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as they could in their small cabin, they had employment enough in fixing their house, against cold weather & preparing fuel & during Sumer in the cultivation of their field & garden. Meanwhile they kept daily their morning & evening devotions & regularly every Sunday Divine service, which however, were rarely attended by the Natives. Neither could they get any children into their school. On the contrary they had to endure many hardships, & much opposition which seemed to show rather a wish that the Missionaries might leave the Country, but Mr James Vann allways acted as their real friend & counceleor, & advocated their cause & encouraged the Brethren to remain with him. The board of Directors in Salem found it necessary to send the Rev. Mr Stiner again into the Cherokee Country with a Message to the chiefs concerning our Mission. He arrived, together with Brother Wellfare at Clinch ferry, July 20th 1803, where the Agent Mr Return J. Meigs read them very kindly & gave them an introductory Letter tot he chiefs who were to attend a talk in the Month of August. After visiting the Missionary, Br Byhan, unclear Spring place (or as it was then called the Big Spring, or Place of Springs) they conferred with Mr James Vann, Major Lovely & Charles Hicks, U.S. Interpreter, they arrived Aug 26th at the Town house near Oossenally where the chief Standing Turkey lived Among the chiefs there assembled were, Chulioah Sourmiesh?, Big half breed, & Geo. Paris to whom Br. Stiner was introduced by Mr. Charles Hicks, who also informed them of our affairs. After a long conversation, & the usual dance, called the Green Corn Dance, in which nearly all present participated, Major Lovely read to them our introductory letter of Col. Meigs, after which the Message of the board of Directors of the United Brethrens Mission was comunicated through Charles Hicks & handed to Chulioah with the request of a speedy answer. Their answer & explanation was principally as follows. 1) That it was not the meaning of the Council at Tellico that the Missionaries

   are to quit the Country or to be driven away should they prove unsuccessfull
   in teaching in the course of 2 years, but that they may still continue here.

2) We do wish that the Missionaries may continue at the place, where they

   do now reside.

3) We will not nominate any children for instruction, as some may

   think that hard & partial, but we will let every one have an equal chance till
   the member of scholars is completed.
                                                          signed
                                                                 Ch u lioah &
                                                                  Sour Musk?

After this transaction, the Missionaries selected another place about 900 paces S. E. from the old dwelling, where with the assistance of workmen, seat from Salem they erected 2 dwellinghouses & other necessary buildings, which they were ennable to occupy during the same year, viz Dec. 23. 1803 with the ardent desire & prayer that they might become useful to young & old to the promotion of Christs Kingdom. On the 21st of Feb 1804 they recd the first scholar viz. George Hicks-, afterward a worthy member of the Oochgelogy Congregation. At the close of the same year the school contained 6 children. On the 19th October 1805. The Rev. John Gambold & his wife, Mrs Anna Rosina, formerly ?liest?- of the Female Seminary at Bethlehem Pa. arrived at Spring place to the great & mutual joy our hard tried Missionary brethren