Eleazar Wheelock, letter, to William Johnson, 1767 August 19

Author Wheelock, Eleazar[pers0036.ocp]

19 August 1767[1767-08-19]

Call Number767469.2

[note (type: abstract): Wheelock writes on behalf of the Narragansett Indians, who are losing their lands, and requests to know whether the reports of missionaries arriving from Europe are true.][note (type: handwriting): Formal handwriting is not Wheelock's. It is clear and legible.][note (type: paper): Large sheet folded in half to make four pages is in fair condition, with light-to-moderate staining, creasing and wear. There is preservation work along the heavy vertical crease.][note (type: noteworthy): "HAVEMEYER COLLECTION" is typewritten across the top of one recto. As is marked on two recto, this document is a copy. A note in pencil has been added to the top left of two recto; this note has not been included in the transcription. There is some scratch writing in an unknown hand on two verso beneath the address.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]

Sir
 May it [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease your Excellency.

The enclosed came directed to my care
while I was on a journey; by which means it [fail'd | failed]fail'dfailed of an earlier convey‐
-ance. And with respect to the context of it, I would only beg leave, at the
desire of some [concern'd | concerned]concern'dconcerned, to certify you, that the [Rev.d | Rev.]Rev.dRev. [M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Fish[pers0015.ocp] is, so far as I
know, [univerſally | universally]univerſallyuniversally [eſteem'd | esteemed]eſteem'desteemed, a gentleman of Integrity and good Ability.
And accordingly the [Repreſentation | Representation]RepreſentationRepresentation he has made of the Case of the
poor suffering Indians at [Narraganſet | Narragansett]NarraganſetNarragansett[org0066.ocp], is to be relied upon, as being
faithfully [& | and]&and impartially done
And I would [alſo | also]alſoalso at their [earneſt | earnest]earneſtearnest [deſire | desire]deſiredesire join my earnest Request in
Behalf of that poor people, that your Excellency would [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease take their
[pityeous | piteous]pityeouspiteous Case into your [Conſideration | Consideration]ConſiderationConsideration, and if [their | there]theirthere be any way of relief
for them (which under God they expect chiefly, or only by your [Inter‐
‐poſition | inter‐
position]
Inter‐
‐poſition
inter‐
position
) that something effectual may be done to prevent that
total ruin which otherwise, according to all human probabilities,
is very speedily to be expected— They have bid the [faireſt | fairest]faireſtfairest to
be built up, and become a people, of any party of Indians
I know of in New England[place0158.ocp]— and now just as they have got
well engaged in cultivating their Lands, and begin to know
the worth of them, by [taſting | tasting]taſtingtasting the sweets of a civilized Life,
their best farms are slipping from under them, one after
another (as they [expreſs | express]expreſsexpress it) with much [expence | expense]expenceexpense of Labour
[& | and]&and money [alſo | also]alſoalso, which they have [beſtow'd | bestowed]beſtow'dbestowed to subdue them.
And they have [reaſon | reason]reaſonreason to expect in a very little Time, they
shall have none left, [unleſs | unless]unleſsunless something effectual be speedily
done for their Help. The [pitteous | piteous]pitteouspiteous complaints of this poor people
are truly such, as I make no doubt, [ſir | sir]ſirsir, would greatly move
your Excellency's [Compaſsions | Compassions]CompaſsionsCompassions towards them, could you hear
them

them, could you hear them; but your well known Care, [Fidility | Fidelity]FidilityFidelity, and
[Reſolution | Resolution]ReſolutionResolution, prevent all [occaſion | occasion]occaſionoccasion to enlarge on this Head—
May it [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease your Excellency. We had frequent Reports last
winter [& | and]&and spring, from your Quarter, as well as [diverſe | diverse]diverſediverse Hints in
the [publick | public]publickpublic News, that a Number of [Miſsys | Missionaries]MiſsysMissionaries [& | and]&and [schoolmaſters | schoolmasters]schoolmaſtersschoolmasters were daily
expected from Europe[place0070.ocp] to supply the Vacancies in your Vicinity:
on which I wrote your Excellency [deſiring | desiring]deſiringdesiring to be certified of [ ye | the] yethe
truth of the report, and to know your [pleaſure | pleasure]pleaſurepleasure relating thereto:
But I have received no written [anſwer | answer]anſweranswer— and as I have always [eſteem'd | esteemed]eſteem'desteemed
your Countenance [& | and]&and Patronage to be of such Importance, in this
Affair, that I would by no means take one step without your Appro‐
-bation; I have neglected to send either [Miſsionary | Missionary]MiſsionaryMissionary or [School maſter | schoolmaster]School maſterschoolmaster,
this Year, to [thoſe | those]thoſethose places near you, ['till | 'til]'till'til you should [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease to signify
your [pleaſure | pleasure]pleaſurepleasure in that matter: and I have now sent my son[pers0578.ocp] to
wait upon you with this, [deſiring | desiring]deſiringdesiring you would [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease to [adviſe | advise]adviſeadvise
me fully, whether you [deſire | desire]deſiredesire the board of [Correſpondants | Correspondents]CorreſpondantsCorrespondents in this
Colony[org0034.ocp]
to provide supply of preaching for the parties of
Indians of the six Nations[org0090.ocp] who are willing to hear, and [school‐
-maſters | school‐
masters]
school‐
-maſters
school‐
masters
for their Children; and whether your Excellency will
encourage [thoſe | those]thoſethose we shall send, in their [reſpective | respective]reſpectiverespective services,
so long, [& | and]&and so far, as their conduct [& | and]&and Behaviour shall be agreeable to
to their [illegible][guess (h-dawnd): "]"[reſpective | respective]reſpectiverespective Characters [& | and]&and [profeſsions | professions]profeſsionsprofessions?
Your Excellency is not [unſenſable | unsensible]unſenſableunsensible that the infant Institu‐
-tion[org0098.ocp]
under my care, is now, by the [bleſsing | blessing]bleſsingblessing of [H[illegible]eaven | Heaven]H[illegible]eavenHeaven, much
[encreaſed | increased]encreaſedincreased, [& | and]&and become [reſpectable | respectable]reſpectablerespectable at home [& | and]&and abroad; and is [honour'd | honoured]honour'dhonoured
with the patronage of [Gentleman[above] enen | gentlemen]Gentleman[above] enengentlemen of Character, and great worth
in England[place0068.ocp], who have accepted the Trust of, and become
Guarantees to the [publick | public]publickpublic, for the fund collected in Europe[place0070.ocp], for
the use [& | and]&and support of it; (of which Trust[org0103.ocp] the Right [hon.ble | honourable]hon.blehonourable the Earl
of Dartmouth[pers0153.ocp]
is appointed [preſident | president]preſidentpresident) whose Characters, [& | and]&and
influence are such, that I would by no means, have a step
taken which may not have their Approbation. And I should
be very sorry, if, by any means, party names, and circum‐
-stantial [differances | differences]differancesdifferences in matters of Religion. should so operate,
as to retard or prevent the [progreſs | progress]progreſsprogress, [& | and]&and [succeſs | success]succeſssuccess of the general
Design in View—
[pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease

[pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease, [ſir | sir]ſirsir, to let me know your Mind, and [adviſe | advise]adviſeadvise me, as
fully as shall be needful to determine my conduct
in this matter. and [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease, sir, to be [aſsured | assured]aſsuredassured that you
shall always be served with humility, and the [greateſt | greatest]greateſtgreatest
[chearfulneſs | cheerfulness]chearfulneſscheerfulness, in [any thing | anything]any thinganything that comes within the
Power of

[Closer]
May it [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease your Excellency
Your [moſt | most]moſtmost obedient, humble Servant

Eleazar Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
[Trailer]
[ſir | sir]ſirsir [Wm | William]WmWilliam [Johnſon | Johnson]JohnſonJohnson [Bar.t | Baronet]Bar.tBaronet[pers0292.ocp]
A Copy


To [S..r | Sir]S..rSir [W..m | William]W..mWilliam Johnson [Bart | Baronet]BartBaronet[pers0292.ocp]
[Augt | August]AugtAugust [19th | 19th]19th19th 1767[1767-08-19]
Copy
[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): PL]PL
Landaff[place0121.ocp]
Landaff[place0121.ocp]
Document Summary

People identified in this document:

id Text in document Role in header Authorized Name
pers0015.ocp M. r Mr. Fish mentioned Fish, Joseph
pers0578.ocp my son mentioned Wheelock, Rodulphus
pers0153.ocp Earl of Dartmouth mentioned Legge, William
pers0036.ocp Eleazar Wheelock writer Wheelock, Eleazar
pers0292.ocp W m William Johnſon Johnson Bar. t Baronet recipient Johnson, William
pers0292.ocp W.. m William Johnson Bar t Baronet recipient Johnson, William

Places identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
place0122.ocp Lebanon Lebanon
place0158.ocp New England New England
place0070.ocp Europe Europe
place0068.ocp England England
place0121.ocp Landaff Landaff

Organizations identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
org0066.ocp Indians at NarraganſetNarragansett Narragansett Tribe
org0034.ocp board of CorreſpondantsCorrespondents in this Colony Connecticut Board of Correspondents of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge
org0090.ocp six Nations Six Nations
org0098.ocp the infant Institu‐-tion Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0103.ocp which Trust Trust in England

Dates identified in this document:

Standard Form Text
1767-08-19 Aug..tAugust 19..th19th 1767
1767-08-19 AugtAugust 19th19th 1767

Regularized text:

Type Original Regularized
modernization pleaſe please
modernization M.r Mr.
modernization univerſally universally
modernization eſteem'd esteemed
modernization Repreſentation Representation
variation Narraganſet Narragansett
modernization alſo also
modernization earneſt earnest
modernization deſire desire
variation pityeous piteous
modernization Conſideration Consideration
variation their there
modernization Inter‐
‐poſition
inter‐
position
modernization faireſt fairest
modernization taſting tasting
modernization expreſs express
variation expence expense
modernization beſtow'd bestowed
modernization reaſon reason
modernization unleſs unless
variation pitteous piteous
modernization ſir sir
modernization Compaſsions Compassions
variation Fidility Fidelity
modernization Reſolution Resolution
modernization occaſion occasion
modernization diverſe diverse
variation publick public
modernization Miſsys Missionaries
modernization schoolmaſters schoolmasters
modernization deſiring desiring
modernization ye the
modernization pleaſure pleasure
modernization anſwer answer
modernization Miſsionary Missionary
modernization School maſter schoolmaster
modernization thoſe those
variation 'till 'til
modernization adviſe advise
variation Correſpondants Correspondents
modernization school‐
-maſters
school‐
masters
modernization reſpective respective
modernization profeſsions professions
variation unſenſable unsensible
modernization bleſsing blessing
variation H[illegible]eaven Heaven
variation encreaſed increased
modernization reſpectable respectable
variation Gentleman[above] enen gentlemen
modernization preſident president
variation differances differences
modernization progreſs progress
modernization succeſs success
modernization aſsured assured
modernization greateſt greatest
modernization chearfulneſs cheerfulness
variation any thing anything
modernization moſt most
modernization Johnſon Johnson

Expanded abbreviations:

Abbreviation Expansion
Aug..t August
19..th 19th
fail'd failed
concern'd concerned
Rev.d Rev.
& and
honour'd honoured
hon.ble honourable
Wm William
Bar.t Baronet
S..r Sir
W..m William
Bart Baronet
Augt August
19th 19th

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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
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