Supplement No. D to the Bethlehem Diary July
Diary of Brother Hagen’s and Johannes Paul’s journey to Shamokin from 26th May 1747(o.s.) to 27 Jun. 9 (n.s.)
On the 26th May, Tuesday
We departed from our dear and beloved Gemeine of our Lamb and God with much blessing and grace. We felt the heavenly love of the Brothers and Sisters that held sway here from the most intimate place of his discipleship so that our hearts and spirits were as though drunk. The Daily Text was: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. [Psalm 50: ii] Put your whole people here before us like a gentle cloud and a rainbow of grace that you still grant the world.” In the evening we arrived at Jakob Miller’s where we were well accepted. Brother Bruce was given us as a travel companion.
On the 27th May, Wednesday
On the way to Heidelberg we arrived at Brother and Sister Brückisch. They were as pleased as children about our arrival and we refreshed ourselves in each other’s company and left them happy and content. In the evening we arrived at Michael Schäffer’s house. He and his household were pleased that we had arrived. His youngest daughter, as she heard that we were travelling, asked for money from the others and gave us money for the trip. A good girl. She thought we had none. [M. Schäffer said that we would have to stay tomorrow as well as there were no horses there.]
On Thursday, the 28th of May
In the morning we went to Conrad Weiser and told him that we were once again going to Shamokin. He gave us a letter for Shikellamy to take along with the news that from today he should be in his house in Shamokin for 20 days and that we two friends could build a house for the smith, whom T’girhonti [Spangenberg] would send in a few days. We also got our provisions together that we were thinking of taking along.
On Friday, the 29th May
We departed from Tulpehocken [the horses that had been promised to us we did not receive, and] Michael Schäffer, who gladly equipped us and had provided us with provisions, gave us his two horses and delayed his trip that he was considering to Philadephia. But as he were hardly beyond his fence, he came running after us and said that he had to travel with us, he felt it so in his heart. He asked him to reconsider, however, he did come with us. We thanked the Lamb that he continued to help us and could be found in our hearts. We then travelled across the Blue Mountain and then over the Thürnstein and made our Sabbath night camp at Ludwig’s Ruh. [45]
On Sunday, 31 May
We arrived in Shamokin. We made our camp under a tree. Shikellamy came running with his people straight away and welcomed us. I gave him a gift of a roll of tobacco. He was very friendly. I said that I had words to say to him from T’girhonti. After the midday meal Johann Paul and I went to him. He sat in front of his summer house with his council and told us to come up. There they had spread out a bear skin on which they instructed me and Brother Paul to sit. The council sat next to us on both sides. The interpreter sat straight in front of us. I took out my speech and read the first line to them. Then I stopped. Then they discussed this. After they had finished I asked them in Maqau whether they had understood this. Shikellamy said, “Gachrongi.“[46] And so I continued and stopped after every sentence. And when they were finished, Shikellamy said, “Gachrongi.“ They were very surprised that I could speak their language so much better. When we were finished they lit their tobacco pipes and conferred with each other. After this they went ahead and showed us the place where our house and plantation should be. He also said that he wanted to give us three horses to work. At the last point, I gave him the string of wampum. I wrote to Brother Joseph in Bethlehem because Michael Schäffer is leaving here tomorrow with the horses [and it would have been difficult for Michael Schäffer if he had had to take it with him.] So we decided that Brother Bruce should go back with Michael Schäffer. The text for today was “all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him” (Psalm 22: xxix) Let everything serve the Community of the Cross, the shepherd cradles it in his bosom.”
Monday, 1 June
- Schaeffer and Brother Bruce returned with the horses to Bethlehem. They were very blessed and content [and we believe that this journey will be a blessing for Michael Schaeffer]. We started to chop wood for our house. Shikellamy gave us a harness for the horses. I gave him a gift of a painted tobacco pipe that was an appropriately fitting thing for him. We prayed to the Little Lamb, that He would be with us as we built and would help us.
On Tuesday, 2 June
On Wednesday, 3 June
We measured out the house, 30 feet long and 18 feet wide. The text for the day was especially important to us today. We also started to drag the lumber here. A Delaware Wilder was supposed to lend us his horses if we gave him 2 Gallons of rum. We told him that we had none. At that he rode his horses over the Susquehanna[47]. We were a little afraid at where we would get the lumber as we only had two weak horses and the other three we were supposed to have lived across the water and no-one could reach them. The Savior helped us, however, clearly.
On Thursday, 4 June
We fetched the lumber and laid the thresholds to the house. Shikellamy himself helped us. The text for the day was especially significant [It is he who…] [sic]. We also believe that which will allow this to truly come to pass [the Husband]
On Friday, 5 June
In the morning we fetched lumber again and in the afternoon we continued to build. The Indians have the custom that when they are supposed to help someone in their work that then one must give them food, and we had very little. Therefore we had to work alone, and that during the whole building process. But the Little Lamb will help us through this. That gladdens us and gives us encouragement.
On the Sabbath[48], 6 June
In the morning we fetched lumber. In the afternoon we were building again. Shikellamy showed all the Indians the house and said “the Spirit” and was happy. Many of them watched us while we worked. We conversed much with the Gemeine in our hearts today and it did us good. Shikellamy also gave us a rib of venison.
On Sunday, 7th June
We contemplated the Gemeine a great deal and were reassured in our hearts of her prayers. We were peaceful and blessed in each other’s company. [Brother Paul had an attack of diarrhea but the Savior helped him through it through a dose of balsam].
Today Delaware Wilde came through here who were wanting to go to the war with the Catawba. As we had laid down to sleep they all entered the big house and the war was the greatest event. {???}
In the house stood a post on which a human head was carved out and they carried on there with music and dancing. Whoever brought a complaint against the Catawba there, then could put an axe into the idol, and so he could express his opinion. This went on for half the night, after that they ate together.[49] From our hearts we prayed to the Lamb for these people [the Daily Text was especially important to us].
On Monday, 8 June
We laid the joists in the house. A trader came by and began to swear and curse. Why didn’t we have the Wilde help us and in good time make them into our servants. We soon let him know why, so he became quiet. He wanted to make it up to us and offered us his skins in return once we had the house finished. We refused. But he kept working on it and wanted to befriend us. He offered us rum but we did not take it. We had another sleepless night because of the warriors.
On Tuesday, 9 June
We worked hard at our building again. We were very exhausted and did not know what we lacked. We made ourselves a cornmeal soup as we had nothing else. Thus we were strengthened again. Four warriors left today. Shikellamy’s son left with them. I could not answer to the fact that there were 17 together[?]There is unbelievably little food here. They have grass roots and the like to eat. Weeds that when they are uncooked they are poison. But when you cook it with ferns it is a good meal.[50]
On Wednesday, 10 June
We worked hard again.
On Thursday, 11 June
We had visitors again but no helpers. The Savior protected Hagen today especially. The ax that Brother Paul had been using above to cut fell down to the ground next to his foot and cut him through his shoe on the side and cut his foot a little. But it did not stop him working.
On the Sabbath, 13 June
We finished making the blocks. We thanked the little Lamb with all our hearts and he had helped us this far and had kept us from harm and had given us hearts that are always happy and his closeness and strength to work. Because otherwise it would not have worked — because we two were alone and had to drag the blocks 30 feet to the house. We can say that with every block that we dragged the Savior put his hand to it and the prayers of the Gemeine were there also. Shikellamy went out on the Susquehanna in his canoe today to go down to Harris’ Ferry to fetch provisions for himself. We also started to work on our plantation to put the seeds in for the turnips.[Rüben]
On Monday, 15 June
We ploughed again. 4 canoes full of white people from Canaserage passed who were fleeing the war.[51] One of them was a trader, who made many of the Wilde drunk. The reason for this gave us many sleepless nights. We also cut down a tree for shingles and began to make them.
On Tuesday, 16 June
We went to make shingles again. The drunken Indians on the way wanted to trade with us. Shikellamy’s wife, who was also drunk, said my husband loves these people and they left us in peace.
On Wednesday, 17 June
In the morning we made shingles. In the afternoon we started to work on the land. It was heavy work with horses and ploughs. The Little Lamb helped us though and it worked.
ON Thursday, 18 June
We made shingles and also cut a door into the house. It was rainy weather. We were especially happy in our hearts. We observed that we always dreamed of the Brothers and Sisters and believe therefore that the spirit of the Brethren is with us and converses with us and we refreshed ourselves quite intimately at the thought of our Brethren in their absence. We worked in the house. It was rainy weather [rep. sic] (The Savior protected Hagen especially as it was slippery up on the joists. When Brother Paul was up there a board fell down and hit his leg but there was no great injury.)
On the Sabbath, 20 June
We carried our shingles and also lumber on skids down to the water and made it possible for us to work in the dry. We also made a path to the water on which we could carry the lumber up. The Wilden watched. One woman Wilde said that they had been here so long in this place and had never made anything like this and was pleased about it. An unmarried Delaware man came to us and said he had wanted to come to us for a long time but he had been far away on the hunt but had heard that we were here. He knew Jepse and Broadhead.[52] He said that when we moved on he wanted to come with us. The Wilden here all regard our business here as better than theirs. Even if it is just what one is, then they think it is better because we have done it.
On Monday 22 June
We began to put the roof on our house. We thanked the Little Lamb that we were given a day that allowed us to work in the dry. Shikellamy’s family began to complain that they had nothing to eat and would like to have seen us share some of what we have. We conferred together on what we should do also because we had little thought that one of us would have to leave to fetch provisions from Tulpehocken.[53]
On Tuesday, the 23 June
We were at our work again. At lunchtime however Shikellamy and our dear Brother Bruce arrived with our smithy tools and also with provisions and dear letters. We were very happy about this and thanked the Lamb that he had brought him to us and that he had worried about us before we had even thought of this. But everything had got wet in the water, as both canoes had taken water on board on the big falls. We immediately laid everything out in the sun to dry out. We wondered how we would carry all the heavy crates but the Savior helped us through it. No great damage had been done. Brother Bruce told us how the Savior had managed everything and that Shikellamy had been down there at Harris Ferry as he had arrived with the things. We could not thank the Savior enough for what he did to make Shikellamy arrive just then. He was watching our work that we did and the land that we were ploughing and he was very joyful.
ON Wednesday 24 June
We cut shingles. Shikellamy was with us constantly and watched. I delivered my greeting to him from T’girhonti and his brothers. He thanked us greatly and was very pleased. We moved into our new house today because we had brought our new things and had enough of a roof over us that we could stay dry. The Daily Text was especially important to us as we moved in. We considered Brother Bruce’s departure for Bethlehem. We thought that he should stay for a few days with us out of necessity and help us to be able to lock up the house while we are working outside. We also held a little Gemeintag[54] for ourselves by reading the letters that Brother Bruce had brought along, and this in our new house. We were very happy and contented together.
Today a Wilde had got himself drunk and wanted to behave in an unruly fashion so they bound him. That is their way of keeping order.
[On Friday, 26th June
we cut another blade for making shingles.]
On 27 June
The Sabbath we closed up one side of the house. The whole day the Wilden were with us and watched. They like being with us. So does Shikellamy.
On Sunday, 28 June
We were quiet. Shikellamy came to us and asked whether today was Sunday. I said, yes, for he could see that we were not working. So he left right away and put his regal regalia on and returned to us. [55]