Solomon Williams, letter, to Rev. Samuel Wood, 1761 November 12

Author Williams, Solomon

Date12 November, 1761

Call Number761662.1

abstractWilliams writes a lengthy letter regarding news of his sister-in-law, events in Great Britain and in the colonies, and the desire of various tribes to receive missionaries. Mention is made of Samson Occom.

handwritingHandwriting is very informal and extremely difficult to decipher. There is shorthand sprinkled throughout.

paperLarge sheet folded in half to make four pages is heavily reinforced, which renders it difficult to discern the condition of the paper. It appears to be in good condition, however, with light creasing, staining and wear. The preservation work is beginning to wear around the edges.

inkDark-brown ink is somewhat dimmed by reinforcement.

noteworthyAs noted in the trailer, this document is a copy. Due to the extreme difficulty of discerning Williams’ hand, the transcribers have used their discretion with regard to letter case, shorthand, and abbreviations.

signatureThe signature is abbreviated.

EventsOccom’s First Mission to the Oneidas

Persistent Identifier

Hond & very dear Sir
your Favr of 16 Feb laſt I Recd wth Great Plea
ſure & Thankfulneſs in Septr I am the more obliged for your Goodneſs
in it as It came [illegible] from your [illegible] Friendſhip without any Motive of
My Repeatd Lrs to you wch as you dont mention I conclude
you have not Recd. I Return My warmeſt thanks for your kind & moſt deſira
ble Friendſhip & at the Same [illegible][guess: time]but bluſh to See what Great Notice
you take of My Reſpect & Friendſhipaffection for my Dear Siſter; the
beſt & one of the moſt deſervg of women for wm If I had any Senti
ments of Piety virtue, or Even humanity, I could Not but have
the moſt tender Affection Reſpect Since I have had the happineſs of her ac‐
quaintance
for the Sincerity, Integrity, Tenderneſs of her heart, the
diſtinguſhing accompliſhments of Mnd God has bleſsed her with, her
undiſsembled piety, Conſtant, Friendſhip & undeſerved affectn & alſo Con
ſiderg

knowg that Tender Love ſhe Expreſsd for my dear Br (Now no More)
wch Inducd her leve her Native Land her Dear & moſt deſervg
Friends & come into a far diſtant LandCountry among Perſons Unknown to
her. Alaſ wt have I done for her? how little Cd I do but wiſh
It had been in My Power to Render her as happy as ſhe Cd wiſh
to be. long before this Reaches you you will know that ſhe has
changed her Condn & Situation & Married Mr Wm Smith of N York
a very worthy Gentleman & of high Character Among all virtues
People there & In this Colony to whom he is known; a Gentleman
of ample Fortune & one of his Majeſties Council there. there
are ſome Circumſtances connected [illegible][guess: which] I was [illegible]afraid wd not be Agreable to her
his Large Family, & the Place. however I ownconfeſs upon the whole
I could not but [illegible]thought it adviſable for her to comply with the
Propoſal, as Providence Seemd Evidently to Point out & lead the
way & to open a Proſpect for her more Extenſive uſefulneſs, &
I hopedhopg alſo it wd be a means to diſsipate ye Gloom & Melancholly wch is too apt to Cloud her mind. yt the Troubles [illegible][illegible][guess: muſt attend] her Situation hd not [illegible] ye
the uncomfortable Sollitude of her widdowhood. [illegible]Yet I own in givg
that adviceſg to herher to a compliance wth ye [illegible][guess: propoſal] I was obligd to [illegible]go Counter to My own moſt EarneſtStrong de
ſires [illegible][guess: knowg yt [illegible][guess: by] [illegible][guess: Remove] I muſt be] Deprived My Self of ſome of the deareſt Comfort & ſociety
of my life. Partg with her was a Painful & bitter thing one of
the hardeſt Partings of my Friends I have Ever Experienced. for tho there
is no Sea betwixt us yet I have Never had the Small Pox
& the fear of [illegible]g ye Infection at New York whichis is Seldom
Clear of it bars me from the hope of Seeing her. [illegible][guess: however for]but the
Proſpect of her Comfort & uſefulneſs I [illegible][guess: wd] Patiently deny my Selfteaches Me yt tis my duty to bear Patiently
the Great Satiſfactionye loſs or want of yt Pleaſure I ſhd [illegible][illegible] have Enjoyd [illegible] life been Spndg [illegible][guess: have Enjoy] in ſeeg
her frequently at her own houſe & ſometimes at Mine. May Every
Bleſsing of Life & Godlineſs Attend her.
It is a Senſible Grief Dear Sir that your bodily Infirmities
ſhould Prevent the Executn of any of the wiſe & Pious Plans
for uſefulneſs to mankind you are [illegible][guess: framing] from time to time
& amg the Reſt hinder me from Recg your Kind & Edifying Letters
I doubt Not Sir but a wiſe & Good God Makes this one Means
of [illegible][guess: Rendring] you more Active & Servicable to the Km of ye Great
Redeemer. to this End you aſk My Poor Prayers & [illegible] a moſt
forcible & delightful argument the Intereſt I have in yours.
I moſt hartily thank you Sr for kind & dayly Remembrance of
Unworthy Me I beg Your Continuance of that moſt deſirable
Favr for her

I can with Equal Sincerity, & honſty aſsure you that no day [illegible][guess: Brks]
in which I do Not Remember my dear & Good Friend Dr wood
& Recommend him, & his deepeſt Intereſts & life his Precious Life
& uſefulneſs to the Father of Mercies — Dear ſir may our Hly Father
help us to Continue this Friendly Chriſtian Intercourſe & Correſpondence
by the way of Hn & dayly Meetg there ſo long as we are on
this Side of it. this favr this Bleſsing of your Kind, & [illegible]
[illegible] Remembrance of Me I Rank Among many others owg to
that wiſe & Good Providence which brot my dear Siſter from
her Native Land to this Country. & while She thinks her Life is
almoſt uſeleſs & Spent in vain I [illegible] [illegible][guess: Such] Great May [illegible][guess: bring] kind & merciful [illegible][guess: Events]
of Providence Iſsuing from it in a very Extenſive Manner, & may God Ren
der her More & More uſeful in proportion to the [illegible][guess: truest] & [illegible][guess: Enlargd]
deſires of his heart. I was Senſibly touchd with the Intima
tion you gave of an uneaſineſs & Clamour Existg in the Nation
by ye Tax or Additional Duty on beer or ale, I have not heard
how the Iſsue of it was or wt Influence it had on the Election
of Members of Parliamt but hope the beſt & that the Kind Pro
vidence which has for So longSuch a time paſt overuld the Publick
Affairs in ſuch a wiſe, Steady, & kind manner has Given you a
wiſe & Good Parliamt. we In theſe Diſtant Regions of the Brittiſh Empire
Share [illegible]ye Genl [illegible] in the Happy Occaſion of So Good a King ſo
Excellt & amiable a Man to ye [illegible] of his [illegible] we feel the Pleaſure of the Delight
ful Proſpect of his Long & happy Reign & dayly Send up our
ardent vows to heaven for the beſt bleſsings upon him the Queen
[gap: tear][guess: his Amiable] Conſort & that the Nation & all its [illegible][guess: dependences]
may in him & his Royal houſe Enjoy the moſt diſtinguiſhing Proſ
perity & future [illegible][guess: Ages] Call him bleſsd. God has Truly done Great
Things for the Nation & for us in America, things which tho we
long & ardently wiſhed yet Scarce dare we hope to ſee. The [illegible][guess: Redemtion]
of Canada deliverence from ye moſt falſe Cruel Perfidious Enemies
that Ever were let looſe upon Mankind. how wonderful a mercy if
God Pleaſe to Incline ye ht of the King & his Miniſters to keep
North America & never let His Aquiſns [illegible][guess: made by ye Kings own] here
Return to ſuch bloody & deceitful Men as have been ye Scourge of
this Country in all Paſt times & [illegible][guess: Aſ soon] as tis in y[illegible][guess: [r] Power
will Extirpate & Ruin the Engliſh here. The Lord has done Great
Things for us whereof we are Glad. I wiſh I could ſay for which
we are thankful; & that the Goodneſs of G had led us to Repentance.
what can I Say here? but take up your Lamentation [illegible][guess: our] [illegible][guess: Brittains]
Still we are a very wickd People vice abounds ye Power of Godlineſs
is much loſt from Among us. we Sadly feel one of ye Diſmal Con
ſequences of war the Corruption of our Morals. the unhappy Ex
ample Exhibited to us [illegible][guess: ſoon] to be ye [illegible][guess: Means of] Increaſg [illegible]of
Extravagance, Luxury, & love of Show, vanity & Senſual Pleaſure
& much Profaneſs. [illegible][guess: Sad] Returns are theſe to the divine & Glori‐
ous [illegible][guess: Author] of ye diſtinguiſhg Favrs Pourd upon us. I Muſt
Intreat your Fervent Prayers for us & thoſe of All your Praying
Friends. there Seem to appear Some hopeful Glimmergſ among
ye Indians in Sevl diſtant Parts. The Comiſssioners at N York
last [illegible][guess: Supmmer] upon a motion made to y[illegible] sent up one Mr Samſon
Occum
a Mohegan Indian Educated [illegible][guess: here] Chiefy udr ye Inſtructi[below]on

of ye Revd Mr Wheelock one of the miniſters in this Town) & was ordaind
by a Preſbitery on Long Iſland. a Pious Man & Zelous to ſerve his Country
men & promote the knowledge of Xy amng them. he has been here ſince
his Return; & Informs me that he has been Amng the Oneida Indians
& Tuſcarora[illegible][guess: es] who border upon them & are much Intermxd with
them. was very kindly Recd by them & he thinks firſt & laſt he
had above 500 [illegible][guess: hearers] & there are Many who appear very deſi
rous to be Acquainted with ye Chriſtian Relign & have Sendt by him
to deſire the Commiſsidoners to Send Among them Some a Miſsionary
who can Inform them the [illegible] what the [illegible][guess: bible] [illegible][guess: iſ] & [illegible][guess: lead] them to ye [illegible] [illegible][guess: ye Great ſav.r]
knowledg of ye Great Saviour. they deſire him to tell the Commſsrs
yt they have turnd their backs upon their former Idolatry & devil
worſship & Never Intend to look that way Agn but their Faces are
now turnd towards Chriſt the Savr & they are [illegible][guess: very Deſirous] lookg for him & Greatly deſire to
find him & his Religion. we are Alſo Informd that there
are ſome of ye Suſquehanna Indians who are diſpoſd to [illegible][illegible][guess: live]
[illegible] to the Goſpel. May God open a Great door & Effectual to let in the
knowledge of his ſon Jeſus Chriſt into ye hearts of the Poor [illegible][guess: bereft]
[illegible][guess: Savages]. & oh that our abuſe of the Goſpel May not pro‐
voke him to lure us to a Dull formality nor to a depar
ture from [illegible] the doctrines of Grace or the Main Principals of
Calviniſm for [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] that in Proportion to
ſuch a departure we ſink, & are gone. I [illegible][guess: Joyn] My Earneſt prayers
that God May Return to you [illegible] [illegible][guess: deepg] Religion in the
Congregations of the [illegible][guess: Deſenters] Multiply the [illegible][guess: Seed Sown] & Increaſe
all [illegible][guess: hints] of Righteouſneſs among you.
our hearts [illegible] Since I began ye [illegible][guess: writg of yſ] have Made [illegible][guess: Sad] by ye News brot by the Packet
boat laſt week to N York that ye Great Mr Pitt has Reſignd his offices
New England, & America will be filld with Trembling on this
Important Event fearg the French will Agn Gain the Poſseſsn
of yt Country & be in A Capacity to be the Scourge & Plague
of the Brittiſh Settle ments here. May that divinely wiſe &
all Powerful being who Rules the world Guide, & direct the
King, & Govt & Preſerve the Nation from Agn beg agn the
dupes of French Craft, & Perfidy, & [illegible][guess: looſing] the blood, & Treaſure
Spent to humble yt [illegible][illegible][guess: Haughty] & Ambitious Nation o May we not
Throw away what God has given us you Cant Conceive the
diſtreſs yt Such [illegible] would bring upon Poor N England.
but if God ſhd So order it we muſt Say the Lord is Right[gap: tear][guess: e]
ous our Sins & Ingratitude deſerve it. ‡
[left]‡ if after all our Raiſd hopes G pleaſes to [illegible][guess: let us] ſink agn under ye dark Proſpects of [illegible] of trouble like ye former [illegible] [illegible][guess: diſmal]
I beg yr Prayers yt G[illegible] wd to [illegible] our Poſterity wth him & be content yt he ſhd [illegible] as he [gap: hole] & [illegible][guess: taken in] to him [illegible][guess: ſelf] [illegible][guess: from]
ye [illegible] to Come
you will Never
Ceaſe yr Prayers to the God of our Saln [illegible] to be with & with [illegible][guess: yours]
if after all our Raiſd hopes God lets us Sink Agn under ye Dark
Proſpects of [illegible]g [illegible] ye [illegible][guess: former] may God help us
to [illegible][guess: Leave] our [illegible] with him & take us to himſelf [illegible][guess: before]
[illegible] [illegible] the divine Spt [illegible] [illegible][guess: me to] [illegible] together with you in My Prayers
yt we may be Dayly [illegible] [illegible][guess: more & more] to Go to Jeſus & ye Spirit of ye Fleſh
made ⅌fect & meet together in the Joy & Peace of heaven. My
wife & childn Joyn in Moſt Reſpectful Salutations to you &
dear Mrſ wood, & your dear dr & her Revd Conſort whoſe Name
you dont mention.


Revd Hond dear Sr I am Your Moſt Affecte Friend Br &
humble Servt

Solon W.ms.

der 12 1761
Copy of My Lr to Dr Wood
of Norwich in Anſwer to his
of Feb: 16 laſt.

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