The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-18
III.

The grandfather Of Samson Occom was an In
rinn Of the MohAgnn 'fb" whose name Is given
In . document u 1858 ~ TomocAham. who
moved southwark from n. region between the
Shcturkrtan mi Quinnsiaug rivers, ard setup his
vigwam w"st of the river names IN the vicinity
~ Uncas Hi. tho ancient home Of his Snohen,
~ this time, the tribe Of the Moh.gnns was not
gathered 10 any extent In vlllnges. In lt25,
they were said 90 number 35l. am thirteen yeHrS
later, II was avorred that thor" Nsre ,hcn only
10 males above 10 years Of aga who lived
Al Michigan, md only 81 who had permanent
dwelling places on the Moheran lsnd Tomcck
hrm'e son Joshua had y Wigven about a mil"
north ~ rnca- Hill, and her. the toy Samson
VAS horn in IN" year l122. his mother ~ said tN
hive bpen a descendant Of the famous Nohegan
chief. Tncas Having hecorre ultimately, a
convert 10 Chris,innliv, and even \ member q
the church, she exercised n powerful influence
oy er her sons lifc and character. In 1908, whom
Samson Occom was thinking Of PREPARING an
autohiogra ply, he wrote \ few pages concerning
his ee hy lif~ which have been preserved. In this
manuscript he speak. thus Of his home, which
WAS onGinnllv hoathrn, Il NAs horn a heather,
and brought up in heathcnism I'll I wns between
10 and II years Of age, NJ = place
called Michigan, In New London. Conn.
In New England. My parents led a wandering
HE, a. I'D all the Indians At Michigan They
chiefly depended upon hunting. fishing and fowl
Ing for their living and had no connection with the
English, excepting to trnnlc with them IN their
small trifes, and they strictly maintained and fol
lowed their heathenish ways, customs and religion
Neither did We cultivate our land, nor keep any
sort Of creatures, excepting dogs, which We used
In hunting: ANA W dwelt In wigwsms. These
are a sort ~ tent covered with mats mad" NJ fsgs.
And, To this tine, We were unncqunint"d with the
English tongue In general, though there were
A few who understood a little Of IT,"
The N-St attempts TO ciyilt1a tbs Mohegans
~ not make any impression upon the youth
Samson Occom, In the manuscript from which
We have Just quoted, he gives the following nc
count ., them. Once A fortnight In the sum mer
season , minister from New London USED 10 rome
up, and the Indians TO attend, not that they regarded
the Christian ~rc'igion. but they had blankets
stvsn 10 thnm every fall q the year. AMI for these
things they would attend. And there was a
sort Of = school KEEP, when I wn~ quite young.
hu, ! believe that there never was one that evrr
learned to pni anything. When | wa. abou,
10 years of age, there was , man who went about
NNlOUE NV lH'lNH NIX nIl~ niilt W H-
coul nnd the Indian chii'ren, would make them
read, but the children used to take care "a keep
out Of his way he used N catch ne sometimes
and h'afe me say over my lett rs, and | believe
LEANED some Of them. but this was soon over
too, and oil this time, there was not one amongS
us that made = profession Of Christianity Sam
son Uccom WAS eventually converted. according
10 the testimony u Dr Wheelnck. by the blesing
oi God on the lahors of the Rev Mr. Davenport"
Thu account Of Samson's experience IL thus
given In his own words "Whpn was 10 years
Of ag, "" heard a strange mmor among the
English thnt there were exIsOrdinary ministers
preaching from place 10 place and n strange con
Germ among the white people, This was in the
spnng Of the year. hut We saw nothing O, these
things tll some dme in tho summer, when some
miristers hegan TO visit us and preach the Word
Of God And tn" common people also came fre-
qucntly and exhorted US 10 the things Of God
which It pleased the Lord, as ! humbly hope, 10
bless and accompany with divine influences 20
the conviction and saving conversion Of a number
of US sInongs. whom l was one tia, was i'm.