David Fowler, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1766 January 21
21 January 1766[1766-01-21]
Call Number766121.2
[note (type: abstract): David Fowler writes of the progress of his Indian school, the present religious state of the Indians and their want of a minister, news of Kirtland, and personal matters.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is clear and legible, though letter case is occasionally difficult to decipher.][note (type: paper): Large sheet folded in half to make four pages is in good-to-fair condition, with moderate creasing, staining and wear. The central vertical and horizontal folds are silked. There are significant remnants of the seal.][note (type: ink): Black-brown.][note (type: noteworthy): The identity of "Joseph" (identified simply as "Joseph") is uncertain; it is likely either Joseph Johnson or Joseph Brant. The letter mentions Joseph Woolley (identified simply as "Woolley"); however, at this time, apparently unknown to Fowler, Woolley is dead. On one recto, in the second paragraph, the identity of the Indians to whom Fowler refers is uncertain; Fowler's mission was in an Onedia town, but Chamberlain's mission was in a Mohawk town. In the last paragraph on two recto, it is uncertain to whom "Master" refers, and so he has been left untagged. Some contents of the letter are similar to those of 765365. There are two trailers; one is in Wheelock's hand, the other uncertain, although it could be Wheelock's. There are sums on two verso in an unknown hand; these have not been transcribed.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]
[Houſe | house]Houſehouse and Journeys after [alſo | also]alſoalso hungry Belly I began to keep my School
[ſteadily | steadily]ſteadilysteadily [ſometime | sometime]ſometimesometime in November[1766-11]. My Scholars learn very well:
I find it is [impoſſible | impossible]impoſſibleimpossible to keep the Children [ſteadily | steadily]ſteadilysteadily to School. [illegible]
Men labour and work as [Engliſh | English]EngliſhEnglish do: They are lazy and inh
man pack of Creatures as I ever [ſaw | saw]ſawsaw. in the World; They have [ſeen | seen]ſeenseen
me working and [tuging | tugging]tugingtugging Day after Day and never [offerd | offered]offerdoffered to help
me in the [leaſt | least]leaſtleast thing I had [above] to doto do in my [Houſe | house]Houſehouse only [finiſhd | finished]finiſhdfinished covering it
and
[ſay | say]ſaysay with Dogs because they are [allways | always]allwaysalways licking Water out [off | of]offof the
Pails and Kettles we [uſe | use]uſeuse: Now I live like a Gentleman, I have a
[planly | plenty]planlyplenty of Corn, Flour, Meat, and rotten [Fiſh | fish]Fiſhfish.— I applied to
Sir William[pers0292.ocp] for [Proviſion | provision]Proviſionprovision; accordingly, he order the [Commading | commanding]Commadingcommanding
Officer at the Royal Block [Houſe | House]HouſeHouse[place0198.ocp] to give me out [Priviſion | provision]Priviſionprovision as
long as I [ſhould | should]ſhouldshould want.
I am exceeding [ſorry | sorry]ſorrysorry as well as my poor Friends that
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Chamberlain[pers0009.ocp] does not return [above] toto us this Winter.— The In-
di
return. But I told them three [Reaſon | reason]Reaſonreason, why he dont, return: and af-
ter they heard them they were [eaſy | easy]eaſyeasy.
I never [ſaw | saw]ſawsaw [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch general [Dispoſition | disposition]Dispoſitiondisposition of hearing
the Word of God [amongſt | amongst]amongſtamongst these poor People as I do now: [moſt | most]moſtmost
every one of the Adults of this Place, have openly [renouc'd | renounced]renouc'drenounced their
Liquor, and [ſaid | said]ſaidsaid that they will devote [themſelves | themselves]themſelvesthemselves in hearing
the Word of God. Now is the Time for [Miniſters | ministers]Miniſtersministers to come
up [whilſt | whilst]whilſtwhilst they are in [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch [Diſpoſition | disposition]Diſpoſitiondisposition.— O for a [Mini
ſter | mini
ster]Mini
ſtermini
ster [whoſe | whose]whoſewhose Heart is full of Love to God and [Compaſſion | compassion]Compaſſioncompassion to poor
Sinners, one who is [meak | meek]meakmeek and lowly and crafty in [wining | winning]winingwinning
Souls to [Chriſt | Christ]ChriſtChrist. who has a real [Sence | sense]Sencesense and worth of Immortal
Souls would greatly weaken the [ſtrong | strong]ſtrongstrong Holds of Satan in this
Place. — Dear Sir, do all that is in your Power to get
up a [Miniſter | minister]Miniſterminister early in the Spring. for the poor Creatures
are [rearly | [guess (h-dawnd): rarely]rarely]rearly[guess (h-dawnd): rarely]rarely [deſirous | desirous]deſirousdesirous to hear the Word of God, we have no [Mini
ſter | mini
ster]Mini
ſtermini
ster and yet we have a full [Aſſembly | assembly]Aſſemblyassembly every Sabbath. I have
nothing New to acquaint you; I [enjoyy | enjoy]enjoyyenjoy a good [ſtate | state]ſtatestate of Health and
am contented.
I cant come down [till | 'til]till'til [ſome | some]ſomesome of [ye | the]yethe Scholars come up and
take my School. If Jacob[pers0018.ocp] is to come up; do let him take a School
near me [ſo | so]ſoso
[Cloaths | clothes]Cloathsclothes in [readineſs | readiness]readineſsreadiness, for I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall be in a very [above] greatgreat [Haſt | haste]Haſthaste when I do
come. I determine to [ſee | see]ſeesee my poor Parents before I re
turn; for I [ſerv'd | served]ſerv'dserved them [baſely | basely]baſelybasely [laſt | last]laſtlast Fall. If they [ſuffer | suffer]ſuffersuffer
I cant tell how I can come up. Joseph [dertermines | determines]derterminesdetermines to
come down and pay you [Viſit | visit]Viſitvisit [alſo | also]alſoalso Thomas[pers0643.ocp] who has done
me more Service than all the Town[place0114.ocp]. He tells me; that he
[deſigns | designs]deſignsdesigns to go down with me and [ſet | set]ſetset my Rib[pers0742.ocp] on his [Horſe | horse]Horſehorse
and he will come up with own [above] hishis [Horſes | horses]Horſeshorses or Legs, that, is
if I [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall find one. I [rejoi[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): c]c | rejoice]rejoi[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): c]crejoice greatly because I could
[left] notnot [above]
has no [Houſe | house]Houſehouse.
I [Juſt | just]Juſtjust now heard of [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. [Kirtland | Kirkland]KirtlandKirkland[pers0315.ocp] he is
poor [for
[off | of]offof their [Houſes | houses]Houſeshouses and now he lives in a poor House
Woods my Friends cant conceive what he keeps them
for: the Indians[org0088.ocp] dont want him there; for they all
[hat | hate]hathate him. It [ſeems | seems]ſeemsseems to me by what [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Gray[pers0230.ocp] has
w
[ceivd | ceived]ceivdceived [above] a Lettera Letter from him [whilſt | whilst]whilſtwhilst I was at his [Houſe | house]Houſehouse. and [immediatly | immediately]immediatlyimmediately
[ask'd | asked]ask'dasked me how many Letters I
tol
that [above]
I forgot to tell you what [ſort | sort]ſortsort of Cloth I would have
for my [Cloaths | clothes]Cloathsclothes. [above] I want blue Broad Cloth
[alſo | also]alſoalso to Sir Wheelock[pers0578.ocp], and [Maſter | Master]MaſterMaster. and Love to the [reſt | rest]reſtrest of the
Family [alſo | also]alſoalso to all the Scholars. — That the Lord would
prolong your worthy [Live | life]Livelife, and make you a rich [Bleſsing | blessing]Bleſsingblessing
in the World, [alſo | also]alſoalso an [Inſtrument | instrument]Inſtrumentinstrument of [ſpreading | spreading]ſpreadingspreading the Gospel
[amongſt | amongst]amongſtamongst the poor Heathen in this Continent and after
we[gap: hole][guess (h-dawnd): ll]ll [ſpent | spent]ſpentspent Li
Joy and there to [ſhine | shine]ſhineshine as the Stars in the Firmament
forever and ever is the [Deſire | desire]Deſiredesire and Prayer.
[Closer]
[Revd | Rev.]RevdRev. Sir,
Of your [affecionte | affectionate]affecionteaffectionate
and obedient Servant
David Fowler[pers0155.ocp]
Of your [affecionte | affectionate]affecionteaffectionate
and obedient Servant
David Fowler[pers0155.ocp]
[Postscript]
[Trailer]
[Lettr | Letter]LettrLetter from [D. | David]D.David Fowler[pers0155.ocp]
[Jan.y | January]Jan.yJanuary 1766[1766-01]. —
[Receeved | Received]ReceevedReceived March 26.
1766[1766-03-26].
[Jan.y | January]Jan.yJanuary 1766[1766-01]. —
[Receeved | Received]ReceevedReceived March 26.
1766[1766-03-26].
To —
The [Rev.d | Rev.]Rev.dRev. [M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Eleazar Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
in
Connecticut[place0048.ocp]
The [Rev.d | Rev.]Rev.dRev. [M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Eleazar Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
in
Connecticut[place0048.ocp]
Document Summary
People identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Role in header | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|---|
pers0292.ocp | Sir William | mentioned | Johnson, William |
pers0009.ocp | M r Mr. Chamberlain | mentioned | Chamberlain, Theophilus |
pers0018.ocp | Jacob | mentioned | Fowler, Jacob |
pers0643.ocp | Thomas | mentioned | Thomas |
pers0742.ocp | my Rib | mentioned | Fowler, Hannah (née Garrett) |
pers0041.ocp | Wooley Woolley | mentioned | Woolley, Joseph |
pers0315.ocp | M r Mr. Kirtland Kirkland | mentioned | Kirkland, Samuel |
pers0230.ocp | M r Mr. Gray | mentioned | Gray, Samuel |
pers0277.ocp | Capt Buller Butler | mentioned | Butler, John |
pers0315.ocp | M r Mr. Kirtland Kirkland | mentioned | Kirkland, Samuel |
pers0577.ocp | Madam | mentioned | Wheelock, Mary (née Brinsmead) |
pers0578.ocp | Sir Wheelock | mentioned | Wheelock, Rodulphus |
pers0155.ocp | David Fowler | writer | Fowler, David |
pers0155.ocp | D. David Fowler | writer | Fowler, David |
pers0036.ocp | M. r Mr. Eleazar Wheelock | recipient | Wheelock, Eleazar |
Places identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
place0114.ocp | Canawarohare Kanawalohale | Kanawalohale |
place0198.ocp | Royal Block Houſe House | Royal Block House |
place0114.ocp | Town | Kanawalohale |
place0048.ocp | Connecticut | Connecticut |
Organizations identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
org0088.ocp | Indians | Seneca Nation |
Dates identified in this document:
Standard Form | Text |
---|---|
1766-01-21 | JanryJanuary 21 1766 |
1766-11 | November |
1766-01 | Jan.yJanuary 1766 |
1766-03-26 | March 26. 1766 |
Regularized text:
Type | Original | Regularized |
---|---|---|
variation | Canawarohare | Kanawalohale |
modernization | Rev.d | Rev. |
variation | Warry | worry |
modernization | Houſe | house |
modernization | alſo | also |
modernization | ſteadily | steadily |
modernization | ſometime | sometime |
modernization | impoſſible | impossible |
modernization | Engliſh | English |
modernization | ſaw | saw |
modernization | ſeen | seen |
variation | tuging | tugging |
variation | offerd | offered |
modernization | leaſt | least |
variation | finiſhd | finished |
modernization | ſay | say |
variation | allways | always |
variation | off | of |
modernization | uſe | use |
variation | planly | plenty |
modernization | Fiſh | fish |
modernization | Proviſion | provision |
variation | Commading | commanding |
modernization | Houſe | House |
variation | Priviſion | provision |
modernization | ſhould | should |
modernization | ſorry | sorry |
modernization | Mr | Mr. |
modernization | Reaſon | reason |
modernization | eaſy | easy |
modernization | ſuch | such |
modernization | Dispoſition | disposition |
modernization | amongſt | amongst |
modernization | moſt | most |
modernization | ſaid | said |
modernization | themſelves | themselves |
modernization | Miniſters | ministers |
modernization | whilſt | whilst |
modernization | Diſpoſition | disposition |
modernization | Mini ſter |
mini ster |
modernization | whoſe | whose |
modernization | Compaſſion | compassion |
variation | meak | meek |
variation | wining | winning |
modernization | Chriſt | Christ |
variation | Sence | sense |
modernization | ſtrong | strong |
modernization | Miniſter | minister |
variation | rearly | [guess (h-dawnd): rarely]rarely |
modernization | deſirous | desirous |
modernization | Aſſembly | assembly |
variation | enjoyy | enjoy |
modernization | ſtate | state |
variation | till | 'til |
modernization | ſome | some |
modernization | ye | the |
modernization | ſo | so |
variation | Cloaths | clothes |
modernization | readineſs | readiness |
modernization | ſhall | shall |
variation | Haſt | haste |
modernization | ſee | see |
modernization | baſely | basely |
modernization | laſt | last |
modernization | ſuffer | suffer |
variation | dertermines | determines |
modernization | Viſit | visit |
modernization | deſigns | designs |
modernization | ſet | set |
modernization | Horſe | horse |
modernization | Horſes | horses |
variation | rejoi[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): c]c | rejoice |
variation | eſpicially | especially |
variation | Wooley | Woolley |
modernization | Juſt | just |
variation | Kirtland | Kirkland |
modernization | for |
forsaken |
modernization | Houſes | houses |
variation | hat | hate |
modernization | ſeems | seems |
modernization | uneaſy | uneasy |
variation | Buller | Butler |
variation | ceivd | ceived |
variation | immediatly | immediately |
modernization | &c | etc. |
modernization | oldeſt | oldest |
variation | geting | getting |
modernization | ſort | sort |
modernization | Maſter | Master |
modernization | reſt | rest |
modernization | Bleſsing | blessing |
modernization | Inſtrument | instrument |
modernization | ſpreading | spreading |
modernization | ſpent | spent |
modernization | Manſions | mansions |
modernization | ſhine | shine |
modernization | Deſire | desire |
modernization | Revd | Rev. |
variation | affecionte | affectionate |
variation | bigeſt | biggest |
modernization | Darkneſs | darkness |
variation | Receeved | Received |
modernization | M.r | Mr. |
Expanded abbreviations:
Abbreviation | Expansion |
---|---|
Janry | January |
Hon.d | Honoured |
oblig'd | obliged |
renouc'd | renounced |
ſerv'd | served |
ask'd | asked |
y.r | your |
Lettr | Letter |
D. | David |
Jan.y | January |
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 21) |
Number of people/places/organizations with unknown keys: | 0 (out of 21) |
Number of "add" tags with unknown 'place' attributes: | 0 (out of 12) |
Mixed case attribute values in header (potential error): | 0 (out of 129) |