Eleazar Wheelock, letter, to Samson Occom, 1771 August 15 Wheelock, Eleazar 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
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 03755, USA
771465 10.1349/ddlp.821

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Letter Wheelock writes a strongly worded rebuttal of Occom’s criticisms regarding Wheelock’s withdrawl from Indian education. USA New Hampshire Hanover Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College. DC History MSS Eleazar Wheelock, letter, to Samson Occom, 1771 August 15 Wheelock, Eleazar

Document is not written in Wheelock’s hand. Letter case with regard to the letter “y” is difficult to discern -- when it is in question, the transcriber has opted for lower case. Large sheet folded in half to make four pages is in good condition, with light-to-moderate creasing, staining and wear. Light brown ink is faded. Postscript appears to have been added in different ink. Given the lack of an address or seal, and the fact that the document is not in Wheelock's hand, it is possible/likely that this is a copy.

771465 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 15 August 1771 English To be added. To be added. 13 March 2013 Hazel-Dawn Dumpert Maninder Rakhra Pre-publication TEI Review Hannie Wei Hannie Wei Hanover 15th 15th Aug.t August 1771 Dear M.r Mr. Occom//

yours of July 24.th 24th is before me. I rejoice al­ ways to hear of your health & and prosperity & and have never faild failed of a disposition to promote your usefulne&slong;s usefulness & and your Comfort, but to use the same freedom which You approve & and set me an example of, I must tell You I either very much want a good spiritual taste or your Litter letter has a very ill savor for a Christain Christian or rather if I have any good taste at all, it much savors of pride, arrogance & and a want of proper concern to heal the bleeding wounds of our glorious Redeemer. You discover very great Ig­ norance of my plan, my object, my reasons & and motives, my views & and prospects, and as great a degree of uncharitablene&slong;s uncharitableness as of ignorance. You shew show no degree of brotherly & and Christain Christian Sympathy towards me in my long & and weary travil travail , notwith­ stand.g standing your nation have been inviariably my chief object, nor any disposition to encourage my Heart or strengthen my hands, tho' though un­ der a weight heavy eno' enough to crush an Angel, and in a Cause which has been & and still is, so astonishingly own'd owned of God — To Rev.d Rev. M.r Mr. Occom Aug.t August 15.th 15th 1771 — And 'tho though my memory be poor, yet matters which impre&slong;s impress my mind, as the follow.g following particulars have done, I am far from imagin.g imagining that I have only dream'd dreamed about them viz.t 1.st viz 1st when I saw you after your return from Europe I propos'd proposed your going on a mi&slong;sion mission among remote tribes, as those near you were all under the care of & and supplied by the London Board in Boston. you insisted upon your stay.g staying at home one Year, I propos'd proposed your mak.g making a settlement for yourself & and Wife & and part of your famely family among some remote nattion, & and promis'd promised you my a&slong;sistance assistance , & and friendship as to your comfortable support there, You rejected the proposal. I offer'd offered to take part of your Children, viz.t viz all that were suitable for it, if you pleas'd & pleased and educate them in the best manner I could in my School, You shewed showed no disposition to comply with it. 2dly 2ndly I never discouraged your going into the Indian Country, nor shew'd showed any coldne&slong;s coldness towards it, unle&slong;s unless when you propos'd proposed only just to make a short visit, which I was not sure would an&slong;wer answer the expence expense which You let me know would be nec&slong;esary necessary to prepair prepare You for & and support you in it — 3.dly 3rdly You always knew there was money eno' & enough and my Heart always open to supply you as soon as I could see your Heart in earnest to serve the Redeemer's Cause in that capacity. 4.dly 4thly the first I ever heard of your being dis­ pos'd disposed to seek a settlement in the wilder­ ne&slong;s ness , was by M.r Mr. Woodward last SpringWinter, Whereupon I wrote a judicious Christain Christian friend, to enquire inquire of your moral Charac­ ter, & and advise whether it was such, as that I might with honor to the Redeemer's, Cause employ you, & and hope'd hoped to hear, that which might warrant my proceeding thereto. And there is noth.g want.g nothing wanting at this time, but proper satisfaction that it my may be done without reproach to the Re­ deemer's Cause, in order to engage all my heart & and powers therein. 5.dly 5thly I beleived believed your brother David did very sinfully in leav.g leaving the Cause in the wilderne&slong;s wilderness as he did. & and that his treatment of me was very ungenerous & and abusive, the particulars whereof I have told him. I have constantly wish'd wished to see him convinced of this Rashnes&slong;s rashness & and folly, & and have been propense to forgive & and restore him, & and am so at this moment, thus I have given you a little sketch of things as they lye lie in my mind. My dear Man, I think you much dis­ honor God, intreating in treating his great goodne&slong;s goodness to You in opening such a favorable door to go on your so much improv.g & improving and advantagous advantageous tour to Europe almost as tho' though you had gone thro' through a most tragical Scene of persecution. I am now got near my Journie's journey's end, & and long to be at rest, God grant we may both appear before him, wash'd washed in the Redeemer's blood & cloath'd and clothed with his white Robes.

With Love to You & and M.rs Mrs. Occom I am yet Your friend & and Well wisher Eleazar Wheelock Dartmouth College Aug.t August 15. 1771 —

P.S. I shall be glad to employ your Brother David & and give him a reasonable Consideration, or as much as you mention, provided he be in earnest engaged to promote the Cause proposed. I am weary of connections with Men in whom there is no Faith.

Windham Aug August