John Gottlieb Ernestus Heckewelder (March 12, 1743 – January 21, 1823) was an American

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

for the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

Biography

John Heckewelder was born in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, England and came to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1754. After finishing his education, he was apprenticed to a

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. Following a visit to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

with Christian F. Post, a colonial agent, in 1762 he began temporary employment in the Moravian missions at Friedenshütten and Sheshequin, Pennsylvania. In 1771, he entered upon his actual career as an

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

to the Indians, being appointed assistant to

David Zeisberger David Zeisberger (April 11, 1721 – November 17, 1808) was a Moravian clergyman and missionary among the Native American tribes who resided in the Thirteen Colonies. He established communities of Munsee (Lenape) converts to Christianity in the ...

, in Ohio, where he remained for fifteen years. In 1792, at the request of the Secretary of War, he accompanied Gen.

Rufus Putnam Brigadier-General Rufus Putnam (April 9, 1738 – May 4, 1824) was an American military officer who fought during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. As an organizer of the Ohio Company of Associates, he was instrumental ...

to Post Vincennes to treat with the Indians. In 1793 he was again commissioned to assist at a treaty with the Indians of the lakes. In his book, Heckewelder explained the beliefs of the Delaware

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

, that the creator "made the Earth and all that it contains for the common good of mankind; when he stocked the country that he gave them with plenty of game, it was not for the benefit of a few, but of all; everything was given in common to the sons of men. Whatever liveth on the land, whatsoever groweth out of the Earth, and all that is in the rivers and waters was given jointly to all and everyone is entitled to his share. From this principle hospitality flows as from its source." Between 1797 and 1800 he remained mainly in Ohio, and was for a time in the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, being a

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, a

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, and an associate justice of the court of common pleas. He settled at Gnadenhutten, Ohio, in 1801, and devoted himself to the duties of his agency. In 1810 he resigned and engaged in literary pursuits in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, Pennsylvania, until his death. In 1822 Heckewelder was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
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Literary work

Heckewelder studied the languages, manners, and customs of American Indians, particularly the

Delawares The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

. While a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

, at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, several of his contributions were published in their transactions. He also published ''Account of the History, Manners, and Customs of the Indian Nations who once inhabited Pennsylvania and the Neighboring States'' (Philadelphia, 1818; German translation, Göttingen, 1821; French translation, Paris. 1822); ''Narrative of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Delawares and Mohegan Indians'' (Philadelphia, 1820); and a collection of ''Names which the Lenni Lenape or Delaware Indians gave to Rivers, Streams, and Localities within the States of Pennsylvania. New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia, with their Signification'' (1822). Many of his

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

s are in the collections of the

Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...

Legacy

*The John Heckewelder Memorial Moravian Church, Gnadenhutten, Ohio was named in his honor.

Notes

References

* which in turn cites: ** Edward Rondthaler, ''Life of Heckewelder,'' (Philadelphia, 1847).

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heckewelder, John Gottlieb Ernestus 1743 births 1823 deaths American Protestant missionaries American people of the Moravian Church Moravian Church missionaries British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies People of colonial Pennsylvania People from Bedford Members of the American Antiquarian Society Protestant missionaries in the United States Linguists of Algic languages People from Tuscarawas County, Ohio Missionary linguists