Eleazar Wheelock, letter, to Samson Occom, 1771 August 15
15 August 1771[1771-08-15]
ms number771465
[note (type: abstract): Wheelock writes a strongly worded rebuttal of Occom’s criticisms regarding Wheelock’s withdrawl from Indian education.][note (type: handwriting): Document is not written in Wheelock’s hand. Letter case with regard to the letter “y” is difficult to discern -- when it is in question, the transcriber has opted for lower case.][note (type: paper): Large sheet folded in half to make four pages is in good condition, with light-to-moderate creasing, staining and wear.][note (type: ink): Light brown ink is faded.][note (type: noteworthy): Postscript appears to have been added in different ink. Given the lack of an address or seal, and the fact that the document is not in Wheelock's hand, it is possible/likely that this is a copy.]EventsFundraising Tour of Great Britain
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]
yours of July [24.th | 24th]24.th24th[1771-07-24] is before me. I rejoice al ways to hear of your
health [& | and]&and prosperity [& | and]&and have never [faild | failed]faildfailed of a disposition to promote your [usefulneſs | usefulness]usefulneſsusefulness
[& | and]&and your Comfort, but to use the same freedom which You approve [& | and]&and set me an example of, I must tell You I either very much want a good
spiritual taste or your [Litter | letter]Litterletter has a very ill savor for a [Christain | Christian]ChristainChristian or rather if I have any good taste at all, it much savors of pride,
arrogance [& | and]&and a want of proper concern to heal the bleeding wounds of our glorious
Redeemer. You discover very great Ig norance of my plan, my
object, my reasons [& | and]&and motives, my views [& | and]&and prospects, and as great a degree of [uncharitableneſs | uncharitableness]uncharitableneſsuncharitableness as of ignorance. You
[shew | show]shewshow no degree of brotherly [& | and]&and
[Christain | Christian]ChristainChristian Sympathy towards me in my long [& | and]&and weary [travil | travail]traviltravail, notwith
[stand.g | standing]stand.gstanding your nation have been inviariably my chief object, nor any
disposition to encourage my Heart or strengthen my hands, [tho' | though]tho'though un der a weight heavy [eno' | enough]eno'enough to crush an Angel, and in a Cause which has been [& | and]&and still is, so astonishingly [own'd | owned]own'downed of God —
[left] To [Rev.d | Rev.]Rev.dRev.
[M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Occom[pers0030.ocp]
[Aug.t | August]Aug.tAugust
[15.th | 15th]15.th15th 1771 —[1771-08-15]
To [Rev.d | Rev.]Rev.dRev.
[M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Occom[pers0030.ocp]
[Aug.t | August]Aug.tAugust
[15.th | 15th]15.th15th 1771 —[1771-08-15]
And ['tho | though]'thothough my memory be poor, yet matters which
[impreſs | impress]impreſsimpress my mind, as the [follow.g | following]follow.gfollowing particulars have done, I am far from [imagin.g | imagining]imagin.gimagining that I have only
[dream'd | dreamed]dream'ddreamed about them [viz.t 1.st | viz 1st]viz.t 1.stviz 1st when I saw you after your return from Europe[place0070.ocp] I [propos'd | proposed]propos'dproposed your going on a
[miſsion | mission]miſsionmission among remote tribes, as those near you were a[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): ll u]ll u^[above] [illegible]^[illegible]nder the care of [& | and]&and supplied by the
London Board in Boston[org0095.ocp]. you insisted upon your
[stay.g | staying]stay.gstaying at home one Year, I [propos'd | proposed]propos'dproposed your
[mak.g | making]mak.gmaking a settlement for yourself [& | and]&and
Wife[pers0029.ocp]
[& | and]&and part of your [famely | family]famelyfamily among some remote na[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): t]ttion,
[& | and]&and
[promis'd | promised]promis'dpromised you my [aſsistance | assistance]aſsistanceassistance, [& | and]&and friend[illegible]ship ^[above] as^as to your
comfortable support there, You rejected the proposal. I [offer'd | offered]offer'doffered to take part of your Children, [viz.t | viz]viz.tviz all that were suitable for it, if you [pleas'd & | pleased and]pleas'd &pleased and educate them in the best manner I could in my
School[org0098.ocp], You [shewed | showed]shewedshowed no disposition to comply with it. [2dly | 2ndly]2dly2ndly I never discouraged your going into the Indian Country, nor [shew'd | showed]shew'dshowed any [coldneſs | coldness]coldneſscoldness towards it, [unleſs | unless]unleſsunless when you [propos'd | proposed]propos'dproposed only just to make a short visit, which I was not sure would [anſwer | answer]anſweranswer the
[expence | expense]expenceexpense which You let me know would be [necſesary | necessary]necſesarynecessary to [prepair | prepare]prepairprepare You for [& | and]&and support you in it —
^[above] [3.dly | 3rdly]3.dly3rdly^[3.dly | 3rdly]3.dly3rdly You always knew there was money [eno' & | enough and]eno' &enough and my Heart always open to supply you as soon as I could see your Heart
in earnest to serve the Redeemer's Cause in that capacity.
[4.dly | 4thly]4.dly4thly the first I ever heard of your being [dis pos'd | disposed]dis pos'ddisposed to seek a settlement in the wilder
[neſs | ness]neſsness, was by [M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Woodward[pers0610.ocp] last Spring^[above] Winter^Winter, Whereupon I wrote a judicious [Christain | Christian]ChristainChristian friend, to [enquire | inquire]enquireinquire of your moral Charac ter, [& | and]&and advise whether it was such, as that I might with honor to the
Redeemer's, Cau[illegible]se employ you, [& | and]&and
[hope'd | hoped]hope'dhoped to hear, that which might warrant my proceeding thereto. And there is [noth.g want.g | nothing wanting]noth.g want.gnothing wanting at this time, but proper satisfaction that it
[my | may]mymay be done without reproach to the Re deemer's Cause, in
order to engage all my heart [& | and]&and powers therein. [5.[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): dly]dly | 5thly]5.[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): dly]dly5thly I [beleived | believed]beleivedbelieved your brother David[pers0155.ocp] did very
sinfully in [leav.g | leaving]leav.gleaving the Cause in the [wilderneſs | wilderness]wilderneſswilderness as he did.
[& | and]&and that his treatment of me was very ungenerous
[& | and]&and abusive, the particulars whereof I have told him. I have constantly [wish'd | wished]wish'dwished to
see him convinced of this [Rashnesſs | rashness]Rashnesſsrashness
[& | and]&and folly, [& | and]&and have been propense to forgive [& | and]&and restore him, [& | and]&and am so at this moment, thus I have given you a little sketch of things
as they [lye | lie]lyelie in my mind. My dear Man, I think you much dis honor
God, [intreating | in treating]intreatingin treating his great [goodneſs | goodness]goodneſsgoodness to You in opening such a favorable door to go on your so much [improv.g & | improving and]improv.g &improving and
[advantagous | advantageous]advantagousadvantageous tour to Europe[place0070.ocp] almost as [tho' | though]tho'though you had gone [thro' | through]thro'through a most tragical Scene of persecution. I am now got near my
[Journie's | journey's]Journie'sjourney's end, [& | and]&and long to be at rest, God grant we may both appear before him, [wash'd | washed]wash'dwashed in the Redeemer's blood [& cloath'd | and clothed]& cloath'dand clothed with his white Robes.
[Closer]
With Love to You [& | and]&and
[M.rs | Mrs.]M.rsMrs. Occom[pers0029.ocp] I am yet Your friend [& | and]&and Well wisher
Eleazar Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
Dartmouth College[org0037.ocp]
[Aug.t | August]Aug.tAugust 15. 1771[1771-08-15] —
[Postscript]
P.S. I shall be glad to employ your Brother David[pers0155.ocp]
[& | and]&and give him a reasonable Consideration, or as much as you mention, provided
he be in earnest engaged to promote the Cause proposed. I am weary of
connections with Men in whom there is no Faith.
[Trailer]
^[bottom] Windham[place0243.ocp]
[Aug | August]AugAugust^Windham[place0243.ocp]
[Aug | August]AugAugust
Document Summary
People identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Role in header | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|---|
pers0030.ocp | M. r Mr. Occom | recipient | Occom, Samson |
pers0029.ocp | Wife | mentioned | Occom, Mary (née Fowler) |
pers0610.ocp | M. r Mr. Woodward | mentioned | Woodward, Bezaleel |
pers0155.ocp | David | mentioned | Fowler, David |
pers0029.ocp | M. rs Mrs. Occom | mentioned | Occom, Mary (née Fowler) |
pers0036.ocp | Eleazar Wheelock | writer | Wheelock, Eleazar |
Places identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
place0095.ocp | Hanover | Hanover |
place0070.ocp | Europe | Europe |
place0243.ocp | Windham | Windham |
Organizations identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
org0095.ocp | London Board in Boston | The Company for Propagation of the Gospel in New England and the parts adjacent in America |
org0098.ocp | my School | Moor’s Indian Charity School |
org0037.ocp | Dartmouth College | Dartmouth College |
Dates identified in this document:
Standard Form | Text |
---|---|
1771-08-15 | 15th15th Aug.tAugust 1771 |
1771-07-24 | July 24.th24th |
1771-08-15 | Aug.tAugust 15.th15th 1771 — |
1771-08-15 | Aug.tAugust 15. 1771 |
Regularized text:
Type | Original | Regularized |
---|---|---|
modernization | 15th | 15th |
modernization | M.r | Mr. |
modernization | 24.th | 24th |
variation | faild | failed |
modernization | usefulneſs | usefulness |
variation | Litter | letter |
variation | Christain | Christian |
modernization | uncharitableneſs | uncharitableness |
variation | shew | show |
variation | travil | travail |
modernization | Rev.d | Rev. |
modernization | 15.th | 15th |
variation | 'tho | though |
modernization | impreſs | impress |
modernization | viz.t 1.st | viz 1st |
modernization | miſsion | mission |
variation | famely | family |
modernization | aſsistance | assistance |
modernization | viz.t | viz |
variation | shewed | showed |
modernization | 2dly | 2ndly |
variation | shew'd | showed |
modernization | coldneſs | coldness |
modernization | unleſs | unless |
modernization | anſwer | answer |
variation | expence | expense |
variation | necſesary | necessary |
variation | prepair | prepare |
modernization | 3.dly | 3rdly |
modernization | 4.dly | 4thly |
modernization | neſs | ness |
variation | enquire | inquire |
variation | hope'd | hoped |
variation | my | may |
modernization | 5.[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): dly]dly | 5thly |
variation | beleived | believed |
modernization | wilderneſs | wilderness |
variation | Rashnesſs | rashness |
variation | lye | lie |
variation | intreating | in treating |
modernization | goodneſs | goodness |
variation | advantagous | advantageous |
variation | Journie's | journey's |
modernization | M.rs | Mrs. |
Expanded abbreviations:
Abbreviation | Expansion |
---|---|
Aug.t | August |
& | and |
stand.g | standing |
tho' | though |
eno' | enough |
own'd | owned |
follow.g | following |
imagin.g | imagining |
dream'd | dreamed |
propos'd | proposed |
stay.g | staying |
mak.g | making |
promis'd | promised |
offer'd | offered |
pleas'd & | pleased and |
eno' & | enough and |
dis pos'd | disposed |
noth.g want.g | nothing wanting |
leav.g | leaving |
wish'd | wished |
improv.g & | improving and |
thro' | through |
wash'd | washed |
& cloath'd | and clothed |
Aug | August |
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 31) |
Number of people/places/organizations with unknown keys: | 0 (out of 15) |
Number of "add" tags with unknown 'place' attributes: | 0 (out of 6) |
Mixed case attribute values in header (potential error): | 0 (out of 100) |