Samson Occom
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Samson Occom (1723 – July 14, 1792; also misspelled as Occum and Alcom) was a member of the
Mohegan The Mohegan are an Algonquian Native American tribe historically based in present-day Connecticut. Today the majority of the people are associated with the Mohegan Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe living on a reservation in the east ...
nation, from near
New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...
, who became a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
cleric. Occom was the second Native American to publish his writings in English (after son-in-law Joseph Johnson (Mohegan/Brothertown) whose letter to Moses Paul, published April 1772, preceded Occom's by 6 months), the first Native American to write down his autobiography, and also helped found several settlements, including what ultimately became known as the
Brothertown Indians The Brothertown Indians (also ''Brotherton''), located in Wisconsin, are a Native American tribe formed in the late 18th century from communities of so-called " praying Indians" (or Moravian Indians), descended from Christianized Pequot, Nar ...
. Together with the missionary John Eliot, Occom became one of the foremost missionaries who cross-fertilised Native American communities with Christianized European culture.


Early life and education

Born to Joshua Tomacham and his wife Sarah, Occom is believed to be a descendant of Uncas, the notable Mohegan chief. According to his autobiography, at the age of 16 or 17, Occom heard the teachings of Christian evangelical preachers in the Great Awakening. He began to study theology at the "Lattin School" of Congregational minister
Eleazar Wheelock Eleazar Wheelock (April 22, 1711 – April 24, 1779) was an American Congregational minister, orator, and educator in Lebanon, Connecticut, for 35 years before founding Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. He had tutored Samson Occom, a Mohe ...
in 1743 and stayed for four years until leaving to begin his own career. In addition to improving his English, Occom learned to read and speak Latin, Greek, and
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. As a young man, the only book he owned was the Bible. From 1747 until 1749, Occom worked under and studied with the Reverend Solomon Williams in New London, Connecticut.


Career

Occom became a teacher, preacher, and judge among the Montaukett Native Americans in Montauk, eastern Long Island, and married Mary Fowler, a Montaukett woman. Occom helped some of the
Pequot The Pequot () are a Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut including the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, or t ...
peoples he worked with assimilate and adopt European-style houses, dress and culture. He was officially
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
a minister on August 30, 1759, by the presbytery of Suffolk. Occom was never paid the same salary as white preachers, although promised he would be. The Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge also gave Occom a stipend for some time, but he lived in deep poverty for much of his life. In 1761 and 1763, Occom traveled to the Six Nations of the Iroquois in
upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
to preach. Winning few converts, he returned to teach at Mohegan, Connecticut, near
New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ** ...
. Occom mediated the conflicts between the colonists and the Native Americans because he was very familiar with colonist culture and through Occom's missionary work he was recognized as a leader that strengthened Native American relations. Wheelock had meanwhile established an Indian
charity school Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...
in Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1754 with a legacy from Joshua Moor (among others). Upon Occom's return to Mohegan, Wheelock persuaded his former pupil to travel to England to raise money for the school. Occom sailed from Boston December 23, 1765, and did not return until May 20, 1768. He preached his way across Britain from February 16, 1766, to July 22, 1767, delivering between 300 and 400 sermons, drawing large crowds wherever he went, and raising over £12,000 for Wheelock's project.
King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
donated 200 pounds, and William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth, subscribed 50
guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
. However, Occom on his return learned that Wheelock had failed to care for Occom's wife and children while he was away. Furthermore, Wheelock moved to
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
and used the funds raised to establish
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
(named after the English earl) for the education of the sons of American colonists, rather than Native Americans as had originally been promised to Occom. Even 200 years later, the college had graduated less than 20 Native American students. In 1764, Occom opposed the sale of tribal lands and was involved in the “Mason Controversy,” a long lasting dispute over land between the colonists and the Mohegeans. The Mohegans formed an alliance with the Mason family to plead a case for the governor of Connecticut to give back the lands to the Mohegans. When Occom came back to Mohegans, he expressed his support for the Mason family and the Mohegans which caused the missionaries to make threats like taking away his preacher's license and to stop financing his missionary work. The colonists also started to spread bad rumors about Occom, especially about how he was an alcoholic and how he converted to Christianity just for show. In a 1769 letter, Wheelock wrote to Occom about a rumor about Occom being an alcoholic. The rumor hurt Occom's reputation after Occom's success in fundraising money in England. Wheelock suggested that Occom truly does not care for Christianity.  The stereotype of the drunk Indian was put onto Occom and undermined his missionary work. Wheelock benefited from the defamation of Occom as Wheelock got back his authority. Wheelock's letter further put forth the concept of fake conversion onto Occom and that Occom was not to be trusted as a preacher. In 1768, Occom wrote '' A Short Narrative of My Life'', a ten-page
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 printed or reproduced in ...
now held in Dartmouth College's archive collection; however, it was not published until 1982. The document expands upon a single-page biography that Occom wrote before his preaching tour of England and Scotland. Occom also published ''Sermon at the Execution of Moses Paul'' and ''A Choice Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs'' in 1774. All of these documents provide a very different perspective on the relations between colonists and Native Americans from
Mary Rowlandson Mary Rowlandson, née White, later Mary Talcott (c. 1637January 5, 1711), was a colonial American woman who was captured by Native Americans in 1676 during King Philip's War and held for 11 weeks before being ransomed. In 1682, six years after h ...
's narrative of her captivity in similar areas a century earlier.


Ministry and later life

Upon his return from England, Occom lived with his Mohegan people. After Wheelock's betrayal, Occom together with son-in-law Joseph Johnson, brothers-in-law David and Jacob Fowler, and others, worked to organize the Christian (or “praying”) Indians of
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
and Long Island into a new tribe in Upstate New York. On October 4, 1774, the Oneida ceded land to the East Coast Indians and by 1775, the initial group had begun to migrate. Burnt out at the outset of the Revolution, many went to Massachusetts to live among the Stockbridge until their return in 1785. Occom, his son-in-law Joseph Johnson (who had been a messenger for General
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
during the American Revolution), and his Montauk brother-in-law David Fowler led the people back to rebuild their settlement (near what is now
Waterville, New York Waterville (called ''Ska-na-wis'', "''long swamp''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. According to the 2010 census, its population was 1,583. History Long the traditional territory of the Iroquoian-s ...
) called Brothertown. The Oneida also invited other Christian Indians to live with them, namely the Stockbridge Mohican from land claimed by western
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
and two Lenape groups from the southern
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area. The Mohicans founded what they called New Stockbridge in New York, near
Oneida Lake Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York state, with a surface area of . The lake is located northeast of Syracuse and near the Great Lakes. It feeds the Oneida River, a tributary of the Oswego River, which flows into Lake Ontari ...
. Occom not only assured that these villages received official civil charters in 1787, but also evicted white settlers from Brothertown on April 12, 1792.Brooks, Joanna
''The Collected Writings of Samson Occom''
2006: Oxford University Press
Occom died on July 14, 1792, in New Stockbridge. He is said to be buried just off Bogusville Hill Road outside of
Deansboro, New York Deansboro is a hamlet in Oneida County, New York, United States. The Deansboro Railroad Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal governmen ...
.


Legacy

After Occom's death, during the 1820s, many
Brothertown Indians The Brothertown Indians (also ''Brotherton''), located in Wisconsin, are a Native American tribe formed in the late 18th century from communities of so-called " praying Indians" (or Moravian Indians), descended from Christianized Pequot, Nar ...
and some Oneida accepted payment from New York State for their land and were removed to what is now known as the town of Brothertown in
Calumet County Calumet County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 52,442. The county seat is Chilton, Wisconsin, Chilton. The county was created in 18 ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. In the modern era, the Brothertown Indians petitioned the federal government for recognition as a tribe, but were denied and have appealed. Several locations around
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
in
Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of En ...
, are named after Occom, including Occom Pond and Occom Ridge on the college campus's northern edge. The Native American Studies program has a Samson Occom
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
ship. The Occom Commons community space is part of Goldstein Hall in the recently opened McLaughlin Residential Cluster.
Eastern Connecticut State University Eastern Connecticut State University (Eastern, Eastern Connecticut, Eastern Connecticut State, or ECSU) is a public liberal arts university in Willimantic, Connecticut. Founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest campus in the Connecticut State Un ...
in
Willimantic, Connecticut Willimantic is a city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It is a former Census-designated place and borough, and is currently organized as one of two tax districts within the Town of Windham. Known as " ...
, also named a residence hall for upperclassmen after Occom. The Norwich, Connecticut neighborhood of Occum is named for Samson Occom. The Brothertown Indians celebrate Samson Occom Day as an official Tribal holiday every July 14. http://brothertownindians.org/image/cache/OccomDayRes.pdf On April 27, 2019, the Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth College erected a memorial on the site of Moor's Charity School in Columbia, CT, "commemorating and honoring Samson Occom for his contributions to the education of Native Americans and the founding of Dartmouth College."


Works of Samson Occom

* ''A Choice Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs'', New London, Connecticut: Press of Thomas and Samual Green, 1774. *''A Sermon Preached at the Execution of Moses Paul, An Indian Who Was Executed at New Haven on the 2nd of September 1772 for the Murder of Mr. Moses Cook, late of Waterbury, on the 7th of December 1771'',
New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
: Press of Thomas and Samual Green, 1772. *"A Short Narrative of My Life". ''The Elders Wrote: An Anthology of Early Prose by North American Indians 1768-1931''. Ed. Bernd Peyer.
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: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1982 762 12–18. (This work has recently been published in ''The Norton Anthology of American Literature''.) *''Journals, 1754 and 1786(?)'', Unpublished manuscript in collection of
New London County New London County is in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut Combined Statistical Area. There i ...
Historical Society. *''Herbs and Roots'', Unpublished manuscript in collection of New London County Historical Society. *''The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan''. Ed. Joanna Brooks. New York:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2006.


See also

*
Native American temperance activists A number of prominent Native Americans have protested against the social and cultural damage inflicted by alcohol on indigenous communities, and have campaigned to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol and to restrict its availability to ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* . * Brooks, Joanna, ed. ''The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Leadership and Literature in Eighteenth-Century Native America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.


External links


Indian Country Wisconsin: Brothertown History







Ordination of Samson Occom

The Mohegan Tribe: Heritage: Samson Occum

Native American Authors: Samson Occom
* Francis Whiting Halsey, ''The Old New York Frontier'', Part 2, Chapter 5: New Men at Oghwaga * Sherman, William Thomas
"Rev. Samson Occom: A Voice for the Native Americans"

Occom Circle Project
– documents by and about Occom housed at Dartmouth College {{DEFAULTSORT:Occom, Samson 1723 births 1792 deaths People from Oneida County, New York 18th-century Native Americans Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America American Presbyterian ministers American evangelicals Dartmouth College people People from Montville, Connecticut Converts to Presbyterianism Native American autobiographers American autobiographers People from Montauk, New York Burials in New York (state) People from Brothertown, Wisconsin 18th-century American clergy