Samson Occom, journal, 1774 July 8 to August 14

Author Occom, Samson

Date8 July to 14 August 1774

ms number774408.2

abstractOccom documents his and David Fowler's travels from Mohegan to Indian communities in Connecticut, Western Massachusetts and New York. The death of William Johnson, and the battles between the Shawnees and the Virginians are mentioned.

handwritingOccom's hand is mostly clear and legible. Letter case is occasionally difficult to decipher.

paperSmall sheets folded in half to make a booklet are bound at the center fold by a metal pin that is still in place. The paper is in fair-to-poor condition, with moderate-to-heavy fading and wear that results in some loss of text.

inkBrown ink varies in intensity throughout.

noteworthyAlthough it is uncertain, when Occom mentions a "Mr. Johnson" on four recto, he is possibly referring to Joseph Johnson. An editor, likely 19th-century, has overwritten letters, words, and punctuation; these edits have not been transcribed. In the Rauner collection, a note from this editor accompanies the journal; this note has not been transcribed. If the name of a person or place is illegible, it has been left untagged.

Persistent Identifier

July 8: 1774:

David Fowler and ^I^ Sot out about 3: o'c in the afternoon from Mohegan, on a Journey towards Onoyda to viſit our Brethern, reachd So far as to Colcheſter, Lodgd at Mr [illegible][guess: G[illegible]ſi]Foot's and were very kindly entertaind, —

Saturday July 9:

very early in the morning went on our Jou^r^ rode about 8 or 9 miles wer^e^ kindly invited in by one mr Luther I believe a Chr^n^ man and broake our fast [gap: tear][guess: w]iſth him, after B^r^eakfaſ[gap: tear][guess: t]
went our way, Stopt at Mr Frothinghams a Seperate miniſ[gap: tear] in Midletown, and Dind with him, after Dinner went on aga^in^ reach the Borders of Farmton in the evening and we put up a Tarvern, —

Sabbath July 10

got up very early in the Morning and wen[gap: tear][guess: ^t^] on to Indian Town arrivd there about 7 o,c in the morn[gap: tear] put at Friend [illegible] Elijah Wym^pis^ Preachd twice this Day and in the evening, —

Monday July 11:

we were at the Indian place all Day viſited amongſt them found them well in general and well Diſ‐posed toward Religion —

Tueſday July 12

about 9 o,c left the Place and went on to New Hartford about 8 miles, where 2 or 3 Families of Indians Live, there preachd in the after Noon, in the evening Lwent to an Engliſh Houſe and Lodgd there and was very kindly entertaind —

Wedneſday July 13:

attended ordination at the place calld [gap: omitted] one Mr [gap: omitted] ordaind, after ordination wen^t^ to the Indian Place again and Preachd Juſt before Night, after meeting went 2[illegible][guess: :] or 3[illegible][guess: :] miles [illegible][guess: to] one Chaugums and Lodgd there he is an Indian from Block‐ Island and has a white woman for his wife

Thirdſday July 14:

went over the River and Breakfaſted with Deacon [gap: omitted] after Breakfast went to New Hartford to mr Marſh's and [illegible] to meeting at 10 o,c, after meeting went Back to mr Marſhs to Dine with him after Dinner went on to Norfolk with one [gap: omitted] got to the Place Juſt before Sun-Set Lodgd with the Same gentleman that Conducted us here, —

Frydady July 15:

had a meeting about 9 o:c this morning, after meeting wen^t^ on our way to Stockbridge reachd to the Place Some Time before Night, we
calld on Mrs Kirkland and found her and hers well, good mr Sergeant Came to See us, and in the Evening wen^t^ home with him[illegible] and Lodgd there

Saturday July 16:

was at the Place all Day, viſited Some Indians, towards evening met at Honiſes to converſe with the Indians but with we had no Interpreter however we had Some Converſation about Spirituals and Temporals — Lodgd again at mr Sergea^t^

Sabbath July 17:

in the morning heard Mr Periham Preach, — In the after Noon I Preac^hd^ Twice firſt to the Engliſh, and Juſt before Night to the India[gap: tear][guess: ns] there was a great Number of [gap: tear]
of the white People — — — Lodgd at one Capt Joness this Night, —

Monday July 18

met the Indians in the morning at Honiſes had Some Converſation with them Concerning Temporal[illegible] and Spiritual Concerns — Dind at Capt Joness and em‐mediately after Dinner went our way towards Richmont Deacn Willſon and Capt Jones and others went with us, got there Some Time in the after none here met with my old acquaintance from Long Island, good Doctor Tarbell, ^mr^ Jeremiah Miller Mr Lewis Hedges and Mr Reuben Hedges, I Preachd [illegible] at the Place this after Noon to a Crouded Auditory; after meeting went [gap: tear] Docr Tarbells and Lodgd there
and was very kindly entertaind

Tuſeday July 19:

Soon after Breakfast went on to New Canaan Preachd there this morning, as Soon as meetig was over went with Mr John‐ſon to New Lebanon and Preac^hd^ there this after Noon, Soon af ter ^this^ meeting we had governor Franklin and a gentleman from the Weſt Indies and othe^[illegible][guess: r]^ and Some Ladies, Soon after meeting we Sot off on our Journey and we Trav[illegible][guess: i]ld till about 10 o,c in the Night, we Could not find a Tavern, and ^was^ oblidgd to put up at a poor privet Houſe — —

Wedneſday July 20:

got up very early in the morning and went on our way, got to Alb[gap: tear][guess: a]ny about 8 o:c in the fore [gap: tear][guess: noon]
Stopt a little while there, and paſsd on to Schenectady got there Some Time in the after Noon, put up at mr Poſt's our old Friends, and they were very glad to See us and we were glad to See them alſo —

Thirdsay July 21:

in the morning Preachd at this place in mr Millers meetg Houſe, Dind at Mr Millers Lodgings, Soon after meeting left the place and proceeded on our Journey, arrivd to Colo. guy Johnſon's Juſt be‐fore Sun Set, Sot a little while with him, found him very Solitary on the [gap: tear][guess: ac]count of the Death of
Sir William Jonſon — last Fryday was the firſt our hearing of his Death which Dampt our Spirits much about Sun Set we left Colo Guy Johnſon and we wen^t^ on and traveld 5 or 6 miles and put up at one mr [illegible]s

Fryday July 22:

went off very early in the Morning towards night reachd the upper Mohawk Castle Calld Fort Hindreck put up at Joſeph Brant's but he was not at Home [illegible] but few of the Indians

Saturday July 23:

left the place early in the morn and went on our way, Still went no further than one mr Thomſon's

Sabbath July the 24:

we thought it beſt to travil being a fine Clear Day — arriv'd at old onoyda abou^t^ 4 o,c in the after noon, found our Friends well in general, and they were very glad to See us and we were as Glad. Stopt about an Hour an half and So puſht on to Cannoharohare, got there juſt in Duſk of the evening, a great Number of them Eſsued out of their Houſ^es^ and were overjoyd to us, and we were very glad to See them, after Salutations went to Mr Kirklands, and he was Surprizd to See us and we embrac^d^ each other for Joy, and a Number of the Indians Came in and they Sang Psalms Sweat [gap: tear][guess: ly] before they went out —
The good Lord be Praiſed that he has Safely brought to the place of our Deſire & and that we have found our poor Brethren So well — about 10 took reſt for the Night — — —
Spent the week with agreable veew of the Setuation and hopeful Proſpect of the Indean^s^ future Happineſs — great alteration has been made among theſe Indian both as to their Temporal and Spiritual Concerns ^Since I was here 12 years ago^, the Lord bleſs them more abundenly — Yet I find the Devil is very is very buſy at this time to obſtruct the pure Doctrines of the Gospel of Jeſus Chriſt the Le[illegible][guess: aven] of the Pope, which has been planted among th[gap: tear][guess: eſe] poor Indians long Since [illegible][gap: tear] Now fe^r^ments among them [gap: tear]
and the leaven of the apoſtiti[illegible]^d^, Protestant Chriſtans which is worſe than the Heathens, with the Heathen Superſtions are all fermenting together at this Time to oppoſe the True Religion of Jeſus Chriſt which Conſiſts in the Power, as well as in form, and it produces love to god and Man and Holineſs of Life —

July 31:

Mr Kirkland preach^d^ in the morning, and I in the after Noon,— theſe Indians have got a good large Meeting Houſe almoſt Compleated outſide, with a neat Bell-fray to it —
This week on wedneſday had a Confrence with Indians Concerning the True Doctrines of J[illegible][guess: c] be‐ing all ways Offensive to a Carnal — —

[gap: tear][guess: Sa]turday Augut 16 [illegible]:

[gap: tear] able to ride to Fort
Stani[illegible][guess: x] with Mr Kirkland expecting to meet a great Numr of Indians there as they were all going to Salmon fiſhing but we did not with So many as we Expected, tho there a Conſiderable Number of 'em

Sabbath Augt 7: 1774

I preachd all Day to the whites, in the evening a Numr of the Indians Came in to mr Roofs to Sing, and and a Numr of the whites Came to hear — last night Night and this morn a Freſh man a Roman Cath and an Engliſh woman Pr[illegible][guess: eſt] us very hard to Baptize their Children, but underſtanding their Immorality we Declind to Baptize them, —

Monday Augt 8:

was n[gap: tear][guess: ot] well enough to Proceed t[gap: tear][guess: o]
Fiſhing Place, and So I return^d^ to Co[illegible][guess: u]noharohary with Mr Kirkd got to the place before Night Spent the week peaceable I went a Fiſhing almoſt every Day and we had Small fiſh enou^gh^ every Day — —

Sabbath Agt 14:

Mr Kirkland preachd, and toward evening I put a Queſtn to them, which was this, what is it that makes a Christian or who is a Christian a Number of 'em Anſwerd, & they anſwerd well, — — —
This week and last week we have heard very Bad News the Shawaneſes have had a Sp[illegible]art engagements with the Virginians and many were Slain on both Sides and Shawan[illegible][guess: ies] have Sent [gap: tear][guess: be]lts of wampum all round [gap: tear] [illegible]ng the Tribes of Indians
for aſsiſtance, but we cant [gap: tear] how Tribes have Joind th[gap: tear][guess: em] about a week ago [gap: tear] Chief wariors Came to o[gap: tear] from Shawan[illegible][guess: ies] Country, with Ten Belts of wampum and three Scalps, two Indian and Engliſh Scalp, they with a Cry to the five Nations for help — the 2 Indian Scalps Signify that the Engliſh were too ^many^ for [gap: tear] and killd of 'em, the one Scalp that Indians have killd but few Engliſh, — the Six Nations have been Call to aſsemble at onondaga, there the grand Councel was to Sit, but most of the Six Nations are at This Time Diſpoſ'd every where for Proviſsians, and nothing is done yet, they have this week ^are about to^ [gap: tear] the Runners the Second T[gap: tear]
[gap: tear] Suppoſd the Six Nations [gap: tear]et Join the Shawanies [gap: tear]termine to abide by their [gap: tear]ment and Covenant with [gap: tear] [illegible]Engliſh enterd at the End [gap: tear][guess: of] the last wars with French —
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