Samson Occom, Journal, 1761 May 30 to July 7
Date30 May to 7 August 1761
Call Number761330.1
abstractOccom records events on his journey to Oneida country.
handwritingHandwriting is clear and legible.
paperSmall sheets folded into a booklet and bound with thread or twine are in good condition, with light staining, creasing and wear. Pages 13 verso through 16 recto, 18 verso through 19 recto, and 21 verso through 22 recto are uncut at the top and thus have not been scanned.
inkBrown ink is faded in spots.
noteworthyThere are red pencil marks throughtout. On one recto, an editor, likely 19th-century, has added the note “Journey to oneida.” This note has not been included in the transcription. People and places whose names are illegible have been left untagged.
EventsOccom’s First Mission to the Oneidas
Montauk May ye 30: 1761
from the Revd David Boſtwick
of New-York, to go and make
a Viſet to the Onoyda Indians
Family, and Friends with tender
Affection, about 12, Sot out for
Eaſthampton Got there after Sun
Set, Lodg'd at the Revd Samuel
Buell's —
Sabbath May ye 31
Mr Buell Preacht in the fore
part of the Day, In the after
Noon I Preachd, from Eph 5:20
Monday June ye 1
Tueſday June ye 2
Day Appeard, the Child
Dyed, and was Buried Wed‐
neſday Juſt before Sun Set,
Thirdsday Morning June
11
at Eaſthampton, and went
Down to Northweſt, and a
bout 12 went aboard of Mr
Dayton at Cedar Point, we
had Favourable wind, we
Sail'd Strait to Sea Brook —
Landed a Capt Harris's about
9 at Ninght and Lodg'd there,
Fryday June ye 5
Monday June 8
Friends at Mohegan, Sot
out for Lebanon, abou 9 in
Morning, got there before
Sun Set, found them all
well as uſual at Mr Wheelock[illegible]
But it was very Sickly and
Dying Times in the Pariſh
Wedneſday June ye 10
bout 3 PM, Brother David
and I took Leave of Mr
Wheelock and his Family
and Sot out on our Journey
for Onoyda by way of New
York — Reach'd Heartford
about 9 at Night, Lodgd
Capt Daniel Bulls, and were
very Kindly Treated — the Man
and Seem to be Truely Religious
keep very
Houſe —
Thirdſday June ye 11
Fryday June ye 12:
Saturday June ye 13
on our
5 Miles of the City of New
York, and turn'd to in one
Mr Goldſmith's —
Sabbath June ye 14
at Goldſmiths, we did not go
to the City to Publick worſhip
for fear of the Small Pox, being
Informed, very Brief there —
Spent So by any Criſtian
People in my Life as ſome
Spent it here, Some were
Riding in Chairs Some upon
Horſe Back orthers traveting
foot, Paſsing and Repaſsing
all Day long, and all Sorts
of Evil Noiſes Caried on by 'em
Drunkards were Realing and
Stagaring in the Streets, others
tumbling off their Horses, there
were others at work in their
farms, and ever any People,
under the Heavens Spoke Hells
Language, theſe People did, for
their Mouths were full of Curſ‐
ings, Prophaning gods Holy
Holy Name — I
Miſtake if theſe are not the Sons
and Daughters of Belial,
Hast all the Hearts of the Children
of men in thine Hands, Leave me not
to Pratice the works of theſe
People, but help me, o Lord,
to take warning, and to
to take heed to my Self acord
ing to thy Ho
have mercy upon the Wicked
Convince and Convert them to
thy Self, for thine own glory
no Heathen but the wild
Indians, but I th
is Some Engliſh Heathen,
where they Enjoy the Goſpel
of Jeſus Chriſt too, Yea I be‐
lieve they are worſe than ye
Savage Heathens of the wilder
wilderneſs, — I have thou
that I had rather Go with the
meaneſt and moſt Diſpiſ'd Crea
ture on Earth to Heaven, than
to Go with the greateſt Monarch
Down to Hell, after a Short
Enjoyment of Sinful Pleaſures
with them in this World —
I am Glad there is one defect
in the
I believe in all their Languages,
i:e they Can't Curſe or ſware
or take god's Name in vain
in their own Toungue —
Monday June ye 15
City, and were Conducted to
Mr Well's at freſh waters
and were Very Kindly re
ceiv'd by him and by all
his Family, I believe the
Fear of god in their Houſe
and this was our Home as
long as we Stay'd in the pl[illegible][guess: a][illegible]
The People of the City were
Extreamly Kind to us, there
was not a Day Scarſly, but
that I was Invited to Dine
with one Gentleman or other,
The Miniſters of all Sects
and Denominations were un‐
commonly Kind to me — my
Friends Increaced Daily
while I Stayd at New York
Thirdsday June ye 25
Fryday June 26
very Early in the Morning
and we made it Night,
Saturday June ye 27
Sabbath June ye 28
to Kinderhook about five
Miles, and there Stopt all
Day, — but did not go to Pub‐
lick Worſhip, Becauſe the
People were Barbarians
to us
To
Monday June ye 29
the Place very Early, and
got to Albany about 12 O:C
and were Conducted to one
Mr Staats Vn Santvoord &
taried there, and the People
in Albany were very kind
to us, I went to wait upon
his Excellency
the
got to Al
buſy and I Coud not See him
one of his waiters Came out
to me, and told me I Shoud
have the Generals Asſiſtance
and I Shoud make my Ap
pearance about 10 in the
Morning, Tueſday June
ye the 30 I made my Appea
rence before his Excellency
at the Time Apointed ac‐
cording to orders, his Excel
lence
and told me he had
a Paſs for me, and he un
folded it and Read it to
me, and when he had
Read it, he Detivered
it to me, and gave me
good Advice and Counſel
and wiſh'd me Succeſs in
my undertaking & I returnd
unfeigned Thanks to him
and then took my leave
of him &c — The Paſs which
he gave me was very good one in
deed, which I will Coppy
Down here —
Jeffery Amherſt & Esqr:
Major
mander in Chief of all His
Majesty's Forces in North
America &c &c &c —
Concern
Whereas the Correſpondents
of the Society in Scotland for
for Propagating Chriſtian
Knowledge, have Acquainted
me that the Bearer hereof, the
Revd Mr Occom, is Sent by
by them, as a Miſsionary to
Reside Amongſt the Indians
about the onoyda Lake, Theſe
are to order and direct the
officers Commanding at the
Several posts, to give him
any Aid or Aſsistance he
may Stand in need of to
forward him on his Journey
And on his Arival at ye
Onoyda Lake, the officer
Commanding there will
Grant him all the Protection
and Countenance he may
want, in the Execution
of his Duty &c
& Seal at Head Quarters
in Albany, this 29th Day
of June 1761
Jeff. Amherſt
by his Excellencys
Command}
Arthur Mair
Wedneſday Junely ye 1.
Albaney about 10 in the
Morning; Got to Scenectady
about 3 in the after Noon
Stayed there one Night, —
Thirdsday July 2
Senectady, In Company with
Colol Whiting and Dr Rod‐
man, they Seemed to be Quite
Friendly Gentlemen to
us, we got about Seven miles
weſtward of Sir William
Johnſon's —
Fryday July ye 3
See Sir William at his
Farm Seven Miles out off the
Road, in the Wilderneſs,
Got there about 9 in the
Morning, and were very
Kindly Entertaind by his
his Honor, I Showed him
my Recommendatory Let
ters, and a Paſs from Genl
Amherſt, he Promiſed
me his Aſsistance as Need
Shold Require, he was ex‐
ceeding free with me in Con
verſation — But we Stayd there
but about two Hours, for
he was geting in Readines
to go
Next Day towards Tetroit
with five Battows laden
with Preſents for the Indians
he Said he wou'd overtake
us on the Morrow before Night
— we took Leave of his Honor
and went our way, after we had
got to the Main Road, we
Call'd in at Certain Houſe —
and there we were Detaind
one Night, by a Storm —
Saturday July ye 4
Reach'd the German flats
at Night, and we Turn'd
in at one Mr Frank's
a Tavern Keeper —
Sabbath July ye 5
at Mr Franks, but did
not go to Publick worſhip
with the People, becauſe they
Spoke unknown Tonugue
to us, But it did Seem
like Sabbath by the Ap‐
pearance of the People —
July the 6
Tueſday July ye 7
and the Chiefs of the Onoyda
Indians Met at this Place, to
make up a Breach, which [illegible][guess: ,]
one of the Indians made late
ly, by Killing a Dutch man
they talkd about an Hour at
this Time, and then Brok up
Towards Night they Met together
again, and talkd together a
bout 3 quarters of an Hour. Then
finaly Brock up, without be‐
ing fully Satiſfied on both Sides
for the Indians Inſisted upon
an
Settled between them and the
Engliſh formerly, that if any
Such Acident Shou'd ever hap
pen between them in Peacea‐
ble Times, they Shou'd make
it up in an Amicable man‐
ner without Sheding of Blood
But Sir William told them
it was the Comand of general
Amherſt, that the murderer Shod
be deliverd up to Juſtice — but
the Indians Said that murderer
was gone off nobody Knows
where &c