Samson Occom, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1767 February 12
12 February 1767[1767-02-12]
Call Number767162.2
[note (type: abstract): Occom writes from England of his sorrow regarding the misconduct of Wheelock’s Indian pupils and the problems in caring for his family. He asks that Wheelock instruct Occom’s son Aaron according to the boy’s inclinations.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is largely clear, neat, and legible.][note (type: paper): The paper is generally in good condition, but the edges appear to have been trimmed and torn, which results in a significant disruption of text. This trimming of edges has separated the two sides of the paper, resulting in a separation of text on one recto, line 11 — the word “to” added to the left can be seen on two recto.][note (type: ink): Brown.][note (type: noteworthy): There is a red pencil mark near the bottom of one recto.]EventsFundraising Tour of Great Britain
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]
It has been my Lot for a
long time to have Sorrow of Heart, I have had Burden
upon Burden, Trial upon Trial, Both without and within
far and Near,the A General Concern is Riveted in my Heart,
for my Poor [Bretheren | brethren]Bretherenbrethren According to the [Fleſh | flesh]Fleſhflesh, Both for their Bodies
and Souls; my Relations [Cauſes | causes]Cauſescauses [Heavyer | heavier]Heavyerheavier Sorrow; Every [ob
ſtruction | ob
struction]ob
ſtructionob
struction and [Diſcouragement | discouragement]Diſcouragementdiscouragement to Your School, and every [Miſs
Contuct | mis
conduct]Miſs
Contuctmis
conduct and behaviour of Your Indian Scholars, Touches
me to the quick; More than all [theſe | these]theſethese, the [Conſiderations | considerations]Conſiderationsconsiderations of my
poor Family,[illegible]as it [ware | were]warewere, lets my [above] veryvery Heart's Blood; I am ready
[left] toto Say, I am a Cruel [Huſband | Husband]HuſbandHusband and Father, God had given me
a large Family, but they have no enjoyment of me, nor I
them for Some[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): E]EYears back, and the whole Burden and Care of
a Large Family of Children, lies upon my poor Wife[pers0029.ocp]; what
adds to my Sorrowful Heart is this, that [whilest | whilst]whilestwhilst I am a Teacher
to others, I have neglected my own Children, by my [Perigrena
tions | peregrina
tions]Perigrena
tionsperegrina
tions, and now my Children are growing, up, and are growing
wild; and the Devil has been Angry, yea he has [& | and]&and is [Devil
iſh | devil
ish]Devil
iſhdevil
ish Mad with me, and if he can, he will Drag all my Chil
dren into all Manner Sins and Down to Hell; But [bleſsed | blessed]bleſsedblessed
be God he has provided an almighty Saviour, and all my
Hope is in hime, for [my ſelf | myself]my ſelfmyself and Family,— If I was
not fully [Perſwaded | persuaded]Perſwadedpersuaded and [Aſure'd | assured]Aſure'dassured that this work was
of god, and I had an undoubted Call of god to Come over
into this Country, I [wou'd | would]wou'dwould not have Come over, like a fool
as I did, without any Countenance from our Board[org0095.ocp],
but I am [will. | willing]will.willing Still to be a fool for [Chriſt | Christ]ChriſtChrist Sake — this [Eleviats | elevates]Eleviatselevates
my Heart [amidſt | amidst]amidſtamidst all my Burdens, and Balances
all my Sorrows at Times, or enables me to bear my
Trials, that I am in the way of my Duty, and the
Lord [uſes | uses]uſesuses me in any Shape to promote his
kingdom in the World, — I am Glad, and am thankful
that you have taken my wild Son[pers0026.ocp], if You Can make
[any thing | anything]any thinganything of him, I Shall [above] bebe happy in him, if he Incline[above] ss
to Book Learning, give him Good [Engliſh | English]EngliſhEnglish Education, bu[above] tt
if not, le[illegible]t him go to Some good [maſter | master]maſtermaster, to Learn Joiner[above] ss
Trade, he Inclines to that, and if that won't do, Send
him over to me, and I will give him [a way | away]a wayaway to Some
gentleman here — I return you Hearty thanks for the
Care you have taken of my Family, — Sir, let it [ſuf
fiſe | suf
fice]ſuf
fiſesuf
fice you, to hear of me by [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp]s Letters, there is no
need of my writing often, Since [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp] writes So often,
long time to have Sorrow of Heart, I have had Burden
upon Burden, Trial upon Trial, Both without and within
far and Near,
for my Poor [Bretheren | brethren]Bretherenbrethren According to the [Fleſh | flesh]Fleſhflesh, Both for their Bodies
and Souls; my Relations [Cauſes | causes]Cauſescauses [Heavyer | heavier]Heavyerheavier Sorrow; Every [ob
ſtruction | ob
struction]ob
ſtructionob
struction and [Diſcouragement | discouragement]Diſcouragementdiscouragement to Your School, and every [Miſs
Contuct | mis
conduct]Miſs
Contuctmis
conduct and behaviour of Your Indian Scholars, Touches
me to the quick; More than all [theſe | these]theſethese, the [Conſiderations | considerations]Conſiderationsconsiderations of my
poor Family,
[left] toto Say, I am a Cruel [Huſband | Husband]HuſbandHusband and Father, God had given me
a large Family, but they have no enjoyment of me, nor I
them for Some
a Large Family of Children, lies upon my poor Wife[pers0029.ocp]; what
adds to my Sorrowful Heart is this, that [whilest | whilst]whilestwhilst I am a Teacher
to others, I have neglected my own Children, by my [Perigrena
tions | peregrina
tions]Perigrena
tionsperegrina
tions, and now my Children are growing, up, and are growing
wild; and the Devil has been Angry, yea he has [& | and]&and is [Devil
iſh | devil
ish]Devil
iſhdevil
ish Mad with me, and if he can, he will Drag all my Chil
dren into all Manner Sins and Down to Hell; But [bleſsed | blessed]bleſsedblessed
be God he has provided an almighty Saviour, and all my
Hope is in him
not fully [Perſwaded | persuaded]Perſwadedpersuaded and [Aſure'd | assured]Aſure'dassured that this work was
of god, and I had an undoubted Call of god to Come over
into this Country, I [wou'd | would]wou'dwould not have Come over, like a fool
as I did, without any Countenance from our Board[org0095.ocp],
but I am [will. | willing]will.willing Still to be a fool for [Chriſt | Christ]ChriſtChrist Sake — this [Eleviats | elevates]Eleviatselevates
my Heart [amidſt | amidst]amidſtamidst all my Burdens, and Balances
all my Sorrows at Times, or enables me to bear my
Trials, that I am in the way of my Duty, and the
Lord [uſes | uses]uſesuses me in any Shape to promote his
kingdom in the World, — I am Glad, and am thankful
that you have taken my wild Son[pers0026.ocp], if You Can make
[any thing | anything]any thinganything of him, I Shall [above] bebe happy in him, if he Incline[above] ss
to Book Learning, give him Good [Engliſh | English]EngliſhEnglish Education, bu[above] tt
if not, le
Trade, he Inclines to that, and if that won't do, Send
him over to me, and I will give him [a way | away]a wayaway to Some
gentleman here — I return you Hearty thanks for the
Care you have taken of my Family, — Sir, let it [ſuf
fiſe | suf
fice]ſuf
fiſesuf
fice you, to hear of me by [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp]s Letters, there is no
need of my writing often, Since [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp] writes So often,
By the [goodneſs | goodness]goodneſsgoodness of god we Enjoy Good State of Health, [Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
[above] Whitefield[pers0038.ocp]Whitefield[pers0038.ocp] is well as he has been [theſe | these]theſethese 7 Years; but [Mrs | Mrs.]MrsMrs. Whitefield[pers0585.ocp] is
in [above] lowlow State of Health, [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. John Smith[pers0497.ocp] is well as [uſual | usual]uſualusual, and hope
[theſe | these]theſethese may find you and yours in good Health. Dutiful and
grateful [Reſpects | respects]Reſpectsrespects to you and your [Spouſe | spouse]Spouſespouse[pers0577.ocp], and Love to the [reſt | rest]reſtrest
of the Family and Scholars, and [Chriſtian | Christian]ChriſtianChristian [reſpects | respects]reſpectsrespects to all
[Enquiring | inquiring]Enquiringinquiring Friends,
[above] Whitefield[pers0038.ocp]Whitefield[pers0038.ocp] is well as he has been [theſe | these]theſethese 7 Years; but [Mrs | Mrs.]MrsMrs. Whitefield[pers0585.ocp] is
in [above] lowlow State of Health, [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. John Smith[pers0497.ocp] is well as [uſual | usual]uſualusual, and hope
[theſe | these]theſethese may find you and yours in good Health. Dutiful and
grateful [Reſpects | respects]Reſpectsrespects to you and your [Spouſe | spouse]Spouſespouse[pers0577.ocp], and Love to the [reſt | rest]reſtrest
of the Family and Scholars, and [Chriſtian | Christian]ChriſtianChristian [reſpects | respects]reſpectsrespects to all
[Enquiring | inquiring]Enquiringinquiring Friends,
[Closer]
I am Sir,
your [moſt | most]moſtmost [obligd | obliged]obligdobliged and
Humble Servant
[Samſon | Samson]SamſonSamson Occom[pers0030.ocp]
To
the [Revd | Rev.]RevdRev. [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
[Postscript]
PS: Perhaps you may wonder why I write After this manner
I have [receiv'd | received]receiv'dreceived [Chifely | chiefly]Chifelychiefly Mo[above] uurnful Letters from my Wife, yet I have
not forgot the Tender Mercies of god to me and mine — —
I have [receiv'd | received]receiv'dreceived [Chifely | chiefly]Chifelychiefly Mo[above] uurnful Letters from my Wife, yet I have
not forgot the Tender Mercies of god to me and mine — —
[Trailer]
Since [Capt | Capt.]CaptCapt. Shaw[pers0477.ocp] is
backward to do for m[gap: tear][guess (h-dawnd): y]y
family, I [wiſh | wish]wiſhwish he had
his Due, that won[gap: tear]
be even, if you Ca[gap: tear]
[Saliſfy | satisfy]Saliſfysatisfy him I Shou[gap: tear][guess (h-dawnd): ld be]ld be
[Eaſy | easy]Eaſyeasy in my m[gap: tear][guess (h-dawnd): ind]ind
backward to do for m[gap: tear][guess (h-dawnd): y]y
family, I [wiſh | wish]wiſhwish he had
his Due, that won[gap: tear]
be even, if you Ca[gap: tear]
[Saliſfy | satisfy]Saliſfysatisfy him I Shou[gap: tear][guess (h-dawnd): ld be]ld be
[Eaſy | easy]Eaſyeasy in my m[gap: tear][guess (h-dawnd): ind]ind
Document Summary
People identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Role in header | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|---|
pers0029.ocp | Wife | mentioned | Occom, Mary (née Fowler) |
pers0026.ocp | my wild Son | mentioned | Occom, Aaron |
pers0037.ocp | M r Mr. Whitaker | mentioned | Whitaker, Nathaniel |
pers0038.ocp | Whitefield | mentioned | Whitefield, George |
pers0585.ocp | M rs Mrs. Whitefield | mentioned | Whitefield, Elizabeth (née James) |
pers0497.ocp | M r Mr. John Smith | mentioned | Smith, John |
pers0577.ocp | your Spouſe spouse | mentioned | Wheelock, Mary (née Brinsmead) |
pers0030.ocp | Samſon Samson Occom | writer | Occom, Samson |
pers0036.ocp | M r Mr. Wheelock | recipient | Wheelock, Eleazar |
pers0477.ocp | Cap t Capt. Shaw | mentioned | Shaw, Nathaniel |
pers0030.ocp | S: Samson Occom | writer | Occom, Samson |
Places identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
place0128.ocp | London | London |
place0122.ocp | Lebanon | Lebanon |
place0158.ocp | New England | New England |
Organizations identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
org0095.ocp | our Board | The Company for Propagation of the Gospel in New England and the parts adjacent in America |
Dates identified in this document:
Standard Form | Text |
---|---|
1767-02-12 | FebrFebruary 12: 1767 |
1767-02-12 | FebyFebruary 12..th 1767 |
Regularized text:
Type | Original | Regularized |
---|---|---|
modernization | Revd | Rev. |
variation | Bretheren | brethren |
modernization | Fleſh | flesh |
modernization | Cauſes | causes |
variation | Heavyer | heavier |
modernization | ob ſtruction |
ob struction |
modernization | Diſcouragement | discouragement |
modernization | theſe | these |
modernization | Conſiderations | considerations |
modernization | Huſband | Husband |
variation | whilest | whilst |
variation | Perigrena tions |
peregrina tions |
modernization | Devil iſh |
devil ish |
modernization | bleſsed | blessed |
variation | my ſelf | myself |
modernization | Perſwaded | persuaded |
modernization | Chriſt | Christ |
modernization | amidſt | amidst |
modernization | uſes | uses |
variation | any thing | anything |
modernization | Engliſh | English |
modernization | maſter | master |
variation | a way | away |
variation | ſuf fiſe |
suf fice |
modernization | Mr | Mr. |
modernization | goodneſs | goodness |
modernization | Mrs | Mrs. |
modernization | uſual | usual |
modernization | Reſpects | respects |
modernization | Spouſe | spouse |
modernization | reſt | rest |
modernization | Chriſtian | Christian |
modernization | reſpects | respects |
variation | Enquiring | inquiring |
modernization | moſt | most |
variation | obligd | obliged |
modernization | Samſon | Samson |
variation | Chifely | chiefly |
modernization | Capt | Capt. |
modernization | wiſh | wish |
modernization | Eaſy | easy |
modernization | Rev.d | Rev. |
Expanded abbreviations:
Abbreviation | Expansion |
---|---|
Febr | February |
& | and |
Hon.rd | Honoured |
Aſure'd | assured |
wou'd | would |
will. | willing |
receiv'd | received |
S: | Samson |
Feby | February |
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 19) |
Number of people/places/organizations with unknown keys: | 0 (out of 17) |
Number of "add" tags with unknown 'place' attributes: | 0 (out of 9) |
Mixed case attribute values in header (potential error): | 0 (out of 115) |