David Fowler, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1765 June 24
24 June 1765[1765-06-24]
Call Number765374.2
[note (type: abstract): Fowler writes regarding the progress of his mission.][note (type: handwriting): Formal handwriting is clear and legible.][note (type: paper): Large sheet folded in half to make four pages is in good condition, with light-to-moderate staining and wear. The central vertical crease is sharp, however, and beginning to separate. The watermark is visible on two recto.][note (type: ink): Dark-brown.][note (type: noteworthy): An unknown editor, possibly Wheelock, has written above-line corrections throughout the document; these corrections appear to be contemporary, so they have been included in the transcription. The trailer, however, appears to be 19th-century and so has not been transcribed. When Fowler refers to the place Oneida, he is likely referring to the town of Kanawalohale. To set this designation in context, the placename "Onoyda" has been tagged as Oneida in the dateline, and the reference to "this Castle" has been tagged as Kanawalohale.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]
[Onoyda | Oneida]OnoydaOneida[place0179.ocp]
June 24 1765[1765-06-24]
[Hon,d | Honoured]Hon,dHonoured [& | and]&and [Rev,d | Rev.]Rev,dRev. Sir
[Hon,d | Honoured]Hon,dHonoured [& | and]&and [Rev,d | Rev.]Rev,dRev. Sir
I now write you a few Lines [juſt | just]juſtjust
to inform you that I am well at [preſent | present]preſentpresent, and have [above] beenbeen [ſo ever | soever]ſo eversoever
[ſince | since]ſincesince I left your [Houſe | house]Houſehouse, [bleſsed | blessed]bleſsedblessed be God forithis [Goodneſs | goodness]Goodneſsgoodness to me. —
— I am well contented here as long as I am in [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch great [Buſineſs | business]Buſineſsbusiness.
My Scoholars learn very well; I have put eleven into a, b,
[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): absr:]absr:
I have three more that will go to that Place this week; and [ſome | some]ſomesome have
got to the [ſixth | sixth]ſixthsixth Page. — It is ten thousand Pities they [cante | can't]cantecan't
keep [togather | together]togathertogether, they are always [above] oftenoften going about to get their [Proviſion | provision]Proviſionprovision
My Father [above] one of the Chiefs atone of the Chiefs at in whose [Houſe | house]Houſehouse I keep told me, he [beleiv’d | believed]beleiv’dbelieved [ſome | some]ſomesome of the In
dians would [ſta[above] rrve | starve]ſta[above] rrvestarve to Death thsis Summer; [ſome | some]ſomesome of them have [almoſt | almost]almoſtalmost
[conſum’d | consumed]conſum’dconsumed all their Corn already.
to inform you that I am well at [preſent | present]preſentpresent, and have [above] beenbeen [ſo ever | soever]ſo eversoever
[ſince | since]ſincesince I left your [Houſe | house]Houſehouse, [bleſsed | blessed]bleſsedblessed be God for
— I am well contented here as long as I am in [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch great [Buſineſs | business]Buſineſsbusiness.
My Sc
I have three more that will go to that Place this week; and [ſome | some]ſomesome have
got to the [ſixth | sixth]ſixthsixth Page. — It is ten thousand Pities they [cante | can't]cantecan't
keep [togather | together]togathertogether, they are always [above] oftenoften going about to get their [Proviſion | provision]Proviſionprovision
My Father [above] one of the Chiefs atone of the Chiefs at in whose [Houſe | house]Houſehouse I keep told me, he [beleiv’d | believed]beleiv’dbelieved [ſome | some]ſomesome of the In
dians would [ſta[above] rrve | starve]ſta[above] rrvestarve to Death th
[conſum’d | consumed]conſum’dconsumed all their Corn already.
I came too [tale | late]talelate this Spring. I could not put [any thing | anything]any thinganything
in the Ground, I hope I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall next Year —. I [beleive | believe]beleivebelieve I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall
get [above] [perswade | persuade]perswadepersuade[perswade | persuade]perswadepersuade all these [above] thethe Men in this Castle[place0114.ocp] [above] atat leastthe[above] thethe
[moſt | most]moſtmost of them to labour
next Year: They begin to [ſee | see]ſeesee now that they would live better
if they cultivate their Lands than they do now by Hunting [& | and]&and [fiſh | fish]fiſhfish
ing: These men [above]theythey
are the [lazieſt | laziest]lazieſtlaziest Crew I ever [ſaw | saw]ſawsaw in all my Days:
their Womenwould[above] willwill
get up early in the morning and be pounding
corn for [Breakfaſt | breakfast]Breakfaſtbreakfast and they [above] the menthe men[illegible]lie [ſleeping | sleeping]ſleepingsleeping till the Victuals is [al
moſt | al
most]al
moſtal
most ready and as [ſoon | soon]ſoonsoon as the Breakfast is over the Women take
up their Axes and Hoes and way to the Fields and leave their Chil
dren with the Men to tend; you would [above] maymay [ſee | see]ſeesee half a Dozen walking
about [above] withwith Children upon their Backs: a lazy and [ſordid | sordid]ſordidsordid Wretches,
but they [above] areare to be pitied not [frown’d | frowned]frown’dfrowned
in the Ground, I hope I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall next Year —. I [beleive | believe]beleivebelieve I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall
get [above] [perswade | persuade]perswadepersuade[perswade | persuade]perswadepersuade all these [above] thethe Men in this Castle[place0114.ocp] [above] atat least
next Year: They begin to [ſee | see]ſeesee now that they would live better
if they cultivate their Lands than they do now by Hunting [& | and]&and [fiſh | fish]fiſhfish
ing: These men [above]
their Women
corn for [Breakfaſt | breakfast]Breakfaſtbreakfast and they [above] the menthe men
moſt | al
most]al
moſtal
most ready and as [ſoon | soon]ſoonsoon as the Breakfast is over the Women take
up their Axes and Hoes and way to the Fields and leave their Chil
dren with the Men to tend; you would [above] maymay [ſee | see]ſeesee half a Dozen walking
about [above] withwith Children upon their Backs: a lazy and [ſordid | sordid]ſordidsordid Wretches,
but they [above] areare to be pitied not [frown’d | frowned]frown’dfrowned
I have been [miſerably | miserably]miſerablymiserably of for an Interpreter
I cant [above] cancan [ſay | say]ſaysay but very little to them; I hope by next Spring I
[ſhall | shall]ſhallshall be my own Interpreter.
I cant [above] cancan [ſay | say]ſaysay but very little to them; I hope by next Spring I
[ſhall | shall]ſhallshall be my own Interpreter.
It is very hard to live here without the other [Boon | bone]Boonbone[pers0742.ocp]; I [above] now amnow am
[ob
lig’d | ob
liged]ob
lig’dob
liged to [waſh | wash]waſhwash, mend, [above] my [Cloaths | cloths]Cloathsclothsmy [Cloaths | cloths]Cloathscloths cook all my Victuals and [above] [waſh | wash]waſhwash[waſh | wash]waſhwash all the things I
[uſe | use]uſeuse, which is exceeding hard; I can’t [above]employ
myemploy
my go into a [Feild | field]Feildfield as I [ſho[above] uuld | should]ſho[above] uuldshould
do if I had a Cook here.
lig’d | ob
liged]ob
lig’dob
liged to [waſh | wash]waſhwash, mend, [above] my [Cloaths | cloths]Cloathsclothsmy [Cloaths | cloths]Cloathscloths cook all my Victuals and [above] [waſh | wash]waſhwash[waſh | wash]waſhwash all the things I
[uſe | use]uſeuse, which is exceeding hard; I can’t [above]
do if I had a Cook here.
I [ſhant | shant]ſhantshant be able to [illegible]employ my vacant Hours in
improving up Lands as I [ſhould | should]ſhouldshould do
I [receivd | received]receivdreceived a Letter from [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Kirtland[pers0315.ocp]
[laſt | last]laſtlast
Sabbath [above] wherein he informs me thatwherein he informs me that but he did not inform me how he was, he only gave
an account how he was treated by Indians that accompanied
him up. The Indians left him with all his heavy Pack; he had
the [moſt | most]moſtmost [fatigueing | fatiguing]fatigueingfatiguing Journey this Time he ever had before: —
He [deſigns | designs]deſignsdesigns to come down to get [Proviſion | provision]Proviſionprovision and if he dont, he will
eat no Bread till Indian [Harveſt | harvest]Harveſtharvest: and his Meat; [mearly | nearly]mearlynearly rotten
having no Salt. — “He has [ſwap’d | swapped]ſwap’dswapped away the l[illegible]ittle [Poney | pony]Poneypony
which I did not know before.”
Sabbath [above] wherein he informs me thatwherein he informs me that but he did not inform me how he was, he only gave
an account how he was treated by Indians that accompanied
him up. The Indians left him with all his heavy Pack; he had
the [moſt | most]moſtmost [fatigueing | fatiguing]fatigueingfatiguing Journey this Time he ever had before: —
He [deſigns | designs]deſignsdesigns to come down to get [Proviſion | provision]Proviſionprovision and if he dont, he will
eat no Bread till Indian [Harveſt | harvest]Harveſtharvest: and his Meat; [mearly | nearly]mearlynearly rotten
having no Salt. — “He has [ſwap’d | swapped]ſwap’dswapped away the l
which I did not know before.”
“I [beleive | believe]beleivebelieve, I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall come down latter end of [Au
guſt | Au
gust]Au
guſtAu
gust but I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall tarry a little while with you. I [deſign | design]deſigndesign to
[haſten | hasten]haſtenhasten up here again; I [ſ[illegible]hall | shall]ſ[illegible]hallshall make this Place my Home as
long as I live. — Give my kind Respects to Mrs Wheelock[pers0577.ocp],
Love to your Children and to all the Scholars.”
guſt | Au
gust]Au
guſtAu
gust but I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall tarry a little while with you. I [deſign | design]deſigndesign to
[haſten | hasten]haſtenhasten up here again; I [ſ
long as I live. — Give my kind Respects to Mrs Wheelock[pers0577.ocp],
Love to your Children and to all the Scholars.”
And may the [Bleſsings | blessings]Bleſsingsblessings of Heaven [reſt | rest]reſtrest on you, [above] [&c | etc.]&cetc.
[&c | etc.]&cetc.[&c | etc.]&cetc.
[&c | etc.]&cetc.
and[illegible]conti[above] nuenue you a long [& | and]&and rich [Bleſsing | blessing]Bleſsingblessing in the World, may the Hea
then in the [Wilderneſs | wilderness]Wilderneſswilderness feel [above] thethe [goodneſs | goodness]goodneſsgoodness of thy Labours — May [above] youyou have
double [Meaſure | measure]Meaſuremeasure of [above] thethe Spirit of God, and fill your Heart with
Love of[illegible] God and [Compaſſion | compassion]Compaſſioncompassion to poor [periſhing | perishing]periſhingperishing Souls. — and
may the Giver of all things, give Strength and Health,
Wisdom and Authority to ruleand govern and [theach | teach]theachteach
thosethatwho are [commited | committed]commitedcommitted to your Care in Fear of
the Lord: which is the [ſincere | sincere]ſinceresincere [above] PrayerPrayer of him who [deſires | desires]deſiresdesires
the Continuance of your Prayers.
and
then in the [Wilderneſs | wilderness]Wilderneſswilderness feel [above] thethe [goodneſs | goodness]goodneſsgoodness of thy Labours — May [above] youyou have
double [Meaſure | measure]Meaſuremeasure of [above] thethe Spirit of God, and fill your Heart with
Love of
may the Giver of all things, give Strength and Health,
Wisdom and Authority to rule
those
the Lord: which is the [ſincere | sincere]ſinceresincere [above] PrayerPrayer of him who [deſires | desires]deſiresdesires
the Continuance of your Prayers.
[Closer]
your affectionate,
[tho: | though]tho:though unworthy Pupil,
David Fowler[pers0155.ocp].
[tho: | though]tho:though unworthy Pupil,
David Fowler[pers0155.ocp].
[Trailer]
to [Revd | Rev.]RevdRev.
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
Eleazar Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
Document Summary
People identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Role in header | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|---|
pers0742.ocp | the other Boon bone | mentioned | Fowler, Hannah (née Garrett) |
pers0315.ocp | M r Mr. Kirtland | mentioned | Kirkland, Samuel |
pers0577.ocp | Mrs Wheelock | mentioned | Wheelock, Mary (née Brinsmead) |
pers0155.ocp | David Fowler | writer | Fowler, David |
pers0036.ocp | Eleazar Wheelock | recipient | Wheelock, Eleazar |
Places identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
place0179.ocp | Onoyda Oneida | Oneida |
place0114.ocp | this Castle | Kanawalohale |
This document does not contain any tagged organizations.
Dates identified in this document:
Standard Form | Text |
---|---|
1765-06-24 | June 24 1765 |
Regularized text:
Type | Original | Regularized |
---|---|---|
variation | Onoyda | Oneida |
modernization | Rev,d | Rev. |
modernization | juſt | just |
modernization | preſent | present |
modernization | ſo ever | soever |
modernization | ſince | since |
modernization | Houſe | house |
modernization | bleſsed | blessed |
modernization | Goodneſs | goodness |
modernization | ſuch | such |
modernization | Buſineſs | business |
modernization | ſome | some |
modernization | ſixth | sixth |
variation | cante | can't |
variation | togather | together |
modernization | Proviſion | provision |
modernization | ſta[above] rrve | starve |
modernization | almoſt | almost |
variation | any thing | anything |
modernization | ſhall | shall |
variation | beleive | believe |
variation | perswade | persuade |
modernization | moſt | most |
modernization | ſee | see |
modernization | fiſh | fish |
modernization | lazieſt | laziest |
modernization | ſaw | saw |
modernization | Breakfaſt | breakfast |
modernization | ſleeping | sleeping |
modernization | al moſt |
al most |
modernization | ſoon | soon |
modernization | ſordid | sordid |
modernization | miſerably | miserably |
modernization | ſay | say |
variation | Boon | bone |
modernization | waſh | wash |
variation | Cloaths | cloths |
modernization | uſe | use |
variation | Feild | field |
modernization | ſho[above] uuld | should |
modernization | ſhant | shant |
modernization | Mr | Mr. |
modernization | laſt | last |
variation | fatigueing | fatiguing |
modernization | deſigns | designs |
modernization | Harveſt | harvest |
variation | mearly | nearly |
variation | Poney | pony |
modernization | Au guſt |
Au gust |
modernization | deſign | design |
modernization | haſten | hasten |
modernization | Bleſsings | blessings |
modernization | reſt | rest |
modernization | &c | etc. |
modernization | Bleſsing | blessing |
modernization | Wilderneſs | wilderness |
modernization | goodneſs | goodness |
modernization | Meaſure | measure |
modernization | Compaſſion | compassion |
modernization | periſhing | perishing |
variation | theach | teach |
variation | commited | committed |
modernization | ſincere | sincere |
modernization | deſires | desires |
variation | tho: | though |
modernization | Revd | Rev. |
Expanded abbreviations:
Abbreviation | Expansion |
---|---|
Hon,d | Honoured |
& | and |
beleiv’d | believed |
conſum’d | consumed |
frown’d | frowned |
ob lig’d |
ob liged |
receivd | received |
ſwap’d | swapped |
This document's header does not contain any mixed case attribute values.
Summary of errors found in this document:
Number of dates with invalid 'when' attributes: | 0 |
Number of nested "hi" tags: (consider merging the @rend attributes, or using other tags) | 0 |
Number of tags with invalid 'rend' attributes: | 0 (out of 13) |
Number of people/places/organizations with unknown keys: | 0 (out of 7) |
Number of "add" tags with unknown 'place' attributes: | 0 (out of 27) |
Mixed case attribute values in header (potential error): | 0 (out of 100) |