Gideon Hawley, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1763 January 27

Author Hawley, Gideon[pers0021.ocp]

27 January 1763[1763-01-27]

Call Number763127

[note (type: abstract): Hawley writes to tell of Occom's lack of tact in dealing with the Oneidas.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is small, but mostly clear and legible, with some additions and deletions.][note (type: paper): Single large sheet is in good condition, with moderate creasing and staining.][note (type: ink): Black-brown.][note (type: signature): Signature is abbreviated.]

EventsOccom’s First Mission to the Oneidas

Persistent Identifier
[Opener]

[Revd | Rev.]RevdRev. [& | and]&and [Hond | Honoured]HondHonoured Sir,

Your favours of [18th | 18th]18th18th [Octr | October]OctrOctober [& | and]&and [21st | 21st]21st21st [Novr | November]NovrNovember[1762-11-21][1762-10-18] came safe [& | and]&and di­
rect, for which I humbly [& | and]&and heartily thank you. I should have
been glad enough to have heard from you before, but did not
take it illy that you did not write, [suppoſing | supposing]suppoſingsupposing you had other
[buſineſs | business]buſineſsbusiness, and other correspondents, that it was of more impor
tance for you to attend to: besides I live so much out
of the way, that it is very Difficult to get a [paſssage | passage]paſssagepassage for a
letter that is direct [& | and]&and safe. In regard to the [viſit | visit]viſitvisit I sincerely
[deſigned | designed]deſigneddesigned you before now, it has been unvoidably delayed by
such overtures in providence, which [above] asas at [preſent | present]preſentpresent it is [needleſs | needless]needleſsneedless
for me to relate — [Altho | although]Althoalthough all my relatives, and many of my
[beſt | best]beſtbest friends are in Connecticut[place0048.ocp], I have not been able,
without neglect of more important duties, which could not be
[dispenſed | dispensed]dispenſeddispensed with, to [viſit | visit]viſitvisit them since October 1758[1758-10]
In regard to [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Occom[pers0030.ocp], it is with singular [pleaſure | pleasure]pleaſurepleasure that I
view him as an [orniment | ornament]ornimentornament to his nation and to [chriſtianity | christianity]chriſtianitychristianity,
and am very sorry I never had the [happineſs | happiness]happineſshappiness of being
acquainted with him. We were in the country of the Six Na
tions[org0090.ocp]
the fall before [laſt | last]laſtlast at the same time, but such were the
duties of our [miſsion | mission]miſsionmission, being straitened for time [& | and]&and having a
great deal to do, that we were [seperated | separated]seperatedseparated by the distance of
an hundred miles or near it. However, tarrying in the Coun
try, as I went after he did, when he was come off [& | and]&and [seing | seeing]seingseeing
many of the [Onoydas | Oneidas]OnoydasOneidas[org0075.ocp] in my peregrinations, it being the
[seaſon | season]seaſonseason of their going to their hunting places, I had an [Opper
tunity | oppor
tunity]
Opper
tunity
oppor
tunity
of being [adviſed | advised]adviſedadvised of his preaching, conduct [& | and]&and [above] thethe rec[illegible]eption
he met with, among them; which were quite equal to what
one could expect. and what I communicated, [& | and]&and [deſired | desired]deſireddesired my friend
to write you, concern some what, in his preaching that was
exceptionable, I thought it was [beſt | best]beſtbest he should hear of; and [yt | that]ytthat
you, being his preceptor, spiritual Father [&c | etc.]&cetc. was the [moſt | most]moſtmost
suitable [perſon | person]perſonperson to [adviſe | advise]adviſeadvise him of it. and the vindication
of himself [illegible: for] the [reaſons | reasons]reaſonsreasons [M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. [Accom | Occom]AccomOccom[pers0030.ocp] gives I doubt [above] not arenot are [illegible] just [& | and]&and true,
and I think are satisfactory. A poor man among such a
people without a faithful [& | and]&and [skilful | skillful]skilfulskillful interpreter is to be
pitied. However I would [uſe | use]uſeuse this opportunity to say,
that the [iregularities | irregularities]iregularitiesirregularities in [dreſs | dress]dreſsdress and some other things in the
customs of Indians as they [above] notnot sinful in themselves, it will
rather be commendable in a [miſsionary | missionary]miſsionarymissionary to conform to them
in some [meaſure | measure]meaſuremeasure, than at his [firſt | first]firſtfirst going among them to [ſay | say]ſaysay
much
much very directly [againſt | against]againſtagainst them. The corruption of human Nature [& | and]&and
the [sinfulneſs | sinfulness]sinfulneſssinfulness of it a [miſsionary | missionary]miſsionarymissionary should [expoſe | expose]expoſeexpose in all [it’s | its]it’sits deformity
as much as [poſsible | possible]poſsiblepossible which will prepare the way for [ye | the]yethe Gospel.
[St | St.]StSt. [Pauls | Paul's]PaulsPaul's [apistles | epistles]apistlesepistles, especially that to the Romans is the [beſt | best]beſtbest
model and guide for a [miſsionary | missionary]miſsionarymissionary.
In regard to your School[org0098.ocp] is gives me very great satisfaction
to hear of its [proſperity | prosperity]proſperityprosperity and I [wiſh | wish]wiſhwish that it may [floriſh | flourish]floriſhflourish
and that it may [anſwer | answer]anſweranswer even beyond your expecta -
tions the great [& | and]&and good ends of its foundation. your
second letter gives me great concern [becauſe | because]becauſebecause you appear
to be afraid of your schools being a party affair, which
I pray God to prevent — you and I shall find, Sir,
the more we have to do with the world, that by [reaſon | reason]reaſonreason of the
[jealouſy | jealousy]jealouſyjealousy which is [inseperable | inseparable]inseperableinseparable from corrupt nature it will
be [impoſsible | impossible]impoſsibleimpossible for any [conſiderable | considerable]conſiderableconsiderable number to hold an ad-
vantageous confederacy for any length of time in any
affair. And we [muſt | must]muſtmust be content with dragging along the
[moſt | most]moſtmost generous affairs not only without the [aſsiſtance | assistance]aſsiſtanceassistance of many
of whom we might [juſtly | justly]juſtlyjustly expect it, but [againſt | against]againſtagainst the [oppo
ſition | oppo
sition]
oppo
ſition
oppo
sition
of some, who are real friends to [ye | the]yethe true [intireſt | interest]intireſtinterest of
religion, [becauſe | because]becauſebecause they can’t agree with us as to the me-
thods of promoting it. Indeed, Sir, we need much of that
charity which believeth all things, Loveth all things [& | and]&and en-
dureth all things.
In regard to my Indians my influence over them [en-
creaſes | in-
creases]
en-
creaſes
in-
creases
and I see some little fruit, [altho | although]althoalthough but little of my
labour; — they [encreaſe | increase]encreaſeincrease in number since my settlement
— We have [illegible] one of our men, who has been as an
Agent to [ye | the]yethe Court of Great Britain[org0036.ocp] about our lands
and we hope to have our affairs upon a better foot-
ing. I have about Seventy Indian [houſes | houses]houſeshouses [& | and]&and Wigwams
on this tract of Land [beſides | besides]beſidesbesides a dozen or more that be-
long to our meeting that live a little off from it —

[Closer]
I am, in very great [haſte | haste]haſtehaste
[Revd | Rev.]RevdRev. Sir,
your very Dutiful Son [& | and]&and
Servant in [Chriſt | Christ]ChriſtChrist
[Gidn | Gideon]GidnGideon Hawley[pers0021.ocp]
Document Summary

People identified in this document:

id Text in document Role in header Authorized Name
pers0030.ocp M r Mr. Occom mentioned Occom, Samson
pers0030.ocp M. r Mr. Accom Occom mentioned Occom, Samson
pers0021.ocp Gid n Gideon Hawley writer Hawley, Gideon

Places identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
place0133.ocp Mashpee Mashpee
place0048.ocp Connecticut Connecticut

Organizations identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
org0090.ocp Six Na tions Six Nations
org0075.ocp OnoydasOneidas Oneida Nation
org0098.ocp your School Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0036.ocp Court of Great Britain Court of Great Britain

Dates identified in this document:

Standard Form Text
1763-01-27 27th27th JanryJanuary 1763.
1762-10-18 18th18th OctrOctober &and 21st21st NovrNovember
1762-11-21 21st21st NovrNovember
1758-10 October 1758

Regularized text:

Type Original Regularized
modernization 27th 27th
modernization Revd Rev.
modernization 18th 18th
modernization 21st 21st
modernization suppoſing supposing
modernization buſineſs business
modernization paſssage passage
modernization viſit visit
modernization deſigned designed
modernization preſent present
modernization needleſs needless
variation Altho although
modernization beſt best
modernization dispenſed dispensed
modernization Mr Mr.
modernization pleaſure pleasure
variation orniment ornament
modernization chriſtianity christianity
modernization happineſs happiness
modernization laſt last
modernization miſsion mission
variation seperated separated
variation seing seeing
variation Onoydas Oneidas
modernization seaſon season
variation Opper
tunity
oppor
tunity
modernization adviſed advised
modernization deſired desired
modernization yt that
modernization &c etc.
modernization moſt most
modernization perſon person
modernization adviſe advise
modernization reaſons reasons
modernization M.r Mr.
variation Accom Occom
variation skilful skillful
modernization uſe use
variation iregularities irregularities
modernization dreſs dress
modernization miſsionary missionary
modernization meaſure measure
modernization firſt first
modernization ſay say
modernization againſt against
modernization sinfulneſs sinfulness
modernization expoſe expose
modernization poſsible possible
modernization ye the
modernization St St.
variation apistles epistles
modernization proſperity prosperity
modernization wiſh wish
variation floriſh flourish
modernization anſwer answer
modernization becauſe because
modernization reaſon reason
modernization jealouſy jealousy
variation inseperable inseparable
modernization impoſsible impossible
modernization conſiderable considerable
modernization muſt must
modernization aſsiſtance assistance
modernization juſtly justly
modernization oppo
ſition
oppo
sition
variation intireſt interest
variation en-
creaſes
in-
creases
variation altho although
variation encreaſe increase
modernization houſes houses
modernization beſides besides
modernization haſte haste
modernization Chriſt Christ

Expanded abbreviations:

Abbreviation Expansion
Janry January
& and
Hond Honoured
Octr October
Novr November
Gidn Gideon

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