Diary of Shamokin in the month of April 1755
[Diarist Rösler]
Tuesday, April 1
After Brothers Boehner and Anton Schmidt left here for Bethlehem yesterday, Brothers Gattermeyer and Rösler, who are to be occupied here with Brother Weha, began to settle into their affairs. We still had our dear Brother Christian Seidel and Heinrich Frey with us who were however preparing for a journey tomorrow. The former held a short sermon and Evening Blessing for us on the Daily Text of the Savior: “ Seelig sind, die izt glauben”[166]
On Wednesday, April 2 Brother Christian Seidel conducted the morning blessing for us and after breakfast he departed from here with Henrich Frey and the Indian Brother Joseph. Brothers Rösler and Weha accompanied them for part of the way and carried their bundles for them. In the afternoon it rained very heavily and because it had rained the whole of the previous night, we thought of our pilgrims a great deal especially as to how they would cross the big creeks. In the evening, as it was still raining heavily, a family of Delaware came from the West Branch who asked us for night lodging. We gave them permission and they were quite orderly and grateful and we three Brothers laid ourselves down to rest quite content after our evening blessing.
On Thursday, April 3 we had another Delaware Indian to take in, along with a white man from Thomas McKee’s people, who came from the Allegheny.[167] They were both very modest and wanted to acknowledge clearly everything they had enjoyed from us. Finally he said that he had often thought of visiting Bethlehem.
On Friday, April 4 we were quite alone and content in our household. In the evening around our fire we held beautiful discourses of the heart and closed the day with a blessed liturgy from the hymn “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden…”[168]
On the Sabbath, April 5th towards midday we held our Sabbath Love Feast. We had all kinds of visits today from Delaware Indians, who were either travelling through or else were hungry and looking for food. We fed the latter according to our means.
On Sunday April 6th over breakfast we discussed how we wanted to celebrate our Sabbath Sunday. Right after this we prayed the Gemein-Litaney during which we felt especially close to the Savior at the verse “Mein GOtt, du siehst sie wieder..”
Around midday, French Margaret[169] stopped in with several of her people and ordered something from me in the smithy and then she continued on her way. In the afternoon we delighted collectively in the first homily of the Litany of the Wounds.[170]
Monday, April 7th. Today we were able to work in our garden for the first time and sowed all kinds of seeds. Not far from our house an Indian woman had camped with a few barrels of rum. That did not bode well for us, especially as an increasing number of Indians gathered and then see, in the afternoon, what we had predicted, began. There was quite a hubbub around our house and their comings and goings at our house made us quite uneasy.
On Tuesday, April 8 the noise that had begun yesterday and that had continued through the night went on. In the evening, several came into our house, one of whom made a lot of noise and in his madness thought that he knew how to speak about Jesus in the thinking of the Dunkers and Herrnhuters. Later, he was taken back to his wife by another Indian who had sobered up a little and then we could sleep that night quite peacefully.
On Wednesday, April 9
Today, on my 45th birthday, which I celebrated by myself at my work, in the blessed closeness of the Savior , it was quiet around the house again. We were visited by several Indians who were travelling by. An old Indian also came to me who lives about 5 miles from here on the other side of the Susquehanna. He complained to us that he otherwise lived in Jersey with Brainerd’s people[171] but had been forcibly taken away from there by his son and that he was very anxious here. He stayed the night with us and we were quite comfortable with him. We told him something of the Savior and about Gnadenhütten, about which he knew a little. After a singing hour, during which we cleaved ourselves anew to the wounds of the Savior with a few verses and celebrated Br. Rösler’s birthday, we laid ourselves down to sleep quite content.
On Thursday, April 10 in the morning we prepared a love feast for ourselves as much as in commemoration of Brother Rösler’s birthday yesterday as for the description today of our dear Lord: An air of the heathen: Shamokin is surely a Heiden Paß. There is no-one now living here, one gets to see so few Indians here that I had not imagined this. After a blessed little singing hour that Brother Gattermeyer held we laid ourselves down contentedly to sleep.
On Friday, April 11th we were once again visited by all kinds of Indians. Brother Weha visited the Delaware who had recently behaved so badly in his drunkenness and he had visited here again afterwards, and was quite withdrawn and when he was drunk again did not behave the way he had the first time. He can also speak some German. Brother Gattermeyer, who is beginning to learn some Delaware, used him for this purpose.
ON the Sabbath, April 12, we held our Sabbath love feast at noon with lovely heartfelt conversations, and immediately afterwards a blessed liturgy from the Pleurody.[172] We were ignored by the Indians who lived around us, and quite undisturbed during this. Towards evening Petrus Hük, the shoemaker arrived with his son and brought us 4 bushels of maize flour. It was just at the right time as our maize had just run out and one of us would have had to go.
On Sunday, April 13 we held an opportunity, because we had our friends with us, to speak about our good shephard who gave his life for us and his martyrdom. The shoemaker told us afterwards that considering the sermon he was no longer in agreement with his neighbors. A Lutheran pastor had been there several times already. They wanted to build a church and considered him to be a Herrnhuter (Moravian). He assured us of his love even though he knew that he was not like us. Soon after this the Indians began to drink again and because there was one among them who had something against the shoemaker we made sure that he left with his son because they soon would have found him in our house. Now our Sunday was at an end as they made a terrible noise which continued on throughout the night.
Monday, April 14
Today we had a difficult day as our house was constantly surrounded by and full of drunken Indians. At first the men drank alone, after this the women began. Some Maqua arrived as well of whom some immediately started drinking also. It would have been a great comfort to us if we could have gone into the bush, but we had to endure it. One could see so clearly how the poor heathen had been tyrannized by the god they had worshipped until now and how they had benefitted from the white people until now because one could hear, especially from one of them, all the most slovenly words in the German language. In the evening it quietened down. It was as though a powerful storm had passed. We spoke with each other about what had happened and prostrated ourselves before the Savior and laid ourselves down to sleep after a little Singing Hour.
Tuesday, April 15
During the past night one could hear screaming now and again. A drunk knocked on our house one time but went on his way again. And thus we had contact from this sort of people the whole day, who were however quite quiet. In the evening a Maqua came with his wife and boy and stayed with us. He has been here many times. They came from Schoharie above Tioga. They are baptized and live on the West Branch.
On Wednesday 16th April we had some visits from Indians. The Maqua, who are staying where our old house used to be, were reveling today. We could hear them quite well but were left in peace by them.
On Thursday, 17th April French Margaret returned and stopped in at our house at 4.30am. We treated her happily to breakfast with Sapas and milk. They were also very friendly towards us. At midday Labachpeter[173] was with us and we talked about our people for a while. Drunken womenfolk of the Maqua came by too but we did not let them into our house and so they went on their way again.
Friday, April 18
Today Shikellamy’s sons arrived and the Delaware who had been around us began to set off for Tulpehocken again. Towards evening we unexpectedly saw our dear Ahamamad[174] who had come from our dear Bethlehem and overjoyed us with letters, greetings and other tales from there. He was quite wet from the rain and had gone through some difficultues and looked quite despondent so that we were worried about him.
On the Sabbath, the 19th April, we held our Love Feast at midday at which we had our deat Ahamamad who entertained us with discourses and verses with a sabbathlike feeling. Not long after this he went to see white people across the Susquehanna to look for someone who would help him to bring 10 bushels of Indian corn up the Susuquehanna that he had left about 15 miles from here. In the evening he returned and had found someone.
On Sunday, 20th April
We held contented discourses over breakfast and after this we prayed the GemeinLitaney, during which we felt quite at peace. After lunch Br. Aahammad left here with our canoe to fetch the abovementioned corn.
Monday 21st April
Today we were busy with our ordinary work in our garden and had to deal with hungry Indians visiting us like every day.
On Tuesday April 22 at noon Brother Abramamad arrived with his corn. Because the Susuqeuhanna is high he had exhausted himself and had fallen into the water a few times.
On Wednesday 23rd April early Logan and John Shikellamy[175] had breakfast with us. Another Indian and his wife, who is the daughter of Paxinos, came as well. Br. Ahamamad gathered all kinds of instruments together to take to Wyoming, and Brother Weha had to do his part in the part. Tonight a few Delaware Indains stayed with us with whom we had all kinds of chance to hold discourses and told them also about the Greenlanders and our stay and purpose there as well.[176]
On Thursday, April 24 a young Christian man came to us. He was an Englishman. He said, he came from Minisink above Wyoming.[177] He was wet and hungry and we could not deny him his request for night quarters.
On Friday, the 26th April the man who will go with our Ahamamad to Wyoming arrived. He lives about 5 miles from here and has travelled the path to Wyoming many times. Today, like many of the days before, we had talk of many hungry Indians here.
ON the Sabbath, April 26 early our dear Ahamawad with his helper and our canoe set off to Wyoming. We had spent the last week quite contentedly together. Before noon several Delaware Indian families came to speak to us who had come down the West Branch. They had ordered work in the smithy and did not stay long so that we could enjoy our Sabbath tea and sandwiches at noon undisturbed. Right after this we prayed the litany of the Life, Passion and Death of our Lord[178] as we had amended ourselves with the help of Br. Rösler’s new Liturgy book. It tasted very good to us.[179]
On Sunday 27th April, right after breakfast, we prayed the Gemein-Litany and in the afternoon we delighted in the 2nd and 3rd Homily on the Litany of the Wounds. Yesterday and today we have been mostly alone and have made use of this as much as possible.
On Monday, April 29th a Maqua family came down the West Branch. They comported themselves in an orderly manner and were probably baptized. They asked us for something to eat and happily departed.
On Wednesday, April 30th a Delaware (who had spent this winter in Gnadenhütten) and his wife and 2 children stopped by. And after we had them something to eat they continued on their way. After our evening Singing Hour we laid ourselves contentedly down to sleep.
May
On Thursday May 1 we remembered the great sermon of the Savior on the great Love Feast during breakfast and it gave us cause for blessed meditations.
On Friday, May 2 unlike yesterday, which was so good for us, because we had no visitors, today several white and brown people came by to speak with us. Towards evening the man returned from Wyoming who had helped our Ahamamad up the Susquehanna to there. He brought us some news that was not so pleasant for us; namely, that a white man with his wife, children, and livestock was there where our old house had stood who also wanted to plant there this spring. After this we heard that it was James Bottles who had started a plantation a short way from here on the other side of the water on Indian land. Shikellamy’s family did not stand for this and brought him here and wanted to keep him here as we understood it until the 5 Nations arrived here as everyone expected in a few months.
On Sunday, May 4th
In the morning we prayed the Great Church Litany. In the afternoon James Bottler (who we mentioned the day before yesterday) with his wife and mother-in-law visited us. We were however very casual about this visit, we were quite friendly but did allow ourselves to become engaged with him at all.
On Monday, May 5th Brother Rösler went to to the shoemaker’s to see if he might be going to Tulpehocken and to visit him as well, as he had wished. Brother Post had not spent the night there. They could not express how they felt as he spoke to them. Eventually we came around to pleasant discourses during which I was able to remind them of the old Lutheran doctrine, “By grace, without our good works, through Christ’s merits and death alone we are saved.” I felt quite at peace at their house.
On Tuesday, May 6th I returned home again. Nothing had occurred, other than we had had some requests from hungry Indians. This night we also had to take in two of them.
Wednesday, May 7th the Maqua family (mentioned on April 29th) arrived here from Tulpehocken with quite a case of Indian corn and stayed here over night. The husband is called Jonathon and they are all baptized. They comport themselves in a very orderly fashion and show themselves to be friendly. Logan and John asked us for Indian corn plants, which we also granted them.
On Thursday May 8th on the remembrance day of the ascension and departure of our Savior from his visible presence in this world we did some good for ourselves with the Te Agnum in the morning and in the afternoon a homily on the Litany of the Wounds. Otherwise we had little visitations other than a member of Shikellamy’s family once again fetched Indian corn plants from us.
On Friday, May 9th we began to plant Indian corn and because Brother Weha had nothing to do in the smithy we managed to get half of it done.
On the Sabbath, May 10th we held our Love Feast undisturbed and after the same we delighted in the hymn “ O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden”. Towards evening John Petty and others came from Shikellamy’s relations and a crowd of their children. Those who came to us we fed with sapas and milk. They had also brought rum with them, which one could soon get to hear. We however were left in peace.
On Sunday, May 11th we had a visit early in the morning from two drunken men, one of whom was John Petty. We were also hardly alone the whole day. In the evening Schafman came with his family.[180] It is now quite lively here as everyone who belongs to Shikellamy’s family is here and is planting corn. Tonight we had to take in a white man for the night.
On Monday, May 12th we finished planting our Indian corn. Schafman visited us. The rejoicing was mutual. He is very easy to love. There were also a few Shawnee there from Wyoming who had business in the smithy. We asked about our Ahamawad but they had nothing more to say to us than that he was busy with planting. More importantly, James Bottler is building himself a house where our old house stood. He has hired several white people to help him.
On Tuesday, May 13 Brother Weha set off for Tulpehocken to Brother Loesch’s house with skins that were still here from Brother Anton’s time and that we do not know how to preserve because of the storms. He will also fetch some very necessity items for us from there.
On Wednesday, May 14 my dear Gattermeyers and I were busy in the garden and received few visitors today. Towards evening Brother Weha returned home. He had left the skins with the Schumachers because he was leaving soon for Tulpehocken and he could take them there.
On Thursday, May 15 our house was quite full tonight. There were two white men here who are living with Schumachers and were looking for horses here. In addition our much mentioned Mohawk Jonathon was here. After him came some Delaware who also wanted to stay overnight, but they saw that there was no more room for them.
On Friday, May 16th we had to guide some of the Indians who are living around us to planting Indian corn.
On the Sabbath, May 17 we felt as always a Sabbath blessing and the proximity of our dear Lord.
On Sunday, May 18 as holy Pentecost was a truly blessed day for us. The dear Mother, the Holy Spirit, allowed us to speak with her and feel her and have her in quite a childlike fashion. We felt especially well as we prayed the Church Litany. Weha and I went visiting in the town and Logan, who was the only man we encountered alone at home, was very friendly. In the evening, after a blessed little Singing Hour, as we felt the grace of the day, we laid ourselves down to sleep contented.
On Monday, May 19, I travelled to Schumachers with Brother Weha who had several items of business with which I could help him.
On Tuesday, May 20 we returned home. Towards evening Caspar Riet, the brother of Sister Anton Schmidt who now lives in the vicinity, came to see us with another man. The former borrowed ½ a bushel of Indian corn to plant. They slept the night with us.
On Thursday, May 22 another member of the aforementioned Mohawk Jonathon’s family slept with us.[181]
On Friday, May 23 a trader and two Indians who had business in the smithy came by to speak to us. The trader was from Oley. He knew many Brothers and had also gone to school at Brother Hussey’s.[182] The way he told us, he had been very unlucky in his trading. He came from the Allegheny [area] and there the French had taken everything from him. He ate a meal with us at night and then left.
ON the Sabbath, May 24, after our Love Feast, we were refreshed by the 7 final words of the Savior with the hymn from the new liturgy; “Christ, who makes us blessed.”[183]
On Sunday, May 25 we prayed the Litany in the morning. In the afternoon Brother Weha set off on his way to Schumacher’s because we had heard that the skins were still lying there and perhaps to take them to Tulpehocken ourselves.
On Monday, May 26 my dear Gattermeyer and I celebrated a Love feast on this day to commemorate the birthday of the dearest Disciple and thought of him with tenderly loving hearts. As Brother Weha did not return home we concluded that he had gone on to Tulpehocken.
On Tuesday May 27 we began to hoe our Indian corn.
On Wednesday, May 28 in the morning we remembered that on this day three years ago our dear Christel had gone home and so, at the Collect we asked for eternal communion with him and the whole Congregation in heaven. We also sang in memory of that evening the Song of Songs before we went to sleep.
Thursday, May 29 was an extraordinarily hot day which made us very warm as we hoed our Indian corn.
On Friday, May 30, as is usual for us every day, we had a great deal of demand from passing Indians; Maquas and Delawares. Today, we had very cool weather again and Brother Rösler did not feel well.
The Sabbath, May 31.
During the previous night ithere had been such a hard frost that, not only our beans, cucumbers etc. but also our Indian corn had been ruined and we had to plant everything all over again. The same thing happened to the Indians, and theirs had also got quite tall. For our Sabbath we profited happily from the Collect with the words of the Savior: “I sit in eternity at the slits of the wounds”.[184] Towards evening we heard that Conrad Weiser was lodging in the town with another 10 men and would soon leave here to go to the Great Island to build a fence for the much mentioned Maqua, Jonathon. This evening Brother Weha also came home, which pleased us greatly that we could hear something about our dear hearts across the mountains.
Diary of Shamokin, June 1755
On Sunday, June 1 in the morning we held a Liturgy with the prayer to our Father. The rest of the day we spent in rest.
On Monday, June 2 we began to replace our frozen Indian corn. After we had planted a part we heard from a white man in our neighborhood who had business in the smithy that it wasn’t necessary to replant as it would send up new shoots, so we stopped.[185]
On Tuesday, June 3 towards evening our dear Brother Neusser and old Brother Loesch arrived here from Tulpehocken. Brother Weha had ridden to meet them up to Schumacher’s. This visit, with the lovely letters and news from our dear Brothers and Sisters in Bethlehem and with the possibility of Holy Communion was cause for not a little rejoicing. After a short evening Blessing that Brother Neusser held for us, we laid ourselves down to rest contentedly.
On Wedensday, June 4 after breakfast Brother Neusser went to our departed Br. Hagen’s grave to which Br. Rösler took them. In the afternoon he held a very pleasing Congregation Day (Gemeintag) during which we rejoiced at the news of the foundation of the Jüngerhaus near Nazareth, and the summary of the conference that was held there.[186] Towards evening, we had a blessed Love Feast and Absolutionnn and not long after our dear bloody Husband fed and watered us sacramentally with his holy martyr’s body and blood and did many great things for us poor sinners. Halleluja!
On Thursday, June 5 soon after breakfast, after Brother Neusser had held a farewell Quarter of an Hour service in the blessed afterglow of what we had enjoyed yesterday, he set off on his way again with his companion Father Loesch and was accompanied on horseback by Brother Rösler to the Königsberg, ten miles from here.[187] Conrad Weiser had returned with his company from Ostonwakin and had not needed to make the intended fence because he had only found one Indian family there, which was thinking of leaving there soon for Tulpehocken.[188]
On Friday, June 6 as we all three were working in our Indian corn, Conrad Weiser visited us and acted in a very friendly fashion and because he invited us to visit him in return, in the evening Brothers Gattermeyer and Weha went to them at which opportunity he told them that he was hard at work measuring the Shamokin land , which at Brother Ludwig’s visit (Zinzendorf’s) had been as good as his, but it had not been the times then that there were now.[189]
On Saturday, July 7th we were able to still feel what we had enjoyed this last week during our Sabbath celebration as we also had in previous days during our joint singing of the verses. In the afternoon, Logan came to us and wanted to tell us what was happening with the land. He wished that David [Zeisberger] would come because otherwise we did not understand each other properly.[190]
On Sunday, June 8th this morning C[onrad] W[eiser]left here again. In the morning we prayed the Gemein-Litaney.
On Monday, June 9th the Mohawk, Jonathon was here with his whole family. He is moving from Ostonwakin to Tulpehocken. He brought all his household possessions to our house, also some hens with chicks all of which he left with us, even though we objected strongly. French Margaret was also here.
On Tuesday, June 10th we made our first hay. Brother Weha does not have a lot to do in the smithy and recently we have had few visits from Indians.
On Friday, June 13th Brother Ahamawad came with Brother Lechti from Wyoming. Brother Ahamawad’s foot was very bad; they were hungry and we had also had nothing to eat but Indian corn for quite a time. Then we decided to slaughter one of our calves, although we had not seen them for a few days and we worried that they had been eaten by others.
On Saturday, June 14th we five brothers had a blessed Sabbath Love Feast together. In the evening the shoemaker came and brought us two bushels of maize flour again.
On Sunday, June 15th because the shoemaker, Peter Glück was here, Brother Post held a sermon on the lost sheep and his son, on the 15th chapterof Luke, where the Gospel was taken from today.
On Monday, June 16th in pouring rain French Margaret’s grandson came, a very attractive man, and stayed the night with us.
On Tuesday, June 17th Brother Ahamawad wanted to set off back to Wyoming with Brother Lesslie but because it still looked a lot like rain they stayed here again.
On Wednesday, June 18th they began their journey in the morning. Because Brother Ahamawad cannot help Brother Lessly in the canoe up the Susquehanna because his foot is still bad, Brother Weha went along with them to help.
On Friday, June 20th today, like yesterday, Brother Gatternmeyer and I were busy making hay, because Brother Lesslie had mown the meadow by our cornfield for us.
On the Sabbath, June 21st we were visited in the morning by a few hungry Delaware Indians. It was quite Sabbath-like for us the whole day.
On Sunday, June 22nd we prayed the Gemeinlitaney during which we felt quite content. In the afternoon two white men came by to speak to us; one of them was English and the other was North German with several Mohawk Indians. They were ordered to buy all kinds of things for the English army in the Allegheny. The Englishman appeared to be a very nice man. He told us that he had seen Brothers David [Zeisberger] and Christian Friedrich way upstream on the Susquehanna River, and also Brother Ahamawad in Wyoming. We treated them to some milk. Before they left, the afore mentioned Englishman said that if he could do something in return for the what we had given them, then he would be happy. One could tell that he had already heard much about Bethlehem.
On Monday, June 23rd Brother Gattermeyer and I had to make hay as well as perform our other tasks.
On Tuesday, June 24th, in the afternoon, as we had carried the last of the hay inside, Brother Weha returned from Wyoming, at which point we discovered that not only had they arrived safely but also that they had seen our dear Christian seidel and David there themselves, whom we should await here in a week.
On Wednesday, June 25th we began to hoe our Indian corn all over again. Until now it had appeared that nothing would come of it but now eith the almost daily rain it appears to be coming back.
On Thursday, the 26th in the afternoon we were truly overjoyed by the anticipated arrival of the two hearts, Christian Seidel and Davis.
On Friday, June 27th it was simply pleasant for us that the dear Seidel and David were here with us. The former told us several things about Bethlehem and other places, which we listened to with heartfelt interest.
On Saturday, June 28 their presence made our Sabbath quite precious. During our Love Feast our dear Seidel comforted us with the announcement of Communion during his visit, the news of which had an effect on our hearts. In the evening he held a blessed Quarter of an H[191]our service for us on the Daily Text with the Collect “Er kommt auch noch heute”on the now not so seldom visitations of the Saviour, as in the Old Testament.
On Sunday, June 29th in the morning we prayed the Gemein-Litaney and spent the rest of the day content. Before the Evening Blessing Brother Seidel spoke more on the Daily Text, “Der Hölle eine Pestilenz”[192]
On Monday, June 30 we spent the day hoeing our Indian corn for which he also had the help of our dear Seidel and David.
July
On Tuesday, July 1 we continued hoeing our Indian corn. We had some requests from Indians. In the evening a few men came who asked for night quarters. One of them had already heard the Moravians preaching in Danesbury[193]. Before our Evening Blessing the dear heart Seidel spoke a little about the day’s description of our beloved. What kind of Husband is that? Briefly: He is the perfect one.[194]
On Wednesday, July 2 we finished hoeing the Indian corn. Towards evening we made our local Indians a meal of pancakes and Sapan and milk, according to our means. There were eight of them and they were very contented. Our dear David spoke with them during the meal in Mohawk. Tonight the two white men who had slept with us the night before stayed again. According to them they were looking for land around here.
On Thursday, July 3 in the morning we prepared a Love Feast because we were done with hoeing the Indian corn. In the afternoon Brothers David and Weha went about 6 miles from here to fetch our canow, which, since Brother Ahamamad’s trip to Wyoming had not been returned by the man who had taken him up there the first time. Brothers Gattermeyer and Rösler spent the time in heartfelt discourse and discussing other important matter with our dear Seidel while they were gone. This night we were alone, which we also put to good use.
On Friday July 4th we were contented in each other’s company and nothing further happened.
ON The Sabbath, July 5th during our breakfast in the presence of the Savior we held some thorough discussions about the circumstances of our heart. Here each of us testified in a sinnerlike and blessed fashion as to why the Savior had bidden the Moravian Brothers to love one another. After this we spent the day in a sabbathlike fashion and closed it with a blessed Love Feast, pedelavium and above all else blessed enjoyment of the martyr’s body and blood of our dear Lord.
On Sunday, July 6th we held a blessed Litrugy in the morning, remembering the feeling with which we had been blessed yesterday evening. In the evening we were gladdened by today’s description of our beloved: Vorfreude Macher, in a sermon that our dear Seidel held on it.
On Monday July 7th he spoke in the evening on the Daily Text of the Savior: Lassets beyeinander bis zur Erndte.
On Tuesday, July 8th our dear pilgrims prepared themselves for their trip to Wyoming, as they had started to yesterday. In the evening our dear Seidel said a few words about our Beloved according to his description today: “Der Trost sprach…”
On Wednesday, July 9th after we held a farewell Love Feast our dear Seidel and David left us once again. Brother Weha accompanied them to Labachpiton’s where he brought our canoe back again.
On Thursday. July 10th, in the morning I went to Schumacher’s because we had no more flour, stayed there for a few hours and returned in the evening. Shortly before me, Brother Weha returned from accompanying the others.
On Friday, July 11 nothing else happened, other than we spent the day on the work of our dear Ordinary [Zinzendorf].
On the Sabbath, July 12 the whole day seemed to us quite Sabbath-like.
On Sunday, July 13, in the morning we prayed the Gemeinlitaney. In the evening 3 Maqua came to us who stayed the night with us and also made us a present of some deer meat.
On Monday, July 14 the Indians who had gone to John Harris’ began to come back with the flour that they has received as a present. Also, in the ten days that they were away we had seen hardly any Indians.
On Tuesday, July 15 Labachpiton visited us and a few other Delawares, some of whom had business in the smithy. They had also brought rum along which they drank over on the island so that we could hear them but we were left in peace.
On Wednesday, July 16 we once again had several visitors. We can clearly tell that that they have flour again.
On Thursday. July 17 a few families of Delaware Indians came down the West Branch on their way somewhere else. But because it was so very hot, as it had been for a few days now, they camped from morning till towards evening in front of our house and also came in to talk to us a great deal. They were very well mannered people.
On the Sabbath, July 19 we treated ourselves to something quite Sabbath-like. In the afternoon our dear Schafman returned home from John Harris’ and soon visited us after his arrival, at which point he received the greetings that had been left for him bu our dear Seidel and David and Brother Gattermeyer read him the short Maqua letter from the same, at which point he was assured in the special love of our lord God who spilt his blood for him and the whole world, to all which he listened with great attention.
We spent Sunday, July 20 blessed and undisturbed.
ON Monday July 21 Brother Weha went to Schumacher because he had still not brought us any flour.
On Tuesday, July 22 we had all kinds of visits from Indians. In the evening Brother Weha returned and brought flour.
On Wednesday, July 23 a few Indian women had camped close to our house, who just wanted to ask us for some milk.
On Thursday, July 24 the sSchumacher was at our house . He had work to be done in the smithy and he went back home again.
On Friday, July 25 Brother Gattermeyer and I spent mounding soil around our Indian corn.
On the Sabbath, July 26 very early in the morning our neighbor Dottler came to us and brought us quite frightful news about the war in the Allegheny[195] and thought that it was high time to move away from here, and a few hours later another man came who was staying in his house and repeated the same and both became quite incredulous that they could see no fear in us. Why should we be afraid? There really are white people moving away from their places who live close further down on the other side of the Susquehanna. We spent the day undisturbed in inner and outer calm.
On Sunday, July 27 we delighted among ourselves in the words from the Litany of the Wounds, “May the sweat from your Passion spill on us over our body and soul!”
On Monday, July 28 Brother Weha had thought of leaving here and going to Tulpehocken and on to Bethlehem. But Indians and white people kept coming who had work to do in the smithy. So he delayed it for tomorrow.
On Tuesday, July 29 in the morning he left with a few crates of deerskins. Brother Gattermeyer and I are mounding the soil for our Indian corn along with the other work.
On Wednesday, July 30 Isaac Nutimes came to stay the night with us with his Negro and three other Indians from Nescopeck. Brother Rösler had seen them all already in Gnadenhütten. Brother Rösler took the opportunity to speak with them about Gandenhütten, but they were not that open to this. Otherwise they were friendly and well-mannered.
On Thursday, July 31 Brother Gattermeyer did not feel well (it was the beginning of the fever that he still has). Otherwise we closed this month happy and blessed in proximity with the Martyr Lamb.
Diary of Shamokin 1755
August
Friday, August 1
Today’s description of the Savior: Christ is my life, gave us a blessed impression at the beginning of the month. Otherwise nothing much happened.
On Saturday August 2: today’s description, “My Savior!” was especially tasty to us during our Sabbath celebration. In the evening Brother Weha returned from Tulpehocken. He brought us letters and among other things he also brought the Memorabilia of the months of June and July from our dear Bethlehem, which we read this evening and delighted in. One can hardly describe how good that tastes for someone in Shamokin.
On Sunday, August 3 before breakfast Brother Gattermeyer visited our neighbor Schafman and had the opportunity to say something to him of the blessing that we poor sinners have with the Savior. He was able to have a good talk with him and we believe that the Savior is working also on his heart. We spent the rest of the day happily.
On Monday August 4; today we saw clearly that Brother Gattermeyer’s discomfort was due to the fever as it started again from the day before.
On Tuesday, August 5th a family of Delaware Indians camped in front of our house. They came from Tulpehocken and had horses laden with maize and Indian con. They were presentable and well-mannered people and because it rained later they brought their things into our house.
On Friday, August 8 we had been busy the whole week with mounding soil for our corn and were finished with it today.
On Saturday, August 9th tomwards midday, Brother Lessly came to us quite unexpectedly with letters and news from our dear Bethlehem. We immediately enjoyed that which he had brought and Brother Rösler was immediately invited to the Synod in Warwick. IN the evening we had Schafman for supper with us and that was very nice eating together.
On Sunday, August 10 Brothers Rösler and Lessli set off for Warwick with 2 horses.
On Tuesday, August 12 we sowed the seeds for our squash (Rüben).
Wednesday, August 13 we spent in quiet. Last Sabbath, during our Love Feast we had thought about what had occurred 28 years ago with blessed memory and we were quite happy afterwards as we heard that on this day on the Sabbath there was the actual celebration in Bethlehem.
On Thursday, August 14 tonight the Englishman from Danesbury who had been here last month stayed with us again. According to him he had come to move to a place on the Susquehanna but had found it to be different than he had imagined and now had to sell the harnesses he had brought and so was going home from here via Gnadenhütten and Nazareth.
On Wednesday [sic] August 15 we thought greatly and diligently about our Brothers and Sisters at the Synod in Warwick.
On Saturday, August 16 we celebrated a very peaceful Sabbath. Brother Gattermeyer was also quite well today apart from the fever which he has been suffering from quite badly until now.
On Sunday, August 17 the Indians buried the remains of the old Conoy Indian by the name of Saeckwho had died in the previous spring near to John Harris’ and whose bones they brought here yesterday. Because they had also brought rum with them, a terrible noise and clamor soon began which continued for several days and nights as more and more Delaware Indians arrived and are around our house. But they have been quite modest in their behavior towards us.
On Thursday, August 21 it began to quieten down again. They wanted to bring the empty barrels of run into our house but we asked them to take them away. Towards evening Brothers Lessly and Rösler returned from the sybod to our joy, quite wet through from the rain. They immediately delighted us with several letters and regaled us with a few things so that we could participate fully.
On Saturday, August 23 our Sabbath and especially our Love Feast was spent mainly with stories about what had happened at the Synod.
On Sunday, August 24, because Brother Lesslie was thinking of returning to Bethlehem from here tomorrow and Brother Weha had resolved to accompany him to go to celebrate the Single Brothers’ Festival, they spent the day getting ready for their journey.
ON Monday, August 25 they left early and made their way via Nescopeck and Gnadenhütten.
On Wednesday, August 27 in the afternoon an Indian had lain himself down to sleep in front of our house so that in the evening, as we were eating woke him up to ask if we could give him some. We spoke to him, but got no answer. He slept the night in our house and when we woke up he laid himself down again in front of the doorway. Later he left again.
ON Thursday, August 28 we were visited by many Indians.
On Friday, August 29 to celebrate the Single Brothers’ Day Brother Rösler made himself quietly useful.
On Saturday, August 30th. The description of the Saviour today: My psalms, O that I had a thousand voices! gave use a blessed impression during our Sabbath celebration. Despite the fact that it had not rained here for a while, the Susquehanna river had risen in the night so much that all the Indians’ canoes had floated away. The river rose the whole day.
On Sunday, August 31 we read together the homily on the text “O ihr heilig 5 Wunden, macht es wie Elijah” It was a blessed Sunday celebration. In the afternoon Brother Gattermeyer went visiting in the town. He had the opportunity to enter into a nice discussion with a Delaware who had recently come from the Allegheny and who appears to be an upstanding man and has visited us several times already.
September
Monday, the first and the days after this we spent happily in our ordinary work.
Friday, September 5 we expected our Weha’s return from Bethlehem but our hope was for nought.
On Saturday, September 6 we held a very peaceful Sabbath. The whole day we did not see a single person.
ON Sunday, September 7 to celebrate the Married Person’s Choir festival Brother Gattermeyer made himself useful in peaccce and quiet. Brother Rösler went over to the town to visit Schafman who is helping his cousin, a very nice young Indian, to build a house. He did not meet up with him however; instead, he rejoiced in the very nice behavior of his cousin and the grave of the departed Brother Hagen.
On Tuesday, September 9; the bridge close to our house that goes over the ditch to our corn field fell down quite by itself. Because we really need this we worked on this yesterday and today so that we can use it again.
On Thursday, September 11 the Mohawk Jonathan arrived here with his family.
On Friday, September 12 Brother Gattermeyer had to fix something on the weapon of a warrior who is going to the Allegheny. There were many Indians and White people here for the same reason, the latter had clothes themselves completely as Indians and Andrew Montour was their actual commander, who had quite clearly ordered that the above mentioned flints had to be fixed. If Brother Weha had been here he would probably have given him even more work to do. They did not stay here for long and our John Shikellamy, as also John Petty, also left with them. During their stay here a big black Belt of Wampum from the 6 Nations arrived here which is going to Philadelphia with which they are unanimously letting their intention to fight against the French be known.
On Saturday, September 13 we were visited again by more warriors because some had stayed behind. But we were not disturbed in our Sabbath.
On Sunday, September 14, because Brother Gattermeyer had to fix something on the above mentioned flints, we were a little disturbed in our Sunday blessings. Towards evening, the wife of the Mohawk Jonathan came and wanted to bring two kegs of rum into our house and because she has all her other things here, she thought she had a right to do this. But she had to take them away again.
On Tuesday, September 16 we spent a quiet day at our ordinary work and reminded ourselves of the great work that had been accomplished on this day 14 years ago to our great blessing.
On Friday, September 19 on these days we received many visits from Indians. We also heard much tumult from the drunken ones but were not inconvenienced at all.
On Saturday, September 20 it was quite well with our Sabbath quiet. In the evening our long awaited Brother Weha finally arrived safely after almost 4 weeks absence and the letters he brought with him and the news from our dear Bethlehem made this evening quite a time of childlike rejoicing.
On Sunday, September 21 the Indians were celebrating again. We were about to be disturbed but then it all subsided.
On Monday, September 22 the Schumacher was at our house and said that he was going to Tulpehocken. In the afternoon, our Schafmann came by and said that he was going to go to Lancaster. We had a quite contented conversation with him , also told him that he would soon d=come here for a visit. He said that he would soon go to Bethlehem.
On Wednesday, September 24 two of Conrad Weiser’s sons slept with us. They were very well mannered and we were also to them. They wanted to visited the Mohawk Jonathan and because he was out on the hunt and they could not find anyone to look for him they set off into the bush themselves to search for him.
On Friday, September 26, this morning we had had the first and very strong frost. Because we were expecting the arrival of our dear Brother Seidel, Brother Weha travelled towards him with two horses to the mountain 20 miles away. But he returned alone.
On Saturday, September 27 to our joy our dear hearts Christian Seidel arrived in the afternoon with Marcus Kiefer who was to stay here and accompanied by Brother Samuel Herr. Their arrival made our Sabbath quite solemn, which in the morning we had not been able to observe because we constantly had Indians in the house. This evening our dar heart Seidel held a quite blessed Love Feast, Foot washing and Communion, all in the unspeakable proximity of our dear bloody Lord.
On Sunday, September 28 we held a liturgy in the morning in the afterglow of yesterday’s blessed joy. In the afternoon Brothers Rösler, Marcus and Samuel Herr went over to the twon and also visited the de[arted brother Hagen’s grave. Few of the Indians are at home. We spent the day contently and Brother Seidel held a quite blessed liturgical Singing Hour at the end of it.
Monday, September 29 our dear hearts Seidel and Samuel considered their trip the next day as did also our dear heart Gattermeyer, who for the time being is being relieved by Brother Marcus, prepared to leave with them also.
On Tuesday, September 30 after a heartfelt and meaningful morning blessing they departed from us. Brother Marx Kiefer accompanied them part of the way.