Eleazar Wheelock, letter, to Dennys DeBerdt, 1762 December 18

AuthorWheelock, Eleazar

Date18 December, 1762

Call Number762668.1

abstractWheelock discusses, among other things, the states of various missions, and the progress of the Indian Charity School.

handwritingInformal handwriting is small, crowded and occasionally difficult to decipher.

paperLarge single sheet is in fair-to-poor condition, with moderate-to-heavy staining, creasing and wear that leads to a minor loss of text.

inkBlack.

noteworthyGiven the informality of the hand, the number of additions and deletions, and the lack of an address, this document is likely a draft.

EventsOccom’s Second Mission to the Oneidas

Persistent Identifier

My very dear Sir.
Yours, of July 28. refreſhed me much
I heartily regrett the loſs you have Suſtained by the Death of your worthy
godly & Skillful Paſtor. may the Lord of the Harveſt
provide Guides for his people who Shall be zealous
and Skillful to promote and defend his Sinking Cause in the world.
M.r Occom returned from his Miſsion Some Time
ago, I hant had opportunity to see him Since. he was
ſoon Sent by the Preſbytery to preach to an Engliſh
Settlement on Hudſons River about 60 or 80 miles
above N. York where gd has of late in a very won‐
‐derful manner received his work. he returnd from
his Miſsion ſooner than he intended, on acco.t of the
preſent Ruffle which y.e Onoydas are in, being ingaged in
a war with Some of the Nations back of them, and on
acco.t of their extream Poverty they having nothing to
live upon but what they get by fiſhing fowling & hunting
an untimely froſt having cut of their Corn laſt year. he had no
way to come at them to preach to them but by only illegible
followed them from Place to Place in their Hunts, and by
poor living tho they were as kind to him as they cod be & eſpecially by lying upon the wett ground his
old Rumatic Diſorders returned &c # he deſigns (I hear)
to viſit them again in the Spring.
M.r Forbes who the Scotiſh Com̅iſs.rs in Boſton sent
Miſsionary to Onoquagee, is also returnd, I hear left
the Indians after he had gathered a Ch-h there he left
the Indians in a great Ruffle, & the children wc they had been
attempting to teach wre all diſperſed with their Pa[gap: hole][guess: r]ents in their
hunting Rambles. perhaps D.r Chauncy will by little
and little receive conviction that he is a little too
confident of the Succeſs of his Plan, and too Sudden and
free in condemning others who have over and over again and again made
trial of the very same Scheme, and the moſt they have got
to compenſate their Toil and Expence has been only their
useful point of Knowledge viz that ſuch a method will not
do yet. may God graciouſly direct in the Important Affair, and Save those
who are concerned in it from Falling into Parties and So obſtructg
and hinder one another.
My School is in a flourisſhing state at preſent. my Numb.r of Charity ſcholars
is 25. M.r Charles Jeffery Smith of Long Island has lately refuſed
a Class at College for the sake of keeping this Indian School gratis
He deſigns to Devote himſelf and a plentiful Fortune to the ſer‐
vice of his Redeemer as a miſsionary among the pagans. he has tho'ts of Taking
an Interpreter for his use from the School, & ſupport him with
himſelf at his own Expence. I eſteem him remarkably accompliſhed
and turnd for ſuch a Service. I expect but little real good to be
done among the ſavages by Gay, and unexperienced youth, the Lord mercifully
prevent the miſcheifs which Such threaten the Cauſe. I informd you [below]Some
[right]# he found nothing more than this Diſcouraging among their
and had reaſon to think he ſaw ſome good Effects of his Labours
among them the Laſt year

ſome Time ago of the Tour which Friend Aſhpo had made to Jeningo and
of the Religious concern Among the Indians there conſequent thereon and that
a number were hopefully ſavingly converted. There was a very fierce
per[illegible]enting Spirit in the other party which aroſe to ſuch a height ag.t
(as I was credibly informd laſt week) the chriſtian Party were oblig'd
to withdraw from them and have ſettled in a Town by themſelves
about 60 miles below them on Seſquaanaa River. there they use with
out a Bible, and without any that could read it if they had one.
I have taken Friend Aſpho into this School, and eſteem him a well
experienced & well Eſtabliſhed Chriſtian, he is here by the advice of
an Ecleſ[illegible][guess: ea]ſtical Council we convened laſt ſummer to examine & adviſe him. I expect we ſhall ſend him
to those Indians next Spring. And our dear M.r Smith of Boston has
ingaged £20 Sterlg towards the ſupport of his miſion provided
it cant be otherwiſe done. there is also in this ſchool a young mohawk, whom
we call Joseph Brant of a family of distinction among in that Nation
who has been for ſome time under Religious impreſsions, and of
late almoſt perſwades me to call him a real ſaint he ſeems to
breath the very ſpirit of the Gospel. M.r Smith is unwearied in his
Endeavors to promote Religion & learning in this ſchool.
M.r James Leſley a Scots Gentleman with whom you have had ſome
acquaintance went out of the ſchool to make way for M.r ſmith to
keep it gratis and is now in y.e Pariſh ſchool. I expect when M.r ſmith
leaves it Mr Leſley wil take it again.
I have amidſt a thouſand avocations prepared for the Preſs, amidſt a thousand avocations a ſhort
Narrative of this School, expect it will be [illegible][illegible][guess: b]ut in a little time
y.[illegible][guess: ou] & others may expect the Sight of it as ſoon as may be after
it is printed.
If there be anything in this that will gratify good D.r Giffords
or M.r Savage pleaſe to let them have the ſight of it. I wrote
each of them ſometime ago and hope my Letters hant miſcarried
you & they will eaſily ſee in what a Hurry I write in
If D.r M.r Whitefield hant yet left England ſalute him
moſt heartily in my name. I expect by his to M.r Smith to
ſee hi[gap: tear][guess: m] here in a ſhort time.

I am Dear Sir, with the moſt ſincere Reſpect
 Yours in the Deareſt Bond,

Eleazar Wheelock
P.S. my School hues
Day by Day und.r God only
and the charities of Gods people
without any ſettled fund for
its ſupport and God is my
only Refuge.

M.r Dennys DeBerdt

[left]Letter to M.r DeBerdt.
 [left]Dec.r 18. 1762.
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