Eleazar Wheelock, letter, to Sarah Simon, 1768 June 27

Author Eleazar Wheelock

Date27 June, 1768

Call Number768377.2

abstractWheelock informs Simon that if she does not want her son to stay in school until his education is finished and he is ready to teach, she should say so at once so that no more money will be spent on him.

handwritingFormal and legible handwriting is not Wheelock's; the trailer, however, is in Wheelock's hand.

paperLarge sheet folded in half to make four pages is in good condition, with light-to-moderate creasing, yellowing and wear.

inkBrown.

Persistent Identifier
Mrs Symons.
I receivd your James not to [illegible] pleaſe
myself but at your earneſt Deſire by your Daughter Sarah,
Who told me you had tgiven him to me to bring up and deſpoſe
of as my own Son, and only upon such Conſiderations I took
him, and have kept him to School ever since he has been
with me till about three Weeks ago, I hired a Man to take
him & instruct him in Husbandry which I found he was who­
lly ignorant of, and next winter I deſignd to take him into
the School again, & fit him as faſt as I can for a School,
Maſter, & when he is fit for it I deſignd to put him into good
Buſineſs as I would a Child of my own — Theſe were my Views
& so I understood your proposal by your Daughter — but if I
have not understood you right — if you intend to take him
away from me, or encourage his going away as others have
done after I have been at great Expence to educate him;
or when he has half got his Education, I inſist upon it that
you let me know it now, before I spend any more Money
to be thrown away upon him, there are hundreds who
would be glad to come into his Room and be at my dispoſe as
much as my own Children are — —
Pleaſe to send me word what I may depend upon, and if you chuſe
to have him come back to you, I aſsure you I dont want to Keep
him, as I never had any view but to his Good and the Good
of the Indians in my taking him at firſt — —
you may depend upon it if he tarries with me I shall take the
moſt Affectual Method to learn him Husbandry as well as
to read and wright, — pleaſe to let Mr Deake see this and
deſire him to write your Anſwer to me — It greives &
breaks my Heart that while I am wearing my Life out to
do good to the poor Indians, they themselves have no more Deſire
to help forward the great Deſign of their Happineſs here
and Eternal Salvation in the World to come, but are so
many of them, and some of them too, thoſe on whom I have
beſtowed much Pains & Coſt pulling the other way and as
faſt as they can undoing all I have done. Oh! that God
would shew them their Miſery, and the only way of their Relief.
Your Daughter Sarah carries herself very well, but I
think it not beſt she should come home to viſit you till
the Fall — I wiſh you Proſperity with all my Heart
and am

your Real Friend
Eleazar Wheelock
P.S. The Conditions I upon which I take all the Engliſh
Boys in my School are, that if they leve me before they
have got their Learning, or go into other Buſineſs
after wards that pleaſes them better than the Indian
Service they shall pay me all the Expence of their Learn­
ing. and I think the Reaſon is as good with reſpect
to your Son James
Blank page.
Lett.r to Sarah Symons
at Charlestown June 27.
1768
.
Reſpecting her ſon James
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