Samson Occom, Journal, 1785 December 5 to 14

Author Occom, Samson

Date5-14 December 1785

Call Number785655

abstractOccom details his travels as an itinerant preacher.

handwritingHandwriting is clear and legible. There are several uncrossed t's and crossed l's, which the transcriber has corrected.

paperSeveral small sheets folded into a booklet are in good condition, with light-to-moderate staining and wear. There is some repair work on the heavy central crease of the outer pages.

inkBrown ink varies in intensity.

noteworthyThe booklet is bound with a small pin, which is visible on the images of three verso and four recto. There is a red wax-pencil mark on one recto. An editor, likely 19th-century, has added notes and overwrites in black ink; these edits have not been included in the transcription.

Modernized Version Deletions removed; additions added in; modern spelling and capitalization added; unfamiliar abbreviations expanded.

Persistent Identifier

Monday December 5: 1785

got up
very early, and prayed together and
Soon after Prayer I went to Mr.
Clark
s. and from there to Mr.
Holms
s, I [illegible]rode Mr. Clarks mare
and Came directly back, for
Mr. Dake was waiting for me
to Carry me in his sleigh to Balls
ton
; about 9: we set off, and
to Ballston about 12: and I put
up in Mr. Weeds house, and
he received me kindly;
[gap: tear]2 went to meeting and there was
a little Number of People
and I preached to them from
Acts, XIII. 30: and there was
great seriousness in the assem‐
bly. after meeting went to Mr.
Weed
s and took Some Victuals
and ale) Sometime
in the evening, a man Came
to the house and desired me
to go to See a man that was
very Sick, and I went directly
and Soon got there, about

eight o'clock, and found the man
very Sick his Name is Mr.
Theophilus Hide
, and was
greatly desirous to be baptised
and I examined and found
him much distressed about his
Soul, and I endeavoured to
explained to him the Nature
of baptism, and finding him
to understand something of
the Nature of baptism and
he earnestly desiring it, So
at last I consented and I
baptised him — and his
wife was also greatly exer
cised about her Soul, and
they wanted to have their
Child baptised also, but I
declined — and I lodged there
and Dr. Jerviss was there
all Night. —

Tuesday December 6:

after break
fast went to Mr. Weeds in a sleigh
Mr. Hide Carried me, got to Mr.

Weed sometime before noon
about 1 went into the meeting
house, and there but few People
the smallest Congregation I have
had in these parts, and I Spoke
from Acts VIII: 30: the People attend
ed well, — went with one Mr. Hollister
and in the evening, there a Num
ber of Neighbours Came in and
my good old Friends Mr. Larkins
and his wife Came in also, I was
well acquainted with them on
Long Island, and we were very
glad to See one another, and 2
of their Children Came in also
a Son and Daughter, a likely
young Folks, — and we had very
agreeable exercise with my Cards
and we Sung and prayed together
and then I went home with Mr.
Larkins
and Lodged there and
was extremely well received and
Treated, went to bed late and
Slept comfortably —

Wednesday December 7:

after break
fast Mr. Hollister Came to Mr. Larkins
with a sleigh to Carry to meeting
Mrs. Larkins and her Daughter
Bettsey went with us in the
sleigh,; we got the meeting about
10: and the people had not got
together but few, and we stayed
'til about 12 and went into
a schoolhouse and there was
pretty good number of People and
I Spoke from 1 Peter 1:24 —
and there was great Solemnity in
the assembly, Soon after I went
to one Mr. Jeremiah Bettys house
and a number of People went
also, and the man desired me to
baptise his Child, the woman
was of Baptist persuasion, Yet
She gave her full consent, and
after Examination, I got up to
Show the Nature of offering a
Child unto god in baptism and
the woman was much affected

and I Proceeded to baptise the
Child, — after that, I sat down to
eat with them, Soon after, I went
to Mr. Palmmers, and in the
Evening, we again I had ex
ercise with my Cards there
was a Number of Young People
and they behaved well, — late in
the evening I went to Bed quietly
once more, the Lord be praised —

Thursday December 8:

got up very
early, and Mrs. Palmmer got break
fast early and Soon after eating
I went off to a meeting North
part of Ballston, to Preach
got to Mr. weeds sometime
in the morning, and stayed Some
Time, and one Mr. Sprague Come
with a sleigh for me, and we went
off Directly, and got to Mr.
Sprague
s about 12: and took
Dinner with them, and then
directly went to meeting, and
there was a great number

of People, and I Spoke from
John XVII. 3: and there was a
great and most Solemn attenti
on there were many Tears —
Soon after meeting I went di
rectly back with Mr. Spragues
Folks; and went directly to
Mr. Turners, and had a meet
ing there in the Evening, and
there was a Number of People
again they crowded the house
and I preached. from Hebrews
2: 3: and I believe the Lord
was present, I had Some sense
of Divine things, and the People
were greatly affected, there
was a flood of Tears, — I lodged
at the Same house —

Friday, December 9:

Sometime
after breakfast, I went off a
young man went with me I
Call on Col. Gordon, and
he Treated me very kindly

would had me Stay to Dine with
him, but I could not Stay, and
So went on Soon, called on [gap: omitted]
but Stay but few minutes and
So went on, got to Mr. weeds be
fore Noon, and was there 'til
about sunset; and then Mr.
Hollester
Came with his sleigh
for me, and went with him
directly, and got to his house
and got there sometime in
the evening. and when, we got
there found a number of Friends
together waiting for us; and
I sat a little while, and I began
with them with my Cards and
we had Very agreeable exer
cise, and we sat up late and
finally we broke up, and I
went to bed quietly once
more; blessed be the name
of the Lord for his goodness to
me

Saturday December 10,

Sometime
after breakfast went to Mr.
Larkins
and took Dinner with
them, and Soon after Dinner
I went back to Mr. Hollesters
Call, on Mr. Bettys, and sat
only few minutes, and went
on, — and sometime in the after
noon, Mr. Hollister got his sleigh
ready and we went on, Mr.
Amos Larkin
, Mr. Ely and a
woman went with us, and
we got to Mr. Rogerss just
before sunset, and we stopped
there a while, took Tea with
them, — and Soon after Tea we
went on, and called on Mr.
Clarke
, a few minutes and then
we went on to good old Mr. Northrop
and there I lodged, we had Some
agreeable exercise with my Cards
only with the old People and
one young man, I read

a great Number of the Cards
after they had chosen each of
them a Text —

Sabbath December 11

After breakfast
went to Mr. Clarkes and about
11 the People began to Collect
fast, and a Prodigious number
of People Gathered, — and
I began the exercise about
1 and I Spoke from, Canticles, 2 16
and I think the Lord was pre‐
sent, the People attended with
all attention, and there was
great Solemnity and many
Tears were Shed, and I believe
the People will not forget this
Sabbath Soon, especially Some
after meeting took Dinner
with Mr. Clark — and in the
evening, I went to one Mr.
Brown
, to attend upon the Young
with my Cards and there was
a Prodigious Number of People

old and Young, and we had
had very agreeable exercise
it was a Solemn Night, and [illegible]
the People, old and young
I believe will not forget it
all their Days, and I hope and
pray, that it may be a Night
to be remembered to the Glory
of God — Choice Portions of
Scriptures were Sown this
Night among the People
as they never had; — we broke
up near midnight, and I
went to Mr. Benjamins, and
it was Rainy, — and went
to bed late

Monday December 12:

Sometime
in the morning, I went to Mr.
Clarke
s, and from thence to
Mr. Holms's, and was there 'til
about 2 in the afternoon
and there was a Young man
Came to fetch me from Gal
way
, and I went off with him

directly, and we got to Mr.
Anderson
's near night where
I am to marry a couple of Scotch
Folks and they received me
with all kindness and friend
ship, lodged there and had
a Comfortable rest, —

Tuesday December 13:

we all got
up very early, and they got
breakfast Soon, — and we wait
‐ed for weddeners, and about
1 o'clock they Came, and a young
man went out with a bottle
to meet them and treated them
round before they Came into
the house, and Soon after they
got into the house, we proceeded
in Celebrating the ordinance
of Marriage, — and as Soon as
it was over we Sat down to
Dinner, and when that was
over, the weddeners set off

to the North end of Gal
way
, — and I returned to 5000
Aires
, and got to Mr. Holms
just before sunset, and in
the evening a number of People
came in and we had exercise
with my notes, and it was
quite agreeable, and went
bed late, —

Wednesday, December 14:

This morn
ing conversation, with Mr.
Coffin
, the Universalist Preach
er, the Same I had conver‐
sation with the other Day,
he is a very bold Creature
about 10: I went off to go to
one Mr. Wakemans and
had a meeting there, and
there was [illegible] a goodly num
ber of People, after meeting

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