John Sergeant, letter, to Peter Thacher, 1788 May 19
19 May 1788[1788-05-19]
ms number788319
[note (type: abstract): Sergeant writes of a division within the Stockbridge Tribe regarding his position as minister, as opposed to Occom's. He reports that Occom has been resorting to unkind means to support his own position.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is small, but largely clear and legible.][note (type: paper): Single large sheet folded in half to make four pages in good condition, with light staining, creasing and wear.][note (type: ink): Black-brown.][note (type: noteworthy): The last words of lines 28 and 29 on one recto spill over onto the page behind it (two recto).]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]
Stockbridge[place0225.ocp]
May [19..th | 19th]19..th19th 1788[1788-05-19].
Reverend and Dear Sir
I received yours [encloſing | enclosing]encloſingenclosing the Bills last [Fryday | Friday]FrydayFriday[1788-05-16] thank you kindly for your attention to the [buſineſs | business]buſineſsbusiness I thought it might be agreeable to you and the [Com==miſsioners | Commissioners]Com==miſsionersCommissioners[org0011.ocp] in general to be informed that in com==pliance with
their direction; I have made application to the neighbouring [Miniſters | ministers]Miniſtersministers for Ordination. [incloſed | enclosed]incloſedenclosed I send [coppies | copies]coppiescopies which will give you the full infor=mation of the [buſineſs | business]buſineſsbusiness. conclude it is perfectly agree=able to the [wiſh | wish]wiſhwish of the Board[org0011.ocp], who command the line of
my conduct in the [buſiniſs | business]buſiniſsbusiness of my [miſsion | mission]miſsionmission —
It was thought [beſt | best]beſtbest I should be ordained at large for several [reaſons | reasons]reaſonsreasons. There could be but few of my people
[preſent | present]preſentpresent. [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Kirkland[pers0315.ocp] has told me that he [informd | informed]informdinformed
the Board[org0011.ocp] of some [diſputes | disputes]diſputesdisputes and [Diviſions | divisions]Diviſionsdivisions that had taken place among my people [laſt | last]laſtlast summer before my new appointment. dont fully know in what light he
[repreſented | represented]repreſentedrepresented the matter. Think he could know but little of their [preſent | present]preſentpresent situation and feelings to==wards me, in a view of my new
appointment having had no [oppertunity | opportunity]oppertunityopportunity with them since [laſt | last]laſtlast fall [& | and]&and the
[begining | beginning]beginingbeginning of winter before they had knowledge of my being again put into the [miſsion | mission]miſsionmission. I have not time Sir to relate to you the [perticulars | particulars]perticularsparticulars of their [diſputes | disputes]diſputesdisputes will only mention, the [diſpute | dispute]diſputedispute began upon this
[queſtion | question]queſtionquestion, [wheather | whether]wheatherwhether they had better take [Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
[Ocam | Occom]OcamOccom[pers0030.ocp] or myself for their [Miniſter | minister]Miniſterminister, as he was about to settle in a neighbouring Town, expecting to have
him part of the time and could support him [eaſier | easier]eaſiereasier than [myſelf | myself]myſelfmyself — in their ^[above] [diviſion | division]diviſiondivision^[diviſion | division]diviſiondivision of the Tribe on the [queſtion | question]queſtionquestion, there were 30 for [Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
[O | Occom]OOccom —[pers0030.ocp] 50 for [myſelf | myself]myſelfmyself. Since my new ap==pointment about half of the 30 have openly
left [Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
[O. | Occom]O.Occom—[pers0030.ocp] I [hant | haven't]hanthaven't time Sir to mention some unkind [mea==ſures | measures]mea==ſuresmeasures
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
[O | Occom]OOccom —[pers0030.ocp] has taken to support his [wiſh | wish]wiſhwish — but only mention that the bigger half of my people are so [prej[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): d]dud[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): uce]uced | prejudiced]prej[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): d]dud[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): uce]ucedprejudiced
[againſt | against]againſtagainst
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
[O | Occom]OOccom —[pers0030.ocp] that I sincerely believe if I was to leave them, they
would be the [moſt | most]moſtmost un=happy people in the world — in short the Tribe[org0121.ocp] broken up, and come to ruin. Having [theſe | these]theſethese views of their of their situation induced me to say what I
did to the [Commiſsioners | Commissioners]CommiſsionersCommissioners[org0011.ocp] concerning the importance of my [Miſsion | mission]Miſsionmission.
The Chief, and only
supporter of [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Occom[pers0030.ocp]s [Intreſt | interest]Intreſtinterest made that [speach | speech]speachspeech to me which you find in my J[illegible]ournal
This view of the situation of my people which is well known to the gentlemen here,
has been another [reaſon | reason]reaſonreason why my ordination has been in the manner it is. in the [diviſion | division]diviſiondivision of the old [profeſsors | professors]profeſsorsprofessors of religion belonging to the stockbridge[place0225.ocp] church there were 10 [Mr | Mr.]MrMr.
[O | Occom]OOccom[pers0030.ocp]. 16 for [myſelf | myself]myſelfmyself. I have written this Sir in [ſome | some]ſomesome
[haſt | haste]haſthaste you will [pleaſe | please]pleaſeplease to
[excuſe | excuse]excuſeexcuse it — my time very much taken up. I expect to set out for the [Wildnerneſs | wilderness]Wildnerneſswilderness god willing tomorrow. [illegible]hope I may be
the means of union [& | and]&and
[happineſs | happiness]happineſshappiness among my people I know they have all a strong affection for me
[Closer]
I remain [Rev..nd | Rev.]Rev..ndRev. Sir your [moſt | most]moſtmost obliged friend and Brother
John Sergeant[pers0470.ocp]
[Revd | Rev.]RevdRev.
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Thatcher[pers0532.ocp] —
[Trailer]
Mr Sargeant[pers0470.ocp]'s Letter 1788
The Reverend Peter Thatcher[pers0532.ocp]
Boston[place0013.ocp]
[right] Favoured by
[Hon.ble | Honourable]Hon.bleHonourable
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Sedgweck[pers0720.ocp]
Favoured by
[Hon.ble | Honourable]Hon.bleHonourable
[Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Sedgweck[pers0720.ocp]
Document Summary
People identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Role in header | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|---|
pers0315.ocp | M r Mr. Kirkland | mentioned | Kirkland, Samuel |
pers0030.ocp | M r Mr. Ocam Occom | mentioned | Occom, Samson |
pers0030.ocp | M r Mr. O Occom — | mentioned | Occom, Samson |
pers0030.ocp | O. Occom — | mentioned | Occom, Samson |
pers0030.ocp | M r Mr. Occom | mentioned | Occom, Samson |
pers0030.ocp | M r Mr. O Occom | mentioned | Occom, Samson |
pers0470.ocp | John Sergeant | writer | Sergeant, Jr., John |
pers0532.ocp | M r Mr. Tha t cher | recipient | Thacher, Peter |
pers0470.ocp | Mr Sargeant | writer | Sergeant, Jr., John |
pers0532.ocp | Peter Tha t cher | recipient | Thacher, Peter |
pers0720.ocp | M r Mr. Sedgweck | mentioned | Sedgweck |
Places identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
place0225.ocp | Stockbridge | Stockbridge |
place0225.ocp | stockbridge | Stockbridge |
place0013.ocp | Boston | Boston |
Organizations identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
org0011.ocp | the Com==miſsionersCommissioners | Boston Board of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge |
org0011.ocp | the Board | Boston Board of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge |
org0121.ocp | the Tribe | Stockbridge Tribe |
org0011.ocp | the CommiſsionersCommissioners | Boston Board of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge |
Dates identified in this document:
Standard Form | Text |
---|---|
1788-05-19 | May 19..th19th 1788 |
1788-05-16 | last FrydayFriday |
Regularized text:
Type | Original | Regularized |
---|---|---|
modernization | 19..th | 19th |
modernization | encloſing | enclosing |
variation | Fryday | Friday |
modernization | buſineſs | business |
modernization | Com==miſsioners | Commissioners |
modernization | Miniſters | ministers |
variation | incloſed | enclosed |
variation | coppies | copies |
modernization | wiſh | wish |
variation | buſiniſs | business |
modernization | miſsion | mission |
modernization | beſt | best |
modernization | reaſons | reasons |
modernization | preſent | present |
modernization | Mr | Mr. |
variation | informd | informed |
modernization | diſputes | disputes |
modernization | Diviſions | divisions |
modernization | laſt | last |
modernization | repreſented | represented |
variation | oppertunity | opportunity |
variation | begining | beginning |
variation | perticulars | particulars |
modernization | diſpute | dispute |
modernization | queſtion | question |
variation | wheather | whether |
variation | Ocam | Occom |
modernization | Miniſter | minister |
modernization | eaſier | easier |
modernization | myſelf | myself |
modernization | diviſion | division |
variation | hant | haven't |
modernization | mea==ſures | measures |
variation | prej[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): d]dud[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): uce]uced | prejudiced |
modernization | againſt | against |
modernization | moſt | most |
modernization | theſe | these |
modernization | Commiſsioners | Commissioners |
modernization | Miſsion | mission |
variation | Intreſt | interest |
variation | speach | speech |
modernization | reaſon | reason |
modernization | profeſsors | professors |
modernization | ſome | some |
modernization | haſt | haste |
modernization | pleaſe | please |
modernization | excuſe | excuse |
variation | Wildnerneſs | wilderness |
modernization | happineſs | happiness |
modernization | Rev..nd | Rev. |
modernization | Revd | Rev. |
Expanded abbreviations:
Abbreviation | Expansion |
---|---|
& | and |
O | Occom |
O. | Occom |
Hon.ble | Honourable |
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 18) |
Number of people/places/organizations with unknown keys: | 0 (out of 21) |
Number of "add" tags with unknown 'place' attributes: | 0 (out of 2) |
Mixed case attribute values in header (potential error): | 0 (out of 103) |