New Stockbridge
Decr 26: 1791
Revd and much eſteemed Sir,
I dont think I Can be at the ordination, in Balls Town, it is a long way, and I am old, and Lame, and I muſt be at the Preſbytery
next March at Albany if live, and Shall be well; I want to be at the ord[illegible][guess: e]rnation; and one or two of
our men with me but it Cant be so now — I am now moving my Family to
Munhegunnack or New-Stockbridge, I told you it
was Calld
Tuſ c[illegible][guess: a]rora, but that is not the Proper name of it,
— Capt
Hindrick who will deliver this to You, is one of our Church; he is juſt Come from the weſtward, amongſt the Indians, and he has a large Tract of [gap: tear][guess: land]
offerd him if he and his people would move there — I think it woud be [gap: tear][guess: a fine
open]ing for the Goſpel, — Our Church have willingly and Cheerfully adopted the Confeſsion of Faith of the
Preſbyterian Church of the United States in
America. They Joy fully put themſelves under the Care and inſpection of Albany
Preſbytery — And thankfully receive the Goſpel
Fellowſhip
open'd for them — And from This Time, we Shall look upon our Selves one of the leaſt Branches of the Religious Family of the
Preſbyterians in America —
— We are try^ing^ to inſtruct our Children in Letters, but we are very weak, we want a little help
— one Jo– Quinney keeps the School, without any Proſpect of Reward, and he [gap: hole][guess: is] our Singing Maſter too, and he is Inſtructing the People in Sin[gap: hole][guess: ging]
Conſta[gap: hole][guess: ntl]y,
two or three Evenings every week and he demands no pay — and he and his Family,
are very deſtitute of Cloathing, — Our Profiſsers keep on S^t^eady in Religion, and our Church and
Society rather increaſes, — our Singers are in want of Psalm Books — what harm woud it be, if You wou'd try to beg a few, amongſt Your Friends and Neighbours in
Albany, we uſe
Dr Watts's Psalms altogether — I have no more to Say at
this Time, — Pray for us — This with much Esteem is from your most
unworthy fellow Labourer in the Goſpel of Jeſus —
Samson Occom
PS.
Capt
Hindrick is our Elder, and
Joſeph
Qunney is our Deacon; We have but very little Buſineſs
[gap: worn_edge]Elder and Deacon, and think, one of each is enough for the
[gap: worn_edge]
Janr 8 Sir
The fore going was Sent by
Capt
Hindreck, but was
oblidged, to return back, and forgot to give it, to
Samuel Littleman, who, I Conclude Call'd upon You, in his way to
New-Jerſey — There Seems to be a Strange inclination among
the
Indians, to hear the word of God preach'd, the Come to our
meets from
Tuſcarora, most all of them, which they nev
[gap: worn_edge][guess: er] did before, and
Mr Kirklands People come very thick too
and they deſire, that I might Spend Some Sabbaths, — great
many Come to our meet
^ing^
to Day, tho
Mr Kirkland went there
this morning, and they know of his Coming,
—
Mr Kirkland is
going away again, and I Shall go to his People
next Sab
bath — Several of them, have
[gap: hole][guess: a] great Deſire to Join us in
full — and
^Some of^
Mr
Sargeant's people are Coming to us alſo, and
they will Join us in full, — I have an Evening School for
the
young People, and a Number comes, I am Inſtructing to read &
to Speak Engliſh proper, and Come on well —
I am &c —
Samſon Occom