Mary Jemison is among the higher-profile historical figures of western New York. But to many, her story -- of capture by Shawnees, adoption into the Senecas, long trek to what is now Livingston County and hardships shared with her Seneca loved ones -- is dry words on a page, the woman merely a statue in Letchworth State Park.

Storyteller/actress Gretchen Sepik will bring Jemison to life next Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Ganondagan State Historic Site. It's part of "Educator's Day 2008: A Day with Mary Jemison," a day-long program co-sponsored by the Pittsford Teacher Center, marking the 250th anniversary of Jemison's capture by Shawnees.

Sepik will take on the persona of Jemison for a 3pm presentation in which she strives for a historically accurate and emotionally resonant depiction of Jemison's life and thought.

Sepik developed a regard for Jemison after reading James Seaver's "Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison," based on interviews with Jemison.

"I guess what fascinated me was her forgiving nature, which I cover in my narration," Sepik wrote, "... She stated that although she did not speak the language of her captors, the Shawnee Indians and French, she was made to realize that her family was killed because they (the Shawnee) were being pursued by settlers hoping to rescue them, and their captors felt they could travel faster with fewer captives. She also talks about how she understood the anger and hate that the Indians felt for the settlers who were stealing the land and killing their people."

Born to Scotch-Irish immigrants, the teenage Jemison and her family were settling in central Pennsylvania when they were captured in 1758 by a party of Shawnee and Frenchmen bound for Fort Duquesne (near Pittsburgh) during the French and Indian War.

Along the way, her parents and siblings were scalped; at the fort, Mary was sold to Senecas who had lost a brother in a battle with the British. She was adopted into the Seneca and married a Delaware Indian who planned to take her some 700 miles to the Sehgahunda Valley along the Genesee River, where he felt they would be safer. He died along the way; she continued the journey on her own, with their baby son. His clan relatives took her in; she lived in Little Beard's Town (now Cuylerville in Livingston County) and married a Seneca.

General John Sullivan razed Seneca villages at Washington's direction, and over time Seneca lands were sold to white settlers. A small tract was reserved for Jemison, where she lived until moving to the Buffalo Creek Reservation in 1831. She was saddened by the travails of the Seneca and of the ravages of alcoholism among them â€" and among her immediate family, in which three sons were killed in alcohol-related fights.

"As drug and alcohol abuse is a problem in our society today, I felt Mary's story was a way to show the negative impact that it can have on families and entire societies," Sepik wrote, "I also cover her acceptance and love of the Indians and later the help afforded to her by escaped slaves when her village was destroyed by Sullivan's army and she was searching for a safe place for herself and, at that time, five children."

The quest for historical accuracy is important to Sepik. Originally, when she began her research at Letchworth with the help of historian Tom Cook, she tried to match the statue of Mary, with deerskin clothing. Later, Peter Jemison â€" a descendant of Mary and the manager of Ganondagan â€" told her Mary would not have dressed in deerskin; she had another outfit made from trade cloth and calico copied from the time period. She is now making a third, even more accurate outfit with the help of Michael Galban of Canandaigua.

Also important is emotional resonance. "When Mary was interviewed by James Seaver she wept when she talked of her family being killed," Sepik wrote. "I need to weep during each program, which means I need to relive my own father's death. ... This is very powerful when performing for children because they become so engrossed in the program that they forget that it is a play and will even ask at the end how I (Mary Jemison) could possibly still be alive."

Jemison isn't the only historical figure Sepik portrays; she has similar programs on women-suffragist Susan B. Anthony and author Beatrix Potter (creator of Peter Rabbit), as well as "Erie Canal Sal," a fictitious character based on a canal boat cook. She considers Jemison, Potter and Anthony as strong role models for women â€" "they all went against the accepted norms of society," she said.