743 aboard a ship coming from Northern Ireland to America to join other immigrants of Scottish-Irish descent. Fifteen years later, her family headed toward Philadelphia. When they started to set up home, Jemison was captured by the Seneca Tribe.

“They took captives to replace their own people who had been killed,” Stevens said.

Jemison wound up in New York where she married, had children and continued to live with the tribe. The tribe set up home near the Genesee River in New York.

“She was known as the white woman of the Genesee,” Stevens said.

The river is near where Stevens grew up, and Jemison’s grave and statue is in the Letchworth Park, also near Stevens’ home.

“It’s a very beautiful park that runs against the Genesee River,” Stevens said.

Only recently did Stevens realize that Jemison’s story had a personal impact in understanding a different way to live.

“I spent most of my life in different sorts of communities and that’s like Mary Jemison did,” Stevens said.

Stevens grew up in a family whose members either did not finish high school or did not continue with their education after graduating from high school.

She hopes that during her lecture about Jemison and utopian societies, which are ideal civilizations, will have the same impact on those in attendance.

“I hope they will want to go and read (more) about Mary Jemison,” she said.

The theory of utopian societies applies to Jemison’s story because Jemison saw life in the Seneca tribe as an idealized way of living.

She chose to stay because the tribe was generous and treated her well, Stevens said.

Stevens said Jemison lived near the river for most of her life and it was said that in her 70’s, Jemison was still able to cross the lake.

Jemison’s sense of adventure influenced Stevens as a child.

“Her story just sparks the imagination to adventure,” she said. “What is life without some adventure?”

A sense of adventure is a quality that Stevens said students should have, and if not, they can gain that quality from listening to Jemison’s story.

Middle school education majors may also learn from Steven’s lecture because a book about Jemison is often used in classrooms. The book titled “Indian Captive” by Lois Lenski tells the story of Jemison’s life.

“She’s a popular figure,” Stevens said. “The story has continued to fascinate people.”

Along with her lecture, Stevens will bring pictures of Jemison’s statue and gravesite.

“It’s an idealized portrait of her,” she said of the statue.

Stevens will give a presentation for University Board’s EIU: Uncovered lecture series at 8 p.m. today in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.