:1/-^-

::^ \

1. L

{ \

THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF MISSIONS

vv-

?

J -7

\.

-i-/'-^':

■1\

, .1

,'■' i ' ) ■■■■

' ..-^ r

^■v.

r .^ .\

1\ •)

Vx\

THE LIBRARY OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF

NORTH CAROLINA

THE COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINIANA

Gp970.03

c55v

UNIVERSITY OF N C AT CHAPEL HILL

00032197444

■■*

FOR USE ONLY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION

Form No. A-368

0 '. V

■. ORIGIN ANi> IIHSTOUT

; . OF

■ • ■ , A IlECOnD OP Tim

' VOYAGES, TRAVEILS, I^ABOKS, AND SUCCESSES

•;.,'.'■ OP THE . . ,, •

VARIOUS MISSIONARIES,

■ •' WHO HAVE BEEN SENT FORTH BY I'ROTESTANT SOCIETIES AND CHURCHES

TO EVANGELIZE THE HEATHEN; COMPILED FROM AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS;

VOUMING A — , .

COMPLETE MISSION ASY MEPOSITOUY;

:' ,. / ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS,

■'■ . - ■ FROM

O R 1 G 1 N A L D R A W I N G S M A D i: E X P R E S S L Y F O R T II I S W O R K .

r

BY THE

REV. JOHN O. CHOULES, A. M.

NEW BEDFORD, MASS. AND THE

REV. THOMAS SMITH,

liATE MINISTER OF TRINITY CHAPEL, LONDON.

CONTINUED TO THE PRESENT TIME.

" To imbuo men thoroughly wiUi Uio Slissionary Spiril, \vc musl acquaint ihcin imimalcly willi tlio Missionary Enterprise.'

i>."

Doanc's IHissioiiafy Scnnon.

IN TWO V O L U lAI E S .

TOI^. II.

BOSTON:

PUBLISHED BY GOULD, KENDAUT. AND LLXCOLN,

AND

' CROCKER AND BREWSTER. . '. 1837.

492

AMKinCAN HAI'TIST P.OAKD OK FOUFJfliN :\I1SS10AS.

of [hn IndiiUi coiinlry, exiirrsscd liis \vlUiM<;iR's.s to eii- !;i\u;o ill tlio soi'\ico oi' llic bii:ircl, ;uul devote his life to tlio caii'-o oC missions. The Rev. .T;iines A. Koii- aldsoii, and llio Rev. John Young, made similaf of- fers of service ; and after receiviii|j; the nmst ample testimonials of tlieii' cliaracter and (jualifications, they were cordially received by the board."

At this time, a ;;encral feeling of the importance and benevolence of missions to the aborigines of America agitated the Baptist denomination tliroughont the land. Such, iiowever, was the condition of the people ill the AV'cstcrn Slates, that the missionaries could not, at once, enter on their appropriate work of preaching Christ to the Indians. Much of their time was occupied in breaking the bread of life to the des- titute while population. Rut they also performed journeys, and hekl conversations with the Indians, preparatory lo the establishment of a mission and schools among them. In this w(uk, they met with occurrences abundantly calculated to inierest and en- courage them. The Indians, in many cases, were so- licitous to have preaching for themselves, and schools for their children.

Accordingly, as soon as circumstances rendered it possible, stations were established by the board, in the heart of the Indian territory. On account of the roving character of the natives, the amount of suc- cess has not been so great as was desirable ; hut many souls have, nevertheless, been born into the kingdom. We present briedy the details of the several stations.

VALLEY TOWXS.

This slntion is situated on the river Iliwassee, in the state of iVorlh Carolina, among the Cherokee Indians.

In the year ISIR, "Rev. Humphrey Posey trav- elled tliroii'j;h the Cherokee nation, and originated three or lour schools for the Indian children ; but, for want of funds, or some other cause, they were relin- quished at the end f)f the first tjiiartcr. IIis journeys over that wild and mountainous country, were ex- tremely fatiguing; hut the willingness of the Iiulians to hear the gospel, and their importunity for a mis- sion, and schools, cheered him in his wanderings. After the suspension of his first schools, he went to Missouri, preaching as opportunity oflercd.

" During this lour, he travelled nearh' two ihousand miles; and on his return, he formed a lilili; establish- ment, erected suitable buildings for a mission fmiily, a school, and a workshop. His school contained be- tween forty and fifty chi\(lren in 1821, at which time, llic. board sent out a laige reinforcement; consisting

of ihe Rev. Thomas ]\oherts, Mr. ]'"vaii Jones, a teacher, and Mr. ("leaver, a blaeksiiiilh ; ail liicse cairicd wives. Mr. Fairier, a farmer and weaver, Miss Cleaver, Miss Jones and Mis.-, Lew is, \\'ilh se\'- cral children, helonging to the three families. "^riiey were set apart lo their work in ihe cil)- of Pliiladel- ])hia, and lell that place in Sc])tember, 18-21, laden with clolhing lor their scholars, and other necessary things, in a large missionary establishment.

"In lSx;;3, two or three of the natives heeaino se- rious, ami it was hoped they were real Ciiiistian.s. One of them was a lull Indian, named W'a-sa-di, a member of ihe national council, who received the gos- )iel through a very poor interpreter, l)eing entirely Ig- norant of the F.nglish language. His concern for the salvation of his jieople was so intense, that he hasten- ed to tell them all he knew of his great Deli\crcr, and prayed wall them, giving them the most earnest exhortalions lo (ly lo Christ, without a moment's de- lay. Il was, for a long time, dinicult to convince him that ungodly while men had ever heard of the sulTer- ings and love of the Sa\iour."

As the days of the millennium approach, Il is by no means wonderlul that the preaching of tiie gosjiel should be attended with success, and that all efibrts to advance the cause of holiness should be owned of God. Accordingly wc find the Indians one by one gathered into the church at this as well as at the other stations. Every year shows new triumplis of religion. This will appear evident from a letter to the corresponding secretary by Rev. Evan Jones, dated Valley Towns, October 12, 1827.

" I drop you a line previous to my starling to tiie Cherokee council, where a great number of people will be assembled ; and wdiere I hope to have an op- "jiortunily to proclaim the message of s;ilvaiio;i. I also cx|)ect lo visiL_scveral Indian settlements, border- ing on ihe line, in which a number of persons under- stand I'aiglish, but have no opporluniiy ol hearing the gospel. I find I shall have full employment in \i>iling the vai'ious places, where the people express a desire, and even an anxiety to hear the word. 1 rejoice to say ihe gosptd is gaining more and more auention ; am! that a few are deeply impressed wiih its sacred Ueaiis. The congregations are generally alTected uilh the word preached ; and not unfreqiiently dissolved in tears. The natives used to \iew all we said as mere legen- dary tales, in which Indians could ha\e no sort ol con- cern ; and the apathy and ]irollii;acy of ihe whites, residing among ihem, confirmed this opinion : some have even lakrn the jiains to endea\ or to persuade them that there is no Iruih in the gos|iel doclrincs. The Indians, howcvt'r, arc now fully ]iersua»;etl iliut these are true, and Christians their Iricnds.

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2011 with funding from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

http://www.archive.org/details/valleytownsOOchou

VAl.LFA' TO WAS.

'V.r.i

'' I hope the fci'liiig whirl) ap[io;irs lo ho excited in several peisons will, hy ihc powerful agciic}' of ihe IIol}' Spirit, he hrought lo a liapp)' issue.

" At Xotley, slxlecii miles from the mission-house, the prosjieei is very pleasiiie; : four oi (i\-e ajipear lo he imilor a work of grace, ami iwo of theui, I hope, have found ihe Saviour precious. At the last meet- ing, the peo|>lo in general appeared soleum and much impressed. Some came, who IkuI not heen at meet- ing lor two years. The earnestness of their neigh- hors seems to have aioused ihem. () u iicn shall the hapjty day come, in which they shall crowd to the staudaril of Inuuauuel !"

In Ma}', IS'^S, a school was commenced at IVotley, under encouraging circumstances, with fifteen pupils. This place also hecame a regidar preaching-station. It is the custom ol missionaries in the Indian coimtry, as elsewhere, to diiruse Chi'istianity as widely as may he, 1))' preaelilngin vai'lous places near iheir head-qiu\rlers. in a letter dated May, IS'JH, Mr. Jones says: —

'•' I have now five preaching places, at which a niuiihcr of persons understand ICngllsh, if the, very simplest language he used. At each of these places, there are some favorahlc indications. Indeed, wc are sometimes almost prompted to rejoice, as if we w'it- ncssed the hrst droppings of a gi'acious shower, coming on this thirsty land. This bears up our spiiits amidst many dliricultics and trials, with which our patii is strown."

The following extract from the rejiort of the board for 1830 j)ossesses interest.

"There were indications, in the early part of 1829, of more than ordinary attention to religion among the Indians. June llth, Mr. Jones wiites : ' Two Chcro- kces, Kanceda and his wife, neither of whom has any knowledge of the English language, ga\e us an ac- count of a work of grace on their minds, and the happy change it had produced, which caused a thrill of wonder and joy to pass through the amliencc. A great number of peojilc were present. Two white females also professed faith In the Redeemer. . They were all baptized, and afterward sat down to com- memorate the death of Christ. It was the most in- teresting day we have ever witnessed at this place.' " In January of the jiresent year, he adds: ' Every meeting, some new cases of anxious in(purers occur. Our brother Kanecda, whom we now call .John Wick- hfre,was licensed last church meeting; and he intends to devote himself to the «oik of proclaiming Jesus to dying sinners, all the time ho can spare from the la- b(jr necessary to suj>porl his family. lie is a man of gooil uii(ler>tandiug, ardent piety, ami pf)ssesses, in a In-h degree, the confidence of the peopl(^ lie has luiiehased an improvement two miles from the station,

ami rcmo\i'd to it for the express jiurpose of getting more instruction in ihe docliines of the gospel."

The revival jusi mentioned continued through iho year. And while the temporal circumstances of tiie Chcrokees were growing dar]<er and darker, in coiise- (pienci: of the negotialions for their removal hom the land of their fathers, the light of heaven was spif.'ad- ing rapidly on every side. During the year, forty- eight persons were baptized on a profe'ssion of iheir faith ; and many of them becanu! active in advancin-' the cause of Christ among tlnnr eountrymen.

On the (ilh of June, ly;32, lie v. Mr. Jones writes ; — " I hiul the unspeakable pleasure last sabbath lo bnry in baplism llilrly-slx full Chertikees, Iwtnly-fcnir males ami twelve females. Among them was a man apparently tibout seventy years old, accomiiani(;d hy two sons, a daui;hter and hi;r husband, and three grandsons. Another man, about sixty, publicly re- nounced rendering homage to fire and imaginary be- ings, and his practice of conjui ing, and professed jiim- self a follower of the supreme God, through the medi- ation of his Son Jesus Christ. Two females were quite aged, and nine men and their wives were in the prime of life. All these joyfully followed the steps of iiic Saviour. The congregation on the sabbath was large and serious; and, on invitation, about fifty came for- ward to express their desire to forsake sin and seek salvation." At subsequent periorls, thirteen more were added lo the chuiidi by baptism, and three by letter, making the entire number of members one hundred and sixty-five, — of whom one is black, fif- teen (including the missionaries) arc white, and one liundred and forty-nine are Cherokees.

l>y later information, as recent as July, JS3-!, we learn that the gospel is still advancing. Twcnly more have been baplizetl, making the [iresent number of the church one hundred and eighty-five.

There are two native preachers and Civc exhorlcrs, who are very useful in their respective neighborhoods, and the former often travel to distant places. The pious character of the converts generally is fully sus- tained. Says Mr. Jones, " In all the settlements where the members reside [being remote from the station], they meet on sabbath days to sing and I'ray. They have also regular prayer-meetings in the week. All the heads of families have morning and evening woishlp in their houses, and man)-, who arc not heads of families, use their innuencc for that purpose."

There has sprung up in the nation, about seventy- five mil(;swest of the Valley Towns, a second church, the history of which is worthy of record. Three years ago, Mr. Jesse IJushyliead, a Cherokee, became convinced, b\ Ino study of the l)ible alone, of the iluty and proju'lety of believers' baptism; and though

491

AMKIUCAN I^Ai'TIST nOAKl) OF FOllEICX MISSIO.XS.

at ilic lime iinacqiiiiintctl wiili any Baplisis, lie took a journey of lucnty miles to aiicml one of their mcet- ini;s, and make an open profession of liis faiili. On this occasion, there was a minister, ]irRscnt from Ten- nessee, who soon after visited the nci^lihorhood of Mr. IJushyliead, and commenced |)reacliin;j; once a month. His labors were blessed, and in a little lime a church was gathered, which nou- consisis of sevcnt}'- tluce members ; ihirly-five of whom were bnpii/.ed in the nation, and tlic others from the vicinity, or were received by letter. To this church Mr. Hushyhcad belongs, and by tliein he has been licensed to i)rcach. lie reads English with ease, and is ca|)alile of acquir- ing knowledge from any books published in tlic language, and consequently of prcjiaring himself for much usefulness. It is proposed by the board to take bin) into tlicir service so soon as negotiations for the purpose can bo completed.

CAREY.

In 1820, Rev. Isaac McCoy commenced a mission- ary station at Fort Wayne, Indiana ; which was a central point for jMiamies, Ottawas, Puttawatloniies, and Shawnces. He was aided by several assistants, till IVovember, 1322 ; when the mission family, con- sisting of fifty persons, removed to a place on the river St. Josephs, one hundred miles north-west of Fort Wayne, which they called Carey. During liis stay at Fort Wayne, Mr. McCoy baptized several Indians, had a flourisliing school, and constituted a small church. Fort Wayne is no longer a missionary station.

Additions, from time to time, were made to tlie mis- sionary family at Carey, and the gosjiel was, to a con- siderable extent, received with joy. In a letter dated March, 1825, Mr. McCoy says : —

" JS'otwithsianding there luul, at dilTerent times, been baptized, at our establishment, four while per- sons, and three Indian wojncn, yet we had all along supposed our labors were bestowed upon a sterile soil. The Lord allowed us to labor under numerous dis- appointments and discouragements, until we, anil all who thought our labors worth their notice, had seen tliat facts, as here exhibited, truly said, that the work of saving sinners was his : then he spake, and the ' savage heard ; he smiled, and the forest echoed with praise.

" About the 1st of October, our hopes were raised by appearances of a religious excitement, in the re- sult of which, the expectations which were then in- spired, have been more than realized. The first fruit

was among our hired whiio men, next our In.;i:in pu- pils, and thence the work extended to adult Indians, unconnected with our school. Ei-lit of the first, eleven of the second, and one of the last mentioned, have i)een buried with Christ in bajitlsm since the 7th of iNovendjer last, and there is now one candidate for baptism."

The rovii}g habits of the Indians arc a poworfid barrier, in the way of missionary success. Ao sooner have ihcy become a lillle acquainted vviih ihe man- ners and forms of our missionaries, and gained a sli''lit -knowledge of ilie things of religion, than they arc hurried away to the cliasc. They forget God and heaven ; and all that they have heard bounds olT from their minds like the deer which they piwsiii; among the foresls, leaving scarcely any moie traces of its existence, than their own arrows in the open heaven. J3ut Christians are to wait wiih |/alience fi<r the precious fruits of their labors ; knowing that he is faithful who hath promised.

" In September, 1828, the conimissloncrs of gov- ernment negoliaicd a treaty with the Putlawattoniir-, by which all the surrounding country, with the exci'ji- lion of ten miles square, was ceded to the United Slates. Within the reserve was the sile of the mis- sion, concerning which a provisionary ai tide was in- corporated in the treaty, providing an indemniiy, when the station should be given up. In the mean- time, this tribe were to be principally shut u-p on ll.eir small reserve. If any advantage could be looked for from such a posture of their affairs, it must arise from their proximity to the missionaries, within whose in- fluence they would be more directly ]ilaced.

"The number of children in the school was, at that time, about seventy. Four of the men on the farm had also been lately brought to the knowledge of the iruiii."

" An interesting account," says the report for June, 1829, " has also been received by the board, within llic year, of the dealh of Anthony Hollo, at the siniioii. Ho was a half-breed Pullawaltomie, whose mind his father had deeply imbued with the Catholic supersti- tions; nor was he willing that his son should be pluri il witliin the religious induence of the missionaries. .Af- ter the demise of his father, a train of incidents coii- spireil to bring Anthony to the school, thougii i:ii- bittered in his prejudices, and fully fortified in li;s resolutions against Protestant Christianity, .\fier re- siding here for a time, a revi\al commenced ir. ilie establishment, which tcrndnated favorably for him. lie earlv became a subject of conviction ; but Ins lor- mer views greatly obstructed his coming to Clwisl. till at length he saw there was no other reluge. 'Ti;e Gib of January, 1825,' says Mr. IMrCoy, 'was ,i d.iy long to be remembered. It was on the evening ol ilns

:;''-i -1.: )

:iji

S\ ■ ..•

'Si'

s.-:;yA

j7^'.,.;5v

V,.>V:

■\ )'

/ :/

fr

I - /

.\K1

-1. ;^\:

.c;^-.

z^-

,-, !. V-

f^/^^