Rev
d and kind Sir; with
[illegible] humility, Gratitude
and Love, I sit my
self down to write to your worthy Perſon.
through the goodneſs
of the great God of mercy I, and my little family are in health; and I
hum
bly hope that by the same goodneſs you and yours have been, and Still are
in health, and proſperity. — kind Sir, I have ever retained your worthy Perſon
in my mind with pleaſure, since, I have had the honour of being aquainted with
you. and I bleſs the Lord in whom I humbly hope, I have been enabled by his own
divine
grace, to put my
^whole^ Trust,
that he hath
^graciously^ given me such a Good
^& real^
Earthly friend
^in time of need^ as your worthy Perſon
hath been, and I hope still will be. — if I was not Satisfy
[gap: tear][guess: d] in my Mind, of your good will
^to me ward and to my poor deſpiſed Brethren^ I should not trouble you with my Scribles
but now with pleaſure I write to you as unto the beſt friend or Benefactor that I
have in this world of
^trial,^ Sorrow
^and [illegible][guess: wants]^
trialand various viciſitudes. I heartily thank you
for all your Tokens of Love, pity, and reſpects that you shewed
to me
^ward,^ and to
^ward^ my poor brethren, when I was in
^the city
of^
New York
[illegible]
and I daily bleſs the Lord
that he gave me favour in the Eyes and hearts of his People there,
God full
well knew my neceſsituous
Circumſtances, and there he mercifully
relieved me, and greatly encouraged me to go on
still, in his Service,
wherever he in his Providence should call me. and not to ſtagger. —
verily, verily, I have abundant reaſon to rejoice in the goodneſs of the
Lord, who regardeth
^the cauſe of^
thoſe that trust in his holy Name. — O that I might
be enabled to live to
his praiſe all my Days, and afterward, be graciously
recieved up into Glory, where I
[illegible]shall praiſe him throughout the
endleſs
[illegible]Ages of Eternity without inturruption, and without ceaſing
Amen. — Rev
d Sir, I got safely home by the
5th of January
[illegible]and found
[gap: worn_edge][guess: al]l well. I preached
four times by the way. 3 times at
New haven,
[gap: worn_edge] once at
Eaſt haven, but It is not the Cuſtom I percieve in these parts
[gap: worn_edge]
conſider of a traveling labourer, however,
^I am thankfull that^ my mind is not chiefly set upon
the things of time and Sense.
^and so am not disappointed, nor in the leaſt disquieted.^ I have been to several Towns of my Indian
Brethren
since I have been
^at^ home, and have consulted with them,
about
worldly affairs, and I have
^also^ preached to them
alſo the Goſpel of our Lord
Jeſus the Christ. — my Indian brethren seems to be really engaged to go
[illegible]On in proſecution of the Deſign which I made known to you when I
was at your Reſidence — and we do fully purpoſe
^if god willing^ to set of from hence
or from these Parts by the
13th of March next
[illegible].
^I take it for granted and^ I believe that there will be
[illegible]
^upwards of^
[illegible][guess: 5]60 young
men from the several Tribes
who will go with Reſolution into the weſtern Country, as first Set
tlers of the Land granted to us by
the
Onoidas. — however there
is
[illegible]58 able working men that purpoſes to go from the following Tribes.
[gap: worn_edge][guess: i]n whoſe
^words^ I believe we may rely. from
Mohegan 10. from
Naraganſet 20. from
Montauk on
Long Iſland 13, from
Nihantuck 5. from
farm
ington 10. and there is two other Tribes who confeſs that they are So
deeply involved in debt that they cannot go this Seaſon, but fully
purpoſes to go soon as poſsible. that is
grotton and
Stonington.
[illegible] — I was there
last thurſday and had conference with them
^about the affair^
and I ſhall
go their again
next Saturday, and tarry over the Sabbath
with them.
and I shall propoſe
conditions and I believe that there will be a
small number from thoſe two Tribes. the Rev
d
M.r Occom will
Preach t
[illegible]here next Sabbath. and he will propoſe condition to them
[illegible] and their Creditors so as they may go and take Poſseſs
[gap: worn_edge][guess: i]on with the Reſt of us. I hope that their will be nigh seventy in
the whole
^tho it is little uncertain Poverty hinders many^ it is thought the beſt way in the first Place for
[illegible][guess: Young]
men that are able to endure hardſhips to go and work or br
[gap: worn_edge] the way through, or prepear a Sort of Shelter for themſelves and the
[gap: worn_edge] to live in, and to raiſe little Some wh
[illegible][guess: at] to eat for them and
[gap: worn_edge]
^and^ after
w[illegible]foundation is
laid
[illegible]
the aged men and women^then we can with leſs difficulty^
and children
[illegible] move up
^with^ our
families, and the
[illegible] may the
aged Men, and women go leaning
upon their Sons as
An[illegible][guess: cors] I feel really engaged on my Part, and greatly encouraged. The pro
ſpects of great future good to my poor brethren in these parts,
and alſo
thoſe that inhabit the weſtern
wilderneſs animates
my Soul to preſs forward. I greatly deſire the Proſperity of my
sinking Nation. — O that I might by the Grace of God, be
beneficia
[gap: worn_edge][guess: l]
[gap: stain] to the bodies, but to the precious, exceeding precious Sou
[gap: worn_edge][guess: ls] of my
[gap: stain][guess: p]oor indian Brethren. —
Rev
d and kind Sir. — I would further enform you that I recieved a
Letter from my Hon
d Patron the Rev
d
Eleazer Wheelock D. D and
Preſident of
Dartmouth College the
13th of this Instant. the Extract
of which I send you
with
even every word. —
Dartmouth College
Jany 23. 1775. My dear
Joſeph
Johnſon
&c: &c: — — — I had a favoura
ble oppertunity to return an Anſwer, the next Day. — I
[illegible]acquainted
him
how the Lord had proſpered me
[illegible]
New York and had given me friends
there.
and
[illegible] made Mention of your
worthy Perſon
^good will towards me, and alſo to [illegible][guess: wards]^
and what you towards my Poor Brethren. — I enformed him that you deſigned to try
to get
[illegible]
ſome
^Thing^ for
meMy
[illegible]Support And for my Encouragements from the
Honorable Board at Philadelphia, or New York, I was
not certain, —
[gap: worn_edge]ever I deſired him to write soon as poſsible to your worthy Perſon
on my behalf, and recommend me to notice, and regard if I was
deſerving.
[illegible] I
[illegible][guess: wrote to]
enformed him,
^that^ the
BHonorable Board would
meet by the
first of
April. — and I doubt not, but that he will
write to you
[illegible]
^[below]But let [illegible]^ The Lords will
be done concerning that Matter.
^I doubt not but that you will do your uttermoſt to get me a Support. ^[below]while I shall be in the service of our
Lord.^^ If I have encouragement from that
Honorable Board I will bleſs the
Lord, and rejoice in his goodneſs, if not I will still love, and
trust in his holy Name, and service him with
all my might. and not
be discouraged, nor repine. for he will do the thing, that is
[illegible]right
with me and for me. — my
^Purpoſes and^
neceſsituous
Circumſtances I'll write
on other Paper by itself. — O kind Sir, ever Pray for me,
that the God
of Love, would give me Grace Sufficient for me. give my Thanks, and becoming
Reſpects to your honoured, Beloved, and kind
Conſort and great regards to all
your family. and love to all enquiring friends
P.S. there was some Gentlemen that gave encourage
ment, that they
would try to get Bibles and Pſalm books
if any was want- -ing by thoſe that go
Next march. and
I have acquainted my
Indian friends of the good will of Gentlemen
at
New
York. — and The
y
^Indians^ rejoice at such glad
[illegible]tidings.
if there is any so well diſpoſed as to give us
[illegible][guess: shuch]
beſt
of gifts we will greatly rejoice, and try to make good uſe
of them. moſt of us are so poor that
we cant purchaſe Bibles and [illegible]
[illegible]
[illegible]
[illegible] to come
60
[illegible][guess: of Each I] believe will be
[illegible][guess: wanting] Send them to
[illegible] I and
[illegible]