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Isaac Coates Journal of Journeys to the Indian Country

SW_IC1799_Page_16

Tenth month, 12, [1799.] On viewing the Lapham's farm and things about it, (though he lives in a very poor house) I was astonished to see the improve-ment made in the time; he told me it was but four years last spring since he began on it in the woods, and now he has more than one hundred acres of land fenced in, fields and meadows all in, either with grain or grass, and the most of it excellent. Has built a saw-mill and has a dairy of cows so good that not-withstanding it hath been an unfavorable season, they have made above two thousand lbs. of cheese; and yet he appears with his precious wife to be well concerned Friends, and is free to devote much of his time in the service of truth. Truly in this far back settlement in the Genesee county, State of New York, the appearance of things is comfortable, and affords an encouraging hope that if the few Friends here set-tled improve as well and hold up so good a light in a religious sense as they do in improving the wilder-ness country, they may yet become as "a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid." Stayed all this day with these our valued and kind friends; wrote a let-ter to Jacob Taylor, at Oneida, and walked about viewing the improvements Lapham has made. Lodged another night in his house. In the evening,Caleb Maccumber and another friend came to see us, and we spent some time in agreeable converse. 13th, and first of the week. Rode two miles to Nathan Comstock's, where Friends' meeting is held, which was large this day for such a new country. Itwas a favored meeting, in which the gospel was preached, and near the close I could not feel easy without requesting an opportunity with Friends, se-lected from others, which was readily compiled with, wherein I endeavored to relieve myself of a heavy burden which I had silently borned ever since I came into these parts, on account of such a rapid increase of the abominable practice of distilling the precious wheat into whiskey; and though I believe there are a few well concerned Friends here, yet doubts ac-companied my mind that they were too easy about the wickedness of such a perversion of the blessings of Divine Providence; and I endeavored to put them upon nobly bearing a testimony against it, and set the light upon the candlestick, believing that the des-truction or salvation of their country very much de-pended upon the conduct pursued in that respect. After dinner rode seven miles to Nathan Herring- ton's, a kind man not in membership, but a diligent