Theophilus Chamberlain, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1766 October 27 Chamberlain, Theophilus Text Markup Unit, Dartmouth College Library Conversion to TEI P5 encoding Occom Circle Project Transcribed from the original manuscript Dartmouth College National Endowment for the Humanities Schweitzer, Ivy. Dartmouth College Department of English and Women's Studies The Occom Circle A digital edition Trustees of Dartmouth College
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766577.2 10.1349/ddlp.574

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Letter Chamberlain writes from his mission to report a great improvement in school and church attendance. He states that, in light of it, he intends to remain. USA New Hampshire Hanover Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College. DC History MSS Theophilus Chamberlain, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1766 October 27 Chamberlain, Theophilus

Handwriting is small and crowded, yet formal and largely legible. Letter case is frequently difficult to decipher, especially with regard to D, S and M. It is also difficult to differentiate between commas and periods. Large sheet folded in half is in good condition, with light creasing, staining and wear. On one verso, second line from the bottom, the word God[illegible]ars may be a reference to “Godars,” an element of germanic pagan traditions.

766577.2 Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.

The Occom Circle Project is a digital edition of letters from and to Samson Occom (1727-1792), with other of his works. The documents in question are all housed in Dartmouth College's Rauner Special Collections Library. Occom was a Mohegan Indian, intertribal leader, public intellectual, and the most important Indian writer in North America in the 18th century.

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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) Occom Circle Project keywords and controlled vocabulary 27 October 1766 English To be added. To be added. April 2012 Hazel-Dawn Dumpert Maninder Rakhra Pre-publication TEI Review January 2013 K.G. Kidd January 2013 K.G. Kidd Penniphurr Stevenson Added DOI Hazel-Dawn Dumpert reviewed and adjusted prior to publication Kanajoharry Canajoharie 27,th 27th Oct October 1766 Rev,d Rev. Sir

In a letter of the forth fourth of this Month I informd informed you of a New Diſpoſition disposition we were making here with Reſpect respect to the School Maſters schoolmasters and Schools. This was com=pleated completed and we began to act upon it the thirteenth, and beyond all Expectation it succeeded so well that our Schools which at moſt most had not for Some Time exceeded ten Children, in leſs less than one week exceeded thirty, and we have now near all the Children who live any thing anything handy and are not in the Woods. There are indeed two Families in this Caſtle castle who have never sent the Children to School and never would. The Fathers of theſe these Families (are about forty years of age), men who rarely appear in Public unleſs unless tis to git get drunk. Laſt Last Week the Indians met to rejoyce rejoice together at the Birth of a Child. I went to the Place where they were aſſembled assembled , found theſe these two men not yet intoxicated; and as my Interpreter was not preſent present aſked asked them in my own broken manner they had fit to go to School, they both anſwerd answered they had three and immediately fell to raiſing raising little objections againſt against sending them to school; all which I did my utmoſt utmost to remove; and at Length got a Promiſe promise , and shall I think have the Six at School as ſoon soon as the hunting seaſon season now commencing is at an End. And there is a Proſpect prospect that would M.r Mr. Johnson continue at fort Hunter and no new Diſguſt disgust takes Place among the Indians ither either here or there, we shall in both Places have the Schools attended as con=stantly as any common Schools in New England. The Parents now put their Children under our Care, and at this Place as soon as the Signal for coming to School has been given, the Schoolars scholars run to School or elſe else Dareſt darest not let me see them for they know the next is a Whiping whipping . The happy Effect of a severer Dicipline discipline than has been hitherto uſd used in theſe these Towns will I hope Daly be more and more apparent.

This seeming Reformation is not confind confined to the schools, the People have begin to attend meeting more univerſaly universally and more conſtantly constantly than they have ever before done since I came to theſe these Parts. I had threatned threatened to leave them on Account of their Neglect But cannot (I rejoyce rejoice at it) now do it without having it said that I only made an excuſe excuse of that to git get away, and would not stay after they were carefull careful to attend. I cant say that the Indians are eager or sufficently sufficiently carfull careful to attend meeting yet they do come together in their own Time and where leſs less than a month ago I had not above a Dozen or fifteen Hearers I have now nigh a hundred thō though some of them whites; for the Dutch in thoſe those Parts having no preaching begin in small numbers to attend our Meetings. They are a bigoted People and ſuſpicious suspicious of our Differing from them in Principles as we omit Godars and other cerimonies ceremonies in Baptiſm Baptism . upon the whole the preſent present Proſpect prospect is such that nothing short of Neceſaty necessity will prevent my staying and improving to the utmoſt utmost the preſent present Juncture. But when I think how faſt fast my debts increaſe increase here dont know what to think. hope soon to be helpd helped . Duty to Mdm Madam Love to all Revd Rev. Sir

your unworthy Servant Theophilus Chamberlain To Rv Rev. mr Mr. Wheelock from Rev.d Rev. M.r Mr. Chamberlain Oct.r October 27..th 27th 1766—

To The Rv,d Rev. M,r Mr. Eleazer Eleazar Wheelock in New England