Samson Occom : the founding of Brothertown by Christian Indians : an interesting paper read before the Oneida County Historical Society last evening

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preached the house they heard singing, and knew the people were engaged in worship. Occom went in and an affect¬ ing scene followed. Before the com¬ pany separated their Moses blessed them as those who had come into their prom¬ ised land. The next day Occom was visited by some of the Oneida Indians. The following evening the young folks Went a mile to Abraham Simon's to sing. On the 29tli they husked corn in true New England fashion, and as they husked they sang Psalms. Nov. 3 there was a marriage, the tirst celebrated in the new settlement. The next Sabbath Oicom preached to the Stockbridge In¬ dians, SIX miles away. It might have been calhd an election sermon, and it was appropriate, for the next day, Nov. 7. 1785. Occom's company met at David Fowler's to organize a government.
The town was named Brothertown. Jacob Fowler was chosen clerk. Roger Wauby, David Fowler, Elijah Wampy, John ruhy and Abraham Simon were Chosen trustees for a ye ir. a new board of truste-es to tie ciiosen annually. Andrew Acarrocoiub and Thomas Putchauker were elected fence viewers for a year. It Was decided to have a center near David Fowler's house. The main streets were to run north and south and east and west, to cro.ss at the center. It was resolved to ilve in peace and friendship, aiul ever}^one to bear his part of public chirge in the town. The people asked Ocroin to he a teacher among them, and he consented, and agreed to make the town his home. This was the founding ol Brothertown. I'he neople continued uiiilir their own organization, inter¬ rupted by laud liifiiculties, until they Wi re empowered by an act of the general as.HeiiihiV. Feb. 21. 1791. Then the}' w-iit on, until l>y the act of March 31, 1795. tile peaceniakirs. or selectmen, were appointed by the governor, and cuuncii oi the state. The original tract Was reduced by the treaty of Sept. 22. 1788. to two iiiiies in breadth and three miles in leui/th. and this again was re¬ duced by the act of March 31. 1795, to 149 lots Oh the Western side of the tract now included in Kirkland and Marshall, and which w.is set apart to the Brotliertown Indians and williout power to alienate it. As to tins community of 1785 it is im- portai.t to emphasize three facts: 1, The center of the settlement was at David Fowler's. The trail left the present Deans- ville road a mile or more north of the present town and led up over the hill lo Fowler's and over ii westward thro Stock- bridge. They were proposing to intersect this with a road running north and south. 2, We already have the origin of the Sam¬ son Occom's ecclesiastical relations, a parish liaving two places of worship, one in Brothertown at.David Fowler's and the other in Slockiiridge at Heiidrick Aupau- mut's or Captain Hendrick as he was called. This relation continued to Occom's
death, the Stockbridgers going to Fowler's and the Brothertowns to Hendrick's on al¬ ternate Sundays. On November 28 and 29, 1787, these two conjointly and formerly called Occom to be        their minister and he
accepted the call. A creed or confession of unusual interest was drawn up, which also declared their purpose in going into the wilderness. The papers are still ex¬ tant. The church subsequently became Presbyterian, and Occom saj's it was the tirst ever organized among the Indians without the assistance of a white man. 3, A consideruble part, and certainly the in¬ fluential part, of these Brothertown set¬ tlers Were connected by ties of kindred with Samson Occom.
A week after the first town meeting, Occom returned to New England. Each season, until his permanent removal in 1789, he spent witii them the time from July to November. Of the balance, much was occupied in his journeys tb and fro, as he preached and performed pastoral labors among the new settlements along the thoro'fare of emigration. He was known as the missionary of the wilder¬ ness.
All went well at Brothertown until 1787, wlien those troubles began concern¬ ing the lauds, which broke up their town government, divided the people into the Fowler and the Wampy factions, alien¬ ated the latter from Occom and embit¬ tered his latter days. The substance of the matter was that some of the Oneidas wished them to yield their tract, and live at large upon their lands. This Occom and his party properly and wisely de¬ clined to do, and tho the treaty of Sept. 22, 1788. confirmed their title, it did not remove the bitterness which had been engendered by the assistance which Elijah Wampy and others had given to the scheme. Then the whites came in and the Indians began to lease their original locations to them—as they were emuowered to do for a period of ten years by the act of Feb. 25, 1789~and when they had taken up other farms they leased them also. Occom, whose party was largely made up from his connections, foresaw tho result, and opposed the leas¬ ing by iudividuaJs without the consent of the whole; and at his suggestion the gen¬ eral assembly of New York, who agreed with him on every point raised, embodied in the act "of Feb. 21, 1791, which constituted them a town, a provis¬ ion for the apportionment and control of the land by three trustees, to t)e elected by the town and approved by the mayor of the city of Albany. Meanwhile other Indians had come among them from New England, and many of these were part negro blood. With a foresight which was characteristic and remarkable, Oc¬ com had introduced into the original deed of gift, Oct. 4, 1774, a condition that no such should have any right to land in Brothertown,   for   his   purpose   was to