David Avery, letter, to David McClure, 1768 August 14

Author Avery, David[pers0064.ocp]

14 August 1768[1768-08-14]

Call Number768464.3

[note (type: abstract): Avery writes a collegial letter, over a few days and in segments, about the people and conditions at his mission. He notes that he will travel to Canajoharie to recruit an interpreter, and then writes from there as well.][note (type: handwriting): Informal handwriting is largely clear and legible; it is occasionally difficult to decipher punctuation.][note (type: paper): Medium-sized single sheet is in fair condition, with moderate staining, creasing and wear. Large portions of the wax seal remain.][note (type: ink): Dark-brown.][note (type: noteworthy): The authorship of this letter has been determined by 1) the trailer on one verso, and 2) the fact that the handwriting does appear to be Avery's. The letter's date is taken from the trailer on one verso; it is written over the course of at least three days. The undated segments beginning "Monday Morning" and "wrote to you either..." appear to have been written previous to the section dated August 17, and likely from Kanawalohale[place0114.ocp]. It is uncertain to whom Avery refers when he mentions "the Queen," however, she is possibly Molly Brant, William Johnson[pers0292.ocp]'s consort."The Peregrina" or “pilgrim" is likely a reference to Avery himself. It is uncertain whether “little Jonne Williams’s Brother" refers to a little Jonne, William’s brother, or the brother of little Jonne Williams, and so these names have been left untagged. The identity of “Johnson" is uncertain, and so he has been left untagged; however, he is possibly Joseph Johnson[pers0288.ocp] or Jacob Johnson[pers0287.ocp]. The identity of Mr. M– is uncertain and so he has been left untagged.][note (type: signature): It is uncertain whether the signature "G.H.S." is a nickname between two former classmates, an abbreviation for a saying, or something else entirely.][note (type: layout): The letter is written in segments, in several different orientations on the page.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]

leg-go-ro-hoh-quon-ye-[Suckeweſat | Suckewesat]SuckeweſatSuckewesat
yo-yonnereh..T[above] hhe Indians bear [y.o | your]y.oyour avery[pers0064.ocp]
tender regard— ho [illegible][guess (h-dawnd): !]! yonnereh, quógh!
[y.a | They]y.aThey are very kind to me— [conſtantly | constantly]conſtantlyconstantly bringing
one thing [& | and]&and another—Father Isaac[pers0276.ocp] is a
Father indeed— little Jonne W[gap: tear][guess (h-dawnd): [illi][illiam's Bro
ther often brings [preſents | presents]preſentspresents— it [w.d | would]w.dwould have
made you [laught | laugh]laughtlaugh to see [ye | the]yethe little shaver
[y.s | thus]y.sthus come [w.h | with]w.hwith a small [baſket | basket]baſketbasket of Cucumbers
indian like slung on his head— another
little boy of [ye | the]yethe school about 4 years old
made a [prest | present]prestpresent: [laſt | last]laſtlast saturday of three very
small [shuiners | shiners]shuinersshiners! The Queen is going to
see her Son at [N | New]NNew England[place0158.ocp]= [illegible][guess (h-dawnd): Tuebhuns]Tuebhuns[& | and]&and hope
to hear from at her return—adieu! adieu!
 Yours ut supra
 [illegible][guess (h-dawnd): G.]G. H. S.
[Canajohare | Canajoharie]CanajohareCanajoharie[place0026.ocp] [Aug.t | August]Aug.tAugust 17[1768-08-17]….
Came here today very much [fatieauged | fatigued]fatieaugedfatigued.—
the [Diſaffection | disaffection]Diſaffectiondisaffection [& | and]&and [Inſenſibity | insensibility]Inſenſibityinsensibility of [ye | the]yethe dutch
[illegible]are enough to provoke [ye | the]yethe righteous [diſpleaſure | displeasure]diſpleaſuredispleasure
of a good man— Give more Love to [Friſbie | Frisbie]FriſbieFrisbie[pers0209.ocp]
for his Letter [y.n | than]y.nthan can be [expreſt | expressed]expreſtexpressed by my old [blunderg. | blundering]blunderg.blundering [Quil | quill]Quilquill
[Suppoſed | Supposed]SuppoſedSupposed Ripley[pers0444.ocp] non datur or should have wrote him
by [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Kinne[pers0308.ocp]..— [wiſh | Wish]wiſhWish you all a happy Commencement—
remember an [abſent | absent]abſentabsent friend [above] toto C… Brethren…[yo | you]yoyou will all write
me either by [ye | the]yethe [Miſsionary | missionary]Miſsionarymissionary or [ye | the]yethe Queen..fiat! fiat!….
[Canajohare | Canajoharie]CanajohareCanajoharie[place0026.ocp] [Augt | August]AugtAugust 18[1768-08-18].
The Indians of [y.s | this]y.sthis [Caſtle | Castle]CaſtleCastle[place0026.ocp]
are laden with Iniquity—
drunken [& | and]&and [drinkg | drinking]drinkgdrinking. [con‐
‐ſtantly | con
stantly]
con‐
‐ſtantly
con
stantly
[laſt | Last]laſtLast Evening
two [drinken | drunken]drinkendrunken Sober
Gentlemen of [ye | the]yethe [D–l | Devil]D–lDevil
came to make me a
[Viſit | visit]Viſitvisit! however, they
could not [git | get]gitget right of me.
 pray for me— —
my hand trembles so
[thro | through]throthrough [weakneſs | weakness]weakneſsweakness am not
able to mend [theſe | these]theſethese [Tera
‐bles | terri
bles]
Tera
‐bles
terri
bles
— Thanks to
[Meſsrs | Messrs.]MeſsrsMessrs. Allis[pers0053.ocp], Dudley[pers0172.ocp]
[& | and]&and Johnson for [y.r | your]y.ryour Letters—.
[ye | the]yethe doctor's [cauſed | caused]cauſedcaused me a
good hearty Laugh! Dud‐
ley[pers0172.ocp]
wrote on [ye | the]yethe Lady of
[Friendſhip | Friendship]FriendſhipFriendship!— —
hope to procure some
more [curioſities | curiosities]curioſitiescuriosities for
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr. M. write about [y.[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): m]m | them]y.[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): m]mthem
if [y.o | you]y.oyou see [ye | the]yethe [D.rs | doctor's]D.rsdoctor's [yo | you]yoyou will see [w.t | what]w.twhat
a [hurleburley | hurly-burly]hurleburleyhurly-burly [ye | the]yethe Peregrina is in.
wrote you either [laſt | last]laſtlast night or [y.s | this]y.sthis [Morg. | morning]Morg.morning be‐
twixt one [& | and]&and four — not being able to sleep—
as Sleep is wont to depart from my Eyes—
am going to [Canajohare | Canajoharie]CanajohareCanajoharie[place0026.ocp] to [git | get]gitget [Joannes | Johannes]JoannesJohannes[pers0282.ocp]
if [poſsible | possible]poſsiblepossible for Interpreter—


[Closer]

[Trailer]
[M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. D. Avery—[pers0064.ocp]
[Aug.t | August]Aug.tAugust 14. 1768[1768-08-14]

To—
 [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. David [McClure | McClure]McClureMcClure[pers0368.ocp]
 Lebanon[place0122.ocp]
 Connecticut[place0048.ocp]
By [ye | the]yethe Queen}

among thy

[bottom] NonsenseNonsense
[bottom] Nonvo Portu–Nonvo Portu–
[bottom] Coppecticut–smCoppecticut–sm
[bottom] NovangliaNovanglia
Document Summary

People identified in this document:

id Text in document Role in header Authorized Name
pers0064.ocp avery writer Avery, David
pers0276.ocp Father Isaac mentioned Isaac
pers0209.ocp Friſbie Frisbie mentioned Frisbie, Levi
pers0444.ocp Ripley mentioned Ripley, Sylvanus
pers0308.ocp M r Mr. Kinne mentioned Kinne, Aaron
pers0053.ocp Allis mentioned Allis
pers0172.ocp Dudley mentioned Dudley
pers0172.ocp Dud‐ ley mentioned Dudley
pers0282.ocp Joannes Johannes mentioned Johannes
pers0064.ocp M. r Mr. D. Avery— writer Avery, David
pers0368.ocp David M c Clure McClure recipient McClure, David

Places identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
place0158.ocp N New England New England
place0026.ocp Canajohare Canajoharie Canajoharie
place0026.ocp y. s this Caſtle Castle Canajoharie
place0122.ocp Lebanon Lebanon
place0048.ocp Connecticut Connecticut

This document does not contain any tagged organizations.

Dates identified in this document:

Standard Form Text
1768-08-17 Aug.tAugust 17
1768-08-18 AugtAugust 18
1768-08-14 Aug.tAugust 14. 1768

Regularized text:

Type Original Regularized
modernization Hanienſt Hanienst
modernization Suckeweſat Suckewesat
modernization y.a They
modernization conſtantly constantly
modernization preſents presents
variation laught laugh
modernization ye the
modernization y.s thus
modernization baſket basket
variation prest present
modernization laſt last
variation shuiners shiners
variation Canajohare Canajoharie
variation fatieauged fatigued
modernization Diſaffection disaffection
variation Inſenſibity insensibility
modernization diſpleaſure displeasure
modernization Friſbie Frisbie
modernization y.n than
variation expreſt expressed
variation Quil quill
modernization Suppoſed Supposed
modernization Mr Mr.
modernization wiſh Wish
modernization abſent absent
modernization Miſsionary missionary
modernization y.s this
modernization Caſtle Castle
variation drinkg drinking
modernization con‐
‐ſtantly
con
stantly
modernization laſt Last
variation drinken drunken
modernization Viſit visit
variation git get
variation thro through
modernization weakneſs weakness
modernization theſe these
variation Tera
‐bles
terri
bles
modernization Meſsrs Messrs.
modernization cauſed caused
modernization Friendſhip Friendship
modernization curioſities curiosities
modernization y.[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): m]m them
variation hurleburley hurly-burly
variation Joannes Johannes
modernization poſsible possible
modernization M.r Mr.
variation McClure McClure

Expanded abbreviations:

Abbreviation Expansion
y.o your
& and
w.d would
w.h with
N New
Aug.t August
blunderg. blundering
yo you
Augt August
D–l Devil
y.r your
y.o you
D.rs doctor's
w.t what
Morg. morning

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 55)
Number of people/places/organizations with unknown keys: 0 (out of 18)
Number of "add" tags with unknown 'place' attributes: 0 (out of 6)
Mixed case attribute values in header (potential error): 0 (out of 127)